VLC for iOS and Apple TV adds spatial audio support and a ton more

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Apple TV running VLC
Apple TV running VLC (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

  • VLC has been updated with support for spatial audio.
  • The new VLC update includes a raft of fixes and improvements.
  • The VLC media player is available from the App Store for free on iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV.

The popular media playback app VLC has been updated on iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV to add support for spatial audio and a whole lot more.

The update is now available in the App Store and brings a ton of new features, improvements, and changes. But at the top of the list is support for spatial audio when using AirPods Pro and AirPods Max. Alongside that is a new video player interface as well as support for browsing NFS and SFTP shares. Owners of OLED devices will also enjoy the new addition of a full black theme, too.

VLC version 3.3.0, as the update is called, also includes "major UI speed improvements for older iOS devices" which will be music to the ears of those using old kit. To that end, VLC supports all devices running iOS 9 and later, which is mightily impressive. Apple released iOS 9 in September 2015!

Those who already have VLC installed can download the update via the App Store now. Everyone else can download it afressh. VLC is a free download with optional in-app purchases serving as a way to tip its creators. VLC is also open source and available on a whole host of devices, not just those made by Apple. Whether you're playing music or video files, VLC is a great way to do it. It's definitely one of the best iPhone apps of its kind available in the App Store today.

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.