Why won’t videos play on my Android tablet?
Videos not playing properly is a common issue faced by Android tablet users. There are various reasons why videos may fail to play on an Android tablet. The video file could be in an unsupported format, or there may be codec issues preventing the video from being decoded. App incompatibility, corrupt video files, storage problems, outdated software, hardware limitations, and network connectivity issues can also lead to videos not playing.
This article outlines the main reasons why videos may not play on Android tablets, and provides troubleshooting tips to help diagnose and resolve the problem.
Unsupported Video Formats
One common reason videos may not play on an Android tablet is if the video file format is not supported. Android supports some common video formats like MP4, 3GP, and MPEG-4, but does not natively support others like AVI, MKV, FLV, MOV, and WMV (Supported media formats – Android Developers, Android Supported Media Formats | Android Developers).
MP4 files use MPEG-4 video compression and contain MP3 audio. This format is widely supported across Android devices. 3GP is also a MPEG-4 based format that is optimized for mobile platforms.
However, AVI, MKV, and WMV use different proprietary compression algorithms like DivX or WMV that are not natively supported in Android. Trying to play these formats on your Android tablet will likely result in an error or the video not loading at all.
While the native Android video player does not support certain formats, you may be able to play them by installing third party media player apps capable of decoding those formats. But for best compatibility, it’s recommended to convert your videos to MP4 or 3GP before loading them onto your Android tablet.
Codec or Container Issues
One common reason videos won’t play on Android tablets is codec or container incompatibility. Codecs are the algorithms used to encode and decode audio and video. Containers are the file formats that hold the video and audio streams along with metadata. Even if a video uses a codec supported by Android, like H.264, if the container format is not supported, like DIVX or FLV, the video will not play properly.
Android’s native media player supports common container formats like MP4, MKV, and WebM. However, more obscure formats may not work. Converting the video to a compatible format like MP4 is usually the best solution. There are many free online converters that can re-encode videos into a format fully supported by Android.
The codec can also cause playback issues. Android supports H.264 and H.265 for video and AAC or MP3 for audio. Older or proprietary codecs may not play correctly even if the container format is compatible. Again, re-encoding the video with newer standard codecs can help get around this limitation.
In summary, if you encounter videos that play on desktop but not your Android, converting them to a compatible container like MP4 with standard codecs like H.264 video and AAC audio is typically the best fix. There are many free tools available to re-encode videos into fully Android compatible formats.
App Compatibility Problems
Sometimes videos won’t play on an Android tablet due to compatibility issues with certain apps. If a video plays fine in the native Gallery app but not in a third-party app like MX Player or VLC, it’s likely an app compatibility problem.
Apps may not be optimized for certain Android versions or tablet screen sizes and resolutions. For example, an older video app may not work properly on newer Android versions. Trying updating the problematic app to see if that resolves the issue.
Additionally, some apps like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video use proprietary digital rights management (DRM) technology that only works in the official app. Downloaded videos from these services won’t play in other video apps due to DRM limitations.
The solution is to use the official app from the video service. For example, you need to use the official Netflix app to play Netflix videos. If the app isn’t installed, download it from the Google Play Store to enable video playback.
In summary, if a video works in some apps but not others, it’s likely an app compatibility issue. Try updating the problematic app or use the official app designed for that video service.
Corrupt or Damaged Videos
One of the main reasons videos may fail to play on your Android device is if the video files themselves have become corrupted or damaged in some way. There are a few ways this can happen:
The video file was not fully downloaded or transferred, resulting in a partial or incomplete file. This often occurs if the download was interrupted before completion.
The storage where the videos are saved on your device has errors or file system issues. This can cause data corruption over time.
The video was encoded improperly or at too low of a bitrate when it was originally created. This can result in artifacts, errors, or make the file unplayable.
The video file was modified incorrectly or tampered with by a buggy app. Changing codecs or containers can sometimes corrupt video files if not done properly.
Overall, any type of unexpected error during transfer, storage, or encoding of a video file can result in playback issues later due to corruption or damage. Using a video repair tool can sometimes fix the files if the damage is not too extensive. See this guide for more details: How to Fix Corrupted Videos from Android
Storage or Memory Issues
One of the most common reasons videos may not play properly on an Android tablet is if you don’t have enough storage space or memory available. Android requires free space to be available on your device’s internal storage or SD card in order to download and play videos smoothly.
If your storage is nearly full, you may encounter errors like “Insufficient storage available” when trying to play videos. This occurs when the video file size exceeds the free space on your tablet. For example, if you only have 500MB of free storage left but are trying to play a 1GB video file, it will fail to play and give you an error.
To fix this, you need to free up storage space on your device. Try removing unused apps, photos, downloads and files to clear space. You can also move files like videos, photos and music onto an external SD card if your tablet supports it. SD cards provide additional, removable storage which can help overcome limited internal storage.
Another option is to use a cloud storage service like Google Drive or Dropbox to store your video files, instead of locally on your device. This allows you to play videos directly from the cloud without needing storage on your tablet.
Finally, upgrading to a tablet with more internal storage capacity can help avoid running into insufficient storage issues in the future when trying to play videos.
Outdated Software
One common reason videos may not play properly on an Android tablet is if the device’s software is outdated. This includes the Android operating system itself, video player apps, and device drivers. Over time, newer video formats and codecs emerge that older software versions don’t support. Failing to keep your Android tablet’s software up-to-date can lead to compatibility issues when trying to play videos.
To resolve this, start by checking if any system software updates are available for your device. Go to Settings > System > System Update to see if an Android OS update is ready to be installed. Major Android version updates in particular can improve device compatibility. Next, make sure any video player apps are updated to their latest versions via the Google Play store. Apps like VLC media player and MX Player regularly add support for new video features. Finally, check your tablet manufacturer’s website for updated USB or hardware drivers if videos still won’t play properly after OS and app updates. Keeping all software on an Android tablet current is key to avoiding video playback issues.
Hardware Limitations
If your Android tablet has older or slower hardware, it may struggle to play certain video formats smoothly. Most modern tablets can play 1080p video without issue, but older tablets may lack the processing power or graphics capabilities. According to a post on Reddit, even some newer Android tablets like the Amazon Fire HD 10 still do not support full hardware acceleration for video decoding and rendering (Source). This means the CPU has to work harder to process videos, which can lead to choppy playback, freezing, or crashes especially for high resolution or High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) videos.
Tablet hardware can also degrade over time, leading to video playback issues. A damaged battery may cause the tablet to throttle CPU speeds during playback to conserve power. Accumulated damage to the screen or graphics chip can also affect video performance. Checking for system updates, factory resetting the device, or considering a hardware upgrade may help in these cases.
Internet Connectivity Problems
One of the most common reasons videos may not play properly on an Android tablet is due to internet connectivity issues. This can be caused by problems with your Wi-Fi network or mobile data connection.
If you are connected to Wi-Fi but the video keeps buffering, try moving closer to your router or access point. interference from other devices, distance, and obstacles can all affect Wi-Fi signal strength and cause buffering. Check for available software updates for your router, as outdated firmware can also cause problems. Restarting the router may help temporarily as well. Consider upgrading to a faster internet plan if available in your area, as slower bandwidth can lead to frequent buffering of high definition videos.
If you are using mobile data and experiencing frequent buffering, check your data speed. Swapping to a stronger mobile network or 5G service could improve streaming capability. You may also want to disable background data usage for other apps to prioritize bandwidth for your video player. Consider downloading videos over Wi-Fi for offline viewing if you consistently have buffering issues on mobile data. Some locations just have poor cellular reception, so changing locations could potentially fix mobile data buffering problems.
In general, an internet connection speed of at least 5 Mbps is recommended for streaming HD quality video without frequent buffering. Testing your network speeds with apps like Speedtest can help diagnose connectivity issues. Checking for bottlenecks from an internet service provider or mobile carrier could also identify network factors leading to poor video streaming performance.
(Source: https://www.wikihow.com/Stop-Buffering-on-Android-Phone)
Troubleshooting Tips
If you are having issues playing videos on your Android tablet, here are some troubleshooting steps you can try to diagnose and fix the problem:
First, check for unsupported video formats. Try converting the video file to a format supported by your device like MP4 or 3GP.
Clear the app cache and data for the video player app like MX Player or VLC. This will reset the app and may resolve any corrupt data issues.
Check for app updates for both the video player app and video streaming apps like YouTube or Netflix. Install any available updates which may contain bug fixes.
Restart your Android tablet to clear any memory issues. Also check for low storage space and delete unneeded files and apps to free up space.
Toggle airplane mode on and off to reset internet connectivity if you are having buffering issues with online videos.
As a last resort, reset your tablet to factory default settings if you still cannot get videos to play. This will erase your data but can eliminate any system-level issues.
Using these troubleshooting tips will help you systematically diagnose what could be preventing videos from playing on your Android tablet and allow you to take steps to resolve it.