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VLC Android App Beta Available For Download In The Google Play store

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The long wait for the official VLC Android app is finally over. The official VLC Player for Android has finally seen the light (albeit in beta stage now) and is now available as free download from the Google Play Store.

VideoLAN, the developers of the VLC Media Player and the VLC Android app notes that VLC Beta is intended for power users and hackers. The beta version is not stable and is slower than the upcoming final version. The beta version is available only for Android devices running on ARMv7 processor that supports the NEON engine. The ARM NEON general-purpose SIMD engine efficiently processes current and future multimedia formats, enhancing the user experience. VideoLAN will release separate applications for Android phones or tablets running on other processors soon.

vlc-android-app

VLC Android (Beta) Player Features

  • Similar to the desktop version, VLC for Android plays most local video and audio files, as well as network streams.
  • The media library for audio and video files of VLC for Android, and allows you to browse folders directly.
  • VLC (beta) supports multi-track audio and subtitles. It supports auto-rotation, aspect-ratio adjustments and gestures to control volume.
  • VLC Android (beta) includes a widget for audio control, supports audio headsets control, covert art and a complete audio media library.

vlc-for-android

The following missing features are coming soon or going to change in the final release of VLC Android app:

  • The final release will sport a different user interface.
  • Performance will improve in the final version of VLC for Android.
  • Hardware decoding works only with a limited set of hardware.
  • Audio issues and other unknown issues will be fixed.

You can grab VLC Beta for Android from the Google Play store now, but bear in mind that, according to VideoLAN, “it might kill your kitten, destroy your house, and start the Mayan apocalypse.” The beta version is not yet available through the Google Play Store in the US. Android devices not running on ARMv7 processor with NEON support can download nightly builds. But keep in mind that the nightly builds are highly unstable and are not recommended for normal usage.

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