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Learn what to do if you have saved some video files to an external thumb drive or SSD and they don’t play on your iPhone or iPad.
You can connect a thumb drive or SSD (that draws less than 4.5 watts) directly to your iPhone or iPad’s USB-C or Lightning port, then access the video files on it in the Apple Files app or an app like VLC. Usually, it’s a smooth process, but if the videos don’t play, here are some quick tips to fix that.
Note that in case the external drive isn’t even showing up on your iPhone or iPad, check out our other tutorial first.
Get the correct app
iOS can play MP4, MOV, and a few other formats. But if the movie file in question is MKV, AVI, DAT, or another format, you’ll need an all-rounder media app like VLC or Infuse to play it.
After installing one of these apps:
- Tap the file, and it may open directly in VLC or Infuse.
- Tap the unplayable file or touch & hold it and select Quick Look. Then, tap the VLC or Infuse app name as shown in the screenshot below.
- Touch and hold the video file in the Apple Files app, tap Open With (if shown), and select the app.
- Open the video app like VLC, tap Browse > Local files, and select the video to play it.
- Move the video to the app’s folder in the On My iPhone/iPad section and then tap to play it (last tip of this post).
If you already have these apps on your iPhone, update them from the App Store and retry.
Try adding the right extension
Touch and hold the unplayable file, select Rename, and add the right extension (like .mkv or .avi). If you don’t know which extension to add, try with .mp4 and see if it works.
Close the app and restart your iPhone
Unplug the SSD or thumb drive and then close and reopen the Files app or the video app. If the home movie playback still fails, restart your iPhone or iPad and retry.
Check if the video plays on another device
If all but one particular video from the external drive doesn’t play on your iPhone or iPad, then the problem is likely with that video file itself. Maybe it’s a corrupted file, or there is a codec issue. Try playing the same video on a Mac, PC, or Android phone.
In case the video doesn’t play on other devices as well:
- Delete it from the external drive and copy it again
- Re-download the video from the original source
- Convert it into another format or resolution
Move the file to the local storage
If the video still fails to play, consider moving it from the external drive to the local storage on your iPhone or iPad, then retry playing it.
- Open the Files app and go to the external drive folder.
- Touch and hold the video file and select Move.
- Tap the back arrow button until you get to the ‘Browse’ screen and tap On My iPhone/iPad.
- Go to the desired folder and tap Copy.
- Once the video file is copied over, unplug the external drive and play the video you just moved to the local storage.
Also, check out:
- How to import photos and videos from external drive to iPhone
- How to copy iPhone photos and videos to an external drive or SSD
Source link: https://www.idownloadblog.com/2026/04/24/fix-external-drive-videos-not-playing-ios/
Apple has just released iOS 26.4.2 and iPadOS 26.4.2, a pair of minor point updates focused on bug fixes and security improvements.
The updates became available on April 22, 2026, roughly two weeks after iOS 26.4.1. As is typical with these quick follow-ups, Apple’s official release notes are brief and simply state that the updates include “bug fixes and security updates” without listing specific issues addressed.
Eligible iPhones and iPads can download the software over-the-air via Settings > General > Software Update. Most users should install it promptly, especially if they’ve noticed any lingering glitches from the previous 26.4.1 release.
Apple also pushed iOS 18.7.8 today for older iPhone models still running the iOS 18 branch.
On the horizon, Apple is already beta testing iOS 26.5 and iPadOS 26.5, which are expected to arrive sometime in May and will likely bring more noticeable changes.
If you’re on iOS 26.4.1 (or earlier), this is a straightforward maintenance update worth applying for better stability and security.
Snappy and no issues here, but, as always, make sure you have a recent backup before updating.
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Source link: https://macdailynews.com/2026/04/22/apple-releases-ios-26-4-2-and-ipados-26-4-2/
