Android Video File Types

Android

The Android operating system can be found on smartphones and tablets produced by companies like Motorola, HTC, Samsung and LG. Many common multimedia formats are native to the operating system and universally supported across all devices. All major service providers in the U.S. support devices that use Android, including AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile. Google has set the Android operating system apart from other smartphone interfaces like the Apple iPhone and Research In Motion's BlackBerry by encouraging customization. Being open source, Android can be altered by manufacturers and thereby encourages application development.

3GPP

Android supports video files in the 3GPP format. With standards created by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project, the 3GPP format is the universal standard for the creation, delivery and playback of multimedia files on 3G networks. The 3GPP format is based on the MPEG-4 standard and is widely used because of the relatively small size of its files when compared to other video formats. Videos recorded by most cellphones are stored by default in the 3GPP format.

Native Formats

The Android operating system supports video files in the MPEG-4 format. These files are typically larger than 3GPP files and are often associated with Binary Format for Scenes (BIFS). BIFS provides the presentation engine for MPEG-4 files. WebM video files are also supported by Android and are a combination of video compressed with the VP8 codec and audio compressed with the Vorbis audio codec. WebM file support is native only to Android 2.3.3 and higher. 3GPP and MPEG-4 files compressed with the H.264 AVC codec are compatible with the tablet-only Android 3.0 and higher.

Additional Formats

While multiple video file types are native to Android and universally compatible across all devices, individual smartphone or tablet models may have the ability to play additional formats. Android manufacturers have the option to customize the operating system to include phone-specific features and support types of multimedia files not native to the interface. Check with your phone's manufacturer to determine what video file formats are compatible with your Android device.