Why don't some QuickTime movie files play on the Files app?

I have a series of .mov files in a folder. They all play on my iMac. But on the iPad and iPhone, when I try to watch them in the Files app, the only thing I see is a blank screen that says the file name, file type ("QickTime movie"), and the file size.

The files are being shared on iCloud.

iPhone XS

Posted on Feb 14, 2020 5:50 PM

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1 reply

i_rina

Community Specialist

Feb 17, 2020 8:03 AM in response to TenaciousTurtle

Hi TenaciousTurtle,

Thanks for posting your question. As I understand it, you're unable to play some .MOV files on your iPhone and iPad.

Since they seem to play on your Mac, and other .MOV files seem to play on the iPhone and iPad, it could be an issue of encoding with these specific files. As a test, see if you're able to share these from your Mac to one of your iOS devices via AirDrop instead of iCloud Drive. This would help to rule out a few potential issues with accessing the files from iCloud Drive in order to narrow things down: Use AirDrop on your Mac

Take care.

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Why don't some QuickTime movie files play on the Files app?

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