If a video stays black, stops loading, or plays with no picture, one of these is usually why.
Use the app
Our newer videos use a format called AV1. It is about a third smaller than the old one at the same quality, which means less data and less buffering — but phones made before roughly 2022 cannot play it. The app carries its own decoder, so every video works there whatever your phone supports.
The two formats
| H.264 | AV1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 2003 | 2018 |
| File size | Full | About a third smaller |
| Data used | More | Less, on the same video |
| Plays on | Everything | Phones from roughly 2022 |
| Older phones | Yes | Only through our app |
Same picture either way. AV1 just packs it into fewer bytes, which is why newer uploads use it — and why a phone without an AV1 decoder sees nothing at all rather than a lower quality version.
How to tell if this is your problem
If older videos play and newer ones do not, it is the format and the app will fix it. If nothing plays at all, it is more likely one of the things below.
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Turn off your VPN
Some VPNs interfere with the secure connection and the video never starts. Switching the VPN off, or changing its protocol or server, usually clears it.
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Try a different browser
Chrome handles video best. If you are using the built-in browser that came with your phone, that is often the cause.
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Turn off your ad blocker
Some blockers are aggressive enough to stop the video file loading along with everything else.
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Wait a moment and reload
A video added in the last few minutes may still be uploading. Give it a little while and open the page again.
Still stuck? Tell us which video and which phone, and we will look into it.