How to Play an M3U8 Link (and Other Stream Links) on Android

Somebody sends you a link ending in .m3u8 — a live class, a CCTV feed, an event stream — and your phone doesn’t know what to do with it. The browser shows a page of text, the gallery can’t open it. An m3u8 file is a playlist for an HLS stream, and VideoPlayer plays it directly: paste, tap, watch.

How to play an m3u8 link

1. Copy the link.
2. Open the Streams tab in VideoPlayer.
3. Paste it into Play a video link.
4. Tap Play stream (or Go on the keyboard).

The link is saved under Recent, so next time it’s one tap. Remove one with its ✕.

You can also tap an .m3u8 or rtsp:// link in another app and choose VideoPlayer from the “Open with” list.

Which links work

Player features on streams

A stream plays in the same player as your files, so you get swipe gestures for brightness and volume, playback speed, audio and subtitle track choice, background play and picture-in-picture. When a stream offers several qualities, pick one from ⋮ More → Video quality. On live streams the seek bar moves only within what the server keeps.

A few features need the whole file on your phone and are off for streams: thumbnail previews on the seek bar, scenes and AI subtitles.

If an m3u8 link won’t play

• Link expired. Many stream links carry a token that stops working after some minutes or hours. Get a fresh link.
• Site-only links. Some servers allow playback only from their own website or app.
• DRM-protected streams (paid OTT apps) can only be played in the service’s own app.
• Home cameras need the phone on the same Wi-Fi, and the correct username and password in the RTSP address if the camera asks for one.
• Copy carefully. A missing character or extra space breaks the link — the Play button stays grey until it looks like a valid address.

Only play streams you have the right to watch. VideoPlayer is a player — it doesn’t come with any channels or links.

Save mobile data on m3u8 streams

Most m3u8 streams come in several qualities, and the player switches between them on its own to match your connection — that’s the Auto setting. On a limited data plan, choose a fixed lower quality instead from ⋮ More → Video quality:

Figures vary by stream. For lectures and talks, 480p is usually plenty on a phone screen.

With background play on, a stream keeps using data even while the screen is off. If you only want to listen to a long m3u8 stream, the lowest quality saves the most — and the sound is usually the same.

Apple, which created HLS, documents the m3u8 format in its HTTP Live Streaming pages.

Frequently asked questions