Video Section Troubleshooting

Applies to: SS video sections, video banners, hero sections with video, product videos, shoppable videos

Symptoms

• Video shows a thumbnail or black box but won't play
• Video autoplays on desktop but not on mobile
• YouTube or Vimeo embed doesn't autoplay
• Video is slow to load or never loads

Try This

1. Enable Autoplay in the section settings.
   • Look for an "Autoplay" or "Autoplay thumbnails" toggle and turn it on
2. Make sure the video is muted.
   • Modern browsers block autoplay unless the video is muted. This is a browser rule, not a Section Store limitation.
   • If the section has a "Mute" setting, enable it.
3. Use Shopify-hosted video for best results.
   • Go to Shopify Admin > Settings > Files, upload your video.
   • Use that uploaded video in the section.
   • Shopify-hosted MP4 files autoplay more reliably than YouTube or Vimeo.
4. YouTube and Vimeo have stricter autoplay rules.
   • These embeds have their own policies that can override your settings.
   • If autoplay is critical, consider switching to a Shopify-hosted video.
5. Try disabling Lazy Load.
   • Some video sections have a "Lazy Load" setting.
   • Disabling it can help videos load and play sooner (at the cost of slightly slower page load).
6. Test on different devices.
   • iPhone/iOS has the strictest autoplay policies. Apple may block autoplay even when muted.
   • Android Chrome is generally more permissive.
   • Always test on a real phone, not just a resized browser window.

Browser Autoplay Rules