VLC media player gets native Apple silicon support

Vlc M
Vlc M (Image credit: VideoLAN)

What you need to know

  • VideoLAN has updated VLC Media Player with support for Apple silicon and macOS Big Sur improvements.

VideoLAN has upgraded its VLC Media Player software with support for Apple Silicon and macOS Big Sur improvements.

In a tweet Monday VideoLAN stated:

VLC 3.0.12 is now out!Support for Apple Silicon (Mac M1) and Big Sur, improvements for DASH, RIST, Bluray support, fixes for macOS audio, Windows GPU, crashes and security issues.

According to the release notes for version 3.0.12, the new update adds native support for Apple Silicon. Other listed improvements include:

  • A fix for audio distortion when starting playback on macOS
  • A fix for Direct3D video filet crashes
  • A fix for adaptive streaming resolution settings handling
  • Support for RIST protocol
  • Visual improvements for macOS Big Sur
  • Web interface fixes
  • YouTube and Vocaroo script updates
  • Security fixes

According to 9to5Mac, you'll need to follow a couple of steps to get the right version:

Unfortunately, VLC is not yet offered with a universal binary, which means that the app now has two different versions: one for Intel Macs and one for M1 Macs. Once you update the VLC app for macOS to version 3.0.12, you must check for updates again and install version 3.0.12.1 — which is compiled for ARM machines.

VLC 3.0 for Mac is available to download from VideoLAN's website.

Stephen Warwick
News Editor

Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design. Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple. Follow him on Twitter @stephenwarwick9