What to Do When a Meditation Won't Play

There are a few things that can stop the lessons and meditations in the Happier app from loading or playing correctly. Occasionally there are issues with our streaming service that cause this but they usually resolve quickly. There are also local network issues that can impact our app because we use high quality audio and video files. 

Here are some things you can check:

  • If you have a subscription, try to download courses and meditations and use them directly from your device until the playback issue resolves. If you haven't tried downloading yet, you can find information on the process in our Help Center at Download Content to Meditate Anywhere.
  • Power down your device completely, then turn it back on again and give the app a try. Sometimes that clears out any cache in your phone from the Happier streaming systems.
  • Known causes for streaming issues include some VPNs, some mobile device management programs on phones issued by employers, and the Jumbo app.
  • If the meditation player is stopping when your iPhone screen goes into lock mode, run through the steps in our Help Center article Lock Screen Stops Meditation on Apple Devices.
  • If none of that worked, delete and reinstall the Happier app. The app is free to download again — just be sure to sign back into your current account. You'll find all the steps in our Help Center articles: How to Tell What Address You App Is Signed Into and Sign Into Happier With an Existing Account.
    • Your subscription, stats and favorites will be saved as long as you sign back into the same account.
    • You'll need to download content again. It gets erased when the app's deleted.

Set up your Jumbo app to allow Happier to play.

Jumbo's Tracker Blocker obstructs a service that Happier needs to function properly. To fix this, you need to tell Jumbo to allow it. Here's how:

1. Open Jumbo and select Block Trackers.

2. Scroll down until you see Brightcove.

3. Tap the green toggle next to it so it's greyed out.

If there's no sound coming from the Happier app.

If the app's content is playing but there's no sound, here are a few things to try:

  • Completely power down your device and then turn it back on. This usually fixes any sound issues in the app.
  • Fully quit the app and relaunch it. See Force Quit for an Apple device or Force Stop for an Android device, then try the app again.
  • Check your phone's Bluetooth settings to make sure your phone isn't connected to Bluetooth headphones or a speaker somewhere nearby.
  • If none of that worked, delete and reinstall the Happier app. The app is free to download again — just be sure to sign back into your the account. You'll find all the steps in our Help Center articles: How to Tell What Address You App Is Signed Into and Sign Into Happier With an Existing Account.
    • Your subscription, stats and favorites will be saved as long as you sign back into the same account.
    • You'll need to download content again. It gets erased when the app's deleted.