<p>My first impression was about the video codec HEVC or H.265</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Stream #0:0(und): Video: hevc (Main) (hvc1 / 0x31637668)</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Whatsapp supported video codec would be H.264, my suggestion is to convert the streams by ffmpeg as</p>
<p><code>ffmpeg -i myFacebook.mp4 -c:v libx264 -c:a aac myWhatsapp.mp4</code></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-09-30T01:19:36.257Z
2024-09-30T01:19:36.257Z
xer-rex
<p>I just received three video clips via Facebook Messenger, but they refuse to play (or show a preview) in many circumstances. Why?</p>
<p>I did a ffprobe on them:</p>
<pre><code>ffprobe version 4.4.4 Copyright (c) 2007-2023 the FFmpeg developers
  built with Apple clang version 15.0.0 (clang-1500.1.0.2.5)
  configuration: --prefix=/opt/local --cc=/usr/bin/clang --mandir=/opt/local/share/man --enable-audiotoolbox --disable-indev=jack --disable-libjack --disable-libopencore-amrnb --disable-libopencore-amrwb --disable-libxcb --disable-libxcb-shm --disable-libxcb-xfixes --enable-opencl --disable-outdev=xv --enable-sdl2 --disable-securetransport --enable-videotoolbox --enable-avfilter --enable-avresample --enable-fontconfig --enable-gnutls --enable-libass --enable-libbluray --enable-libdav1d --enable-libfreetype --enable-libfribidi --enable-libmodplug --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libopenjpeg --enable-libopus --enable-librsvg --enable-libsoxr --enable-libspeex --enable-libtheora --enable-libvorbis --enable-libvpx --enable-libzimg --enable-libzvbi --enable-lzma --enable-pthreads --enable-shared --enable-swscale --enable-zlib --enable-libaom --enable-libsvtav1 --arch=x86_64 --enable-x86asm --enable-gpl --enable-libvidstab --enable-libx264 --enable-libx265 --enable-libxvid --enable-postproc
  libavutil      56. 70.100 / 56. 70.100
  libavcodec     58.134.100 / 58.134.100
  libavformat    58. 76.100 / 58. 76.100
  libavdevice    58. 13.100 / 58. 13.100
  libavfilter     7.110.100 /  7.110.100
  libavresample   4.  0.  0 /  4.  0.  0
  libswscale      5.  9.100 /  5.  9.100
  libswresample   3.  9.100 /  3.  9.100
  libpostproc    55.  9.100 / 55.  9.100
Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from '/tmp/arXHwP4h.mp4':
  Metadata:
    major_brand     : mp42
    minor_version   : 1
    compatible_brands: isommp41mp42
    creation_time   : 2024-09-16T18:47:30.000000Z
  Duration: 00:00:28.50, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 1875 kb/s
  Stream #0:0(und): Video: hevc (Main) (hvc1 / 0x31637668), yuv420p(tv, bt470bg/bt470bg/smpte170m), 1024x576, 1586 kb/s, 27.06 fps, 30 tbr, 90k tbn, 90k tbc (default)
    Metadata:
      creation_time   : 2024-09-16T18:47:30.000000Z
      handler_name    : Core Media Video
      vendor_id       : [0][0][0][0]
  Stream #0:1(und): Audio: aac (LC) (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 48000 Hz, stereo, fltp, 287 kb/s (default)
    Metadata:
      creation_time   : 2024-09-16T18:47:30.000000Z
      handler_name    : Core Media Audio
      vendor_id       : [0][0][0][0]
</code></pre>
<p>More details: the clips originates on an Android phone and was then transferred to me using Facebook Messenger. On my Mac/Firefox, in Facebook Messenger, the clips are showed like this:</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/LhKVDmBd.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/LhKVDmBd.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
<p>OTOH, in FB Messenger on my Android phone the clips play fine. If I download them to my Mac I can play them in VLC but when I try to send them using WhatsApp it refuses to send them as videos, instead I have to send them as attachments (and they don't play in WA).</p>
<p>Generally I never have this type of problem on neither my phone nor my computer.</p>
<p>What is &quot;special&quot; about these clips that make them incompatible? Can I fix it in ffmpeg or so?</p>

<ffmpeg><mp4><ffprobe>
Why does Facebook and WhatsApp refuse to play these clips?
d-b
# Why does Facebook and WhatsApp refuse to play these clips?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2024-09-16)

I just received three video clips via Facebook Messenger, but they refuse to play (or show a preview) in many circumstances. Why?
I did a ffprobe on them:
ffprobe version 4.4.4 Copyright (c) 2007-2023 the FFmpeg developers
  built with Apple clang version 15.0.0 (clang-1500.1.0.2.5)
  configuration: --prefix=/opt/local --cc=/usr/bin/clang --mandir=/opt/local/share/man --enable-audiotoolbox --disable-indev=jack --disable-libjack --disable-libopencore-amrnb --disable-libopencore-amrwb --disable-libxcb --disable-libxcb-shm --disable-libxcb-xfixes --enable-opencl --disable-outdev=xv --enable-sdl2 --disable-securetransport --enable-videotoolbox --enable-avfilter --enable-avresample --enable-fontconfig --enable-gnutls --enable-libass --enable-libbluray --enable-libdav1d --enable-libfreetype --enable-libfribidi --enable-libmodplug --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libopenjpeg --enable-libopus --enable-librsvg --enable-libsoxr --enable-libspeex --enable-libtheora --enable-libvorbis --enable-libvpx --enable-libzimg --enable-libzvbi --enable-lzma --enable-pthreads --enable-shared --enable-swscale --enable-zlib --enable-libaom --enable-libsvtav1 --arch=x86_64 --enable-x86asm --enable-gpl --enable-libvidstab --enable-libx264 --enable-libx265 --enable-libxvid --enable-postproc
  libavutil      56. 70.100 / 56. 70.100
  libavcodec     58.134.100 / 58.134.100
  libavformat    58. 76.100 / 58. 76.100
  libavdevice    58. 13.100 / 58. 13.100
  libavfilter     7.110.100 /  7.110.100
  libavresample   4.  0.  0 /  4.  0.  0
  libswscale      5.  9.100 /  5.  9.100
  libswresample   3.  9.100 /  3.  9.100
  libpostproc    55.  9.100 / 55.  9.100
Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from '/tmp/arXHwP4h.mp4':
  Metadata:
    major_brand     : mp42
    minor_version   : 1
    compatible_brands: isommp41mp42
    creation_time   : 2024-09-16T18:47:30.000000Z
  Duration: 00:00:28.50, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 1875 kb/s
  Stream #0:0(und): Video: hevc (Main) (hvc1 / 0x31637668), yuv420p(tv, bt470bg/bt470bg/smpte170m), 1024x576, 1586 kb/s, 27.06 fps, 30 tbr, 90k tbn, 90k tbc (default)
    Metadata:
      creation_time   : 2024-09-16T18:47:30.000000Z
      handler_name    : Core Media Video
      vendor_id       : [0][0][0][0]
  Stream #0:1(und): Audio: aac (LC) (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 48000 Hz, stereo, fltp, 287 kb/s (default)
    Metadata:
      creation_time   : 2024-09-16T18:47:30.000000Z
      handler_name    : Core Media Audio
      vendor_id       : [0][0][0][0]

More details: the clips originates on an Android phone and was then transferred to me using Facebook Messenger. On my Mac/Firefox, in Facebook Messenger, the clips are showed like this:

OTOH, in FB Messenger on my Android phone the clips play fine. If I download them to my Mac I can play them in VLC but when I try to send them using WhatsApp it refuses to send them as videos, instead I have to send them as attachments (and they don't play in WA).
Generally I never have this type of problem on neither my phone nor my computer.
What is "special" about these clips that make them incompatible? Can I fix it in ffmpeg or so?

**Tags:** ffmpeg, mp4, ffprobe


---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2024-09-30. Score: 0

My first impression was about the video codec HEVC or H.265

> Stream #0:0(und): Video: hevc (Main) (hvc1 / 0x31637668)

Whatsapp supported video codec would be H.264, my suggestion is to convert the streams by ffmpeg as

`ffmpeg -i myFacebook.mp4 -c:v libx264 -c:a aac myWhatsapp.mp4`


---

