The issue of Android phones showing videos in the gallery but not being able to play them when clicked on is an increasingly common problem that many users face. This issue can have various underlying causes, and thus cannot be rectified using a single solution. To understand the cause behind this issue, one must first understand how the Android operating system works.
Android phones use a media scanner to index files located on the device’s internal and external storage. This media scanner is responsible for scanning the contents of the device’s storage and building an index of all the media files that it finds. This media index is then used to populate the smartphone’s gallery application with the images, videos, audio files and other types of media content that the media scanner finds.
The issue of Android phones showing videos in the gallery but not being able to play them when clicked on can occur for a variety of reasons. One of the main reasons why this issue can occur is because of corrupted or damaged video files. Video files can sometimes become corrupted due to various reasons such as virus infections, sudden power outages, incorrect file transfer methods or other types of file system errors. If the video file has become corrupted, then the media scanner will still be able to detect it and add it to the phone’s gallery, but the video player will not be able to play it.
Another reason why this issue can occur is due to unsupported video formats. Android phones support only a limited number of video formats and if the video file is in a format that is not supported by the device, then the media scanner will be able to detect it, but the video player will not be able to play it.
The issue of Android phones showing videos in the gallery but not being able to play them when clicked on can also occur if the device’s media scanner is not working properly. This can happen if the media scanner has become corrupted due to a virus infection, or if the media scanner has become outdated due to a software update. In such cases, the media scanner will still be able to detect the video files, but the video player will not be able to play them.
In order to rectify this issue, the first step is to identify the cause behind it. If the cause is due to corrupted or damaged video files, then the user should try to repair or replace the damaged video files. If the cause is due to unsupported video formats, then the user should try to convert the video files into a supported format. And if the cause is due to an issue with the media scanner, then the user should try to update or reinstall the media scanner.
In conclusion, Android phones showing videos in the gallery but not being able to play them when clicked on is a common issue that can have various underlying causes. The user should first try to identify the cause behind the issue and then take the appropriate steps to rectify it.
