Back to Community
Home / Community / Core → Alpha/beta/rc

Troubleshooting Common WordPress 3.6 Audio and Video Post Format Issues

20 threads Sep 7, 2025 Core → Alpha/beta/rc

Content

The release of WordPress 3.6 introduced exciting new native audio and video post format features, but as with any major update, users encountered a variety of bugs and unexpected behaviors during the beta and release candidate phases. This guide compiles the most common issues reported by the community and provides clear, step-by-step solutions to resolve them.

Common Audio and Video Post Format Problems

Based on community testing, the following issues were frequently reported:

  • Video or audio shortcodes displaying as plain text instead of rendering a player.
  • Embed code from services like YouTube or Vimeo being stripped or not saving correctly.
  • Specific video file formats (.WEBM, .OGV, .MOV, .M4V) failing to upload or play.
  • The 'Add Media' button missing from certain post format interfaces (e.g., Aside).
  • Post format meta boxes, particularly for Video, disappearing from the post editor.
  • Posts without a title returning 404 errors or not saving correctly.
  • Theme compatibility errors, especially the use of removed functions like the_post_format_video().

Step-by-Step Troubleshooting Guide

If you are experiencing issues with audio or video post formats, follow these steps to identify and resolve the problem.

1. Perform a Basic Conflict Check

Many strange behaviors are caused by conflicts with other software. This is always the first step.

  • Disable all plugins: Temporarily deactivate every plugin on your site. If the problem is resolved, reactivate them one-by-one to identify the culprit.
  • Switch to a default theme: Temporarily switch to a standard WordPress theme like Twenty Twelve or Twenty Thirteen. This will determine if your current theme is causing the issue.

2. Check Your File Formats and Codecs

WordPress's ability to play media files depends heavily on browser support and server configuration.

  • Use supported formats: For the broadest compatibility, use .MP4 (H.264 video, AAC audio) for video and .MP3 for audio.
  • Check for audio tracks: Some users found that uploading video files without an audio track (e.g., silent .WEBM or .OGV files) caused PHP warnings and failed uploads. Ensure your videos have an audio track.
  • Server MIME types: If a supported file like .MP4 or .M4V uploads but won't play (e.g., shows a black player), your web server might be serving it with an incorrect MIME type. This was a known fix for users on IIS servers. You may need to add the correct MIME types (video/mp4 for .mp4, video/x-m4v for .m4v) to your server configuration.

3. Verify Your Theme's Code (For Developers)

Significant changes were made to post format functions during the 3.6 development cycle.

  • Avoid removed functions: Functions like the_post_format_video() and the_post_format_audio() were removed from the final release. Do not use them in your themes.
  • Use compatibility checks: If you need to maintain compatibility with both WordPress 3.6+ and older versions, use a function_exists() check before calling new functions. 
    <?php
if ( function_exists('get_the_post_format_media') ) {
    echo get_the_post_format_media( 'video' );
}
?>

4. Investigate Known Bugs

Many issues you encounter may have already been reported and fixed. The community reported several bugs that were subsequently patched:

  • Title Generation: Posts with a 'Video' or 'Audio' format required either a title or post content to be published successfully. Without them, the post could result in a 404 error.
  • Embed Handling: Early beta versions had issues saving embed codes from YouTube and Vimeo in the post format meta box.
  • Metadata Errors: Uploading certain video files could trigger PHP warnings about undefined indexes during metadata generation.

If you suspect a bug, ensure you are running the latest version of WordPress, as many of these issues were resolved in subsequent beta, RC, and final releases.

Conclusion

While the new audio and video features in WordPress 3.6 are powerful, they can be sensitive to conflicts, file formats, and server settings. The most reliable path to resolution is to methodically eliminate conflicts by disabling plugins and switching themes. Always ensure you are using a final, release version of WordPress rather than a beta or release candidate, as many of the bugs discussed here were fixed before the official launch. For ongoing issues, checking the official WordPress core Trac tickets can provide insight into whether a problem is a known bug with a planned fix.

Related Support Threads Support