In iOS 10.2, released on December 12, Apple introduced the new "TV" app, which serves as an Apple-designed TV guide that aims to simplify the television watching experience and help users discover new TV and movie content.

In the United States, the TV app replaces the standard "Videos" app and serves as a television hub on iOS devices, but it appears the new app doesn't work well with content that's been ripped from DVDs.

ios102tvapp
According to an ongoing discussion on Apple's Support Communities that dates back to December, some customers who have videos ripped from DVDs are no longer able to view them in the TV app. The same videos previously worked fine in the now-replaced Videos app. A user who is having issues describes the problem:

Prior to iOS 10.2 I was able to view video I had ripped on the Videos app in iOS. The process I used was to rip the video and then import them into iTunes. Then I synced my iPhone with iTunes and my movies were download and viewed using the Videos app.

iOS 10.2 no longer includes the Video app and the new TV app will not allow me to watch these ripped videos. Does someone have a solution or am I simply missing something?

Other iPhone users have been unable to sync home videos and other content to their devices with the current version of iTunes, receiving a message that movies or TV shows can't be synced because the Videos app is not installed.

Some users have been able to get around the problem with already-transferred videos by using the TV widget on their iOS devices, which apparently causes the TV app to display the ripped videos after the widget is activated. Others can get the ripped videos to play by setting the videos to be "Home Videos."

That the widget allows some users to access their videos suggests this is perhaps a bug that will be resolved in a future update, but it is not entirely clear what's going on with the TV app and content acquired outside of the iTunes Stores.

Affected users who want to get non-Apple video content onto their iOS devices will need to use a third-party solution like Infuse or VLC.

Related Forum: iOS 10

Top Rated Comments

profets Avatar
94 months ago
Ripping DVDs, importing to iTunes, syncing manually to an iOS device. Why not just use Plex already (or another media manager like VLC that allows you to make a local copy wirelessly)?
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
panjandrum Avatar
94 months ago
Like we have had to do all too frequently over the past few years; just switch away from Apple's software and use something else (I've had very good luck with Stream to Me and Serve to Me, and no longer use iTunes, Music, etc. etc. for anything at all other than occasionally ripping a CD or manually managing iThing backups and media). That solution also supports playback on various media-players outside the Apple ecosystem (for example, a PS3 will find the Serve to Me server on your network and work properly with it). Unlike Plex, Stream to Me / Serve to Me is extremely simple to setup (it also lacks some of the advanced features, but overall I've certainly been very happy with it). Oh, and VLC will also pick up Stream to Me servers.

I hope that someday those currently running Apple will figure out that the worse their software gets, the more we move away from it. The more we move away from it, the less incentive we have to stay with Apple hardware. The less we stay with Apple hardware, the less we recommend Apple hardware to other and the less visibility Apple hardware has. It's a vicious cycle they can put a stop to by getting their software usability, features, and QA back up to what it used to be...
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
OS X Dude Avatar
94 months ago
How do I watch my movies on a plane with Plex?
Plex allows caching.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Andreas56938 Avatar
94 months ago
You are ripping it wrong.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MallardDuck Avatar
94 months ago
Ripping DVDs, importing to iTunes, syncing manually to an iOS device. Why not just use Plex already (or another media manager like VLC that allows you to make a local copy wirelessly)?
Because moving 200+ GB of files wirelessly takes forever.
[doublepost=1484704175][/doublepost]The TV app is a complete disaster - massive number of bugs.


* If you have a DTS passthrough track, it won't play the file
* It's unreliable in airplane mode - sometimes doesn't work (as I found out the hard way)

* shoves the cloud/streaming stuff into your face, no longer hideable

* shows blank seasons and cloud icons even in downloaded section
* search doesn't work offline
* doesn't sync properly with itunes - doesn't add episodes and doesn't delete them
* manual delete is no longer a swipe, it's something related to force touch, but it doesn't work reliably

and on and on. Apple should put the videos app up in the app store.

There's no third party option that plays DRM'd content, so we're stuck.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Glassed Silver Avatar
94 months ago
Great idea Apple, keep incentivizing people to move away from your vertically integrated products to platform-agnostic alternatives.

And be sure to keep messing with the value to price ratio on ALL your products!

What's the worst that could happen? After all you have so many great new products in the mighty pipeline!

Glassed Silver:win
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 16 Camera Lozenge 2 Perspective Gray

Five Key Upgrades Coming to iPhone 16

Friday March 15, 2024 1:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone is Apple's top-selling product, and it gets an update every year. In 2024, we're expecting the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro lineup, with an arguably more interesting feature set than we got with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Capture Button All four iPhone 16 models are set to get a whole new button, which will be...
When To Expect New iPads Feature 1

Apple to Announce New iPads on March 26, Rumors Claim

Monday March 18, 2024 4:02 am PDT by
Apple is widely expected to release new iPad Air and OLED iPad Pro models in the next few weeks. According to new rumors coming out of Asia, the company will announce its new iPads on Tuesday, March 26. Chinese leaker Instant Digital on Weibo this morning 日发布%23">claimed that the date will see some sort of announcement from Apple related to new iPads, but stopped short of calling it an...
airpods 3 orange

Two New AirPods 4 Models Expected to Launch in September or October

Sunday March 17, 2024 7:56 am PDT by
Apple suppliers will begin production of two new fourth-generation AirPods models in May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Based on this production timeframe, he expects the headphones to be released in September or October. Gurman expects both fourth-generation AirPods models to feature a new design with better fit, improved sound quality, and an updated charging case with a USB-C...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 Expected to Depreciate Heavily

Tuesday March 12, 2024 9:04 am PDT by
Resale value trends suggest the iPhone SE 4 may not hold its value as well as Apple's flagship models, according to SellCell. According to the report, Apple's iPhone SE models have historically depreciated much more rapidly than the company's more premium offerings. The third-generation iPhone SE, which launched in March 2022, experienced a significant drop in resale value, losing 42.6%...
M3 iPad Feature 3

New iPads Likely to Begin Shipping in April

Monday March 18, 2024 9:52 am PDT by
Apple's new iPad Pro models with OLED displays will likely begin shipping to customers in April, according to information shared today by Ross Young, CEO of display industry research firm Display Supply Chain Consultants. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman also said the new iPad Pro models might not ship until "deeper" into April in his Power On newsletter on Sunday:I've repeatedly said that new...
General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple

iOS 17.4.1 Update for iPhone is Imminent

Monday March 18, 2024 5:27 am PDT by
iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 should be released within the next few days, with a build number of 21E235, according to a source with a proven track record. MacRumors previously reported that Apple was internally testing iOS 17.4.1. As a minor update for the iPhone, it will likely address software bugs and/or security vulnerabilities. It is unclear if the update will include any other changes. ...
Reasons to Not Upgrade to macOS Sonoma 14

macOS Sonoma 14.4: Reasons Not to Update

Monday March 18, 2024 9:36 am PDT by
Since Apple unveiled macOS Sonoma 14.4 on March 7, the transition to the latest software update has not been entirely smooth for everyone, and a number of issues have been reported by users that significantly impact their daily workflow. This article lists the most prominent challenges users have faced since updating to macOS Sonoma 14.4, and offers potential solutions where available. USB...