Elsie Otachi · October 20, 2020 · 5 min read Gone are the days when watching videos required a TV and video cassette or DVD player.
Today, video streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime, have taken over in a big way. Plus, better video formats and storage solutions have emerged, and many smartphones now shoot 4K video so you can turn your mobile device into a portable theatre.
If your device’s stock video player doesn’t play high-quality videos properly, there are several Android video player apps you can replace it with. These video player apps allow you to get the features you need, and enhance your video viewing experience.
Best Android Video Players
AllCast
AllCast is an Android video player app that works with streaming devices like Chromecast, Apple TV, Roku, Xbox One/360, WDTV, and other DLNA-compliant renderers. The app allows you to stream content from your phone to a TV, monitor or other larger screen instead of playing it on your tiny smartphone screen.
You can use AllCast to stream other types of media such as your photos and music from local storage or cloud storage.
AllCast is available as a free app, with a five minute limit for content. If you want to remove the limitations, you can buy the premium key for $4.99 and enjoy watching videos on your phone.
MX Player
If you want the right balance of powerful features and ease of use, MX Player is worth considering. The Android video player app supports more formats and offers features such as hardware accelerated playback and hardware decoding.
The viewer is simple and uncluttered with support for pinch-to-zoom and various swipe gestures, subtitle gestures, multi-core decoding, and variable aspect ratio. MX Player also has a kids lock to keep your kids from watching anything unsuitable content.
You can use the free MX Player or upgrade to the Pro version for $5.99.
VLC for Android
VLC for Android is a full media player that can play any video and audio files, network drives and shares, network streams, and DVD ISOs.
The app has a slew of features including an equalizer and filters. VLC also supports all video formats and codecs including MOV, AVI, MP4, MKV, FLAC, Ogg, AAC, TS, Wv, and M2TS.
Plus, the app supports closed captions, subtitles, Teletext, multi-track audio, auto-rotation, and gestures to control brightness, volume, and seeking. You can also stream a video from a URL.
LocalCast
LocalCast is a free Android video player app that allows you to stream videos, photos, and music to devices like Chromecast, Apple TV, Roku, and Fire Stick.
The app allows for streaming from your device’s local storage or from cloud storage. Plus, it supports streaming from links and from most DLNA compliant devices.
If you don’t like all the ads in the free version, you can upgrade to the Pro version and unlock features like local media search and video preview.
Plex
If you have a lot of videos on your Android device and limited storage, Plex is a pretty good video player app to use.
You can set up a server on your computer, and use Plex to stream content to your mobile device, thus turning your device into a streaming powerhouse. The app also sorts your media files into a library so that you can stream into your smart TV or mobile device.
Plex is free to set up and use, but you can upgrade to the Plex Pass subscription and access features like wireless syncing, media control dashboard, trailers, and user controls.
BSPlayer
The BSPlayer app plays the most popular video formats, and supports streaming from DLNA devices.
The video player app features hardware accelerated playback, software and multi-core hardware decoding, native subtitle support, and can play files from compressed formats.
Not only that, but BSPlayer also offers swipe gesture support, and you can customize the interface using a variety of skins. You can also use the pop out viewer to watch videos in a window above other apps on your device.
The free version is app-supported but you can access all the features. The full version without ads offers added functionality including support for Chromecast, multiple audio streams and subtitles, and lock screen (child lock).
Video Player All Format
Video Player All Format (XPlayer) is a basic Android video player app with 4K playback ability, ultraHD, broad format support, and Chromecast support, gesture controls.
The app includes helpful extras such as variable speed playback controls from .25x to 4x, night mode, and gesture controls. You can also create a video playlist and add your favourite videos to it, pinch-to-zoom, find and delete videos files, or edit them using the video cutter.
If you’re a multitasker, you can watch videos in a pop up window, or play videos in the background while doing something else.
The app is add-supported, but for just $3.99 you can unlock the ad-free version and view your videos without any distractions.
Kodi
Kodi is a popular video streaming app that’s loaded with features to help you turn your Android device into a portable media hub. The app doesn’t contain any content, but you can access videos from your local storage, or from cloud storage.
Plus, Kodi allows you to access content that’s available on a content provider’s site by using third-party plugins or addons like YouTube, PopcornFlix, Crackle and more. Make sure you protect your privacy using a virtual private network (VPN). A VPN encrypts your data so that online snoops and hackers can’t steal your personal information.
Enhance Your Video Viewing Experience
With the right Android video player app, you won’t have to worry about downloading more plugins or codecs to enjoy your favourite TV shows, music, or movies. These 8 video player apps eliminate all the hassles and get right down to playing your videos.
Did your favorite Android video player app make the list? Tell us about it in the comments.
