How To Add Subtitles in VLC: For Mobile Users [Android/iOS]

If your videos are aimed at an international audience, the target audience should clearly and easily understand the content. Since an ordinary person can't learn all languages, a solution must fit all situations. This is where subtitles help users by making videos accessible to the global audience. When speaking of inserting subtitles to videos, VLC is a renowned platform.

Several methods can incorporate subtitles into videos, but people usually look for convenient alternatives. Instead of going with desktop solutions, it has been observed that users prefer covering tasks on their smartphones. This article focuses on the techniques on how to add subtitles in VLC iPhone and Android.

Part 1. How To Add Subtitles in VLC iPhone/Android?

While watching a video in a foreign language, you can quickly use the VLC application to generate subtitles and understand the content. The VLC application can be accessed on iOS and Android devices for mobile users. To insert subtitles using VLC, you will require a pre-existing subtitles file:

Adding Subtitles on iPhone Using VLC

Besides accessibility enhancement, captions are essential for SEO. If you want to learn how to add subtitles in VLC on iPhone, follow the instructions below.

Step 1. Before installing the VLC application, download the desired subtitles you want to add to your video from any online source. Now, install and open the VLC application on your iPhone, then explore the main interface. From the bottom of the screen, open the "Network" tab and tap the "Local Files" option.

Step 2. Now, select the desired video from your "Files" application. Next, use the "Subtitles" tab on the bottom left to open an extended menu. Using this menu, press the "Load External Subtitles" option to be directed to the Files app. Lastly, a new subtitles track will appear on the screen as the subtitles are imported.

Adding Subtitles on Android Using VLC

Although VLC's functionality across all types of phones is the same, some things still differ. For instructions on how to add subtitles in VLC Android, explore the following guide.

Step 1. To commence the subtitle adding process, first download the required subtitle file from online source for your video. Next, download VLC on your Android phone, tap the "Browse" tab, and import a video from your smartphone.

Step 2. When the video is imported, navigate to the bottom left of the screen and select the "Subtitles" tab. Now, pick the desired subtitles file and import it to VLC from your device.

Step 3. Now, the imported captions file will appear on your VLC screen. Tap this track, and the captions will automatically be integrated into your video.

Limitations of VLC

1. The VLC application might not be able to handle uncommon formats of subtitles, leading to incorrect display.
2. Other than that, this application have no option for auto subtitles generation, which is troublesome for time-bound users.
3. You cannot personalize the subtitles, like changing their font, color, and size, while watching visuals on your mobile devices.

Part 2. Add and Edit Subtitles in Videos: Going Beyond VLC

Although we have discussed VLC for adding captions to videos, it does not fully incorporate the captions into the videos. Therefore, it is understandable that some users might be uncomfortable while following the subtitle-generating steps on VLC. Thus, they might strive to access better alternatives that guarantee a better outlook and higher quality.

In this search, they usually prefer applications that edit videos and offer various other features beyond captions. This is exactly where Wondershare Filmora comes into play since it fulfills all their needs and expectations. Filmora offers a wide range of video editing features and is an excellent choice for adding text overlays.

The Features of Filmora That Complement Your Subtitled Videos

1. Auto Captions: Generate animated subtitles for all your videos in one click.
2. Batch Processing: Filmora offers batch processing to save the time required to generate subtitles for individual videos. Using this facility, you can import as many videos as you need and add captions.
3. Multilingual Support: To make your videos understandable to multiple ethnicities, Wondershare Filmora supports around 19 languages. If the original video language is unknown, you can enable the "Auto Identity" feature, and AI will automatically identify it.
4. Export Settings: To ensure that your videos are exported without watermarks and are of high quality, you can enter the custom export settings. Select the resolution and FPS of your choice and save the files in Smart HDR.

A Tutorial on Adding Subtitles to Videos Using the Wondershare Filmora App

Now that you know that Filmora offers AI captions for your videos, let's see how the process works. The following section will focus on the step-by-step tutorial for adding AI-generated and manual captions using this application:

Step 1. Import a Video To Add Captions

To start the process, open the Filmora app on your phone, then locate and tap the "AI Captions" button from the main interface. As your video library appears in the app, select the desired video and import it.

Step 2. Select the Language and Generate the AI Captions

As the uploaded video appears on the screen, go to the languages menu and select the language in which you want to generate the subtitles. Lastly, tap the "Add Captions" option, and your subtitles will be automatically generated.

Step 3. Continue Editing Generated Captions Video or Export

With the captions generated for your video, you can either navigate to the "Project Editing" option or opt for "Export."

Step 4. Discover More Options for Editing Subtitles

If you have selected the "Project Editing" option, you will be navigated to a new window for making essential edits. For instance, the Filmora App allows you to change the position of the generated captions. You can also make other edits or enhance your video according to your requirements.

Step 5. Proceed With Defined Exporting Parameters

After you've made all edits, use the "Export" button to proceed into the exporting window. Here, provide the resolution parameters and choose the "Frames per second" option according to your video requirements. You can also enable the toggle of "Remove Watermark" and "Smart HDR" before tapping "Export" for better results.

While you've learned how to add subtitles on VLC iPhone, there's a similar manual functionality offered for the Filmora App. You can simply type in your video's subtitles and make edits to its text with the available font settings. With pre-existing templates, editing manually with the Filmora App only gets more exciting.

Similarly, when it comes to longer videos or when detailed customization is needed, you can try Filmora's desktop software to add subtitles, which offers automated tool, and a larger screen for easier editing.

Bonus Part. How To Troubleshoot Common Subtitle Adding Issues in VLC?

The above discussion covered the methods on how to add subtitles in VLC on the phone using various devices. While VLC allows users to add subtitles to videos, it has various limitations that make it a less dependable option. The following section concerns common issues and their solutions when using VLC to generate captions:

Issue 1. Subtitle File Not Loading

When importing a subtitle file on VLC, we often encounter a message that says, "Subtitle File Not Loading." To fix this, you can try uploading a subtitles file in a compatible format, like SRT. If the issue still persists, select the correct language for the original video and the subtitles file.

Issue 2. Captions and Video Out of Sync

After the subtitles file is incorporated into the videos, the captions and the audio are often out of sync. This issue can be fixed by choosing a subtitle file with proper time stamps, and then you can add them to the VLC video.

Issue 3. Subtitles Not Available for Download

If the subtitles files fail to download, the entire struggle behind the process goes in vain. You can quickly get away with this by checking your internet connection.

Conclusion

As the article ends, we've learned that VLC is a commonly used video player, and when used on a phone, it can generate subtitles for videos. Afterward, we learned how to add subtitles in VLC on the phone, leading to the same tutorial for Filmora App. To wrap up, it can be safely said that the Filmora App is a more reliable option for generating video captions.