Plex looking into video playback error on Shield TV & Google Chromecast after latest Android app update (workaround inside)

Plex is a popular media streaming service that enables users to stream all their favorite TV shows while being able to manage their libraries. Users can either choose from their preferred streaming services or watch content already downloaded on their devices.

With thousands of hours of free watchable content and 180 plus live channels to choose from, Plex is the go-to streaming service for many. It can also double up as a media server solution.

It is compatible across a large number of devices and platforms, something that often results in bugs and glitches. Having said that, Plex users recently faced playback issues on NVIDIA Shield devices.

And now it looks like the trouble didn’t end there. Some recent user reports suggest that the latest Android app is causing video playback errors on Google Chromecast and NVIDIA Shield devices.

Users say that they are unable to play certain video files on the aforementioned devices despite them working just fine on their desktop and Android phones.

Plex users are hinting that the issue surfaced after the latest update to the Android app, indicating that Plex developers messed up something in the update.

Why do they always break Plex on Android after updates? I run a Plex server off my Nvidia Shield TV Pro and it generally works great. 3 of my clients are on Android and since the update the other day on 10/15 the Android clients wont play half my content. Everything works fine on my Roku, Web OS, iOS and Web clients. The main annoyance is that I use these Android clients the most.
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Can’t play certain files on my Shield although I was able play them just a few days ago. Looks like my Plex Player was just updated yesterday, 10/13, so i’m thinking that may be the problem? No issues playing those same files on my desktop or android phone.
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The developers are yet to acknowledge the issue, let alone work on a fix. If you are in the same boat and are experiencing a video playback error when using Plex on Google Chromecast and NVIDIA Shield devices, we have a workaround.

If you want to use Plex, make sure to uninstall updates to the app and install the app version 8.25.0.28426. This version seems to be bug-free and is working fine for many.

I had to uninstall updates to the Plex app on my Shield and then installed apk version 8.25.0.28426. Everything seems to be working now so hopefully the next app update fixes it for good.
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We hope the developers take notice of the issue and release an update that fixes the Plex video playback error issue on NVIDIA Shield and Chromecast. When they do, we will update this space and let you know so make sure you keep checking this space.

Note: We have more such stories in our dedicated Bugs and Issues Section so be sure to follow them as well.

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