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Can You Play Audio and Video in PDFs on Android and iPhone?
Question details
The user wants to know if audio or video files embedded in a PDF document can be played on mobile devices such as Android phones, tablets, iPhones, or iPads.
- Product
- Adobe Mobile Acrobat
- Device & OS
- Android and iOS
- Scenario
- Attempting to view and interact with embedded rich media (sound and video) within a PDF file while using a mobile device.
- Observed behavior
- Sound and video embedded directly into the PDF do not play because the functionality is not implemented in Adobe Mobile Acrobat for iOS or Android.
Ensure your mobile PDF viewer app is updated to the latest version, and verify that the rich media file works correctly when opened on a desktop computer.
Understand Rich Media Limitations and Use Alternative Methods
Since mobile PDF readers do not support embedded media playback, you will need to view the file on a desktop or adapt the PDF using hyperlinks.
Currently, sound and video playback features are not implemented in Adobe Mobile Acrobat for iOS or Android. As a result, rich media files directly embedded into a PDF document cannot be played within the mobile application.
To ensure a seamless experience for mobile users, document creators should use hyperlinks to externally hosted media instead of embedding large video or audio files directly into the document.
Transfer the PDF file to a Windows or Mac computer. Desktop versions of PDF readers like Adobe Acrobat or WPS Office have broader support for embedded rich media playback.
If you are the author of the PDF, upload your video or audio to a cloud storage or streaming service (like YouTube or Google Drive). Insert a hyperlink into the PDF document linking to the media file.
Modify Your PDFs for Mobile Viewing with WPS Office
Since mobile PDF readers cannot play embedded rich media, use the WPS Office PDF editor on your desktop to easily replace embedded videos and audio with clickable hyperlinks, ensuring your audience can access the content on any device.
- 1. Open your PDF in WPS Office: Launch WPS Office on your computer and open the PDF document containing the unplayable rich media.
- 2. Remove the embedded media: Navigate to the embedded audio or video file that fails to play on mobile devices, select it, and delete it to reduce the file size.
- 3. Insert a hyperlink: Go to the 'Edit' tab on the top ribbon, click on 'Link', and draw a selection box where you want the clickable link to appear.
- 4. Link to external media: Enter the URL of the hosted audio or video file in the link settings so mobile users can simply tap the area to view the media in their web browser.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why won't the video in my PDF play on my iPhone or iPad?
Most mobile PDF readers, including Adobe Acrobat for iOS, do not support the playback of embedded rich media like video and audio. To view the media, you must open the file on a desktop computer or the creator must provide standard web hyperlinks.
Can I embed YouTube videos in a PDF so they play on Android?
You cannot directly embed a playable YouTube video frame that functions natively within mobile PDF readers. Instead, you should insert a hyperlinked image that redirects Android users to the YouTube app or their web browser.
Do any mobile apps support embedded PDF video playback?
Support for embedded rich media on mobile PDF applications is extremely rare due to format complexities and mobile OS security restrictions. The standard and most reliable practice is to use external web links for any media content intended for mobile viewing.
