VLC for Android is not a pretty application.
It doesn't follow the fluid design trends of Google's Material You. There's no glassmorphism or bouncy animations dominating the best apps of 2025 list.
It looks like traditional desktop software dragged onto your smartphone screen.
One of the best video players on Android is similar to Windows 7, which is exactly why I trust it with my entire media library.
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I'm stuck on a plane. I had 10 hours to kill and my phone was full of movie files that I spent half the night transferring from my Chromebook.
If you open a standard video player on a device more expensive than your first car, you'll get a blank screen and an error message about the codec not being supported.
Stock media players only include codecs that are officially licensed by the manufacturer. It costs just a few pennies per device, but at scale, that amount increases into the tens of millions of dollars.
Brands have reduced their licenses with the assumption that users will primarily stream through pre-licensed services such as Netflix and YouTube.
Apps like VLC and MX Player don't play according to the same rules as built-in players.
They use your phone's CPU to decode the video in software, so they skip all the licensing nonsense. This is why the stock player can open files that deny access.
VLC ignores modern design trends and focuses on functionality
VLC is the ultimate “if it ain't broke, don't fix it” app, but at this point it's starting to look prehistoric.
This is in stark contrast to the “Material You” philosophy promoted by Google.
When you put it side by side with something like Next Player, which is built on Material 3, the cracks start to show.
That said, I think the lack of aesthetics is a defense mechanism against the kind of bloat that ruins other apps.
When developers get hung up on form, there are usually problems with functionality.
VLC is a tool for people who don't need a play button with a perfect 200ms animation curve, but want a player that can handle any file.
The only valid criticism I can make is the lack of visual contrast.
VLC's branding yellow and orange colors blend into the background. This makes it difficult to find key icons and read information.
However, once the video starts, the ugly interface is replaced with a near-perfect one. you know it.
Slide your thumb to the left side of the screen to increase the brightness. Slide to the right to increase the volume. Drag horizontally to move the timeline.
The native video player was terrible, so third-party video players were running Android, and honestly, not much has changed.
VLC was also part of that era, but MX Player sat on top. It was fast and full of features.
Then an ad appeared. Now, using the free version feels like a punishment.
It shows a lot of ads while viewing files, ads when you pause a video, and ads in the notification panel.
If you scroll through the reviews on the Play Store, you'll see the same complaints repeated over and over again. There are many video players on the Play Store that are suffering from the same problem.
VideoLAN maintains integrity without chasing ad revenue
Many once-great video players have collapsed under monetization pressures, but VLC never went down that path.
This is a FOSS (free and open source software) project maintained by VideoLAN, not a company chasing ad impressions or engagement metrics.
There are no marketing departments, no dark patterns, no incentives to squeeze value out of your viewing habits. Play your files, respect your device, and stay out of the way.
That's why, even if we look a little outdated, we continue to earn trust even after our competitors have lost it.
It's disingenuous to act as if VLC is the only “good” app left in the Play Store. There are many solid open source video players that deserve praise.
Still, I use VLC by default because I trust it. Sounds familiar. It has been available for many years on both PC and Android.
Orange Cone continues to be a reliable media player for me
There are a lot of beautiful but useless apps around us that look like a million bucks at first glance, but crash the moment you see an MKV file or require you to log in to see your local folders.
VLC is one of the few video players I trust. Because VLC treats me like a person, not a data point to collect.
The orange cone is an eyesore, but you'll appreciate its design the moment you open a file where VLC has broken all other players.
