diff --git a/mobile/lib/presentation/widgets/asset_viewer/video_viewer.widget.dart b/mobile/lib/presentation/widgets/asset_viewer/video_viewer.widget.dart
index 72a2ea231..851945fe4 100644
--- a/mobile/lib/presentation/widgets/asset_viewer/video_viewer.widget.dart
+++ b/mobile/lib/presentation/widgets/asset_viewer/video_viewer.widget.dart
@@ -7,13 +7,13 @@ import 'package:immich_mobile/domain/models/asset/base_asset.model.dart';
 import 'package:immich_mobile/domain/models/store.model.dart';
 import 'package:immich_mobile/entities/store.entity.dart';
 import 'package:immich_mobile/extensions/platform_extensions.dart';
-import 'package:immich_mobile/infrastructure/repositories/storage.repository.dart';
 import 'package:immich_mobile/providers/asset_viewer/asset_viewer.provider.dart';
 import 'package:immich_mobile/providers/asset_viewer/is_motion_video_playing.provider.dart';
 import 'package:immich_mobile/providers/asset_viewer/video_player_provider.dart';
 import 'package:immich_mobile/providers/cast.provider.dart';
 import 'package:immich_mobile/providers/infrastructure/asset.provider.dart';
 import 'package:immich_mobile/providers/infrastructure/settings.provider.dart';
+import 'package:immich_mobile/providers/infrastructure/storage.provider.dart';
 import 'package:immich_mobile/services/api.service.dart';
 import 'package:logging/logging.dart';
 import 'package:native_video_player/native_video_player.dart';
@@ -39,14 +39,15 @@ class NativeVideoViewer extends ConsumerStatefulWidget {
   });
 
   @override
-  ConsumerState<NativeVideoViewer> createState() => _NativeVideoViewerState();
+  ConsumerState<NativeVideoViewer> createState() => NativeVideoViewerState();
 }
 
-class _NativeVideoViewerState extends ConsumerState<NativeVideoViewer> with WidgetsBindingObserver {
+class NativeVideoViewerState extends ConsumerState<NativeVideoViewer> with WidgetsBindingObserver {
   static final _log = Logger('NativeVideoViewer');
 
   NativeVideoPlayerController? _controller;
-  late final Future<VideoSource?> _videoSource;
+  @visibleForTesting
+  late final Future<VideoSource?> videoSource;
   Timer? _loadTimer;
   bool _isVideoReady = false;
   bool _shouldPlayOnForeground = true;
@@ -57,7 +58,7 @@ class _NativeVideoViewerState extends ConsumerState<NativeVideoViewer> with Widg
   void initState() {
     super.initState();
     WidgetsBinding.instance.addObserver(this);
-    _videoSource = _createSource();
+    videoSource = _createSource();
   }
 
   @override
@@ -113,6 +114,7 @@ class _NativeVideoViewerState extends ConsumerState<NativeVideoViewer> with Widg
     }
 
     try {
+      final storageRepository = ref.read(storageRepositoryProvider);
       final localFilePath = widget.localFilePath;
       if (localFilePath != null) {
         final file = File(localFilePath);
@@ -132,23 +134,26 @@ class _NativeVideoViewerState extends ConsumerState<NativeVideoViewer> with Widg
 
       if (localAsset != null) {
         final file = localAsset.isMotionPhoto
-            ? await StorageRepository().getMotionFileForAsset(localAsset)
-            : await StorageRepository().getFileForAsset(localAsset.id);
+            ? await storageRepository.getMotionFileForAsset(localAsset)
+            : await storageRepository.getFileForAsset(localAsset.id);
 
         if (!mounted) {
           return null;
         }
 
-        if (file == null) {
-          throw Exception('No file found for the video');
-        }
-
         // Pass a file:// URI so Android's Uri.parse doesn't
         // interpret characters like '#' as fragment identifiers.
-        return await VideoSource.init(
-          path: CurrentPlatform.isAndroid ? file.uri.toString() : file.path,
-          type: VideoSourceType.file,
-        );
+        if (file != null) {
+          return await VideoSource.init(
+            path: CurrentPlatform.isAndroid ? file.uri.toString() : file.path,
+            type: VideoSourceType.file,
+          );
+        }
+
+        if (videoAsset is! RemoteAsset) {
+          throw Exception('No file found for the video');
+        }
+        _log.warning('Local file missing for ${videoAsset.name} (${videoAsset.localId}), playing the remote copy');
       }
 
       final remoteAsset = videoAsset as RemoteAsset;
@@ -276,7 +281,7 @@ class _NativeVideoViewerState extends ConsumerState<NativeVideoViewer> with Widg
       return;
     }
 
-    final source = await _videoSource;
+    final source = await videoSource;
     if (source == null || !mounted) {
       return;
     }
diff --git a/mobile/test/presentation/widgets/asset_viewer/video_viewer_test.dart b/mobile/test/presentation/widgets/asset_viewer/video_viewer_test.dart
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3ec7b2f16
--- /dev/null
+++ b/mobile/test/presentation/widgets/asset_viewer/video_viewer_test.dart
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+import 'dart:io';
+
+import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
+import 'package:flutter_test/flutter_test.dart';
+import 'package:immich_mobile/domain/models/asset/base_asset.model.dart';
+import 'package:immich_mobile/presentation/widgets/asset_viewer/video_viewer.widget.dart';
+import 'package:immich_mobile/providers/infrastructure/storage.provider.dart';
+import 'package:mocktail/mocktail.dart';
+import 'package:native_video_player/native_video_player.dart';
+
+import '../../../infrastructure/repository.mock.dart';
+import '../../../unit/factories/local_asset_factory.dart';
+import '../../../unit/factories/remote_asset_factory.dart';
+import '../../../unit/presentation/presentation_context.dart';
+
+void main() {
+  late PresentationContext context;
+  late MockStorageRepository storage;
+
+  final local = LocalAssetFactory.create(id: 'local-1').copyWith(type: .video, playbackStyle: .video);
+  final remote = RemoteAssetFactory.create(type: .video, localId: local.id);
+
+  setUp(() async {
+    context = await PresentationContext.create();
+    storage = MockStorageRepository();
+    final assets = context.service.asset.service;
+    when(() => assets.getAsset(remote)).thenAnswer((_) async => remote);
+    when(() => assets.getAsset(local)).thenAnswer((_) async => local);
+    when(() => assets.getLocalAsset(local.id)).thenAnswer((_) async => local);
+  });
+
+  tearDown(() async {
+    await context.dispose();
+  });
+
+  Future<VideoSource?> pumpViewer(WidgetTester tester, BaseAsset asset) async {
+    await tester.pumpTestWidget(
+      context,
+      NativeVideoViewer(asset: asset, image: const SizedBox()),
+      overrides: [storageRepositoryProvider.overrideWithValue(storage)],
+      expectSettle: false,
+    );
+    return tester.state<NativeVideoViewerState>(find.byType(NativeVideoViewer)).videoSource;
+  }
+
+  testWidgets('plays the local file when it exists', (tester) async {
+    final file = File('/videos/local-1.mp4');
+    when(() => storage.getFileForAsset(local.id)).thenAnswer((_) async => file);
+
+    final source = await pumpViewer(tester, remote);
+
+    expect(source?.type, VideoSourceType.file);
+    expect(source?.path, endsWith(file.path));
+  });
+
+  testWidgets('plays the server copy when the local file cannot be read', (tester) async {
+    when(() => storage.getFileForAsset(local.id)).thenAnswer((_) async => null);
+
+    final source = await pumpViewer(tester, remote);
+
+    expect(source?.type, VideoSourceType.network);
+    expect(source?.path, endsWith('/assets/${remote.id}/video/playback'));
+  });
+
+  testWidgets('gives up when a local only asset has no file', (tester) async {
+    when(() => storage.getFileForAsset(local.id)).thenAnswer((_) async => null);
+
+    final source = await pumpViewer(tester, local);
+
+    expect(source, isNull);
+  });
+}