Plex iPad Downloads not working "Decision Error", but my iPhone is

[mrpink88]

Server Version#: Version 1.43.0.10231
Player Version#: 2025.27.0 (iPadOS 26.0.1)

I get a Decision Error when trying to download movies to my iPad.
Movies are transcoded successfully when they are streamed from the server, but all downloads fail.

Interestingly my iPhone will allow me to download the video and transcodes.

Logs from server when iPad attempts to download:

Oct 25, 2025 23:13:36.333 [137812635675448] Debug — [Req#68be] Found session GUID of 4207e949-e4e1-44e7-8d5f-110e89aede64 in session start.
Oct 25, 2025 23:13:36.333 [137812635675448] Debug — [Req#68be] TranscodeUniversalRequest: using augmented profile Generic
Oct 25, 2025 23:13:36.333 [137812635675448] Debug — [Req#68be] Downloading document http://127.0.0.1:32400/library/metadata/1526?includeBandwidths=1&offset=-1&X-Plex-Incomplete-Segments=1&X-Plex-Session-Identifier=vk438o4dlwj8ywloo7hs35xq
Oct 25, 2025 23:13:36.344 [137812635675448] Debug — [Req#68be] We’re going to try to auto-select an audio stream for account 1.
Oct 25, 2025 23:13:36.344 [137812635675448] Debug — [Req#68be] Selecting best audio stream for part ID 3955 (language: en)
Oct 25, 2025 23:13:36.344 [137812635675448] Debug — [Req#68be] We’re going to try to auto-select a subtitle for account 1.
Oct 25, 2025 23:13:36.344 [137812635675448] Debug — [Req#68be] Audio Stream: 8385, Subtitle Stream: -1
Oct 25, 2025 23:13:36.347 [137812635675448] Verbose — [Req#68be] It took 0.0 sec to serialize a list with 1 elements.
Oct 25, 2025 23:13:36.349 [137812635675448] Debug — [Req#68be] MDE: received PLEX_PROTOCOL_ANY from client, but could not determine best protocol. Defaulting to HTTP
Oct 25, 2025 23:13:36.349 [137812635675448] Debug — [Req#68be] MDE: analyzing media item 3955
Oct 25, 2025 23:13:36.349 [137812635675448] Debug — [Req#68be] MDE: Despicable Me 4 (2024): Direct Playing due to no transcode profile
Oct 25, 2025 23:13:36.349 [137812635675448] Debug — [Req#68be] MDE: Despicable Me 4 (2024): Direct Play is disabled
Oct 25, 2025 23:13:36.349 [137812635675448] Debug — [Req#68be] MDE: Despicable Me 4 (2024): no direct play video profile exists for http/mkv/h264
Oct 25, 2025 23:13:36.349 [137812635675448] Debug — [Req#68be] MDE: Despicable Me 4 (2024): no direct play video profile exists for http/mkv/h264/eac3
Oct 25, 2025 23:13:36.349 [137812635675448] Debug — [Req#68be] MDE: Despicable Me 4 (2024): non-selected embedded subtitle stream 8386 cannot be direct-played
Oct 25, 2025 23:13:36.349 [137812635675448] Debug — [Req#68be] MDE: Despicable Me 4 (2024): selected media 0 / 3955
Oct 25, 2025 23:13:36.349 [137812635675448] Error — [Req#68be] Streaming Resource: Cannot make a decision because either the file is unplayable or the client provided bad data

This error only seems to occur on my iPad air 3rd gen. My other iPad 8th gen seems to be ok quite odd considering they have the same chipset

[toddkp]

I get same with downloads.
Streaming, if I direct play originals, they play. But if I choose a lower conversion/transcode, the stream fails.

[shackrock]

The decision error has prevented downloads from working on my ipad from my local server for MONTHS. It is pretty infuriating. There is no fix on the interenet that I have found.

Plex needs to address this IMO, it’s all over the internet and people find random little things that work but none of them are a match for my issues or what looks like the same issue reported here.

Also, I have it set to medium or high quality on download settings, but I don’t want original, because I don’t want/need 4k versions on my ipad - high is just fine and saves space.

I consider downloads completely broken on plex, for months.

[shackrock]

Unable to download: Decision Error

I keep getting a Decision Error while trying to download from my server. About 1/3 of a season of a show does this. All episodes were ripped identically, in the same session. Any ideas why this is happening? Server Version#: 1.43.0.10162 Player Version#: 2025.27.0 (Android) Server Logs

Decision error?

Server Version#:1.41.7 Player Version#:2025.15.0(1053) [IMG_2505] In attempting to DL some TV shows, I was met with the above. In some other instances, it’s transcoding items before downloading, though I can direct play the items with no issue. I’m unsure when the transcoding thing started but it’s certainly never done this prior to now. I cannot find a single reference to the screenshot provided. I’m on an M4 ipad pro.

Downloads in iOS "Decision Error"

Sadly this isn’t the case for me. Even a file I just added yesterday with a single source file won’t download. I still cannot download a single thing to the Plex app on iOS. Super frustrating.

The other forum threads and additionally tons of reddit posts have similar issues

Reddit - The heart of the internet

Reddit - The heart of the internet

[shackrock]

Is there a way to email plex support anymore?

[Robertpb701]

I just tried to download — same error. It’s frustrating.

[mrpink88]

I’d like to report this now seems to be working for me.

I am however using beta server version: 1.43.0.10389

Its possible it was fixed earlier, and maybe in the general release versions too.