Some videos I try to download end up as a fail ("error"). Can you tell me why?

[hub2git]

Before installing and using YTDLnis on my android phone, I've been using ytd-lp on my computer. I've been able to download any youtube video through ytdlp on my computer.

I'm having some problems downloading certain videos though with YTDLnis on my Android.

It seems that about 20% of vids I try to download (on YTDLnis) fail. Can anyone tell me why?
Here's the log for one of them:

Downloading:
Title: How Feastables Chocolate is Made
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AT-ElP8uSTE
Type: video
Command:
--cache-dir "/storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.deniscerri.ytdl/files/ytdlnis_cache/yt-dlp" --match-filter "id~='AT-ElP8uSTE'" --newline --parse-metadata " 4: %(rownumber)s" -N "3" --trim-filenames "176" --no-mtime --write-description --sponsorblock-mark "all" --embed-chapters -S "res:720" -f "bv+ba/b" --write-subs --write-auto-subs --compat-options "no-keep-subs" --embed-subs --sub-langs "en.*,.*-orig" -P "/storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.deniscerri.ytdl/files/ytdlnis_cache/dl/75" -o "%(uploader).30B - %(title).170B.%(ext)s" --parse-metadata "%(playlist_index)s:playlist_index" --replace-in-metadata "title" "^.*$" "How Feastables Chocolate is Made" --parse-metadata "%(title)s:%(meta_title)s" --parse-metadata "%(artists,artist,creators,uploader,channel,creator|)l:^(?P<uploader>.*?)(?:(?= - Topic)|$)" --replace-in-metadata "uploader" "^.*$" "MrBeast 2" --parse-metadata "%(uploader)s:%(artist)s" "https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=myplaylistabc123" 

[youtube:tab] Extracting URL: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=myplaylistabc123
[youtube:tab] myplaylistabc123: Downloading webpage
[youtube:tab] myplaylistabc123: Redownloading playlist API JSON with unavailable videos
[download] Downloading playlist: beastables
[youtube:tab] myplaylistabc123 page 1: Downloading API JSON
[info] Writing playlist description to: /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.deniscerri.ytdl/files/ytdlnis_cache/dl/75/yellowbubbles - beastables.description
[youtube:tab] Playlist beastables: Downloading 8 items of 8
[download] I Asked Every Level of Hotel to “Surprise Me” does not pass filter (id~='AT-ElP8uSTE'), skipping ..
[download] Behind Chick-fil-A’s Unconventional Franchise Model | WSJ The Economics Of does not pass filter (id~='AT-ElP8uSTE'), skipping ..
[download] Marvel broke him, Chef saved him does not pass filter (id~='AT-ElP8uSTE'), skipping ..
[download] Downloading item 4 of 8
[youtube] Extracting URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AT-ElP8uSTE
[youtube] AT-ElP8uSTE: Downloading webpage
[youtube] AT-ElP8uSTE: Downloading android vr player API JSON
[youtube] AT-ElP8uSTE: Downloading player 2d01abf7-main
[youtube] [jsc:quickjs] Solving JS challenges using quickjs
[youtube] AT-ElP8uSTE: Downloading m3u8 information
[info] AT-ElP8uSTE: Downloading subtitles: en, en-ar, en-bn, en-zh-Hans, en-en, en-orig, en-fr, en-de, en-hi, en-id, en-it, en-ja, en-ko, en-ml, en-mr, en-pl, en-pt, en-pa, en-ru, en-es, en-ta, en-te, en-th, en-tr, en-vi
[MetadataParser] Parsed rownumber from ' 4': '4'
[MetadataParser] Parsed playlist_index from '%(playlist_index)s': '4'
[MetadataParser] Changed title to: How Feastables Chocolate is Made
[MetadataParser] Parsed meta_title from '%(title)s': 'How Feastables Chocolate is Made'
[MetadataParser] Parsed uploader from '%(artists,artist,creators,uploader,channel,creator|)l': 'MrBeast 2'
[MetadataParser] Changed uploader to: MrBeast 2
[MetadataParser] Parsed artist from '%(uploader)s': 'MrBeast 2'
[SponsorBlock] Fetching SponsorBlock segments
[SponsorBlock] Found 4 segments in the SponsorBlock database
[info] AT-ElP8uSTE: Downloading 1 format(s): 398+251
[info] Writing video description to: /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.deniscerri.ytdl/files/ytdlnis_cache/dl/75/MrBeast 2 - How Feastables Chocolate is Made.description
Deleting existing file /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.deniscerri.ytdl/files/ytdlnis_cache/dl/75/MrBeast 2 - How Feastables Chocolate is Made.en.vtt
[info] Writing video subtitles to: /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.deniscerri.ytdl/files/ytdlnis_cache/dl/75/MrBeast 2 - How Feastables Chocolate is Made.en.vtt
WARNING: The extractor specified to use impersonation for this download, but no impersonate target is available. If you encounter errors, then see  https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp#impersonation  for information on installing the required dependencies
[download] Destination: /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.deniscerri.ytdl/files/ytdlnis_cache/dl/75/MrBeast 2 - How Feastables Chocolate is Made.en.vtt
[download]    1.00KiB at  Unknown B/s (00:00:00)
[download]    3.00KiB at    1.69MiB/s (00:00:00)
[download]    7.00KiB at    2.40MiB/s (00:00:00)
[download]   14.48KiB at    1.49MiB/s (00:00:00)
[download] 100% of   14.48KiB in 00:00:00 at 135.93KiB/s
[info] Writing video subtitles to: /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.deniscerri.ytdl/files/ytdlnis_cache/dl/75/MrBeast 2 - How Feastables Chocolate is Made.en-ar.vtt
WARNING: The extractor specified to use impersonation for this download, but no impersonate target is available. If you encounter errors, then see  https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp#impersonation  for information on installing the required dependencies
ERROR: Unable to download video subtitles for 'en-ar': HTTP Error 429: Too Many Requests

[download] Finished downloading playlist: beastables

[yudin-s]

Your failure is likely from subtitle rate-limiting, not from the main video download. In your log the hard error is:
ERROR: Unable to download video subtitles for \"en-ar\": HTTP Error 429

So this is usually fixed by reducing subtitle requests and/or retries:

1. Limit subtitle languages (for example only en + en-orig)
2. Disable auto-subs when not needed
3. Add retry/sleep options to avoid burst requests
4. Update yt-dlp backend in YTDLnis (newer extractor changes often help)

Quick test: run same video with no subtitles. If it succeeds, then your 20% failures are almost certainly subtitle/429 related.

Also your log warns about missing impersonation target; that can increase request failures on some videos. If this solved it, please mark the answer.

[hub2git]

Thank you for your comment, yudin-s. Appreciate it. :)

What does :\n1 (and :\n2, etc) mean?

n1. Limit subtitle languages (for example only en + en-orig)

Ok, I went to Settings\Processing and typed en,en-orig into the box.

n2. Disable auto-subs when not needed

Okay, I turned off “Save Automatic subtitles” in Settings\Processing

n3. Add retry/sleep options to avoid burst requests

Not sure how to do this. Maybe I’ll put this 3rd advice on a temporary pause for now, and see if implemeting your n1,n2,n4 advice are good enough.

n4. Update yt-dlp backend in YTDLnis (newer extractor changes often help)

In ytdlnis’s settings\updating, “Auto-update yt-dlp” is enabled already. My yt-dlp version is 2026.03.17. When I tap “update yt-dlp to latest version”, it tells me I already have the latest version. Anyway, I switched yt-dlp source from Stable to Nightly, and I’m now on 2026.05.16.233954.

Also your log warns about missing impersonation target; that can increase request failures on some videos.

Why is ytdlnis trying to impersonate? Is impersonating necessary to download vids?

If this solved it, please mark the answer.

Sure, I can test when I have wifi

[error-reporting]

as for that 3rd advice add --sleep-subtitles "90" into ytdlnis extra commands to use it

[yudin-s]

Great question. The 1. / 2. in my previous comment were only numbered checklist steps, not special ytdlnis options.

Practical mapping in the app:

• subtitle language selector: keep only en + en-orig (or disable subtitles)
• format selector: prefer merged output (for example bestvideo+bestaudio if exposed)
• then retry the same URL

If it still fails, share the exact new error line after this change and we can narrow it further. If this solved it, please mark the answer so others can find it faster.