Video streaming is one of the common things done by smartphone users these days. In fact, it is among the key benefits of having a smartphone these days. With the advanced mobile technology, anyone can enjoy watching favorite videos, including YouTube clips and interesting vlogs (video blogs) on the go. But not everyone has the same positive experience with YouTube video streaming on their smartphones as what some users of the iPhone 6s Plus had encountered.
For some reason, the iPhone just won’t play YouTube videos thus they’re unable to use the device for this purpose. This can be a bummer given that YouTube is a trend and missing this feature from such a high-end device can greatly affect your overall iPhone experience. What could have prevented your iPhone from playing YouTube videos and what should be done to resolve the underlying cause? Read on to find out the answers to these questions.
But before anything else, if you have a different issue with your device, visit the troubleshooting page we’ve setup for the iPhone 6s Plus. We list down every problem we address each week in that page so try to see if we’ve already addressed your concern before. If we did, try to use the solutions we suggested and if they won’t work, then you may contact us by filling up this form.
Possible reasons as to why your iPhone 6s Plus couldn’t and won’t play YouTube videos
Apparently, the problem you are dealing with is related to the software. It can be isolated to the video file your are trying to play, like when the file gets corrupted. Another possibility is on the video link or file path that is invalid or gets broken thus you’re unable to load the video through the given URL. It is also possible that the YouTube video you are trying to play has incompatible file format for your iPhone software. The recommended video file format to work with your iPhone is MP4.
There are also other cases where the app is to blame. This could be the case if the YouTube app on your iPhone has gone rogue and stopped working as intended. The same problem can occur if network problems exist. In order to access YouTube servers and play YouTube videos, your phone must be connected to the internet. If you are having Wi-Fi issues on your iPhone from slow to no connectivity at all, then you will need to deal with that problem first for you to be able to watch YouTube videos on your iPhone 6s Plus with no hassles.
Recommended workarounds and generic solutions
The following workarounds are based on the possible causes thus considered generic solutions. You may opt to try these whenever you decide to troubleshoot the problem on your end. Be sure to test your device after completing each step to determine whether or not the problem has been resolved. Try the next applicable solutions, if necessary.
First method: Reboot your iPhone (soft reset).
You are dealing with a software-related issue on the iPhone, thus you shouldn’t miss doing this thing. A soft reset is done by simply rebooting your iPhone the usual way. This process does not only turn your iPhone off and on but also erase minor software glitches affecting an apps functions, which in this case is likely the YouTube app. If you haven’t done this yet, then you better do it now. Here’s how a soft reset is properly done:
- Press and hold the Sleep/Wake (Power) button for a few seconds until the Slide to Power Off screen appears.
- Drag the slider to power off your iPhone completely.
- Wait for about 30 seconds then press and hold the Power button again until the Apple logo appears.
Wait until your iPhone boots up completely then try to play YouTube videos on your phone then see if it is now able to play without errors.
In the case where your iPhone screen gets frozen or unresponsive while attempting to play a YouTube video, a force restart would be necessary. It does the same with the soft reset but the process slightly varies.
- To perform a force restart on your iPhone 6s Plus, press and hold the Sleep/Wake button and the Home button simultaneously for about 10 seconds until the Apple logo appears. Release both buttons when you see the Apple logo.
Aside from being effective in fixing minor software glitches, both methods are likewise considered safe as they won’t affect any data stored on your iPhone.
Second method: Close out and then re-launch YouTube app.
Should the problem is isolated on the YouTube app on your iPhone, closing it will likely fix the glitch and gives the app a fresh start the moment it launches again. So here’s what you should do to make this happen:
- Close the YouTube app on your iPhone. To do so, double-press the Home button to launch or open the App Switcher.
- When the App Switcher launches, navigate and locate the app you are trying to close. If you are using YouTube, swipe up the YouTube app preview off the screen to close it. Do the same to other app(s) you are using.
- After closing the app, reboot your iPhone then launch the app again as you normally do using the Apps screen.
Then, try to play a YouTube video to see if it is already able to play. If not, proceed to the next applicable solution.
Third method: Update YouTube app, if applicable.
Unless you’ve set your device to automatically install apps updates including YouTube, you might as well consider checking for YouTube update this time and install manually if available. Aside from bringing in new features and enhancements, updates also contain some fixes to certain bugs. With that said, installing the latest YouTube update can be the ultimate solution especially if the problem you are dealing with is caused by some bugs. Here’s how to check for YouTube updates:
- Head over to the App Store.
- Scroll down to the bottom right of the screen on your iPhone display.
- Tap Updates.
- If an update is available, you will see a notification. Tap the Update button located right next to the YouTube app then follow the onscreen instructions to complete the update download and installation for the selected app (YouTube).
Afterwards, reboot your iPhone then try to see if it can now play YouTube videos. If it still unable to play a video on YouTube, keep trying.
Fourth method: Remove YouTube app and then re-install it.
Just like any other removable apps, uninstalling and reinstalling the YouTube app can likely fix the problem especially if that app itself gets corrupted. However, there are some downsides from doing so as it will erase all your app settings in the process. This means that you need to download this information again as if you do it the first time when you reinstall the app. But your YouTube account will not be deleted. If you want to give this workaround a shot, then here’s how it’s done:
- Lightly press and hold the icon of your YouTube app. Don’t press it too hard because doing so will activate 3D Touch on your iPhone.
- When you see the app starts to jiggle and the X appears on the upper-left corner of every app icon, tap the X on your YouTube app.
- Press Delete to uninstall the app and confirm action
- Reboot your iPhone.
- Reinstall the app by going to the App Store.
- Tap the Search tab then type in the name of your preferred YouTube app.
- Tap Get to download the app.
- Tap Install next to your preferred (YouTube) app. Doing so will reinstall the app on your iPhone.
Try to play your YouTube videos again and then see if you’re now able to do so. If you still haven’t succeeded, then continue to the next workaround.
Fifth method: Check your Wi-Fi connection.
Usually you will be prompted with pertinent alert message whenever there is a problem with your Wi-Fi connection. Again, you won’t be able to access YouTube nor play YouTube videos if you don’t have a strong and stable connection to the Internet. To ensure that this is not causing your trouble, you try doing these:
- Tap Settings from the Home screen.
- Tap Wi-Fi.
- Toggle the Wi-Fi switch to turn Wi-Fi off and then back ON. When the switch turns grey, it means Wi-Fi is off. Toggle the switch to turn it back ON. The switch will then turn green when Wi-Fi is active. You will also see an active Wi-Fi icon (indicator) on the status bar on your iPhone.
Try to play YouTube videos again after doing the aforesaid trick. If the problem persists, try to forget the Wi-Fi network or connect to a different Wi-Fi network available.
Other options you may have when dealing with network problems that might have prevented you from playing YouTube videos on your iPhone 6s Plus would include network settings reset on the iPhone and power-cycling the modem/wireless router.
How to Reset network settings on your iPhone 6s Plus:
When you reset the network settings on your iPhone, all your Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and VPN settings will be erased and stored to factory defaults. So before you proceed, make sure you take note of your Wi-Fi password as you will be needing it to connect to your Wi-Fi network after performing these steps:
- Tap Settings from the Home screen.
- Tap General.
- Tap Reset.
- Select Reset Network Settings.
- If prompted, enter your passcode.
- Confirm action if necessary.
Reboot your iPhone, then setup and connect to your wireless network again.
How to Power-cycle the modem/wireless router:
The following steps will power off your modem/wireless router, eliminates software glitches affecting network functions, and refreshes your Internet connection:
- Press the Power button to power of your modem or wireless router.
- Unplug it from the power source for about 30 seconds.
- After 30 seconds, plug it back in then turn it back on.
- Wait until all the light indicators on your modem/wireless router become stable.
Reboot your iPhone 6s Plus then try to open and play a YouTube video afterwards and then see if you’re now able to do so.
Other Helpful Suggestions
Here are some other options for you to consider should the problem persists after doing all the aforesaid workarounds:
- Play the video at a later time. Sometimes, you just couldn’t play any YouTube video because the YouTube server is not available. Usually you will be prompted with an alert message saying that “Play error tap to retry” if this is the case. It can be due to a downtime error or the YouTube server is currently down for some reasons so the services are likewise currently unavailable. If you’re seeing relevant message, try to play the YouTube video at some other time later.
- Download the video from YouTube to your iPhone. If you cannot play the video online, then you can try downloading it and then play it offline on your device. Just be sure to allocate some space on your iPhone for video downloads.
- Use YouTube videos converters. If the problem is video file incompatibility or the YouTube video won’t play on your iPhone due to unsupported file format, you can use a YouTube videos converted to convert the selected video to a format that is compatible with iOS. There are a lot of HD video converters or YouTube downloaders you can select from. Should you give it a try, here’s how it’s done:
- Download and install the Video Converter you prefer to use on your computer (Windows or Mac).
- Import the YouTube video URL. To do so, open the Video Converter then click the YouTube URL button.
- Search a video on YouTube.
- Copy and paste the link to the address bar of the pop-up screen.
- Select or specify the output version. MP4 files (.mp4 extensions) is recommended because it’s compatible with your iPhone.
- Click OK then follow the onscreen instructions to Download the YouTube video.
Once the download is finished, you can sync the downloaded video to your iPhone 6s Plus using iTunes. By then you should be able to play the downloaded YouTube videos on your iPhone with no more playing errors.
Seek More Help
If you need more help as none of the aforementioned solutions is able to fix the problem and that your iPhone 6s Plus still won’t play YouTube videos, then you may escalate the problem to your iPhone carrier or Apple Support especially if it happens after an iOS update installation. This can also be tagged among other post-update issues then.
Connect with us
We are always willing to help fix your problems with your Apple device. Browse through our existing troubleshooting posts or you may contact us directly by completing this form and hitting the Submit button. Make sure you provide all the necessary information about your phone and the problem so that it would be easier for us to help you.