VideoPress: Videos not playing in Instagram in-app browser on Android

[alinclamba]

A user reported, and I was able to replicate, that VideoPress videos embedded on their WordPress site do not play when the site is opened in the Instagram in-app browser on Android devices. However, the same videos play correctly in the Instagram in-app browser on iOS and in external browsers like Chrome.

If the user chooses the option to "Open in Chrome" (or another external browser) via the three-dot menu in the Instagram browser, the video plays correctly.

Steps to Reproduce:

1. Embed a VideoPress video on a WordPress site (tested using Elementor).
2. Share a link to the site in an Instagram Reel or Post.
3. Open the link via the Instagram in-app browser on an Android device.
4. Note that the video will not play

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/12d7f81a-4685-400f-a9f7-89213429e8dc

The expectation is that the video should play within the Instagram in-app browser on Android, similar to how it does on iOS. Here's how it works on iOS:

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/814821be-e4c8-497b-ae84-fa59f83b42c1

Tested on:

• Android (Instagram in-app browser): Issue present
• iOS (Instagram in-app browser): Video works as expected
• Chrome (Android and iOS): Video works as expected

This was reported in 9108423-zd-a8c

@Automattic/nexus Would this be something you could investigate?

[github-actions[bot]]

OpenAI suggested the following labels for this issue:

• [Feature Group] Content Management: The issue concerns how video content is managed and displayed on WordPress sites.
• [Feature] VideoPress: The issue specifically involves the VideoPress feature, which is used for embedding videos on WordPress sites.
• [Feature] Social Media Integration: The problem relates to the integration of WordPress content with the Instagram platform, impacting video playback on its in-app browser.

[github-actions[bot]]

Support References

This comment is automatically generated. Please do not edit it.

• [ ] 9108423-zen

[phcp]

@alinclamba, I couldn't reproduce it here. I tested an Android device opening with the Instagram in-app browser, and it worked as expected. I also tested it on the stock Samsung browser, and it worked fine. Android environments vary too much, so it may be related to their Android version. Were you able to reproduce it on a device?

[github-actions[bot]]

This issue has been marked as stale. This happened because:

• It has been inactive for the past 6 months.
• It hasn’t been labeled `[Pri] BLOCKER`, `[Pri] High`, `[Type] Feature Request`, `[Type] Enhancement`, `[Type] Janitorial`, `Good For Community`, `[Type] Good First Bug`, etc.

No further action is needed. But it's worth checking if this ticket has clear reproduction steps and it is still reproducible. Feel free to close this issue if you think it's not valid anymore — if you do, please add a brief explanation.