Can you imagine the sun without its heat? Or a sky without the moon and stars? A smartphone without an internet connection? Even imagining such things won’t be a good experience. After all, losing the most important part of anything is the worst-case scenario, and the resulting experience can be nothing except frustration and disappointment. A similar situation occurs when you are unable to watch videos on TikTok. Many users go through this situation at some point of using the short-video app.
While scrolling past a video, you might see the message “Sorry, this video is unavailable” on the screen instead of the video. While this isn’t an issue if you see this message occasionally, it can become an annoying problem when you see it on multiple videos within a short period.
If you are suffering from the latter case, it’s time to answer why this message appears, what it means, and how to fix it. So, let’s talk about this issue in this blog.
This error message usually appears for most users when they manually try to view a video from the Liked section of their accounts or the notifications section. Most times, the message doesn’t appear when you view the videos normally from the app’s Home tab.
For example, you might go to your profile section and try to view a video you liked. But on tapping on the video, you see the “Sorry, this video is unavailable” message.
In another case, you might receive a notification about a video, but when you tap on the notification to go to the video, you find the message.
That said, the message can also appear while scrolling through videos on the Home tab, though only in some rare cases. Either way, the reason behind the error message’s appearance can differ from one case to another. Here are three of the most common reasons:
Reason 1: It’s a bug
This is undoubtedly the most common reason behind this error. Sometimes, you might find the error message while casually scrolling through videos on TikTok. If the error message starts appearing on several videos, a technical bug is the most likely cause.
TikTok has a history of similar bugs that make it difficult for users to watch videos properly. Sometimes, the issue is with the comments and likes sections; other times, it happens while watching videos.
Therefore, a bug can be the most straightforward reason behind this issue.
Reason 2: The video was removed
When you go to your profile page and try to open a video you have liked only to find this error message, it can mean that the video has been removed or made private.
Now, there are several ways this can happen. The video uploader might have deleted it for some reason, so the video is no longer viewable by anyone. Or, the uploader might have changed the video’s visibility by making it private so that no one except them can view it.
On the rarer side, TikTok can also remove a video if it goes against the platform’s community guidelines. In fact, it might also happen that the video uploader deleted their TikTok account! In each of these cases, you might see the error message while trying to watch the video.
Reason 3: You have been blocked
This only applies when you cannot watch a specific user’s videos. If you notice that the error message appears only when you try to watch a particular person’s videos, it can indicate that they have blocked you.
However, you should make sure that this is really the case before coming to a rushed conclusion. To find out whether someone has blocked you on TikTok, go to their profile and check what you can see. If you can not see their follower and following counts, either, it likely means they have blocked you.
While these are some of the most common reasons behind this error, other reasons, such as server downtimes and technical faults, can also cause it. We will talk about dealing with these issues now.
Since you are familiar with the cause of the effect, we can now move to the solutions you can use to eliminate this pestering issue. Depending on the cause, there are different ways to view an unavailable video. Here are three fixes you can resort to.
Fix 1: Debug the app
Debugging simply means removing bugs from the TikTok app. And there are several ways to debug the app. Here are a few things you can do to get rid of bugs on TikTok:
1. Clear the app cache.
2. Clear the app data.
3. Update the app.
4. Uninstall and reinstall the app.
However, you don’t need to use all four ways separately to debug the TikTok app. Some of these methods are related, so we will save you the trouble and provide you with two steps to debug the TikTok app:
Step 1: Clear the app data (this will also clear the cache).
To clear TikTok’s data on your Android phone, go to Settings >> Applications and scroll through the list of applications to find and select TikTok. On the App Info screen, you will find the Storage section. Go to this section and tap on the Clear Data button at the bottom.
Step 2: Uninstall and reinstall TikTok.
Instead of updating the TikTok app, you can uninstall the app, then install the latest version from the Play Store. This way, you will not only get the updated version but also delete the buggy one.
Fix 2: Use another account
If you cannot view someone’s TikTok video, it can be because of a glitch or bug in your account or the fact that the person has blocked you, as discussed above. In such a case, a good way to view the person’s videos is by viewing them from another account.
It can be a friend’s or a sibling’s account or a second account of your own. Either way, using another account will be a great way to view the videos of the said person.
Fix 3: Wait for some time
Sometimes, when the error occurs because of some server issues, you have no option but to wait for the servers to come live again. Such problems rarely happen. But when they do, they cause a lot of trouble and inconvenience.
You can find out whether TikTok is facing a server downtime by going to a site called Downdetector and searching for “TikTok” in the search bar. As you hit Enter to search, you will see the status of TikTok on the next page, both in the form of graphs and as a simple text that tells you whether there is a problem.
Wrapping up
Viewing short videos on TikTok is something every Gen-Z user spends a large chunk of their screen time on. Therefore, we can imagine the confusion and frustration that might engulf you when you tap on a video to see the “This video is unavailable” message.
But if you have read till here, your frustration is set to end soon because you now know about the causes and solutions to this annoying issue. We have discussed the three most common causes behind this issue as well as three corresponding solutions for solving it.
If your friend is also having this issue, send this blog to them so they can find out the best ways to deal with it!
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