How Convert Video for Android works
Android phones play a wide range of video, but not the same range everywhere: what plays depends on the maker, the chip and the app. HEVC videos from iPhones can stutter or fail on older and cheaper phones, MKV and AVI files may open in one player and not another, and WMV clips from old Windows cameras often do not play at all. This converter turns them into the safest combination for Android: H.264 video and AAC sound in an MP4 file.
The video is encoded with H.264 Main profile, a conservative choice that budget and older phones decode as reliably as flagships, at level 4.0 for 1080p and 3.1 for 720p and 480p, at no more than 30 frames per second, with the bitrate capped at 8, 4 and 2 Mbps respectively. Sound becomes stereo AAC at 128 kbps and 48 kHz.
The picture keeps its shape, portrait or landscape, and is never enlarged. 1080p fits it inside 1920 by 1080 pixels (1080 by 1920 for a portrait video), 720p inside 1280 by 720, and 480p inside 854 by 480, which suits older phones and makes files small enough to send over a messaging app.
The conversion runs on your device with ffmpeg compiled to WebAssembly. The engine downloads the first time, about 32 MB, and is cached for later visits. Every frame is re-encoded, which takes a while: in our tests a recent laptop needed about two minutes for each minute of full HD video, smaller sizes are quicker, and phones are slower. Your videos are never uploaded, and several can be converted in one go.
Copy the MP4 to the phone with a USB cable, Google Drive, Quick Share or any messaging app that sends files. It shows up in Google Photos, the Files app and every video player, and it also plays on iPhones, computers and smart TVs.
Convert Video for Android options explained
| 1080p | H.264 Main profile, level 4.0, up to 1920x1080, 30 fps, 8 Mbps cap. |
|---|---|
| 720p | H.264 Main profile, level 3.1, up to 1280x720, 30 fps, 4 Mbps cap. |
| 480p | H.264 Main profile, level 3.1, up to 854x480, 30 fps, 2 Mbps cap. |
| Sound | AAC, stereo, 128 kbps, 48 kHz. |
| Container | MP4 with the index at the front (fast start). |
When to use it
Convert for Android when a video plays on a computer but shows a black screen or an error on a phone, when an iPhone HEVC video will not play on a friend's Android, when an MKV or AVI film needs to go on a tablet, or when an old camera's WMV or AVI clips need to go on a new phone.
Choose 720p for anything you plan to send over a messaging app: phone screens show little difference, and the file is roughly half the size of 1080p.
About these device presets
Every device plays H.264 video with AAC sound in an MP4 file, but not every H.264 file. Encoders describe a file with a profile, which says which compression features it uses, and a level, which caps its size, frame rate and bitrate, and a device's decoder is built for particular profiles and levels. A file above them may stutter, play without picture or be refused. Each preset here sets the profile, level, largest size and bitrate cap that its devices are known to handle, using x264, the widely used open-source H.264 encoder, inside ffmpeg compiled to WebAssembly. The encoding quality is set by a constant rate factor, so simple scenes take fewer bits and complex ones more, within the cap. Everything happens on your own device, so private videos are never uploaded.
Convert Video for Android troubleshooting
It still does not play
Try another player app such as VLC, and check the file copied completely. If the original is damaged, the conversion carries the damage over.
It is slow
Every frame is re-encoded on your device. Choose 720p or 480p for a faster conversion, and trim long videos first.
The video looks soft
The source may be low resolution; nothing is ever enlarged. Choose 1080p to keep as much detail as the original has.
How to use Convert Video for Android, step by step
- Press "Choose videos" or drag files onto the box.
- Set the options if you need to; the defaults suit most uses.
- Press "Convert for Android". The work happens on your device.
- Save the result with its download button.
Is it safe to do this online?
With most online tools, "online" means your file is uploaded to a company's server, processed there and kept for a while before it is deleted. Here it is not. The page downloads the tool's code to your browser, and your file is read and processed inside the tab on your own device. It is never sent to TapToConvert or anyone else.
You can check this yourself: once the page and its engine have loaded, turn off Wi-Fi and the tool still works. That also means there is no queue, no daily limit and no file size cap set by a server; the only limit is the memory your browser gives a single tab.
Convert Video for Android FAQ
Why H.264 and not HEVC?
Every Android device with a video player decodes H.264; HEVC support depends on the phone.
Does it work for Android tablets and TV boxes?
Yes. The same MP4 plays on tablets, Android TV and streaming boxes.
Can I convert several videos at once?
Yes. Add them all; each gets its own download button.
Is the sound kept?
Yes, as stereo AAC. Surround tracks are mixed down to stereo.
Is it free?
Yes. No sign-up, no watermark and no limit on use. TapToConvert is supported by advertising.
Are my files uploaded?
No. Everything happens inside your browser tab, on your own device.