Overview

Some users may encounter an issue where MP4 videos sent via WhatsApp Business API are delivered successfully but cannot be downloaded or played on Android devices.

Instead, Android users may see the following error message:

“This video is not available because something went wrong with the video file.”

In most cases, the same video plays correctly on iOS devices, which indicates a video encoding or compatibility issue affecting Android playback.

This article explains the possible causes and recommended solutions.

Why This Issue Occurs

According to Meta’s guidance and industry observations, this issue typically occurs due to video encoding or container structure issues within the MP4 file.

Even though the file extension is .mp4, the internal codecs, metadata structure, or resolution may not be fully compatible with Android playback requirements.

Common causes include:

• Improper video encoding

• Unsupported codec profile

• Incorrect MP4 container metadata

• Corrupted media file

• High resolution or bitrate incompatibility

• Device-specific Android playback limitations

Recommended Troubleshooting Steps

1. Reformat the Video File (MP4 → MP4)

Meta recommends reformatting the video file from MP4 to MP4 to eliminate encoding or metadata issues.

This process rebuilds the video container and corrects internal metadata.

You can use the following tool: https://cloudconvert.com/mp4-converter

Steps

1. Upload the original video file.

2. Select MP4 as the output format.

3. Click on settings icon

4. Select the resolution where the largest resolution selection should not exceed 720 pixel

5. Convert the file.

6. Download the converted file.

7. Send the newly generated file again via WhatsApp API.

In many cases, re-encoding resolves the playback issue on Android devices.

2. Ensure the Video Resolution is 720p or Lower

Some Android devices may face playback issues with higher resolution videos.

For best compatibility:

If the video resolution is reduced to 720p or below, the file generally works correctly across most Android devices.

3. Verify Proper MP4 Metadata Structure

Some videos store playback metadata (called the moov atom) at the end of the file. When this happens, certain devices may fail to download or play the video correctly.

Re-encoding the video rebuilds this structure.

If using FFmpeg, the following command helps move metadata to the beginning of the file:

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -movflags +faststart output.mp4

This improves playback compatibility across devices.

4. Update Android Device and WhatsApp Version

Older Android or WhatsApp versions may have compatibility issues.

Recommended actions:

• Update WhatsApp to the latest version

• Update Android OS if available

• Retry sending the video

5. Verify File Integrity

Ensure that the video file itself is not corrupted.

You can test this by:

• Playing the file locally on different devices

• Re-exporting the video from the original source

• Downloading the file again

If the video fails outside WhatsApp as well, the source file may be corrupted.

✅ Summary

Most Android playback errors occur due to video encoding or MP4 container structure issues. Reformatting the file and ensuring the resolution is 720p or lower typically resolves the issue.

When to Contact MSG91 Support

If the issue persists after following the above steps, please share the following details with the support team:

• Sample video file

• Request ID

• Sender WhatsApp number

• Recipient device model

• Android version

• Timestamp of the message

This information helps determine whether the issue is encoding related, device specific, or requires further investigation with Meta.