diff --git a/RELEASENOTES.md b/RELEASENOTES.md
index c39f102309..512a9ad6cf 100644
--- a/RELEASENOTES.md
+++ b/RELEASENOTES.md
@@ -39,6 +39,8 @@
         handling is enabled. This ensures the blocking call isn't done if audio
         focus handling is not enabled
         ([#1616](https://github.com/androidx/media/pull/1616)).
+    *   Allow playback regardless of buffered duration when loading fails
+        ([#1571](https://github.com/androidx/media/issues/1571)).
 *   Transformer:
     *   Add `SurfaceAssetLoader`, which supports queueing video data to
         Transformer via a `Surface`.
diff --git a/libraries/exoplayer/src/main/java/androidx/media3/exoplayer/ExoPlayerImplInternal.java b/libraries/exoplayer/src/main/java/androidx/media3/exoplayer/ExoPlayerImplInternal.java
index bc4cf79603..c3ee83c5ef 100644
--- a/libraries/exoplayer/src/main/java/androidx/media3/exoplayer/ExoPlayerImplInternal.java
+++ b/libraries/exoplayer/src/main/java/androidx/media3/exoplayer/ExoPlayerImplInternal.java
@@ -2633,6 +2633,9 @@ import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicBoolean;
     if (loadingPeriodHolder == null) {
       return false;
     }
+    if (loadingPeriodHolder.hasLoadingError()) {
+      return false;
+    }
     long nextLoadPositionUs = loadingPeriodHolder.getNextLoadPositionUs();
     if (nextLoadPositionUs == C.TIME_END_OF_SOURCE) {
       return false;
diff --git a/libraries/exoplayer/src/main/java/androidx/media3/exoplayer/MediaPeriodHolder.java b/libraries/exoplayer/src/main/java/androidx/media3/exoplayer/MediaPeriodHolder.java
index 1c8c50a625..f3b0b8f520 100644
--- a/libraries/exoplayer/src/main/java/androidx/media3/exoplayer/MediaPeriodHolder.java
+++ b/libraries/exoplayer/src/main/java/androidx/media3/exoplayer/MediaPeriodHolder.java
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ import androidx.media3.exoplayer.trackselection.ExoTrackSelection;
 import androidx.media3.exoplayer.trackselection.TrackSelector;
 import androidx.media3.exoplayer.trackselection.TrackSelectorResult;
 import androidx.media3.exoplayer.upstream.Allocator;
+import java.io.IOException;
 
 /** Holds a {@link MediaPeriod} with information required to play it as part of a timeline. */
 /* package */ final class MediaPeriodHolder {
@@ -394,6 +395,27 @@ import androidx.media3.exoplayer.upstream.Allocator;
     }
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Returns whether the media period has encountered an error that prevents it from being prepared
+   * or reading data.
+   */
+  public boolean hasLoadingError() {
+    try {
+      if (!prepared) {
+        mediaPeriod.maybeThrowPrepareError();
+      } else {
+        for (SampleStream sampleStream : sampleStreams) {
+          if (sampleStream != null) {
+            sampleStream.maybeThrowError();
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    } catch (IOException e) {
+      return true;
+    }
+    return false;
+  }
+
   private void enableTrackSelectionsInResult() {
     if (!isLoadingMediaPeriod()) {
       return;
diff --git a/libraries/exoplayer/src/test/java/androidx/media3/exoplayer/ExoPlayerTest.java b/libraries/exoplayer/src/test/java/androidx/media3/exoplayer/ExoPlayerTest.java
index c51e45e178..2984802526 100644
--- a/libraries/exoplayer/src/test/java/androidx/media3/exoplayer/ExoPlayerTest.java
+++ b/libraries/exoplayer/src/test/java/androidx/media3/exoplayer/ExoPlayerTest.java
@@ -10794,6 +10794,62 @@ public class ExoPlayerTest {
     player.release();
   }
 
+  @Test
+  public void
+      mediaPeriodMaybeThrowPrepareError_bufferedDurationUnderMinimumBufferForPlayback_keepPlayingUntilBufferedDataExhausts()
+          throws Exception {
+    ExoPlayer player = parameterizeTestExoPlayerBuilder(new TestExoPlayerBuilder(context)).build();
+    // Define a timeline that has a short duration of 1 second for the first item, which is smaller
+    // than the default buffer duration for playback in DefaultLoadControl (2.5 seconds).
+    Timeline timeline =
+        new FakeTimeline(
+            new TimelineWindowDefinition(
+                /* isSeekable= */ true,
+                /* isDynamic= */ false,
+                /* durationUs= */ 1 * C.MICROS_PER_SECOND));
+    player.addMediaSource(new FakeMediaSource(timeline, ExoPlayerTestRunner.VIDEO_FORMAT));
+    player.addMediaSource(
+        new FakeMediaSource(timeline, ExoPlayerTestRunner.VIDEO_FORMAT) {
+          @Override
+          protected MediaPeriod createMediaPeriod(
+              MediaPeriodId id,
+              TrackGroupArray trackGroupArray,
+              Allocator allocator,
+              MediaSourceEventListener.EventDispatcher mediaSourceEventDispatcher,
+              DrmSessionManager drmSessionManager,
+              DrmSessionEventListener.EventDispatcher drmEventDispatcher,
+              @Nullable TransferListener transferListener) {
+            return new FakeMediaPeriod(
+                trackGroupArray,
+                allocator,
+                /* singleSampleTimeUs= */ 0,
+                mediaSourceEventDispatcher,
+                DrmSessionManager.DRM_UNSUPPORTED,
+                drmEventDispatcher,
+                /* deferOnPrepared= */ true) {
+              @Override
+              public void maybeThrowPrepareError() throws IOException {
+                throw new IOException();
+              }
+            };
+          }
+        });
+
+    player.prepare();
+    player.play();
+    ExoPlaybackException error = TestPlayerRunHelper.runUntilError(player);
+
+    Object period1Uid =
+        player
+            .getCurrentTimeline()
+            .getPeriod(/* periodIndex= */ 1, new Timeline.Period(), /* setIds= */ true)
+            .uid;
+    assertThat(error.mediaPeriodId.periodUid).isEqualTo(period1Uid);
+    assertThat(player.getCurrentMediaItemIndex()).isEqualTo(1);
+
+    player.release();
+  }
+
   @Test
   public void sampleStreamMaybeThrowError_isNotThrownUntilPlaybackReachedFailingItem()
       throws Exception {
@@ -10859,6 +10915,79 @@ public class ExoPlayerTest {
     player.release();
   }
 
+  @Test
+  public void
+      sampleStreamMaybeThrowError_bufferedDurationUnderMinimumBufferForPlayback_keepPlayingUntilBufferedDataExhausts()
+          throws Exception {
+    ExoPlayer player = parameterizeTestExoPlayerBuilder(new TestExoPlayerBuilder(context)).build();
+    // Define a timeline that has a short duration of 1 second for the first item, which is smaller
+    // than the default buffer duration for playback in DefaultLoadControl (2.5 seconds).
+    Timeline timeline =
+        new FakeTimeline(
+            new TimelineWindowDefinition(
+                /* isSeekable= */ true,
+                /* isDynamic= */ false,
+                /* durationUs= */ 1 * C.MICROS_PER_SECOND));
+    player.addMediaSource(new FakeMediaSource(timeline, ExoPlayerTestRunner.VIDEO_FORMAT));
+    player.addMediaSource(
+        new FakeMediaSource(timeline, ExoPlayerTestRunner.VIDEO_FORMAT) {
+          @Override
+          protected MediaPeriod createMediaPeriod(
+              MediaPeriodId id,
+              TrackGroupArray trackGroupArray,
+              Allocator allocator,
+              MediaSourceEventListener.EventDispatcher mediaSourceEventDispatcher,
+              DrmSessionManager drmSessionManager,
+              DrmSessionEventListener.EventDispatcher drmEventDispatcher,
+              @Nullable TransferListener transferListener) {
+            return new FakeMediaPeriod(
+                trackGroupArray,
+                allocator,
+                /* trackDataFactory= */ (format, mediaPeriodId) -> ImmutableList.of(),
+                mediaSourceEventDispatcher,
+                drmSessionManager,
+                drmEventDispatcher,
+                /* deferOnPrepared= */ false) {
+              @Override
+              protected FakeSampleStream createSampleStream(
+                  Allocator allocator,
+                  @Nullable MediaSourceEventListener.EventDispatcher mediaSourceEventDispatcher,
+                  DrmSessionManager drmSessionManager,
+                  DrmSessionEventListener.EventDispatcher drmEventDispatcher,
+                  Format initialFormat,
+                  List<FakeSampleStreamItem> fakeSampleStreamItems) {
+                return new FakeSampleStream(
+                    allocator,
+                    mediaSourceEventDispatcher,
+                    drmSessionManager,
+                    drmEventDispatcher,
+                    initialFormat,
+                    fakeSampleStreamItems) {
+                  @Override
+                  public void maybeThrowError() throws IOException {
+                    throw new IOException();
+                  }
+                };
+              }
+            };
+          }
+        });
+
+    player.prepare();
+    player.play();
+    ExoPlaybackException error = TestPlayerRunHelper.runUntilError(player);
+
+    Object period1Uid =
+        player
+            .getCurrentTimeline()
+            .getPeriod(/* periodIndex= */ 1, new Timeline.Period(), /* setIds= */ true)
+            .uid;
+    assertThat(error.mediaPeriodId.periodUid).isEqualTo(period1Uid);
+    assertThat(player.getCurrentMediaItemIndex()).isEqualTo(1);
+
+    player.release();
+  }
+
   @Test
   public void rendererError_isReportedWithReadingMediaPeriodId() throws Exception {
     FakeMediaSource source0 =