VLC Media Player has been one of the most popular software for watching videos on PC and Mac. It supports a wide range of audio and video file formats, which has made it a must on every PC and Mac. You also have a lot of incredible functions and multimedia functions by paying nothing, which makes it a bargain.
Among the many interesting features, VLC offers the possibility to control it remotely from an Android or iOS device. So if you have an iPhone or an Android smartphone, you can use it as a remote control for VLC on your PC or Mac. This should come in handy when you watch a movie with a group of people and you don’t want to get up to turn the volume down or skip ahead. So, let’s see how you can use your Android or iOS to remotely control VLC on PC or Mac:
Requirements
- A Windows or MacOS system with the latest version of VLC installed.
- An Android or iOS device
- A common WiFi network to which both the computer and the Android / iOS device are connected.
- VLC Mobile Remote app (Android) (iOS)
Get VLC Media Player ready on PC or Mac
Before starting the process, you need to make sure that you have installed the latest version of VLC installed. You can check this by clicking “Help” from the VLC menu bar and selecting the “Information” option.
- The next step is to configure VLC, so you can check it from Android or iOS. For this, you have to go to the “Tools” menu and click on the “Preferences” option. You can also use the Ctrl + P shortcut to do the same.
- In the “Preferences” window, simply click on the “All” button from the “show settings” group in the lower left corner of the window.
- 4Now, in the scrolling list on the left side, click on the “Main interfaces” option in the “Interface” group. Here, you will need to enable the checkbox next to the “Web” option.
- 5Now you have to expand the “Main interfaces” option in the “Interface” group and click on the “Lua” option. Here, you need to set a password for your portal between the computer and the phone. Once you are done, click on the “Save” button and close VLC
6Now open the player again and it will ask you for permissions to allow access to Windows Firewall. You must click on the “Allow access” button and you have finished configuring VLC on your computer.
How to Turn Your Android into a VLC Remote Control
- As mentioned in the requirements, we will use the VLC Mobile Remote app
- When you open the app, you will need to configure it by entering the IP address of your PC and the password you set as the VLC Lua password. Make sure you have entered the Lua Telnet port number in the Port Number box here. If the IP address and password match those of your PC, they will notify you of a push notification.
- Once you are done with the configuration, you need to touch the name of your computer. It will show you a page, in which all the units of your computer are listed in alphabetical order. Here, touch the desired drive and select a video file of your choice. You will see the video played automatically on VLC on your PC.
- So, you will be able to control various VLC features from your phone’s screen such as playback, video subtitles, turn on / off full screen settings and so on.
Controlling VLC from iOS iPhone,iPad
1.The VLC Mobile Remote app is also available for free on the App Store. You can download it on any iOS device
2.Just like the Android counterpart, you need to enter the IP address and password you set as a VLC Lua password in the app. Be sure to enter the Lua Telnet port number in the Port number box here. If the IP address and password match those of your computer, you will receive a push notification.
3.Once you’re done, you need to touch the name of your computer. It will show you a page, in which all the units of your computer are listed in alphabetical order. Just touch the desired unit and select a video file of your choice. You will see the video playing automatically on your computer.
4.Now you can control VLC from your iPhone or iPad. Options such as playback control, choice of subtitle language, full screen switching, selection of desired screen ratio, etc. are obtained.
The app on both platforms has in-app purchases to unlock some premium features like leaving the VLC Media player directly from the app, setting a folder as “Home Location”, using it as a YouTube remote and many others.
Stream content from Android to VLC on PC or Mac
You can’t just control VLC on your Mac or PC from an Android device, but you can even transfer content from your smartphone to VLC. Well, you can do it with the VLC Direct app
First, you’ll need to connect the VLC Direct app with VLC Media Player running on Windows or macOS. The process is the same as above. Once done, you can easily transmit the contents of your phone. For this, you need to make sure your target is set to VLC, as shown in the screenshot below. Then, simply touch the desired media file on your phone to see it running on your computer screen.
The VLC Direct app also allows you to use your smartphone as a remote control to control VLC. You can control VLC Player on your PC or Mac with the DVD Control option. The remote control has a very simple interface but the app is full of advertisements in the free version.
Try the VLC Direct app if you’re ready to tackle an extraordinary app with a messy interface. There is an option to get rid of the ads by purchasing the full version through its complicated star-based purchasing system.
Control VLC on Mac / PC from an Android or iOS device
Well, those were the ways you can use your Android or iOS device to control VLC on your Windows or Mac PC. There are many other apps that offer similar functionality but are complicated and feature dated user interfaces. However, if you know of an easier way to do it or improve the methods mentioned, feel free to write down your thoughts in the comments section below.
