Google Photos video download not working.

I'm having the same problem. I edit videos using Final Cut Pro. Until a few weeks ago, I never had any problems importing videos that I had downloaded from Google Photos. Now, almost every video I download can't be imported and also won't play on quicktime. What has changed? Why is this happening? Oddly, I can import older videos and the occasional more recent video, but I tried to import about 6 videos just now, all taken today on my phone and uploaded to Google Photos. They're mp4 videos but Final Cut has them grayed out like they can't be imported. The only workaround I've found so far is to pay for a third party app to convert my videos so they can be imported. I shouldn't have to do that - I didn't have this issue until a few weeks ago. You're not alone. Who do I report this to so Apple and Google can understand that this is a problem?

Thanks for posting this. I just came across the same issue and wish I came across this post earlier. Ive been on the phone with both Google (Google one subscription) and Apple. I had no problems preview/QuickTime player videos I downloaded before from Google photos before. Then sometime in the past couple of months, the videos that I download are converted to a MP4 with codex vp09. Apple says they don't read this format and we can use handbrake to change videos to a format they can read. This is disappointing as final cut pro, adobe premiere, media encoder, preview, QuickTime etc all won't recognize the video. It is possible to download the video from the phone directly and not upload to Google photos and then redownload and that way the originally mp4 with codex hevc will still work. So the comments that if we change video quality to original is true but the downside is then you are having to spend more money buying more data for Google one storage in order to be able to view your files on a Mac. Hopefully Google can change back to another codec format vs Apple adds vp09 as a recognizable format of video.

The short end of it is that apple doesn't support the codec that is used. The way I've worked around this is to download Handbrake (free) and can convert videos to a format that I can use for making my own video. Unfortunately, it means I can't preview videos on my mac if I were to just watch them (e.g. not for making other videos etc). After using handbrake, I can view them and use FCP as well.

This is google's official response.

Key Points:

• Both the original file stored in the cloud and the downloaded file share the same format - MP4/MPEG4.
• However, they differ in coding format: the original uses vp08, while the downloaded version uses the newer vp09.
• vp08 is an older and less widely supported format compared to vp09.

Root Cause:

It's likely that Apple's media player no longer supports the vp08 coding format, leading to the playback issue you're experiencing. This isn't necessarily due to a file type incompatibility, but rather a specific codec incompatibility within the MP4 container.

Resolution:

Unfortunately, resolving this issue completely lies with Apple. We recommend contacting Apple Support directly:

• They can definitively confirm compatibility details for their media player.
• They might offer possible workarounds or future updates to address vp08 playback.

Alternative Options:

While contacting Apple is your best bet for a permanent solution, here are some temporary options:

• Try Third-Party Players: Explore media players with wider format and codec support, as they might be able to play the downloaded file.
• Re-encode (if possible): If you have access to video editing software, consider re-encoding the file to a more universally supported format, such as H.264. However, this may not be viable depending on your setup.

Hey everyone,

I just came across this and found this problem to be an interesting one , BUT I found a solution that also worked, but it a little tedious.

• You'd have to upload the video to Facebook (unfortunately). I set the audience for the video as "only me" so that only I can see it.
• From there the video shows (privately) on your feed.
• Then open the video up like to maximize it a bit, this is important to get the download options
• and then download the video. It will download in the correct codec.

If you have a large group of videos then I'm sorry lol, but if it's one or two that you really need this is potentially a quick solution if you are running low on options.

Best wishes!

If you have any non-apple device, try downloading the file there and then emailing it to yourself. For some reason this worked for us. My husband downloaded my video from the shared Google Photos album onto his phone (pixel). Then he emailed it to me. Then I opened my email on my Macbook Pro and downloaded the video from the email. It has the exact same file name as the file that didn't work, but something about not downloading it directly from Google Photos onto my Macbook seemed to "fix" it.

Yes, everything you say is true and basically explaining the problem we are all experiencing!

Do you know when this is expected to be fixed?

Or what has been your best workaround in the meantime?

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I tried sending files through Bluetooth but it said 2 hours for a 30 second video. There has to be a better way! Info on how to send files from Android to Mac and vice versa through Bluetooth: https://www.makeuseof.com/how-to-transfer-files-between-mac-android-using-bluetooth/

I also sent them to myself through WhatsApp but they lost quality.

I ended up uploading them to Drive and downloading. Thankfully they were short videos!

This exact same thing happened to me, but I was able to fix it using the free app from the App Store, "Focus Video". Highly recommend. It converts them quickly without needing to have to upload them to the internet like some other apps and can run in the background. This was a lifesaver for me as I needed to convert over 400 videos I downloaded from Google Photos.

> They wont play and also FCP can't see them

So you can download them as files, but not view them? If yes, then maybe the wrapper (.mkv, .webm etc) or the video (VP8/VP9, some H.265 detail etc) or audio codec (Opus etc) is incompatible?

Is it a big hassle to try the "storage saver" setting and then switch back to "original quality"? Is the switch instant or does one have to wait for Google do the change?

I am curious what kind of movie is downloaded with the "storage saver" setting. But my quite large Google Photos album is targeted for sharing to other people and I'd rather not annoy them with unnecessary tweaking.

If possible, could you post a link (Dropbox etc) of such sample movie that macOS can not display so I can take a closer look at the details?

Thanks for the sample movies. They have video codec VP9 which is incompatible with macOS QuickTime Player. Also many uploaded Youtube videos are converted to that codec no matter what.

Didn't either Google or Apple support tell you that??

You can check the codecs with Invisor or MediaInfo.

On the Mac you can play them with IINA (or VLC) or convert to some QuickTime compatible codec (H.264/H.265) with Handbrake.

https://iina.io/