Server Version#: don’t think it’s related to server as older client versions work
Player Version#: 2025.29.0
On my iOS 26 devices, the Chinese subtitles are showing as squares since 2025.29.0. The last working version on iOS 26 devices is 2025.28.0.
Still exists in 2025.31
Are these an SRT file or some other type? embedded or external?
Those subtitles should be an ass file. I had this Chinese subtitle display problem too.
ok thanks
Same problem here. It’s external ASS with UTF-8-BOM encoding.
是缺字体导致的 我编辑了一下无法播放的ass字幕 发现字幕指定的字体是微软雅黑 使用Aegisub把微软雅黑字体嵌入字幕就可以正常播放了
vidhub和旧版的plex就不会有这个问题
新版plex缺少当指定字体不可用时替换成可用字体的功能
The issue arose from a missing font. I edited an unplayable ASS subtitle file and found that it specified Microsoft YaHei as the required font. Embedding Microsoft YaHei into the subtitle via Aegisub resolved the playback problem.
VidHub and the older version of Plex never had this issue, while the new Plex lacks the feature to fall back to an available font when the specified one is unavailable.
it’s embedded ASS subtitle. As @oldduner suggested below, I suspect the root cause is missing font. Will appreciate it if you could arrange a fix some time. Meanwhile I will stick to the last working version.
Same here. Arabic display squares.
Just now I started to have this problem. Wasn’t there last night. Overnight automated update must have broken it for me. Player version 2026.0.1, external srt subtitle in UTF-8
@kkycble can you force close the app and reopen. that version was supposed to fix the issue with chinese and other languages like Arabic.
I did all that and I’ve even reinstalled the app and no it didn’t work.
And I noticed that dashboard would show activity of it either still being played or paused, dunno if it’s related.
Modern Family - S03E18 - Send Out the Clowns.zh-TW.hi.srt (31.9 KB)
ok thanks.
Thank you for that and the sample subtitle file
Before version 2026.0.1（1523）, only ASS format Chinese subtitles failed to load properly. But now, it’s gotten worse—SRT, SGP, and all other Chinese subtitles are broken too. All Chinese characters just turn into squares during playback. It seems like the newer the version, the worse it gets! Please help fix it！Thanks a lot.
2026.0.1 still getting broken Chinese subs. Here is an ASS sample. Please fix!
Gintama - S07E02 - Even a Matsui Stick Can’t Handle Some Kinds of Dirt Bluray-1080p.zh.ass.zip (21.9 KB)
Experience very same problem with my pre-existing SRT files. Other than showing the tofu characters. If I start with English SRT, it display fine. Then switch to Chinese SRT, it shows tofu. When switch back to English SRT, it will continue to stuck with tofu characters. Then close current video, exit back to main menu, it will pretty much kill the app as nothing else would load, always getting some spinning wheel indicating it’s loading.
I’m also on 2026.0.1 (1523)
For the past few days, I’ve been burning my srt subtitles on iOS. Still, I am hoping for a fix so I do t have to force burn my subtitles again.
Same Problem here , Chinese Subtitles will turn to squares and cause playback to crash whenever I choose Chinese subtitles. Happens to my iPhone iPad and Apple TV . I even have to forcifully close Plex app and reopen it otherwise I can’t even play any videos .
I have tried to change to device subtitles seething to font Helvica , no use at all .
The problem just keep happening.
This force me to only use android tv to stream . It really suckes.
