5 Ways to Fix Safari Not Playing Videos on iPhone

Quick Tips

• Disabling third-party extensions and resetting experimental features can help resolve issues with Safari.
• Ensure you haven’t enabled any content restrictions on your iPhone.
• You can consider changing the default web browser on your iPhone if nothing else works.

Fix 1: Disable Extensions

Using third-party extensions in Safari can occasionally interfere with its video playback functionality. Try temporarily disabling all extensions to see if that resolves the issue.

Step 1: Open the Settings app, scroll down to Safari, and tap it.

Step 2: Go to Extensions and turn off all your extensions one by one.

Fix 2: Reset Experimental Features

Did you recently tweak any experimental features in Safari? If so, you could experience such issues. Try resetting all experimental features and playing the video again.

Step 1: Open the Settings app and head to Safari > Advanced.

Step 2: Tap Feature Flags and select Reset All to Defaults from the following menu.

Fix 3: Turn Off Content and Privacy Restrictions

If you’ve been using the Screen Time feature on your iPhone to impose content or privacy restrictions, remember that these settings can block certain apps, content types, and websites. Hence, it’s best to turn them off.

Step 1: Open the Settings app and navigate to Screen Time.

Step 2: Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions and turn off the toggle in the following menu.

Fix 4: Ensure JavaScript is Enabled

JavaScript is a programming language that developers use to incorporate various features on websites. However, if JavaScript is disabled on your iPhone, these features may not work properly, leading to issues such as videos not playing.

Step 1: Launch the Settings app on your iPhone and go to Safari.

Step 2: Scroll down to tap Advanced and turn on the toggle for JavaScript.

Fix 5: Clear Safari History and Data

Clearing existing browsing data is an effective method for troubleshooting various issues with Safari, including the one you’re experiencing.

Step 1: Open the Settings app and scroll down to tap on Safari.

Step 2: Tap Clear History and Website Data. Choose All history and tap Clear History to confirm.

If Safari won’t play videos after clearing the browsing data, try updating your iPhone to the latest iOS version and resetting network settings to fix the underlying issue.