VLC Media Player is one of the best apps for playing videos and audio on computers, but there’s also a mobile version with most of the same functionality. It’s my favorite way to store and watch offline movies and videos.

On iPhone and iPad, VLC also acts as standalone storage for offline media, with several ways to copy files to your Apple device. If you’re frustrated with Apple’s own iTunes and Movies synchronization, and you just want to copy a few video files to your iPhone quickly, VLC might be the best solution.

What is VLC Media Player?

VLC Media Player is a free and open-source media player application, with the ability to open almost any video or audio file imaginable. Since its initial release in 2001, VLC has been ported to nearly every possible platform: Windows, Mac, iOS, Linux, ChromeOS, FreeBSD, OS/2, and others.

The official iPhone and iPad version has similar file support as the desktop version, as well as the ability to play media from network drives and servers (SMB, NFS, FTP, etc.), CarPlay support for audio, video filters and custom playback speeds, and much more. You can download it from the App Store.

Easy Storage on iPhone and iPad

VLC Media Player on iPhone and iPad has a built-in file server, making it easy to copy movies and audio files to the app from any other device on your network. You just open VLC, tap the Network tab, then enable the ‘Sharing via Wi-Fi’ option. You’ll see a web address below the setting that you can type into a web browser on your computer or another device—make sure both devices are on the same Wi-Fi network.

The web interface allows you to transfer files from the browser to the VLC app. You can also download files already stored in the VLC app. Afterwards, they will appear in the Video or Audio tabs in VLC, and when you need to delete the files in the future, you can hold down on them and select the Delete option.

This might be the best way to quickly copy movies, TV show episodes, and other media to an iPhone or iPad, as long as the files are free of DRM encryption. You don’t need to import them into your iTunes or Mac media library, and you don’t even find a USB cable.

The storage area in VLC is also compatible with the iPhone and iPad’s other file management options. It appears as a folder in the Files app, and it shows up in the ‘Files’ section when you connect your iPhone or iPad to your computer (either with Apple Devices or iTunes on Windows, or the Finder on Mac).

If you want to quickly copy some movies or other videos to your iPhone or iPad, perhaps before your next trip, you should try out VLC Media Player’s file transfer abilities. It’s a lot faster and more reliable than the usual device sync, at least for me.