VLC gets iOS 7 redesign, Google Drive integration, Dropbox streaming, the ability to download files, and more
VideoLAN today updated VLC for iOS with a slew of new features, including a new design for iOS 7 as well as Google Drive and Dropbox features. You can download the new version now from Apple's App Store.
Context & Ripple Effects
This update is the first feature wave since VLC for iOS was rebuilt from scratch and fully open-sourced in July 2013 — the rewrite gave VideoLAN a clean base, and six months later it is being used to catch up with the platform rather than just restore parity.
The timing tracks Apple's iOS 7 transition: Dropbox itself shipped its own iOS 7 redesign in November 2013, so VideoLAN's refresh lands in a window where every major iOS utility was re-skinning, and the new cloud hooks let VLC ride that same migration.
First-order effects
- iOS users can now play and download video straight from Google Drive and Dropbox inside VLC, turning the app from a local-file player into a front end for cloud storage they already pay for.
- VideoLAN's free, ad-free player gains ground on paid third-party iOS media players whose core pitch — playing more formats plus cloud access — VLC now matches without charging.
Second-order effects
- Cloud storage becomes a distribution channel for video: Dropbox and Google Drive gain usage from people streaming personal libraries through VLC, reinforcing their role as de facto media lockers on iOS where Apple offers no equivalent first-party path.
- Commercial iOS players (and apps like Infuse or AVPlayer-class rivals) face pressure to differentiate beyond codec support, since an open-source competitor keeps absorbing their features at zero price.
Third-order effects
- If open-source players keep matching commercial apps' cloud features while remaining free, the sustainable position on iOS shifts toward services that own storage or content — the player layer commoditizes.
- The pattern also shows how App Store gatekeeping shapes design: because sideloading is off-limits on iOS, VLC's viability depends on sanctioned pipes like Drive and Dropbox, unlike its desktop model of opening any file from anywhere.
The trend: Media players are evolving from local-file utilities into cloud-streaming front ends, with free open-source apps compressing the market for paid players on locked-down mobile platforms.