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VLC

GPL-3.0-only · open source

The open-source player that plays almost anything: video and audio files in nearly every format, network streams, DVD images and the shared folders on your network.

Needs:No root · 64-bit phone · Android 4.2+

No known trackers in the code Signer matches F-Droid’s record

2113 Apps is independent, not affiliated with or endorsed by the VLC developers. Official sources: videolan.org · source code on code.videolan.org.

Download APK · 48.0 MB v3.7.1 · checked
Version
3.7.1
Size
48.0 MB
Requires
Android 4.2+
Updated
2026-05-10

Screenshots

VLC screenshot 1VLC screenshot 2VLC screenshot 3VLC screenshot 4VLC screenshot 5VLC screenshot 6

Introduction

VLC for Android is VideoLAN’s open-source media player. Its reputation is simple: whatever the file, it probably plays it. All codecs are built in, so there’s nothing extra to download.

What it plays

From VideoLAN’s pages and the app’s changelog:

  • Files: video and audio in practically every format, including MKV, MP4, AVI, MOV, Ogg, FLAC, TS and AAC, plus DVD ISO images.
  • Network streams, including HLS and DASH.
  • Network shares: browse folders over SMB (versions 2 and 3), FTP, SFTP and NFS, and find UPnP/DLNA media servers.
  • Subtitles, embedded or external, including ASS and DVD subtitles.

Features

  • A full music player with a media library, an equalizer (new in 3.7) and audio filters.
  • Picture-in-picture, Android TV support and Android Auto with voice actions.
  • Chromecast. In this build it doesn’t depend on Google’s services: casting is part of VLC’s own playback library, and we found no Google Play Services code in the APK.
  • Remote access: control VLC on your phone from a browser on another device.

About this file

  • This is F-Droid’s build of version 3.7.1, signed with F-Droid’s key. VideoLAN’s own APK is signed differently, so the two can’t update each other without uninstalling first. A 3.7.2 beta exists.
  • Google Play has VLC for Android from Videolabs.
  • It is the 64-bit ARM build, 48.0 MB, needs Android 4.2 or later and declares 30 permissions.

Written by 2113, last reviewed . Sources: source code, release notes, F-Droid listing.

What’s inside the APK

Trackers

None found

No code matching the Exodus Privacy tracker signatures.

Native code

1 CPU type

Needs a 64-bit ARM phone; 32-bit-only devices are not supported.

Android versions

Android 4.2 and up

Built for Android 16 (target API 36).

Permissions

30

8 of them need your approval first.

CPU types in this build: arm64-v8a (64-bit ARM, almost every phone since 2017).

Asks you first (8)

Android shows a prompt before the app can use these.

  • Connect to paired Bluetooth devices · BLUETOOTH_CONNECT
  • Show notifications (Android 13+) · POST_NOTIFICATIONS
  • Read shared storage (Android 12 and older) · READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE
  • Read music and audio files · READ_MEDIA_AUDIO
  • Read photos · READ_MEDIA_IMAGES
  • Read videos · READ_MEDIA_VIDEO
  • Record audio with the microphone · RECORD_AUDIO
  • Write shared storage (Android 10 and older) · WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE

You switch these on in Settings (3)

Special app access. Nothing is granted until you turn it on yourself.

  • All files access · MANAGE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE
  • Display over other apps · SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW
  • Modify system settings · WRITE_SETTINGS
System-level (1)

Reserved for system apps. A normal install does not get these; they only take effect through root, ADB or Shizuku, if at all.

  • READ_LOGS
Granted at install (12)

Low-risk permissions Android grants automatically, plus any we have not classified.

  • ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE
  • BLUETOOTH
  • CHANGE_NETWORK_STATE
  • FOREGROUND_SERVICE
  • FOREGROUND_SERVICE_DATA_SYNC
  • FOREGROUND_SERVICE_MEDIA_PLAYBACK
  • FOREGROUND_SERVICE_SPECIAL_USE
  • INTERNET
  • MODIFY_AUDIO_SETTINGS
  • RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED
  • VIBRATE
  • WAKE_LOCK
Defined by other apps (6)

Permissions that belong to another app or to this app itself.

  • com.android.providers.tv.permission.READ_EPG_DATA
  • com.android.providers.tv.permission.WRITE_EPG_DATA
  • org.videolan.vlc.DYNAMIC_RECEIVER_NOT_EXPORTED_PERMISSION
  • org.videolan.vlc.MEDIA
  • org.videolan.vlc.permission.BIND_DATA_CONSUMER
  • org.videolan.vlc.permission.READ_EXTENSION_DATA

More Information

Package name
org.videolan.vlc
Version
3.7.1 (build 13070106)
File size
48.0 MB (47,990,842 bytes)
Requires
Android 4.2 or later
Category
Media
License
GPL-3.0-only
Released
May 10, 2026
Signed by
F-Droid, which built this APK from the published source code. Because the key is F-Droid’s, it won’t install over a copy from Google Play or GitHub (or the other way round) without uninstalling first.
Signer SHA-256
80535be61eedb9a03b0476a6f493d496c3498770404339ea7a8000f5e61d22c0
File SHA-256
355ff246a0348c094a256926ea31cbec92701a2faca3d41d49170798c550ee3b
Checked
, against the F-Droid index · how we check · verify it yourself

Common questions

Is this APK the official VLC release?

It is F-Droid’s build rather than the developer’s own: F-Droid compiled VLC 3.7.1 from the published source code and signed it with its own key. Its SHA-256 matches F-Droid’s signed index. Because the key is F-Droid’s, it won’t install over a copy from Google Play or GitHub without uninstalling first.

What Android version does VLC need?

Android 4.2 or later (API level 17). Version 3.7.1 is built for Android 16 (target API 36). Needs a 64-bit ARM phone; 32-bit-only devices are not supported.

Can VLC access the internet?

Yes. The APK requests Android’s internet permission. In total it declares 30 permissions, and 8 of them need your approval first.

Does VLC contain trackers?

No known trackers: our scan of version 3.7.1 found no code matching the Exodus Privacy tracker signatures. The scan covers known tracker libraries; it doesn’t show what data the app itself sends.

Is VLC open source?

Yes. VLC is released under the GPL-3.0-only licence, and its source code is published at https://code.videolan.org/videolan/vlc-android.

Recent releases

Version Released Size Requires
v3.7.1 · this download May 10, 2026 48.0 MB Android 4.2+
v3.7.0 Feb 24, 2026 51.4 MB Android 4.2+
v3.6.5 May 14, 2025 49.6 MB Android 4.2+

Versions currently kept in the F-Droid repository. We host and check only the newest one. Full changelog.

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