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How to Fix Twitter Videos Not Playing

July 21, 2024

Are your Twitter videos not playing, and the annoying “The media could not be played” message keeps showing up? This could be especially frustrating when you try to learn some urgent news, and can’t access the video footage because of an unknown issue. 
Today, we will tell you everything that might be causing this issue so you will be able to fix it in seconds and continue enjoying Twitter (X)! 

Twitter Videos not playing on the Web version

If you have a problem with playing Twitter videos, there’s a big possibility you’re facing connection issues. Make sure you are connected to the Internet! 
If the connection is fine, and the Twitter video won’t play anyway, try updating your browser. Here are instructions for the most popular ones.

Twitter Videos not playing on Chrome

  1. In the menu, click on "Help".
  2. Click "About Google Chrome”. 
  3. The browser will automatically check for updates and install them. 

Twitter videos are not playing on Mozilla

  1. Access menu in the top right corner of the Firefox browser.
  2. Click "Help".
  3. Select "About Firefox." 
  4. Firefox will check for updates and download them automatically. 
After the update, relaunch your browser, go to Twitter (X) and check if the problem is fixed.

Videos not playing on Twitter app (iOS/Android)

In some cases, the videos are playing fine on the browser, but there are playback issues in the app. Let’s see what can cause a problem there.

Network connection issues

Again, the first thing that might be the reason for videos not playing on Twitter is your phone network connection. Here is how to check your network connection on different devices.

If Twitter is not playing videos on iOS:
For Wi-Fi:
  1. Tap the "Settings" app on your home screen.
  2. Tap "Wi-Fi" and ensure it is turned on.
  3. Make sure that there is no “No Internet Connection” mark on the network. 

For Mobile Data Connection:
  1. Tap "Cellular" or "Mobile Data."
  2. Ensure "Cellular Data" or "Mobile Data" is turned on.

If Twitter is not playing videos on Android:
For Wi-Fi:
  1. Tap "Network & Internet" or "Connections."
  2. Tap "Wi-Fi" to see available networks and ensure you are connected.
For Mobile Data Connection:
  1. Tap "Mobile Network" or "Data usage" in the "Network & Internet" or "Connections" menu.
  2. Ensure "Mobile data" is turned on.
To make sure the network is not weak, check the connection and video playback on the browser and other apps. 

Outdated Twitter App

If your Wi-fi or data is working fine but your Twitter app is not playing videos anyway, your app might be outdated. 
Here is how to fix it on iOS:
  1. Tap your profile icon at the top right corner of the screen to open your account.
  2. Scroll down to see pending updates and release notes. 
  3. Find Twitter in the list and tap "Update" next to it.

How to update the Twitter App on Android:
  1. Go to Google Play Store. 
  2. Tap the three horizontal lines at the top left corner and select "My apps & games."
  3. Under the "Updates" tab, find Twitter in the list of apps with available updates. 
  4. Tap "Update" next to it. Make sure your connection is stable! 

Outdated Phone Software

Old phone software can cause compatibility issues with the apps, leading to problems like videos not playing on Twitter properly. 
Here are instructions on how to update your device.

On iOS: 
  1. Tap the "Settings" app on your home screen.
  2. Tap "General" and then "Software Update."
  3. If an update is available, tap "Download and Install." If your iOS is up to date, it will show "Your software is up to date."

On Android:
  1. Go to "Settings".
  2. Scroll down and tap "System" or "Software Update".
  3. Tap "Check for updates”. If an update is available, follow the on-screen instructions to download and install it. If your Android device is up to date, it will show "Your system is up to date."

Twitter Outages

If Twitter is still not playing videos after all these steps, there might be an issue with the platform directly. Try searching “Twitter outage” on Google or other social media platforms to make sure you’re not the only one having a problem.
If this is the case, the only thing you can do is wait until Twitter engineers fix the issue. Check the website a couple of hours later!

Other reasons

If there’s no outage, your connection is fine, and updates didn’t help with the issue, then you might be facing one of the following problems.
  • Security software. If you have security software, try turning it off and accessing Twitter again.  If the settings are accidentally changed, they might block Twitter content from loading properly.
  • Cache/cookies. The cache of the Twitter app or browser cookies can cause issues. On Android, you can clean the cash manually. On iOS, you will have to reinstall the app. On browsers (both mobile and desktop), you can delete cookies and clean the cache from browser settings. 
  • Device memory. Video playing requires a lot of resources. If the memory is almost full, then the device for sure will have trouble with video playback. Delete some unnecessary files from your device, and try accessing Twitter again.

 These solutions should help you get back to enjoying videos on Twitter without interruptions!