Wondershare Repairit
Online Video Repair

Perfectly fix a video not playing on an Android Phone.

  • Fix any level of corruption like video no sound, video black screen, video blurry, etc.
  • Repair video of 10 different video formats, such as MP4, MOV, 3GP, MTS, etc.
  • Repair corrupted videos from SD cards, phones, cameras, hard drives, etc.
  • Repair corrupted videos online with the utmost security technology.
online video repair

What to Do if You Can’t Play a Video on an Android Phone?

Have you tried and realized you can’t play a video on your Android phone? You recorded and saved it, and now it’s unplayable. When you tap your video to play it, it says, “Can’t play video” or “Video cannot be played.”

Fortunately, our guide to fixing this video playback problem can help. We’ll cover the most common reasons for this issue and the top ten methods for eliminating it. Learn how to make your videos playable again.

Part 1. Reasons You Can’t Play Videos on an Android Phone

Even though you’ve recorded a particular video with your phone, you may face issues playing it. There are numerous causes for your video being unplayable. Thus, before fixing the problem, understand what caused it in the first place.

These are the most common reasons you can’t play videos on your Android phone:

  • Video corruption – You can encounter problems when your video gets corrupted. It can happen due to a virus attack, interrupted video transfer, partial download, or unreliable software on your phone.
  • SD card corruption – Your video can get corrupted if you store it on a corrupted SD card. SD cards experience this problem due to improper ejection, interrupted file transfer, or corrupted files.
  • Media player issues – If the media player on your Android phone is outdated or doesn’t support specific video formats, you won’t be able to play your video. Thus, you must update or change your media player.
  • Outdated operating system – If you don’t use the latest Android version, you might be unable to play your video. An outdated Android OS can cause bugs and glitches, including videos not working.
  • Incorrect settings – Some users have noticed that specific settings configurations on their Androids caused the “Video cannot be played” error.

Part 2. Top 10 Fixes if You Can’t Play Videos on an Android Phone

Now that we’ve covered the possible reasons for your video not playing on your Android phone, it’s time to fix it. We’ve prepared the top ten methods to help you eliminate your problem with unplayable videos. Our step-by-step instructions will help you resolve the issue and play your videos in seconds.

Fix 1: Repair Videos Using Repairit Online Video Repair

The best way to make your corrupted videos playable again is to use a video repair tool. Repairit is the best one to help you fix unplayable videos. We recommend the Online Video Repair version since you’ll use it on your phone.

Repairit Online Video Repair can help you repair corrupted and damaged videos in just a few taps. Follow these steps to fix your videos using Wondershare Repairit’s Online Video Repair:

Step 1: Go to the Repairit online video repair page on your Android phone. Tap Add Video to upload your corrupted videos.

upload videos for online repair

Step 2: You’ll see all the videos you’ve uploaded on the screen. Tap Repair to start the process.

repair corrupted videos online

Step 3: The program will begin fixing videos one by one. You can monitor the process next to each video.

repair in progress

Step 4: Preview the videos, tap Download All, and wait for the files to download to your Android.

download the repaired videos on android

Fix Can’t Play Videos on an Android Phone

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Fix 2: Clear Cache on Your Android Phone

Cache reduces load time by storing a copy of specific data on your device. For example, once you visit a webpage, your phone saves data in its cache memory, helping you access that page faster next time. However, if cache data gets corrupted, you must clear it.

Cache data can get corrupted if it accumulates a lot. Thus, clearing the cache can free up some storage space and allow other apps to function correctly. Follow these steps to clear the cache on your Android:

Step 1: Go to Settings on your phone.

Step 2: Find and open Storage / Application Manager.

open application manager on android

Step 3: Tap Clear Cache.

Step 4: If you don’t have the option to clear all cache, go app-by-app and clear the cache for each app. Start with your Camera app.

clear the camera cache

Fix 3: Restart the Phone

You can often fix video playback problems with a simple restart. If your Android starts malfunctioning, restarting it will probably eliminate the issue.

Start by closing all apps on your Android and then restart it. When it turns back on, go to your Gallery and try to play your video. If it works, you have nothing to worry about. Otherwise, try other methods.

Fix 4: Install a Different Media Player

Another reason your video may refuse to play is incompatibility with your media player. If your media player has an unsupported video codec or other compatibility issues, you won’t be able to play your video.

You can fix that by installing a different media player that supports your video format. Install a reliable one like VLC Media Player from Google Play.

Fix 5: Update Your Media Player App

Before installing a different media player, ensure the one you’ve been using is up to date. If your media player is outdated, you could experience performance issues, such as videos being unable to play.

You can fix the problem by updating the media player to the latest app version. Follow these steps to update your media player app on your Android:

Step 1: Open the Play Store and search for your media player app.

open play store

Step 2: Open it in and check the status. If the options say Uninstall and Open, your media player has no updates. If you see Uninstall and Update, tap Update and wait for the media player to finish updating.

Try playing your video again to see if the update has resolved the problem.

Fix 6: Update Your OS

If your Android OS is outdated, it can experience bugs and glitches. Thus, updating the operating system to the latest version might resolve many problems. That means you’ll probably fix your video not playing by updating your OS.

Before updating your Android OS, back up your data to avoid losing it. Once you create a backup, follow these steps to update your Android operating system:

Step 1: Connect your Android to Wi-Fi.

Step 2: Go to Settings and select About Phone or My Phone.

open about phone in settings

Step 3: You’ll see the Update, Software Update, or System Update option depending on your Android model. Select it.

go to system update

Step 4: Tap Check for updates.

Step 5: If Android OS updates are available, they’ll be on the screen. Tap Update.

Step 6: Tap Install and wait for the update to finish.

install an android update

Fix 7: Update the Firmware

Another reason for your video’s inability to play could be outdated firmware. Thus, you can fix the problem by updating it. The process differs from updating the operating system, but it’s not that challenging.

Follow these steps to update your Android firmware to fix the “video not playing” problem:

Step 1: Go to your Android official download center webpage and download the .zip file for your firmware.

Step 2: Set the destination for the .zip file as the root directory of your Android phone’s internal storage. If you can’t do that, copy or move the file from the Downloads folder to the root directory.

download the zip file

Step 3: Restart your phone. Once it turns back on, you’ll see a firmware update notification.

a firmware update notification

Step 4: Swipe down the status bar and tap the message saying System update file detected.

system update file detected

Step 5: Follow the prompts on the screen to finish updating your firmware.

Fix 8: Remove Suspicious Apps

One of the common reasons for Android performance issues is suspicious apps. If you install questionable apps on your Android, you can get viruses and malware that cause problems on your phone. They can manifest as an inability to play a video.

Thus, avoid installing apps from untrusted sources on your Android phone. The safest solution is to only download from the Play Store. If you have any suspicious apps, remove them to fix your video not playing.

Fix 9: Reset Network Settings on Android

If you have video playback issues or similar problems, you can fix them by resetting the network settings on your phone. Don’t worry; it won’t affect your data, and you won’t lose files.

Follow these steps to reset network settings on your Android:

Step 1: Open Settings on your Android.

Step 2: Scroll down to find System settings. Open them.

open system settings

Step 3: Select Reset Options.

select reset options

Step 4: Tap Reset Wi-Fi, mobile & Bluetooth.

open network settings on android

Step 5: Tap Reset settings.

reset network settings on android

Fix 10: Enable Automatic Date & Time

Even though it seems unrelated, an incorrect date and time on your Android phone can lead to videos not playing. Fortunately, that’s an easy fix requiring just a few taps. If you’ve manually set your date and time or it’s outdated, you’ll encounter several issues, including video playback errors.

Thus, enabling automatic date and time on your Android phone can help you fix the problem and enjoy your videos again. Follow these steps:

Step 1: Open Settings on your Android phone.

Step 2: Scroll down to find Date & Time. Tap to open it.

open date and time in settings

Step 3: Toggle the switch next to Automatic date & time and Automatic time zone to enable them.

enable automatic date and time

Conclusion

Don’t worry if you can’t play a video on your Android phone. The “Video cannot be played” error message can appear for numerous reasons. Some of the most common causes of a video’s inability to play include video corruption, media player issues, SD card corruption, an outdated operating system, and incorrect settings.

Fortunately, you can fix this problem in numerous ways and make your video playable again. Some of the best methods include using Wondershare Repairit’s Online Video Repair, clearing cache, restarting your phone, updating your media player or using a different one, updating your Android OS and firmware, removing suspicious apps, resetting network settings, and enabling automatic date and time.

FAQs

Your video could be unable to play due to several reasons. If your video is corrupted, you can use Wondershare Repairit Online or remove suspicious apps from your phone. If compatibility is the issue, you can update your media player or install a new one. Besides that, you can update your OS and firmware, reset network settings, and enable automatic date and time.

You can fix the issue of unplayable videos on your Android. You can do it yourself, so you don’t have to contact a professional service that will charge you for the repair. Follow our guide, and you’ll resolve the problem in a few minutes.

If your media player has compatibility issues with your video, you can install a new one. Find the video player app that best suits you. We recommend installing VLC for Android, RealPlayer, OPlayer, MXPlayer, or KMPlayer.