"Unable to play media" on all Android-based platforms

Plex Players Streaming Devices
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Last night, I was able to play TV shows on Plex just fine. Today, nothing works.

Every time I try to play a Movie or TV show from my NVIDIA Shield or Samsung Galaxy S8, a toast notification pops up that says “Unable to Play Media”. I have verified that the files are playable via other means and are not corrupted, and ensured that all software components, server-side and client-side, were up-to-date. Nothing has solved my Android issue. Interestingly, I am able to play files via a web browser (Chrome on Windows 10), but the 'Droids simply refuse to cooperate. Remote debugging logs below are from the Shield. Please help me fix this problem!

Server Version#:1.14.1.5488
Player Version#:7.10.0.8875
01-30 13:03:53.202 i: Fetching [method:GET] https://192.168.1.10:32400/library/metadata/4448?checkFiles=1&includeExternalMetadata=1&includeExtras=1&includeRelated=1&includeRelatedCount=0&includeReviews=1&X-Plex-Token=...3Uii
01-30 13:03:53.383 i: Creating PreplayEpisodeActivity.
01-30 13:03:53.402 i: Fetching [method:GET] https://192.168.1.10:32400/library/metadata/360/allLeaves?X-Plex-Token=...3Uii
01-30 13:03:53.409 i: [Boot] PreplayEpisodeActivity took 7ms to run create behaviours.
01-30 13:03:53.414 i: Resuming PreplayEpisodeActivity.
01-30 13:03:54.978 i: [OneApp] User can execute command without restrictions because he is entitled.
01-30 13:03:54.978 i: [PlaybackManager] Preparing for [SHOW NAME OMITTED]
01-30 13:03:54.981 i: [DefaultPlaybackManager] No codecs being downloaded.
01-30 13:03:56.401 i: [PlayQueues] Creating remote PQ.
01-30 13:03:56.402 i: [PlayQueueAPIHelperBase] No item path provided, will generate a new one
01-30 13:03:56.402 i: Fetching [method:POST] https://192.168.1.10:32400/playQueues?includeChapters=1&continuous=0&includeLoudnessRamps=1&repeat=0&type=video&shuffle=0&uri=library%3A%2F%2F8d282a37-92f6-4643-bf63-437e73fb3fbf%2Fitem%2F%2Flibrary%2Fmetadata%2F360&key=%2Flibrary%2Fmetadata%2F4448&X-Plex-Token=...3Uii
01-30 13:03:56.493 e: Error fetching https://192.168.1.10:32400/playQueues?includeChapters=1&continuous=0&includeLoudnessRamps=1&repeat=0&type=video&shuffle=0&uri=library%3A%2F%2F8d282a37-92f6-4643-bf63-437e73fb3fbf%2Fitem%2F%2Flibrary%2Fmetadata%2F360&key=%2Flibrary%2Fmetadata%2F4448&X-Plex-Token=...3Uii:

Internal Server Error

500 Internal Server Error

01-30 13:03:56.493 e: [PlayQueueAPIHelperBase] Unable to create play queue 01-30 13:03:56.493 i: Showing toast: Unable to play media 01-30 13:03:57.577 i: [OneApp] User can execute command without restrictions because he is entitled. 01-30 13:03:57.577 i: [PlaybackManager] Preparing for [SHOW NAME OMITTED] 01-30 13:03:57.580 i: [DefaultPlaybackManager] No codecs being downloaded. 01-30 13:03:58.352 i: [PlayQueues] Creating remote PQ. 01-30 13:03:58.352 i: [PlayQueueAPIHelperBase] No item path provided, will generate a new one 01-30 13:03:58.353 i: Fetching [method:POST] https://192.168.1.10:32400/playQueues?includeChapters=1&continuous=0&includeLoudnessRamps=1&repeat=0&type=video&shuffle=0&uri=library%3A%2F%2F8d282a37-92f6-4643-bf63-437e73fb3fbf%2Fitem%2F%252Flibrary%252Fmetadata%252F360&key=%2Flibrary%2Fmetadata%2F4448&X-Plex-Token=...3Uii 01-30 13:03:58.441 e: Error fetching https://192.168.1.10:32400/playQueues?includeChapters=1&continuous=0&includeLoudnessRamps=1&repeat=0&type=video&shuffle=0&uri=library%3A%2F%2F8d282a37-92f6-4643-bf63-437e73fb3fbf%2Fitem%2F%252Flibrary%252Fmetadata%252F360&key=%2Flibrary%2Fmetadata%2F4448&X-Plex-Token=...3Uii: Internal Server Error

500 Internal Server Error

01-30 13:03:58.441 e: [PlayQueueAPIHelperBase] Unable to create play queue 01-30 13:03:58.442 i: Showing toast: Unable to play media 01-30 13:04:05.807 i: [pms] /192.168.1.87:51124 - GET /logging
1 Like
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I had some issues with Android devices with latest client update. I was able to fix by:

  1. In PMS Delete Android device from Authorized devices
  2. Uninstall Android client, reinstall
3

I need full DEBUG logs please (the ZIP) capturing one such playback failure.
In this case, Restart PMS and then reproduce. Wait 30 seconds after failure, Settings - Server - Troubleshooting - Download Logs . Attach ZIP

It is impossible to properly diagnose from snippets

4

Unfortunately, that solution did not work. But thanks for the suggestion!

5

Plex Media Server Logs_2019-01-30_14-07-38.zip (623.8 KB)
Plex Media Server Logs_2019-01-30_14-07-38.zip (623.8 KB)

I have reproduced the problem once again, and have attached above the logs you requested. However, I strongly suspect this is an issue with the Android app and not the server. That being said, you would know better than I would, so please let me know if there’s anything more I can do to get things working again.

1 Like
6

i’m also experiencing this issue, from my cable company i got an android based device. connected to my tv via HDMI, the operating system on it is android.
i installed the plex app from the google store. and every time i play something. getting this error;
(up to 2 weeks ago {give or take} everything worked fine..)

IMG_6990
IMG_6990816×612 72.9 KB

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Smounche, the problem I am experiencing now displays a different error message than the one you have just posted here. However, I have encountered that message several times during playback, often smack-dab in the middle of an action scene or other key plot point. Pressing the “back” key to exit the player and then pressing “play” again usually worked for me. Admittedly, your issue was rather annoying, but at least it was solvable.

1 Like
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hi pingrobb,

unfortunately pressing back, exiting the player, shutting down the device. uninstalling and reinstalling the app. reset to default - didn’t work…
on the plex server - turned off IPv6, resting the pc, nothing worked,

on other devices - google chromecast for example working just fine…

9

The logs show a database error accessing a playlist. Is one being accessed?

Also, I see several network connection UP/DOWN state changes (drives PMS crazy)

Jan 30, 2019 14:07:05.747 [0x7f67aafff700] DEBUG - NetworkInterface: received Netlink message len=64, type=RTM_NEWLINK, flags=0x0
Jan 30, 2019 14:07:05.747 [0x7f67aafff700] DEBUG - NetworkInterface: Netlink information message family=0, type=1, index=3, flags=0x11043, change=0x0
Jan 30, 2019 14:07:05.747 [0x7f67aafff700] DEBUG - Network change.

In the play attempts I see, It appears the player never performs the first GET to ask for video.

10

sounds like a networking issue then (network flapping)?

1 Like
11

No, I wasn’t trying to access the show via a playlist. Upon opening the Plex app, I selected the episode under “Continue Watching” then selected “Play”. This is when I received the error message.

Also, I don’t know what a network connection up/down state change is, but I can assure you, it wasn’t caused by anything I was doing. At the time I reproduced the error and downloaded the logs, only PMS was running. Nothing else was happening on my server at that time. But since the player failed to perform the first GET request to ask for the video, it sounds like this is an issue with the Android app and the app needs to be updated/fixed.

1 Like
12

The server itself was showing that its ethernet adapters were changing. This is the UP/Down state change ( like what happens when the ip address is changed or if one of the connector’s locking tabs is wonky… I just had some go bad myself).

The Android app is problematic and always has been IMHO. I’m the Linux guy and that’s why I am responding here.

When you have time, I saw a dead sync item in there ( an item was sync’d , downloaded, and now that media is no longer in your library ). You may want to look at that when you feel up to it.

1 Like
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to isolate it, it would be handy to run a monitor against this interface and see whether it flaps - such events should be also recorded in the system-level logs

14

Unfortunately, my server is connected via WiFi, not Ethernet. The way my apartment is arranged makes it impossible for me to connect the server to my router through a cable. I’ll reboot the router after I’m done posting this just to make sure it’s not acting up.

Also, I was under the impression that I did not have the ability to sync items since I do not have a Plex Pass. Where did you find this “dead sync” item? I would like to look and see which item it is so that I can try to restore it from the backup drive.

15

The log showed a LPE (Local Path Evaluator) error.
These occur two places (Sync’d items) or if media has been deleted and the libraries not rescanned.

I apologize if I alarmed you. Scan your files again at your next convenience (all library sections) then empty the trash + clean bundles and it will go away.

16

That’s quite alright; you didn’t alarm me at all. That’s why I back it up in the first place; if there’s one thing I know about how technology works, it’s that it often doesn’t! And thank you for reminding me to clean bundles; it’s been a while since I’ve done that!

Unfortunately, even after restarting and reinstalling every single piece of hardware and Plex app in the flipping house, I still cannot get any Android-based platforms to play stuff from my Plex server. Hopefully, the developers will fix the problem relatively soon, because it would really stink if I had to spend my summer trying to find a different streaming solution that’s as convenient and platform-independent as Plex used to be. In the meantime, I guess I’ll just tough it out by watching on my laptop instead, since everything still seems to work flawlessly on there. Oh, well.

1 Like
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Update: I have just discovered that although the Android app remains unable to play video content at this time, it CAN play music! Not sure if this matters for the purposes of fixing the app, but I thought I’d go ahead and throw it out there just in case!

2 Likes
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Update 2: I can now confirm that my issue is definitely with the app, as I just discovered that my SHIELD automatically updated the Plex app overnight before the issue occurred. Furthermore, ChuckPA stated above that the player (app) never performed the first GET request to ask for the video, so the issue is being caused by an undesired behavior in the Android app. Further still, I have been using this setup for over two years, so if my network were causing the problem, the issue would have made itself known long before now. I cannot simply “re-code” the app to work correctly, so I am at the mercy of Plex, Inc’s developer team.

As I recall, around 80% of smartphones currently in use worldwide run on the Android platform. Given Apple’s recent FaceTime bug, I would expect this number to increase very soon. Therefore, I believe it would be in Plex, Inc’s best interest to ensure the Plex for Android app works properly, as this would not be an insignificant population of users to lose. I know my setup isn’t perfect or elite by any standards, but I hope this issue is still being taken seriously nonetheless. Thank you.

19

Thank you for the funniest thing I’ve read all year (or last year for that matter)! :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:

I’m not sure how this went from “I have a problem with a Plex app” to the sky is falling.

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I’m sorry, if my replies with useful information are not to everyone’s satisfaction.

  1. The team member I need to speak to is literally just now waking up (Australia).
  2. Please be advised, throwing “80% Android” claims and such numbers here carry zero weight with me. While it might have meaning with upper management, to us here at the technical level, the issues are boolean. Yes/No. Please keep this in mind.
  3. Free users have little to complain at. Please don’t bite at the hand which gives freely for the server software. I have no sympathy about the app price. App activation is free for Plex Pass users.
  4. Going off-topic is the fastest way to annoy any of us who are actually trying to help. This forum is provided by Plex as a means to make support easier. It is intended for this, and only this, purpose. Any attempt to use it as a platform for other agendas will be dealt with swiftly.
  5. Access to the forums is not required to use one’s PlexPass. Therefore: Access to the forums is a privilege and shall not be abused
1 Like