In today’s digital era, having videos on your website can be a game-changer. Videos provide visual context, enhance user experience, and can drive better engagement. However, nothing can be more frustrating than your video content not playing properly, especially on mobile devices.

If you’ve stumbled upon the issue where your WordPress videos aren’t playing in the mobile view, you’ve landed in the right place.

Let’s dive deep into how to address this common problem. By the end of this guide, you should have your videos playing smoothly on mobile.

1. Why Videos May Not Play on Mobile View

Mobile Browsing Restrictions: Many mobile browsers, especially iOS ones, have restrictions on auto-playing videos to save data for their users. This can be a common reason why videos won’t play automatically.

File Size and Format: Large videos or unsupported formats might fail to play on mobile devices due to bandwidth or compatibility issues.

Themes and Plugins Conflict: Sometimes, the active WordPress theme or a particular plugin might conflict with video playback on mobile.

2. Preliminary Checks Before Fixing

Is it a Universal Issue? Before jumping to solutions, make sure to test your videos on different mobile devices and browsers. If it’s a problem on a specific device/browser, the troubleshooting would be different.

Update Everything: Ensure that your WordPress core, theme, and plugins are all updated. Often, updating can resolve compatibility issues.

3. Step-by-Step Solutions

Step 1: Optimize Your Videos for Mobile Viewing

Ensure that your videos are optimized for mobile. Convert them to a mobile-friendly format (like MP4) and compress them to ensure they’re not too large. Tools like HandBrake can help in this regard.

Step 2: Use a Responsive Video Embed Plugin

If your WordPress video isn’t playing in mobile view, consider using a responsive video embed plugin. Such plugins ensure that your videos adapt to various screen sizes. Examples include WP Video Lightbox and FitVids.

Step 3: Disable Autoplay

As mentioned, some mobile browsers restrict auto-playing videos. Instead of auto-playing, provide a play button for users to initiate the video manually. This ensures a higher probability of the video playing smoothly.

Step 4: Check for Theme and Plugin Conflicts

Deactivate your plugins one by one and switch to a default WordPress theme. Check each time if the video plays on mobile view. This will help you identify if a particular theme or plugin is causing the conflict.

Step 5: Use a Video Hosting Service

Instead of hosting videos directly on your WordPress site, consider using services like YouTube, Vimeo, or Wistia. Not only do these platforms optimize videos for various devices, but they also provide embed codes that are typically more compatible with mobile browsers.

Step 6: Ensure Correct Video Embed Codes

If you’re manually embedding videos, ensure you’re using the right iframe code. Ensure it’s not set to a fixed width but uses a percentage, ensuring responsiveness.

Step 7: Modify .htaccess for HTML5 Video Formats

If you’re serving HTML5 videos, sometimes server settings can prevent them from playing. Add the following lines to your .htaccess file:

AddType video/mp4 .mp4 .m4v
AddType video/ogg .ogv
AddType video/webm .webm

This ensures that your server supports the video types you’re trying to serve.

Step 8: Seek Professional Assistance

If all else fails, consider seeking help from a WordPress expert. Sometimes, underlying issues might need a more professional touch.

Final Thoughts

Having WordPress videos that don’t play in the mobile view can be a significant setback for user experience. However, by following the steps outlined above, you can tackle the issue head-on and ensure seamless video playback.

Remember, in the digital age, mobile optimization isn’t just a luxury – it’s a necessity. Make sure all aspects of your WordPress site, especially multimedia content like videos, are primed for the mobile audience.

If you found this article on “How to Fix WordPress Video Not Playing in Mobile Browser” helpful, consider sharing it with fellow website administrators. Let’s ensure a mobile-friendly web for everyone!