Modern smartphones based on Android often come with a pre-installed set of apps that the system tries to use to open various types of files. However, a standard player does not always support popular video formats or offer a convenient control interface. Users often encounter a situation where, when trying to start a movie, the system automatically suggests the wrong application or asks for a manual choice each time. This creates unnecessary clicks and interrupts the browsing process.
To correct this situation, you need to change the system settings for launching files. The process default application assignments is quite simple, but may vary depending on the version of the operating system and the manufacturer's shell. In this article, we will analyze in detail the algorithm of actions that will allow you to set your favorite player, such as VLC or MX Player, as the main tool for working with media files.
Please note that some smartphone manufacturers, such as Xiaomi or Samsung, can hide these settings deeper in the menu than is done in the “clean” Android. If you cannot find the item you need right away, do not panic - the path may simply have a different name or be located in the “Applications” section. The main thing is to understand the logic of the system, which prioritizes one application over others for specific types of data.
Why does the system ask you to select an application every time you start
When you first open a video file on a new smartphone, the operating system scans installed apps and finds all that claim to support this format. If there are several such apps, Android it cannot independently decide which one to launch and displays a dialog box. This is standard behavior to ensure user flexibility.
The problem occurs if you accidentally click "Only once" instead of "Always". In this case, the system remembers your choice only for the current session. The next time you run the file, the dialog box will appear again. To avoid this, you need to explicitly tell the system the priority.
⚠️ Attention: If you clicked “Only once”, the system will not remember this choice forever. You will have to manually select the player each time until you reset the default settings for the current application or select the “Always” option in the next dialog.
Sometimes the user installs a new powerful player, but the system continues to open the video in the old, inconvenient application. This happens because the old application already has the open by defaultflag set. This priority can only be changed through the settings menu, by forcibly resetting the previous assignments.
Step-by-step guide: selecting a player at first launch
The fastest way to set the default video player is to take advantage of the moment you first open the file. This method works on most versions Androidfrom 6.0 to the latest releases of version 14. You don't need to dig into deep settings menus if you haven't already pinned another app.
Find any video file in the file manager or gallery. Click on it. A pop-up window will appear on the screen with a list of compatible applications. Carefully study the list and select the player that you want to use constantly, for example MX Player or Nova Video Player.
Under the name of the selected application you will see a switch or checkbox labeled “Use as default” or “Always”. Activate this control. After that, press the start button. Now the system will remember your choice.
☑️ Correct choice of application
If you do not see the “Always” switch, perhaps your version of the shell Android requires confirmation of the action by clicking the “OK” button after selecting the application. In some cases, for example on smartphones Huawei with a shell EMUI, you need to click on the gear icon next to the application name to pin its status.
Changing priority through application settings
What to do if you have already pinned an unnecessary application and the selection button no longer appears? In this case, you must manually reset the default settings for the current “main” player. This process is a little more complicated, but gives complete control over the system.
Go to the main settings of your smartphone. Find the section Applications or Applications and notifications. In the list of all apps, find the application that is currently opening instead of the one you want (for example, “Gallery” or “Video”). Click on it to open the application information page.
On the application details page, find the item Open by default or Launch by default. Inside this menu you will see a button Remove default settings or Reset defaults. Click it. Now, the next time you launch the video file, the system will again ask you which app to use.
| Action | Where to find (Pure Android) | Where to find (Samsung One UI) | Where to find (Xiaomi MIUI) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apps menu | Settings → Applications | Settings → Applications | Settings → Applications |
| Reset settings | Select application → Advanced → Open by default → Delete | Select application → Default applications → Reset | Select application → Other permissions → Open by default → Reset |
| Select new | Open file → Select “Always” | Open file → Select “Always” | Open file → Select “Always” |
After the reset, try opening any video file. The system should again display a list of available players. This time, select the one you need and be sure to confirm the action with the “Always” button. Now application priority changed.
What to do if there is no reset button?
If the “Remove default settings” button is inactive (gray), it means that there are no default actions set for this application. In this case, you need to find the application that actually opens when you start the video (perhaps it is a file manager), and reset the settings for it.
Setting up file associations in advanced players
Some modern video players have their own internal settings that allow you to intercept the opening of files at the system level. This is especially true for such powerful all-in-one tools as VLC for Android. They can automatically register themselves as handlers of all popular video formats.
Go to the settings of the video player itself. Find the section responsible for integration with the system. It is often called "File Associations" or "Supported Formats". Here you can see a list of extensions such as .mkv, .avi, .mp4.
Make sure all required formats are activated. Some players offer a “Set as default player” button, which automatically takes you to system settings Android to perform the pinning procedure. This simplifies the task for beginners.
⚠️ Attention: Application interfaces are updated by developers regularly. The location of the “File Associations” item may change in the new version of your player. If you do not find this item, check the official help for a specific application or look for information in the “About the app” section.
Using specialized players often provides an advantage in supporting codecs. Standard tools Android may not reproduce sound in files of the format DTS or AC3 due to licensing restrictions. Third-party applications solve this problem, so installing them as the main ones is highly desirable for movie lovers.
Problem solving: when the choice is not saved
Sometimes users encounter a bug when the system “forgets” the selected player after rebooting the device or updating the firmware. This may be due to aggressive memory optimization by the smartphone manufacturer, which unloads background processes and resets time bindings.
Check the power saving settings. On smartphones Xiaomi, Honor i Huawei there is an autorun and application protection function. Go to the battery settings, find your video player and allow it to run in the background, and also add it to autorun. This will prevent the service responsible for processing media files from being forced to stop.
If the problem persists after a reboot, try clearing the file manager cache. Sometimes it is he who stores outdated data about how to open files. Go to Settings → Applications → Your file manager → Storage → Clear cache.
Another reason may be a conflict between two applications claiming the same role with the same priority. In rare cases, completely removing the “problematic” standard player helps, if the system allows you to do this without root access. If deletion is not possible, use the method of resetting the default settings described above, but make sure that when you select a new application, other candidates are not running in the background.
Features of working with file managers
It is important to understand that the initiator of opening a file is often not the video file itself, but the app through which you access it - the file manager. Be it Google Files, Solid Explorer or standard Explorer, they are the ones who send a request to the system to launch content.
Some advanced file managers have their own settings for opening file types. Go to the Explorer settings and look for the “File Types” or “Actions” item. There may be an option to explicitly specify which app to use for video, bypassing the system selection dialog.
This is especially useful if you use multiple user profiles on the same device. File association settings in Android are often tied to a specific user. If you created a guest account or a profile for a child, you will have to set up the default video player again in this profile, since the data is not synchronized between them.
Settings for opening files in Android are tied to a specific user and file manager. Changing settings in one profile or application does not automatically apply them in other environments.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Is it possible to install different players for different video formats?
With standard means Android this is difficult to do, since the system binds the “Open video” action to one application for all popular formats. However, some file managers allow you to configure opening rules for specific file extensions manually in their internal settings.
What if the “Always” button does not appear when you select an application?
This may mean that one of the applications in the list already has a hard-coded priority. You need to go into the settings of all candidate applications one by one and check the “Open by default” item. Reset the settings for all suspicious apps until the selection button appears again.
Does setting the default player affect the playback of videos from the Internet?
No, these are different processes. Video from a browser or applications like YouTube and Telegram is usually played within the built-in tools of these apps or their own players. The default setting only affects local files stored in the device's memory.
How can I return the standard player if I change my mind?
The process is reversible. Just go to the settings of the new player you installed and click "Remove default settings." Then open the video file and select the standard application in the list that appears by clicking “Always”.