How to Fix Showbox: Video Playback and Server Issues on Android
Hey there! Showbox might not be available on the Google Play store anymore, but it’s still one of the most popular apps for Android. Some streaming apps play it safe by getting their movies and TV shows from legit sources. Others, not so much.
Showbox, on the other hand, doesn’t hold back. It serves up pirated movies without any remorse. Because of this, you won’t find it on the Google Play store. Instead, if you want to use it, you’ll have to download it from a website using an APK file.
But here’s the thing: I can’t give you a link to Showbox. There are serious questions about its legitimacy, and the APK files floating around might harm your device with viruses or malware. It’s just not safe or reliable enough for me to recommend any specific download.
That being said, because so many people love this app, I’m here to help you troubleshoot any issues you might have with it.
One common problem I’ve heard from Showbox users is that they keep seeing error messages like ‘Cannot play video,’ ‘Video not available, try another server,’ or ‘Server down or Server unavailable.’
In this article, I’ll show you how to fix these errors and get Showbox up and running again.
How Showbox Works
Let’s start by understanding how Showbox works. Are there secret websites where it finds pirated video streams and magically plays them for you? Not quite.
Instead, Showbox relies on a peer-to-peer system, similar to torrenting. When you play a video, the app secretly downloads and shares the video files in the background. That way, you can hit play on any movie or TV show, and after a short buffering period, it starts playing.
What Can Go Wrong?
So, what could go wrong with an app like Showbox?
It would be easier to list what can’t go wrong! Copyright holders are always on the hunt to take down illegally streamed content, especially new movies and popular shows. Since there’s no official development team, each client version can have its own set of problems.
Speaking of problems, Showbox clients themselves often carry viruses or malware. Untrustworthy developers release these versions, infecting thousands of phones worldwide. With all these issues and more, it’s fair to say that Showbox isn’t the most stable app out there.
And let’s not forget that using Showbox might cause issues with your internet service provider (ISP), but that’s a whole different story.
Why Isn’t Showbox Working on My Android?
As I mentioned earlier, there are plenty of things that can go wrong when using an unstable app like Showbox.
While I can’t address every problem you might encounter, I can help you troubleshoot a few of the most common issues reported by Showbox users.
Reboot Your Phone
First things first, try rebooting your Android device. It’s a simple fix that can often solve many errors.
Restarting your device clears any configuration issues or memory glitches that might be causing the error messages. Even if it doesn’t fix your problems, it gives your phone a fresh start for trying other solutions.
On most Android devices, just press and hold the Power button until the restart menu appears. From there, select the ‘restart’ option and let your Android device refresh itself.
If this doesn’t resolve your issues, don’t worry. Keep reading for solutions to other common Showbox errors.
‘Cannot Play Video’ Error on Showbox
One of the most common errors you might come across when using Showbox is the ‘cannot play video’ error. This is often encountered by new users who haven’t fully set up their Showbox correctly.
The reason this error occurs is that Showbox supports various video file formats, but it relies on separate programs to actually play the downloaded or streamed video. If the player you have installed can’t handle the format of the video you want to play, you’ll see this error message. Luckily, fixing this issue is usually as simple as installing a different video player that supports the file format.
One popular video player that experienced Showbox users often install is MX Player. It’s free, supports many formats, and works well with Showbox. If you’re having trouble playing videos in Showbox, downloading MX Player should solve your problems. Alternatively, you could try VLC for Android, which is another widely used video player for Android.
You don’t need to do anything special to make Showbox recognize a new video player. Just download and install the player(s) of your choice, then close Showbox and restart your phone. When you open Showbox again, it will automatically detect the new video player and use it for any compatible formats.
Showbox ‘server unavailable error’
Another common error message that Showbox users encounter is the ‘server unavailable error.’ Although it may sound like you’re having trouble finding a server online, this error actually relates to the cache memory of your Showbox app.
Here’s what’s happening: Showbox thinks there’s a server at a specific IP address and has stored that address in its local memory. However, the server has either gone down or been moved, but Showbox doesn’t realize this and keeps trying to connect to the server it believes is still there.
Fortunately, fixing this error is quick and easy. Just follow these simple steps:
- Stop the Showbox app and close it.
- Go to your Android Settings, then tap on App Manager, and find the Showbox app.
- Select Clear data and wait for the process to complete.
- Select Clear cache and wait for the process to complete.
- Restart Showbox and try again.
Hey there! I’ve got a simple solution for you to fix this error and get right back to enjoying your favorite movies and TV shows.
Dealing with Showbox Crashes & Other Errors
Sometimes Showbox can be a little tricky and give you some random issues that don’t have specific fixes.
If clearing the cache like I mentioned above doesn’t solve the problem, you can try updating the app or completely reinstalling it. To update Showbox, you can either select ‘Update’ when the notification bar pops up, or manually install a fresh version. Both methods work if a newer version is available. You could even download the APK file again and reinstall it from scratch. This should take care of most problems.
When you reinstall the app, you won’t have to worry about setting up Unknown Sources again like you did the first time. That’s an Android setting that doesn’t change. I’ve done this a few times myself when clearing the cache didn’t fix server errors, and reinstalling the app did the trick.
Final Thoughts
Showbox is a fantastic app that performs incredibly well, especially considering it’s not from an authorized developer. It streams smoothly, gives you access to a wide range of content, and has a simple, efficient interface. Of course, every app has its occasional issues and may throw up an error here and there, but that’s nothing out of the ordinary. Just follow any of these steps and you’ll have Showbox up and running again in no time.
Now, I want to make it clear that TechJunkie does not support piracy or streaming content from unauthorized sources. It’s always best to stick to legal sources.
If you have any other fixes for common Showbox errors like ‘cannot play video’ or ‘server not available’, please share them with us in the comments below!
And remember, we’ve got more Showbox resources for you to check out. You can even learn how to store your Showbox movies on a memory card by reading our article on downloading Showbox movies to an SD card. Plus, don’t forget to take a look at our comprehensive guide on how Showbox works.
