VLC for iOS is one of the most popular third-party media player on the App Store, and is capable of playing almost any video format. Here are some tips and tricks that’ll help you make the most of VLC for iOS’ feature set
Add files via iTunes
One of the first things you’ll want to do after installing VLC is add video files to the app. You can do this through several ways, one of which is through iTunes. Just make sure your iPhone or iPad is connected to iTunes running on your PC/Mac, click on your device, and view the “Apps” tab. Scroll down to the File Sharing section, find VLC in the apps list and drag and drop the files you want to add to your device.
Add files via HTTP server
If the iTunes way sounds too tedious, you can simply tell VLC to start its own web server, and you can wirelessly upload files to your device using any browser connected to the same network. To start the server, open the side-menu by tapping on the VLC icon at the top-right, and then tap on WiFi Upload. Once you tap it, it should start and display the address you need to enter on your web-browser:
Download files directly from the internet
If you don’t have videos stored locally on your PC/Mac, you can even download them straight to VLC if you have a direct URL to the video. Open the side-menu, and tap on “Downloads.” You should see a URL field, where you can enter the direct URL, and VLC should start downloading it for you:
Passcode lock
Have videos you don’t want everyone to see? You can protect them with a passcode within the VLC app. To set a passcode, tap the VLC icon at the top-left, go to Settings > and turn Passcode Lock on. You’ll be asked to enter a 4 digit passcode.
AirPlay
VLC doesn’t natively support AirPlay video streaming, but you can still view your videos in VLC on your Apple TV by using the AirPlay mirroring option in Control Center.
Dropbox
Have a lot of videos stored in your Dropbox? VLC can download them for you and play it from the app. Open the side menu by tapping the VLC icon at the top-right, tap on Dropbox, sign-in, and you should see your In version 2.2 (not released yet), the developers plan to add Dropbox streaming and Google Drive integration.
Subtitles
VLC also includes support for subtitles. Some video formats natively support subtitles while for others, you need a separate .sub file. If you need to add a separate .sub file, name it similar to the video filename, and add it to VLC for iOS via any of the file transfer means described above. VLC will automatically associate the two and show you subtitles.
Change Audio Track
Some video formats contain multiple audio tracks, mostly for different languages. You can switch between different audio tracks by tapping the speech bubble button seen below:
Background Audio
Did you know you can close VLC, and still have the file’s audio play in the background? This is very handy when you want to switch to a different app for a couple of minutes of work, but don’t want to pause playback.
Adjust Playback Speed
You can also adjust the playback speed of a video, if a video is too fast or slow for your liking. Just tap on the clock icon in the playing screen and adjust the slider:
Stream local media with Plex or any other DLNA server
Have TBs of movies, TV shows and other videos on your HDD that can’t be transferred to your iOS device? Install Plex Media Server on your desktop and stream all your videos off your Mac/PC within your local network using VLC. Instructions here.
Think we’ve missed any tips? Tell us in the comments below.
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