YouTube Won’t Play Videos or Not Working on iPhone 15 Series, How to Fix?

Apple recently unveiled the iPhone 15 series, and all of the 15 series smartphones came with iOS 17 out of the box. As per the initial impressions, the latest OS on the latest iPhones is running fairly stable without many hiccups or bugs of any sort. However, some users have put it out on forums about certain applications not running optimally on their iPhone 15 series smartphone.

Particularly, we would look into the report that some users struggle with the YouTube app on their iPhone 15 series smartphone. YouTube won’t play any videos on these new smartphones, and the users only see the loading circle on their screen. This can be frustrating for anyone who streams content on YouTube frequently. Even though this might seem like an OS issue, if you are one of the troubled users, then we would like to inform you that this is probably a device-related issue. There is something particular in your device that is blocking the application. It is difficult to pinpoint what could be the exact reason, though. So here in this article, we will go through the common solutions you can try from your end to resolve this issue. Now, without any further ado, let’s get into it.

YouTube Won't Play Videos or Not Working on iPhone 15 Series, How to Fix?

How to Fix YouTube Won’t Play Videos or Not Working on iPhone 15 Series?

The solutions mentioned here are in no specific order. Just try one solution after the other until you find the one that works for you.

If it still does not work, try the next solution.

Reset phone settings:

iPhones come with an option to reset all Settings. This will reset all your phone’s settings to their default value, as when you first bought your new iPhone. Performing a settings reset can clear out several conflicts within the Settings menu that might block your iPhone’s YouTube playback feature.

Resetting settings will clear out everything from your Settings menu, though. This includes saved WiFi and Bluetooth connections as well. So perform a settings reset only if you are willing to delete every saved connection on your iPhone.

To reset settings, open Settings on your phone and go to General. Then tap on the Transfer or Reset iPhone option. Then select Reset and choose the Reset All Settings option.

You must confirm your action by tapping the Reset button on the confirmation page.

After this, your phone will restart on its own. After the restart, try the next solution if you still encounter that YouTube won’t play videos issue.

Factory reset your iPhone:

After the settings reset, you can also try the factory reset option. This will clear every bit of data on your phone, though. So, you need to create a backup of everything necessary to you and perform the factory reset.

To perform the factory reset, open Settings on your phone and go to General. Then tap on the Transfer or Reset iPhone option.

Then select the Erase All Content and Settings option and the Reset All Settings option. You must confirm your action by tapping the Reset button on the confirmation page.

Try the next solution if YouTube gives you trouble on your iPhone even after the factory reset.

Check your Device Storage:

You need to have enough storage space left on your device to use any application on your iPhone. If you do not have sufficient storage space on your phone, you will struggle to perform basic application tasks, no matter how much you try.

This often happens with iPhones with limited storage capacities. People often lose track of the available storage on their devices and then suffer from application functionality issues.

So, to check your internal storage, open the Settings App and go to the General section. There, tap on iPhone Storage.

You will see all the information about your device’s internal storage. If it is almost complete, you must delete some files or remove some apps from your smartphone.

Once you have sufficient storage space, try using YouTube again. If it still does not work, try the next solution.

Refresh your internet connection:

The YouTube application requires an active internet connection to function correctly. If your internet connection is slow or drops every once in a while, that will cause issues for the application, making it stop working out of the blue. So it would be best if you tried a couple of things to ensure you refresh your internet connection.

Firstly, if you use WiFi to connect to the internet, you need to refresh the WiFi connection. For this, go to the Settings app on your phone and go to WiFi. Here, tap on the toggle next to WiFi to turn it off. After that, wait a few minutes and then turn it on again. Your phone will reconnect to the WiFi, and you can use the YouTube application again.

Secondly, if you use mobile data to access the internet, you must use the Airplane mode trick.

Open up Settings on your phone.
Go to Airplane Mode.
Tap on the toggle next to Airplane Mode to turn it on.

Then restart your iPhone.
Now go back to the settings menu and tap on Airplane mode.
This time, turn off the toggle for Airplane mode.
Now, let your phone connect to the network again. After the connection, open up the YouTube application.

If YouTube won’t play video even after this, try the next solution.

Disable restrictions:

Apples let you restrict the app usage on your phone. While, in most cases, it helps you minimize battery usage, it can also work against you in some rare scenarios. An application may crash or fail to load when restrictions are enabled on the phone.

Open up Settings on your phone.
Tap on Screen Time.
Go to Content & Privacy Restrictions.

Turn off the toggle for this.

Now, try reusing the YouTube application. If it still does not play videos, try the next solution.

Update the application:

If your iPhone 15 series smartphone runs on the latest iOS 17, and you are using an older version of YouTube, that might not be compatible with the new OS version. This can lead to random issues for the application. So, to fix this, you need to update the YouTube application to the latest version.

Open the App Store on your iPhone.
Search for YouTube in the search bar.
Once it shows up in the results, tap on it.
On the app page, you will see the update option. Tap on it and wait till the update is installed on your phone.

Once you have the latest version of the YouTube application installed on your phone, try reusing it.

If it still does not work properly, try the next solution.

Re-install the application:

Sometimes, simply installing the latest version of an application is not enough. You need to remove the application from your phone and install the newest version from the App Store.

Find the YouTube app icon on your home screen.
Touch and hold the YouTube icon until a red X appears at the app icon’s top left corner. Tap on that red X.
Tap on the Delete option in the pop-up message that shows on the screen.
Tap on Done once the uninstallation is complete.
Now, restart your iPhone.
After the restart, open up the Apple App Store.
In the search bar, enter YouTube.
Once it appears in the results section, tap the Get icon next to it. You will have to use Face ID to authenticate the download.
Wait till the application is successfully downloaded and installed.
Open the application after the installation, and use your login credentials to log into your account.

Now, try using the YouTube application. It should work well without any issues.

Update your iOS:

If you are one of those users who installed the latest version of iOS 17 right when it was available, then there is a chance that you are using a buggy build. The first build of a new update is mainly filled with bugs that make the device malfunction in most scenarios.

To address this, Apple will release updates that clear out the bugs in the previous build. So, if you have not updated your iPhone after the initial iOS 17 update, it is time to check for new updates immediately.

To check for a new iOS update, open Settings on your iPhone and go to General. Then select Software Update, and if there is a pending update, it will show up here. If you see a new pending update, install it on your phone.

After the update, you should not encounter the YouTube not playing videos issue.

So these are all the solutions to fix the YouTube not playing videos or not working on the iPhone 15 series issue. If you have any questions or queries about this article, comment below, and we will reply. Also, check out our other articles on iPhone tips and tricks, Android tips and tricks, PC tips and tricks, and much more for more helpful information.