For weeks an annoying bug has plagued WhatsApp when we try to share a video: here’s what it is and what’s the explanation for the problem
At first, a few weeks ago, it seemed like a problem limited to a few apps. Someone thought the problem was in their smartphone, overloaded with photos, videos and apps downloaded over months and months of use. Then it turned out that it’s a general bug: WhatsApp no longer shows previews of YouTube videos within chats.
And not just the previews, but not even the title of the video: it only shows the incomprehensible URL from which it’s impossible to understand what video it is. Why is this happening, since until a few weeks ago when we shared a YouTube video on WhatsApp we could see both the title and the cover without any problems? For several days the Web has been teeming with (im)probable explanations and (in)effective tutorials to fix the bug, but the truth is different and the answer is offered by Google itself (or almost).
WhatsApp and YouTube: what’s up
The bug is very simple and consists of the inability to see the preview and title of the videos published on Google’s platform when we share them within a WhatsApp chat. The problem manifests itself in both Android and iOS apps and even on WhatsApp Web.
On the same phones, however, the same videos are correctly shared in the other Facebook group chats, namely Messenger and Instagram Direct. Updating the apps hasn’t solved the problem in the slightest and, thus, tips have multiplied on the Internet to solve this strange and annoying behavior of WhatsApp.
We warn you right away: none of these tips, tutorials and “how-to” leads to the desired result. Neanche cancellare la cache di WhatsApp, né reinstallare l’app. In rari casi una di queste tattiche funziona, ma solo per poco.
Google spiega perché non si vedono le anteprime dei video su WhatsApp
La risposta più semplice sembra essere anche quella corretta: non c’è nulla da fare, è un bug di WhatsApp che può essere risolto solo da WhatsApp. Essendone affetta anche WhatsApp Web, poi, sembrerebbe che il bug sia lato server e non lato app.
Sul forum di supporto di YouTube è proprio questa la risposta (semi)ufficiale di Google. Il “Platinum Product Expert” Gari della YouTube Help Community, che non è un rappresentante di Google ma quasi, ha infatti spiegato agli utenti: “Non c’è un settaggio o qualcosa da cambiare. È un bug nell’applicazione di messaggistica che si verifica sia su Android che su iOS e non ha nulla a che fare con YouTube. The problem is unrelated to YouTube and beyond the scope of this forum, and from what it seems, it will be fixed in future updates of the messaging app, so always check that you have the latest version installed.”
The mystery is solved, the problem is not.