Many Apple users watch videos on the Safari browser because of its extension support and multitasking abilities. Unfortunately, you may face issues playing videos on the iPhone Safari browser. If you have installed several third-party extensions, it may let Safari crash on your iPhone. The issue can be fixed easily by doing certain troubleshooting solutions on your browser and iPhone.
Fixes for Safari Not Playing Videos on iPhone
You can try these nine troubleshooting steps when Safari is not playing videos on your iPhone or iPad properly.
- Open private tab
- Update iPhone
- Restart your iPhone
- Clear history and data
- Turn off experimental features
- Enable Javascript on Safari
- Disable content and privacy restrictions
- Disable extensions on Safari
- Modify Advanced Features
- Reset network settings
Open Private Tab
To fix it, open a new private tab and check whether the browser can play videos without issues. Simply long press the tabs icon at the bottom right corner and choose New Private Tab. Next, play a video on the Safari private tab and check whether the videos are playing without interruptions.
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Update iPhone
You can update your iPhone to the latest version of iOS to fix the issue.
1. Go to Settings on your iPhone.
2. Choose General from the list.
3. Under the General tab, select Software Update.
4. If your iPhone is connected to a Wi-Fi network, it will check for updates.
5. Click on Download and Install if available.
Later, check whether Safari can play videos without any issues.
Restart Your iPhone
Sometimes these issues can be fixed by rebooting your iOS. It will remove the temporary files like the Safari cache stored on your device and unidentified errors present on Safari.
1. Press and hold the side button on your iPhone until the power-off slider displays.
2. Turn off your device by dragging the slider. It will turn off within a few seconds.
3. Next, press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears to restart.
Further, open the Safari browser and make sure the issue is resolved.
Turn Off Experimental Features
1. Open Settings on your iPhone.
2. Select Safari from the list of settings.
3. Scroll down and select the Advanced tab.
4. Further, scroll to the bottom and choose Experimental WebKit Features.
5. Disable the GPU Process: DOM Rendering option from the list of features.
Afterward, launch Safari and make sure it can play videos properly. If not, you can follow the next troubleshooting step.
Enable JavaScript on Safari
Safari browser won’t play a video if you have disabled the JavaScript. Therefore, enabling Javascript can improve the Safari browser’s performance as well as the interaction of the sites.
1. Open the iPhone Settings.
2. Choose Safari from the options.
3. At the bottom of Safari settings, click on Advanced.
4. Now, click the JavaScript toggle to turn it ON.
At last, open the Safari browser and see whether the videos are playing without any issues.
Disable Content & Privacy Restrictions
1. Go to Settings on your iPhone.
2. Scroll below and select Screen Time.
3. Under the Screen Time settings, click on Content & Privacy Restrictions.
4. On the next page, click the Content & Privacy Restrictions toggle to turn it OFF.
Clear History and Data
Not deleting Safari history, in the long run, may cause such issues.
1. From your iPhone, go to Settings → Safari.
2. Scroll down and click on Clear History and Website Data.
3. Again, tap on Clear History and Data on the pop-up.
Now, relaunch the Safari browser and check if the issue is resolved. Apple provides the feature to recover the deleted Safari history if you have enabled the sync feature with iCloud,
Disable Extensions on Safari
When you have installed the incompatible Safari extension, it may cause trouble while playing a video. Therefore, it is always suggested to check the Safari version and install the extension that is compatible with the browser.
1. Hover over the iPhone Settings and click on Safari.
2. Under the Safari section, choose Extensions.
3. Now, the list of extensions that you have installed on Safari will be displayed.
4. Finally, click all the Extensions and turn them Off.
Modify Advanced Features
Disabling the media capabilities extension can stop playing videos on Safari.
1. Go to Settings on your iPhone and pick Safari.
2. Select Advanced at the bottom of the page.
3. Choose Experimental Features.
4. You can see the HDR Media Capabilities and Media Capability Extension features.
5. Turn them OFF for a few seconds, and turn them ON.
Reset Network Settings
1. Go to Settings and select the General option.
2. Scroll down and choose Transfer or Reset iPhone.
3. On the next screen, tap Reset.
4. Further, choose Reset Network Settings.
Now, your device will restart immediately to reset the network settings. After that, open the Safari browser and check whether the videos are playing normally. If the Safari browser is not working well, you can reset Safari to default settings.
FAQ
If Safari blocks the Autoplay function, it won’t play videos properly. To fix it, click on the Safari menu and select Settings for this website. Now, select Allow All Auto-Play within the AutoPlay section.
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