diff --git a/examples/basic/src/constants/general.ts b/examples/basic/src/constants/general.ts
index 665a23cd..e0d12185 100644
--- a/examples/basic/src/constants/general.ts
+++ b/examples/basic/src/constants/general.ts
@@ -78,6 +78,11 @@ export const srcAllPlatformList = [
     uri: 'https://bitmovin-a.akamaihd.net/content/sintel/hls/playlist.m3u8',
     startPosition: 50000,
   },
+  {
+    description: 'mp3 with texttrack',
+    uri: 'https://traffic.libsyn.com/democracynow/wx2024-0702_SOT_DeadCalm-LucileSmith-FULL-V2.mxf-audio.mp3', // an mp3 file
+    textTracks: [], // empty text track list
+  },
   {
     description: 'BigBugBunny sideLoaded subtitles',
     // sideloaded subtitles wont work for streaming like HLS on ios
diff --git a/ios/Video/RCTVideo.swift b/ios/Video/RCTVideo.swift
index f1ca220f..e735d5d4 100644
--- a/ios/Video/RCTVideo.swift
+++ b/ios/Video/RCTVideo.swift
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ class RCTVideo: UIView, RCTVideoPlayerViewControllerDelegate, RCTPlayerObserverH
     private var _repeat = false
     private var _isPlaying = false
     private var _allowsExternalPlayback = true
-    private var _textTracks: [TextTrack]?
+    private var _textTracks: [TextTrack] = []
     private var _selectedTextTrackCriteria: SelectedTrackCriteria?
     private var _selectedAudioTrackCriteria: SelectedTrackCriteria?
     private var _playbackStalled = false
@@ -598,7 +598,7 @@ class RCTVideo: UIView, RCTVideoPlayerViewControllerDelegate, RCTPlayerObserverH
     }
 
     func playerItemPrepareText(asset: AVAsset!, assetOptions: NSDictionary?, uri: String) async -> AVPlayerItem {
-        if (self._textTracks == nil) || self._textTracks?.isEmpty == true || (uri.hasSuffix(".m3u8")) {
+        if self._textTracks.isEmpty == true || (uri.hasSuffix(".m3u8")) {
             return await self.playerItemPropegateMetadata(AVPlayerItem(asset: asset))
         }
 
@@ -612,7 +612,7 @@ class RCTVideo: UIView, RCTVideoPlayerViewControllerDelegate, RCTPlayerObserverH
             textTracks: self._textTracks
         )
 
-        if validTextTracks.count != self._textTracks?.count {
+        if validTextTracks.count != self._textTracks.count {
             self.setTextTracks(validTextTracks)
         }
 
@@ -963,8 +963,8 @@ class RCTVideo: UIView, RCTVideoPlayerViewControllerDelegate, RCTPlayerObserverH
 
     func setSelectedTextTrack(_ selectedTextTrack: SelectedTrackCriteria?) {
         _selectedTextTrackCriteria = selectedTextTrack
-        if _textTracks != nil { // sideloaded text tracks
-            RCTPlayerOperations.setSideloadedText(player: _player, textTracks: _textTracks!, criteria: _selectedTextTrackCriteria)
+        if !_textTracks.isEmpty { // sideloaded text tracks
+            RCTPlayerOperations.setSideloadedText(player: _player, textTracks: _textTracks, criteria: _selectedTextTrackCriteria)
         } else { // text tracks included in the HLS playlist§
             Task {
                 await RCTPlayerOperations.setMediaSelectionTrackForCharacteristic(player: _player, characteristic: AVMediaCharacteristic.legible,
@@ -979,8 +979,11 @@ class RCTVideo: UIView, RCTVideoPlayerViewControllerDelegate, RCTPlayerObserverH
     }
 
     func setTextTracks(_ textTracks: [TextTrack]?) {
-        _textTracks = textTracks
-
+        if textTracks == nil {
+            _textTracks = []
+        } else {
+            _textTracks = textTracks!
+        }
         // in case textTracks was set after selectedTextTrack
         if _selectedTextTrackCriteria != nil { setSelectedTextTrack(_selectedTextTrackCriteria) }
     }
@@ -1294,7 +1297,7 @@ class RCTVideo: UIView, RCTVideoPlayerViewControllerDelegate, RCTPlayerObserverH
         _playerItem = nil
         _source = nil
         _chapters = nil
-        _textTracks = nil
+        _textTracks = []
         _selectedTextTrackCriteria = nil
         _selectedAudioTrackCriteria = nil
         _presentingViewController = nil
@@ -1448,7 +1451,7 @@ class RCTVideo: UIView, RCTVideoPlayerViewControllerDelegate, RCTPlayerObserverH
                                        "orientation": orientation,
                                    ],
                                    "audioTracks": audioTracks,
-                                   "textTracks": self._textTracks?.compactMap { $0.json } ?? textTracks.map(\.json),
+                                   "textTracks": self._textTracks.compactMap { $0.json } ?? textTracks.map(\.json),
                                    "target": self.reactTag as Any])
             }
 
@@ -1646,7 +1649,7 @@ class RCTVideo: UIView, RCTVideoPlayerViewControllerDelegate, RCTPlayerObserverH
         if onTextTracks != nil {
             Task {
                 let textTracks = await RCTVideoUtils.getTextTrackInfo(self._player)
-                self.onTextTracks?(["textTracks": self._textTracks?.compactMap { $0.json } ?? textTracks.compactMap(\.json)])
+                self.onTextTracks?(["textTracks": self._textTracks.compactMap { $0.json } ?? textTracks.compactMap(\.json)])
             }
         }