Best external player for Stremio
Stremio can hand a stream to another video player instead of playing it itself. People do it when Stremio's own player struggles with a file: a format it won't play, subtitles that render badly, or an audio track it can't pass through to a soundbar. Which players you can choose depends on the device.
Players by device
| Device | Players Stremio offers | Good place to start |
|---|---|---|
| Android phones and tablets | Just Player, MX Player, VLC, or let Android choose | Just Player: free, open source, handles most formats |
| Android TV and Fire TV | Just Player, MX Player, VLC | Just Player |
| iPhone and iPad | Infuse, Outplayer, VLC, VidHub | Infuse or Outplayer |
| Apple Vision Pro | Infuse, Moonplayer, CineUltra, Outplayer, VLC | Infuse |
| Mac | IINA, Infuse, MPV | IINA: free, open source, built on MPV |
| Windows | VLC, or any player via M3U Playlist | VLC, or MPV / MPC-HC via M3U Playlist |
| Linux | Any player via M3U Playlist | MPV via M3U Playlist |
These are the players listed in Stremio's own settings. M3U Playlist works everywhere: Stremio hands over a small playlist file, and your system opens it in whatever player is set to handle playlists.
How to switch Stremio to an external player
- Install the player from your device's app store, or its website on a computer.
- Open Stremio's Settings and go to the Player section (phones, tablets and computers; Android TV is below).
- Change Play in external player from Disabled to the player you installed.
- Pick a stream as usual. It opens in that player.
On Android TV and Fire TV the TV app's settings are laid out differently: open Settings, then Playback, set Default player to External player, then pick a stream and choose your player when Android asks.
To go back, set it to Disabled again. On Android TV and Fire TV, set Default player back to Stremio's built-in player.
Things that trip people up
- Torrent streams on iPhone and iPad play inside Stremio only. Debrid and Usenet streams, which are ordinary web links, open in any external player.
- Watch progress. Some external players don't report back to Stremio, so a film you stopped halfway may not show in Continue Watching. Trakt scrobbling in the player, where it has it, fills the gap.
- Another device or a VPN. On our public addons, a stream link only plays on the connection that requested it. An external player on another device or behind a VPN gets Opened on a different connection. Request and play on the same device.
Apple TV
Stremio has no App Store version for Apple TV: the official route is sideloading it yourself. Without sideloading, Infuse on Apple TV can still play what your Stremio addons find, through a Jellyfin-compatible server: Stremio on Apple TV explains how.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best external player for Stremio?
It depends on the device. On Android and Android TV, Just Player is a good free start, with MX Player and VLC as alternatives. On iPhone and iPad, Infuse or Outplayer. On a Mac, IINA or Infuse. On Windows, VLC, or any player you like through the M3U Playlist option.
How do I make Stremio use an external player?
Install the player first. On a phone, tablet or computer, open Stremio's Settings, go to the Player section, and change Play in external player from Disabled to the player you want. On Android TV and Fire TV, open Settings, then Playback, set Default player to External player, and pick the player when Android asks. From then on, picking a stream opens it in that player.
Does Infuse work with Stremio?
Yes, on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Vision Pro, where Infuse is one of Stremio's external player options. On Apple TV, where Stremio is only available by sideloading, Infuse can play Stremio addon results through a Jellyfin-compatible server instead: see Stremio on Apple TV.
Can I use MPV with Stremio?
MPV is a named option on macOS. On Windows and Linux, choose M3U Playlist, which hands the stream to whichever player your system opens playlists with, MPV included.
Why won't a torrent stream open in my external player?
On iPhone and iPad, Stremio can only hand debrid and Usenet streams, which are ordinary web links, to another app. Torrent streams play inside Stremio only. Debrid and Usenet streams work with every player on this page.
Why does an external player say "Opened on a different connection" or "Wrong IP"?
On ElfHosted's public addons, a stream link only plays on the internet connection that requested it. If the external player is on another device or a VPN, it's refused. Open the title again on the device doing the playing. See what that message means.
More on getting streams to play: troubleshooting, and the recommended addons.