Safari won’t play videos

I’ve had my IPhone for 4 months now and this has been a recurring problem. Initially I could play movies online on safari. Now they don’t play. The wheel spins continually but nothing actually happens. When I enlarge it I can scroll through the video but I can’t actually play it and watch it. This is so unbelievably frustrating and I can’t fix it. I’ve tried rebooting my phone, checked my safari settings but still it won’t work. Can anyone please help?

Posted on Oct 3, 2017 1:06 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Oct 4, 2017 8:44 AM

Alisharp,

Welcome to Apple Support Communities.
I understand your issue is Safari won't play videos.

If video playback is not working, you should clear Safari history and website data. Go to Settings and choose Safari. Tap Clear History and Website Data and when a pop-up window shows up, confirm your action by tapping on Clear History and Data.
Clear the history and cookies from Safari on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

You can also try force quitting Safari and launch it again.

  • Tap on the Home button twice
  • You will see a preview of the apps you have been using
  • Swipe left or right to find the app
  • Once the app is closed, go back to the Home screen and open the application again.
How to force an app to quit

You need to make sure the apps on your device are up to date. Every update always comes with some improvements, new features, and bug fixes. That’s why, if your iPhone video playback is not working on the certain app, update it to the latest version.

  • Launch the App Store
  • Tap the Updates section in the bottom-right corner
  • You can select Update All or find a certain app and tap the box next to the app name to update it.

Also, make sure your iPhone is up to date to the latest version of iOS, which is 11.0.2.

  • Make sure your iPhone is charged or connect it to a power source
  • Connect to a Wi-Fi network
  • Navigate to Settings > General > Software Update
  • Tap Download and Install or Install Now
Keep us posted on the outcome.

Enjoy your day!
6 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Oct 4, 2017 8:44 AM in response to alisharp

Alisharp,

Welcome to Apple Support Communities.
I understand your issue is Safari won't play videos.

If video playback is not working, you should clear Safari history and website data. Go to Settings and choose Safari. Tap Clear History and Website Data and when a pop-up window shows up, confirm your action by tapping on Clear History and Data.
Clear the history and cookies from Safari on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

You can also try force quitting Safari and launch it again.

  • Tap on the Home button twice
  • You will see a preview of the apps you have been using
  • Swipe left or right to find the app
  • Once the app is closed, go back to the Home screen and open the application again.
How to force an app to quit

You need to make sure the apps on your device are up to date. Every update always comes with some improvements, new features, and bug fixes. That’s why, if your iPhone video playback is not working on the certain app, update it to the latest version.

  • Launch the App Store
  • Tap the Updates section in the bottom-right corner
  • You can select Update All or find a certain app and tap the box next to the app name to update it.

Also, make sure your iPhone is up to date to the latest version of iOS, which is 11.0.2.

  • Make sure your iPhone is charged or connect it to a power source
  • Connect to a Wi-Fi network
  • Navigate to Settings > General > Software Update
  • Tap Download and Install or Install Now
Keep us posted on the outcome.

Enjoy your day!

Dec 29, 2017 1:48 PM in response to MoonJ.

My iphone is up to date and app is up to date I'm using 2 weeks old 8plus i did try everything from hard reset to deleting app but only thing that help is delete history and cookies but only temporary after watching one movie if i get lucky and not freeze in the middle i have to delete cookies again and there is chance not even that work all the time this is very unfortunate for me cos my pc broke and this is only device i can watch movies and serials so frustration is big

Feb 9, 2018 3:12 AM in response to alisharp

I have the same problem with my iPhone 8 Plus and have had this problem since I got it. It won’t play videos in any app and it frustrates me to the point of wanting to switch to Android. I have been an iPhone user since gen 1 and have never truly considered switching until now.


The techs told me to try all of the resets and I did. This created a new isssue. Now, none of my passwords will pop up when I’m in safari or any other app. I have to go to settings>passwords> and then manually find each and every password every time I go online. This makes things way more frustrating. So, nothing is fixed and I’m now double frustrated that my super expensive phone does not do the things that I paid for it to do. I would love for this issue to be resolved in order to prevent me from dumping Apple after investing thousands of dollars into computers, iPads, phones, iTunes, iBooks, and a watch.


Apple, please fix this issue. I have always loved and stood by your products and I don’t want to stop. I will gladly get on here with an update once your awesome customer service team corrects this situation and whatever awesome fix you come up with. Thanks in advance, Apple. I’m investing my last bit of faith in you to fix this problem for me and all my comrades on here with the same issue.

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Safari won’t play videos

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