FlickHow to play MKV files on iPhone and iPad
The Files app, Photos and Safari on iPhone don't open MKV files. Tap one and you get a blank preview or an error. The file is fine. Apple's player just doesn't read the MKV container, and it also skips many of the codecs and subtitle formats that MKV files tend to carry.
The fix is a player with its own decoder. Flick has two engines: Apple's hardware decoder for MP4, MOV and HLS, and a built-in engine based on libVLC for MKV, AVI, WebM and nearly everything else.
Play an MKV file in 3 steps
- Get the file onto your iPhone. Save it to the Files app (AirDrop, iCloud Drive, a USB drive), or copy it from a Mac: connect the iPhone, open it in Finder, click the Files tab and drag the MKV onto Flick.
- Open it in Flick. Import it from the Files app, or open the video in place without copying it.
- Press play. Flick picks the right engine by itself. If the first one can't play the file, it tries the other.
MKV files on a NAS or media server don't need copying. See playing videos from a NAS over DLNA.
Which formats play free?
| Format | Engine | Plan |
|---|---|---|
| MP4, MOV, M4V | Apple hardware decoder | Free |
| HLS (m3u8) | Apple hardware decoder | Free |
| MKV | libVLC | Flick Pro |
| AVI, WebM, others | libVLC | Flick Pro |
Flick Pro comes monthly, yearly (with a 3-day free trial) or as a one-time lifetime unlock.
Subtitles and audio tracks inside MKV
MKV files often hold several audio and subtitle tracks. Flick lists them in the player so you can switch mid-scene. Set your preferred audio and subtitle languages once in Settings and Flick picks matching tracks for every new video. More in the subtitles guide.
Common questions
Do I need to convert MKV to MP4? No. Converting takes time and can drop subtitle tracks. Flick plays the MKV as it is.
Does it work on iPad? Yes. Flick runs on iPhone, iPad and Apple silicon Macs.