[Due for payment 2026-03-19] [$250] Attachments-Video is not playing when opened from the attachments history, play/pause blinks

@abzokhattab

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Version Number: 9.3.11-4
Reproducible in staging?: Yes
Reproducible in production?: Yes
If this was caught during regression testing, add the test name, ID and link from BrowserStack: https://test-management.browserstack.com/projects/2219752/folder/13176710/test-cases/41236953
Email or phone of affected tester (no customers): N/A
Issue reported by: Applause Internal Team
Bug source: Exploratory - Significant User Experience Deterioration
Device used: iPhone 15 iOS 26.2
App Component: Other

Action Performed:

Sign in to ND
Create a chat with another user
Send some images and a video in the chat
Open and play the video, close it
Open any other attachment and navigate through the attachments until you reached the video

Expected Result:

The video starts playing, when opened from the attachments history

Actual Result:

Video can't be played if opened from the attachments history, play/pause button blinks. Sometimes the whole attachment or control modal at the bottom blink

Workaround:

Unknown

Platforms:

Screenshots/Videos

bug.mp4

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Issue Owner

Current Issue Owner: @abzokhattab

Upwork Automation - Do Not Edit

Upwork Job URL: https://www.upwork.com/jobs/~022029612432673873511
Upwork Job ID: 2029612432673873511
Last Price Increase: 2026-03-05

@RachCHopkins

Triggered auto assignment to @RachCHopkins (Bug), see https://stackoverflow.com/c/expensify/questions/14418 for more details. Please add this bug to a GH project, as outlined in the SO.

Proposal

Please re-state the problem that we are trying to solve in this issue.

When navigating through attachments in the carousel on iOS native and reaching a video by swiping (not opening directly), the video cannot be played. The play/pause button blinks, and sometimes the entire attachment or control modal at the bottom blinks.

What is the root cause of that problem?

There are two compounding bugs, both specific to native:

Bug 1: Double onNavigate call (native only)

In AttachmentCarouselView/index.native.tsx:49-52, onNavigate is called twice per page change:

if (onNavigate) {
    onNavigate(item);   // first call
}
onNavigate?.(item);     // duplicate call

The web version at index.tsx:109-111 correctly calls it only once. Each onNavigate triggers Navigation.navigate (via onCarouselAttachmentChange in ReportAttachmentModalContent.tsx:83), causing double route navigation per swipe. This creates unnecessary re-renders and route transitions that destabilize the video initialization flow.

Bug 2: Feedback loop in AttachmentView's video URL registration

The useEffect in AttachmentView/index.tsx:157-163 has currentlyPlayingURL, updateCurrentURLAndReportID, and playVideo in its dependency array, but only updateCurrentURLAndReportID is actually used in the effect body. This creates a feedback loop:

Swiping to a video triggers this effect, which calls updateCurrentURLAndReportID(videoURL, reportID)
This sets currentlyPlayingURL in the PlaybackContext, which changes the updateCurrentURLAndReportID callback reference (since currentlyPlayingURL is in its useCallback deps at PlaybackContext/index.tsx:66)
Both currentlyPlayingURL and the new updateCurrentURLAndReportID reference re-trigger the effect
Meanwhile, resetVideoPlayerData at PlaybackContext/index.tsx:97-119 also fires on currentlyPlayingURL change and may detect a route mismatch (since Navigation.navigate from the double onNavigate is async), triggering a full player reset that sets currentlyPlayingURL = null
This null value re-triggers the AttachmentView effect, restarting the cycle

Each cycle calls video.pause() then video.play(), toggling isPlaying which directly drives the play/pause button icon (VideoPlayerControls/index.tsx:112), causing the visible blinking.

An additional contributing factor: the native Pager computes isFocused from two separate state sources (Pager/index.tsx:136) -- activePageIndex (updated via useEffect with one render-frame delay) and activeAttachmentID (updated immediately). This causes isFocused to briefly be false for all pages during transitions, adding extra effect triggers. The web version avoids this by only checking activeAttachmentID.

What changes do you think we should make in order to solve the problem?

Fix the double onNavigate call in AttachmentCarouselView/index.native.tsx:49-52: Remove the duplicate onNavigate?.(item) call at line 52, keeping only the guarded call at lines 49-51. This matches the web version's behavior.
Remove currentlyPlayingURL and playVideo from the AttachmentView useEffect dependency array at AttachmentView/index.tsx:163: These values are not used in the effect body and their presence creates the feedback loop. The effect should only re-run when isFocused, source, reportID, or updateCurrentURLAndReportID actually change in ways relevant to the effect's purpose.
Consider stabilizing updateCurrentURLAndReportID by removing currentlyPlayingURL from its useCallback dependency array in PlaybackContext/index.tsx:66. The function reads currentlyPlayingURL to decide whether to pause, but this could use a ref instead of a state dependency, preventing the callback reference from changing on every URL update.

What alternative solutions did you explore? (Optional)

Synchronizing activePageIndex directly in the onPageSelected callback instead of via useEffect on initialPage in the Pager. This would eliminate the isFocused flicker but doesn't address the core feedback loop.
Using useRef for currentlyPlayingURL inside updateCurrentURLAndReportID to avoid recreating the callback. This would stabilize the reference but still leaves currentlyPlayingURL as a direct dependency in the AttachmentView effect.

Next Steps for Contributor+ team: Reply with @MelvinBot implement this to create a draft PR, or @MelvinBot <your feedback> to refine this analysis.

@abzokhattab

Current assignee @abzokhattab is eligible for the External assigner, not assigning anyone new.

@abzokhattab

Payment Summary

Upwork Job

ROLE: @abzokhattab paid $(AMOUNT) via Upwork (LINK)

BugZero Checklist (@mallenexpensify)

(if NewFeature) I have created a PR for any necessary HelpDot updates, or I confirmed no updates are necessary.
I have verified the correct assignees and roles are listed above and updated the necessary manual offers
I have verified that there are no duplicate or incorrect contracts on Upwork for this job (https://www.upwork.com/ab/applicants/2029612432673873511/hired)
I have verified the PR was not reverted
I have applied any discounts due to bugs/regressions introduced by this PR
I have paid out the Upwork contracts or cancelled the ones that are incorrect
I have verified the payment summary above is correct

@abzokhattab

Payment Summary

Contributor+: @abzokhattab due $250 via NewDot

@abzokhattab plz complete the BZ checklist and tag me in a post once you have. Thx

@mallenexpensify

@mallenexpensify Whoops! This issue is 2 days overdue. Let's get this updated quick!

@abzokhattab

@abzokhattab 👀 above plz

BugZero Checklist:

[Contributor] The offending PR has been commented on, pointing out the bug it caused and why, so the author and reviewers can learn from the mistake.

Link to comment: https://github.com/Expensify/App/pull/63352/changes#r2996090093
[Contributor] If the regression was CRITICAL (e.g. interrupts a core flow) A discussion in #expensify-open-source has been started about whether any other steps should be taken.

Link to discussion: N/A — Not critical. Users can still view the video by opening it directly rather than swiping through the carousel.
[Contributor] If it was decided to create a regression test for the bug, please propose the regression test steps using the template below to ensure the same bug will not reach production again.
[BugZero Assignee] Create a GH issue for creating/updating the regression test once above steps have been agreed upon.

Link to issue: https://github.com/Expensify/Expensify/issues/616716

Regression Test Proposal

Precondition:

Sign in to New Dot
Create a chat with another user

Test:

Send some images and a video in the chat
Open and play the video, then close it
Open any other (non-video) attachment
Swipe/navigate through the attachments until you reach the video
Verify the video plays correctly when reached via carousel navigation
Verify the play/pause button does not blink and controls are stable

Do we agree 👍 or 👎

Zapier Logs

Run ID: 00040eee-bf66-ad10-c1d6-6d80f9072dd4

@mallenexpensify

@mallenexpensify done

@abzokhattab

Thanks @abzokhattab
^ Test case created

@abzokhattab

@abzokhattab has submitted payment for this report on ND here.

SO: https://stackoverflowteams.com/c/expensify/questions/7582

Vendor found in VML: True. Status: Active
Amount requested: $250.00 (Matches the payment summary here: [Due for payment 2026-03-19] [$250] Attachments-Video is not playing when opened from the attachments history, play/pause blinks #80949 (comment).)
I, @twisterdotcom am not already the BZ assignee. I have approved this payment.

Zapier Logs

Run ID: 00040eee-ec14-a0e9-21c9-e56116012ae4

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[Due for payment 2026-03-19] [$250] Attachments-Video is not playing when opened from the attachments history, play/pause blinks #80949

Action Performed:

Expected Result:

Actual Result:

Workaround:

Platforms:

Screenshots/Videos

Proposal

Please re-state the problem that we are trying to solve in this issue.

What is the root cause of that problem?

What changes do you think we should make in order to solve the problem?

What alternative solutions did you explore? (Optional)

23 remaining items

Payment Summary

BugZero Checklist (@mallenexpensify)

Payment Summary

BugZero Checklist:

Regression Test Proposal

Precondition:

Test:

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[Due for payment 2026-03-19] [$250] Attachments-Video is not playing when opened from the attachments history, play/pause blinks #80949

Description

Action Performed:

Expected Result:

Actual Result:

Workaround:

Platforms:

Screenshots/Videos

Activity

melvin-bot commented on Mar 5, 2026

MelvinBot commented on Mar 5, 2026

Proposal

Please re-state the problem that we are trying to solve in this issue.

What is the root cause of that problem?

What changes do you think we should make in order to solve the problem?

What alternative solutions did you explore? (Optional)

melvin-bot commented on Mar 5, 2026

23 remaining items

melvin-bot commented on Mar 19, 2026

Payment Summary

BugZero Checklist (@mallenexpensify)

mallenexpensify commented on Mar 20, 2026

Payment Summary

melvin-bot commented on Mar 24, 2026

mallenexpensify commented on Mar 25, 2026

abzokhattab commented on Mar 26, 2026

BugZero Checklist:

Regression Test Proposal

Precondition:

Test:

abzokhattab commented on Mar 26, 2026

mallenexpensify commented on Mar 26, 2026

twisterdotcom commented on Mar 26, 2026

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