Plex on iPhone 16 Pro Max - Playback doesnt work

Plex Players Mobile Devices
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1

I am experiencing a playback issue with the Plex iOS app.

Environment:
Device: iPhone 16 Pro Max
iOS version: 26.3.1
Plex app version: 2026.3.0
Plex Media Server: 1.42.2
Server: QNAP TS-464

Problem:
When starting playback in the Plex iOS app, the stream starts but remains stuck at 0:00.
After a few seconds the app shows the error:

“Error opening input”

Server behavior:
In the Plex dashboard the session appears as:

Direct Play
Paused 0:00

Video and audio are both shown as Direct Play.

Additional observations:

  • Playback works perfectly in the Plex Web player (Chrome/Safari) using http://192.168.0.10:32400
  • Playback works on other devices.
  • Only the Plex iOS app on the iPhone 16 Pro Max fails.
  • The issue occurs with multiple file types (HEVC, MPEG2, MKV).

Steps already tested:

  • Reinstalled the Plex iOS app
  • Reset cache in the app
  • Restarted Plex Media Server
  • Verified Direct Play
  • Tested both Wi-Fi and cellular networks

Conclusion:
The issue appears to be specific to the Plex iOS player.

1 Like
2

Thanks for opening the problem again.

I have the same issue with my iphone 15 Pro.
Strange thing is, that some TV Shows work, but not all. If i turn on wifi everything works fine (if i am in my home WiFi), but i have some shows on my server so i can watch them while travelling.

The problem is not new, there is a closed topic here from last year.
Please fix that, i bought a Plex Life Time pass especially for this functionality :frowning: