Webflow sync, pageviews & more.
NEW

What could be causing the issue of frozen background videos when navigating back to a portfolio website in Webflow, specifically on Safari and iOS?

TL;DR
  • iOS Safari may freeze background videos on back-navigation due to caching and memory handling, requiring specific attributes like autoplay, muted, playsinline, and loop.
  • Use JavaScript listening to the pageshow event to manually trigger video playback when returning to the page.

Frozen background videos on Safari/iOS when returning to a Webflow portfolio site are usually caused by how iOS handles autoplay videos and memory management during back-navigation.

1. iOS Safari Resource Handling

  • Safari on iOS aggressively manages memory, especially with background tabs or upon navigating away and returning.
  • When you hit the back button, Safari may restore a cached version of the page, including the video element in a frozen or paused state.

2. Autoplay and Inline Playback Limitations

  • iOS requires video elements to have specific attributes to autoplay: autoplay, muted, playsinline, and loop.
  • If any of these are missing or dynamically altered, the video may not resume playback automatically when returning to the page.

3. Lazy Loading or Custom Code Issues

  • If you're using custom code to load videos dynamically or manipulating video elements with JavaScript, it may not re-trigger on back-navigation.
  • Safari doesn’t always re-execute JavaScript when restoring a page from cache, which may leave your scripts inactive.

4. Video Not Reloaded Properly

  • The background video may not fire the play() function on session restore.
  • You may need a JavaScript snippet listening for the pageshow event (not load) to manually play the video when the page is shown again from the bfcache (back-forward cache).

5. Using Webflow’s Video Background Element

  • If you’re using Webflow’s native Background Video component, remember it uploads a compressed .mp4 internally.
  • Sometimes, the Webflow background video doesn't reinitialize well on iOS unless a manual trigger is added.

Summary

The background video freezes in Safari/iOS when returning to a Webflow page due to iOS caching behavior, autoplay requirements, and JavaScript not re-running after back-navigation. Ensure video attributes include autoplay, muted, playsinline, and use JavaScript listening for the pageshow event to force a replay if needed.

Webflow Resources
Webflow templates
Webflow inspiration
Rate this answer

Other Webflow Questions

Explore Logic tutorials
Why are my imported items duplicating on the live site in Webflow, but not in the designer or Collections folder?
How can I make related posts appear on my individual blog page in Webflow? I have two collections: one with all my blog posts and another with my categories. I have created a reference for "Category" in the blog posts collection that links to the second collection. When I try to create a new collection list at the bottom of the individual blog page and filter the posts to match the category of the current post, there is no option to filter by category. I have already reviewed various resources and tutorials but haven't found a solution. Can someone please assist me?
Has anyone achieved a successful WebGL shader or hover effect using Webflow? I've tried following tutorials, but I keep encountering issues. What could I be doing wrong?
How can I create filter buttons on top of styled events in Webflow CMS?
What are the benefits and features of Webflow?
How can I create a scaled-down version of my desktop website for all breakpoints in Webflow until I can optimize it for mobile?
How can I automatically hyphenate long words on my Webflow site, specifically in the "NDIS Services" section on the homepage? I have tried using a CSS code snippet on H3 but it doesn't seem to have any effect. Any suggestions or insights would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
How can I track the source URL of form submissions in Webflow to determine whether users are coming from Facebook ads or Google ads, after adding UTM parameters to the ads?
Can the PDF file link displayed in the browser be modified to remove the Webflow reference?
How can I exit read-only mode in Webflow when changes are not being saved?
Can I work as a guest on a client's Webflow workspace with my Freelancer plan in order to embed code, or does the client need to upgrade their workspace for me to do that?
How can I create a fixed menu on Webflow's mobile version without causing page scroll behind the menu? Disabling the scroll offset option doesn't seem to work. Placing the navbar at the top also doesn't resolve the issue. What could be the problem with this option?
How can I identify the template being used in this Webflow site?
Where can I find a simple table in Webflow? It seems to be missing this basic component, while even Pingendo has it. How is it possible for a powerful tool like Webflow to not include this feature?
Why is the CMS list collection locked and preventing me from making changes on my Webflow site?
Can Webflow be used to call a CSS or JS file stored on a different server, instead of hosting them on GitHub?
How can I dynamically redirect to a CMS created after form submission in Webflow?
In Webflow, how can I hide specific elements in the footer (such as "Ramin Khaze The Difference" and "Schedule showing") when the URL contains a certain parameter, such as "?mls"? I am a beginner in coding and would appreciate any help. Thank you!
How can I prevent the "w-current" class in Webflow from overriding the height of my custom class on a link block element?
Can I capture a screenshot of a Webflow page on click and convert it to a downloadable PDF?
How do I mirror user input from a form field to a non-form text field on the same Webflow page in real-time using JavaScript?
How can I close a dropdown in Webflow when clicking on a link?
Is there a more optimal way to create a portfolio section with a sticky image container that changes as you scroll, similar to the design on Deveb's website, that works across different web browsers, especially Safari, using Webflow or any other JavaScript tools?
How can I implement a multi-select field with a pre-selected option in a popup form on a collection page using Webflow?
How can I alternate the layout of the image and heading for each collection item in a two-column format on Webflow?
How can I execute JavaScript code when clicking a specific button with a given ID in a Webflow project?
How can I disable the Webflow success or failure state for a sign-up form and display a custom thank you page using jQuery and the Webflow form submit state?
How can I create a vertical scrolling menu with Webflow, similar to the one on Apple's website, that switches to horizontal scrolling when the menu doesn't fit on one screen?
How can I change the language of the Google Maps embed from English to Arabic in Webflow?
How can I reduce the vertical space between lines within a bullet point in Webflow? Can I replace the bullet points with icons on the "Services" page?