Various format compatibility issues develop with the increasing popularity of Apple products such as the MacBook, iPad, iPhone, iPod, and others. The inability to play WebM on iPhone is the most troubling one. Is there an escape route?
Requests like the one listed above are not uncommon. Unfortunately, the iPhone does not directly support WebM, but the good news is that numerous third-party apps are available to remedy this problem for the iPhone.
Continue reading this post to discover the best way to open WebM on iPhone.
What exactly is a WEBM file?
WEBM files are usually associated with VideoLAN’s VLC. WEBM is the filename extension for WEBM multimedia container format video and audio files. WEBM files are made up of video streams that have been compressed using the VP8 or VP9 video codecs.
The container’s audio streams are compressed using the Vorbis or Opus audio codecs. VTT (WebVTT) text tracks may also be present in this media container.
WEBM is a royalty-free, high-quality audiovisual container format that has been tailored to display videos on a web page. As a result, it is supported by all major web browsers that support HTML5, including Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, and Opera. WEBM stands out as a web-friendly video format because, despite providing the most fantastic video quality, encoding and decoding a WEBM media file has a low computational load on system resources.
Why can’t you open WebM directly on your iPhone?
WebM is an audiovisual media file format developed by Google, and its sponsorship launched the WebM project. Its primary purpose is to provide a royalty-free alternative for HTML5 video and HTML5 audio components. It has a companion project for photos called WebP. VLC media player, Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome can read WebM files directly, however Internet Explorer and Safari can’t since Apple’s QuickTime player codec doesn’t support WebM.
The Google WebM Project Team published plugins for Internet Explorer and Safari in 2011 to allow WebM file playback via the regular HTML5 tag. WebM files can only be opened on Apple devices by installing a specific plugin. This adds more labour, so instead, we can discover another solution to address the problem and save you from bother.
How to Open WebM on iPhone in Browser
Given that WebM is a file format that Google is pushing, it’s no wonder that Apple devices don’t support it. QuickTime from Apple does not have a codec that can play WebM videos, and you’ll have to use other methods to play them on your iPhone.
A solution exists in the form of a third-party app. PlayerXtreme Media Player is a free program that lets you play any WebM video as long as you know its URL address. Be sure that the PlayerXtreme Media Player software has been downloaded and installed from the App Store before you begin. Here’s how to go about it.
Step 1: Get PlayerXtreme on your iPhone and install it.
It should be noted that PlayerXtreme has been deleted from the App Store because it allowed users to download YouTube videos (copyrighted content).
Step 2: Launch Safari on your iPhone and navigate to the WebM video you wish to watch.
Step 3: A new browser window will open when you play the video. Now, hit the More (three-dot) icon and choose “Copy to PlayerXtreme.” The WebM video will then begin to play on your iPhone.
How to open WebM on iPhone with Player VLC
If you enjoy multimedia, you’ve probably heard about VLC. VLC is well-known for its excellent compatibility with most file types; as a result, it can stream files from SMB, FTP, UPnP/DLNA media servers, and the web, among other things. As a result, iPhone users can use it to play both local and online WebM videos.
How to watch WebM videos on iPhone with VLC
Step 1: Get VLC on your iPhone and install it. The system version must be iOS 9.0 or later.
Step 2: Drag and drop the WebM videos you want to play into your VLC library. When you initially run VLC, a help screen will appear, instructing you on how to add videos to your VLC library for playback. Follow the instructions in the advice.
Step 3: After you’ve imported the WebM files to your VLC library, open the VLC app on your iPhone, select “All Files,” and you’ll see your newly added WebM files. Then, tap on the WebM video you want to watch, and it will begin playing.
How to open online WebM videos on iPhone with VLC
Step 1: Download the VLC player from the App Store on your iPhone.
Step 2: Launch VLC. Locate and select “Open Network Stream.”
Step 3: To play the destination WebM movie, paste the URL into the address bar and select “Open Network Stream.”
So those are the methods for opening WebM video files on iPhone. The VLC player will occasionally crash and stop working. As a result, transcoding WebM to play on iPhone may be the better option. In any case, you can test them all and see which ones work best for you.