The VideoLAN Forums

After resetting my phone (a Huawei P10, running Android 8.0.0), I am no longer allowed to install VLC from Google Play – it says as in the subject. I'm sure it worked previously under same OS version, except that I didn't used it in the past month or so, during which one or two official phone updates were installed OTA (that is, security or bugfix updates, not major OS updates or upgrades). Device is not rooted.

Huawei devices are now forbidden to download VLC. We're fed up with their OS breaking VLC all the time.

Huawei basically kills VLC when the screen is shutting down. So that kills VLC when it plays audio in background.

Dear Jean-Baptiste Kempf,

As a very long-time VLC user and donor too the Videolan project. I'm highly disappointed in that "decision".
Not only is your attitude highly unprofessional, it's also very immature.
As I'm currently the owner of an Huawei P20 Lite (which is a very good device in my opinion) I'm also affected by your immature "decision" to forbid the download and installation of an OPEN SOURCE Software via the Google Play Store.

First, i have to question your abilities in programming. Because it would be a ridiculous easy task to check for the device manufacturer at the first launch of the application. And if it's a Huawei device, you can simply popup a massage to tell the users what's going on. Also Huawei give every user the ability to exclude every app from battery optimization (under Settings->Apps & Notifications->Settings(Gear Symbol)-> Special access->Ignore battery optimization->All Apps(VLC) )As an Developer especially when you are the "VideoLAN President", this is something you simply should know!

For everyone who is affected by this immature decision from the "President of VideoLAN" and despite that huawei's own Video and Music Apps are not really that shady, still want to use VLC, you can Download VLC there ( https://get.videolan.org/vlc-android/3.0.11/ ) directly to our device and install it manually yourself.

For me this means i no longer can and don't want to support this Software Project. I removed VLC from all my Systems and I will no longer donate to this project. Which I've done for several years.

And if the "President of VideoLAN" is incapable of doing this very simple manufacturer checking thing by himself. I think I've got the 5 Minutes needed for that and got your covered.
But for starters -> https://stackoverflow.com/questions/199 ... mmatically

Also i like apologize for my Grammar and Spelling. English is not my native language.

I must say I also find this a strange and stupid decision
Apparently you are noticing this issue for some time.
A few months ago I had this issue and posed a question on the forum here: https://forum.videolan.org/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=144087
No reaction from VLC people, no sticky thread to explain the solution, nothing on the wiki...
And now you are fed up with Huawei. It doesn't seem to me it was troubling you that much.

Anyway, thanks for the great mediaplayer, I use it everywhere, but in my opinion this action doesn't have winners.

Not only is your attitude highly unprofessional, it's also very immature.

First, we're not professionals.
And it's not immature, this is the correct call: call OEM's crap when they do crap and break applications.

If you look at the threads, all the the developers complained about the same issue. But everyone is too afraid to lose their revenue to call it publicly. So they cave in. We don't.

First, i have to question your abilities in programming.

Sure you can, but, a contrario to you, I have code in dozens of open source projects. And even if you don't use VLC, you're going to have my code running.

Also, a contrario to you, I don't do ad hominem attacks.

Because it would be a ridiculous easy task to check for the device manufacturer at the first launch of the application.

It is not. Because it's a combinaison of ROM, version, Device, and so many other things.

Show me the code if it is sooo easy. (Hint: you won't make it. And the SO link you give, does not work for half of the devices).

And if it's a Huawei device, you can simply popup a massage to tell the users what's going on.

And you are going to translate this message in 100 languages? That is SOOO nice of you.

And do the support on the store, for people who don't understand the settings?

Of course, you are not. But attacking the developers that do VLC on their free time, you can do.

Also Huawei give every user the ability to exclude every app from battery optimization (under Settings->Apps & Notifications->Settings(Gear Symbol)-> Special access->Ignore battery optimization->All Apps(VLC) )As an Developer especially when you are the "VideoLAN President", this is something you simply should know!

First, most users don't know about this "optimization".

But then, if Huawei was a serious OEM, they would have a request for permission for background audio playback, like you do on Android for everything: like Camera access, Contacts and so on.

It's not difficult. And that would avoid getting millions of apps that require adaptation for a specific set of devices...

Or if they don't want to do that (why?), they can have an API to know if you are allowed to be in background or not, and an API to call the correct setting.

Oooops, that makes too much sense... But that would totally destroy your story of pooor-Huawei-bullied-by-me. So I'm sure you are going to find a good reason for them not to do it...

For me this means i no longer can and don't want to support this Software Project. I removed VLC from all my Systems and I will no longer donate to this project. Which I've done for several years.

Sure, blame the victim! Huawei is doing CRAP, destroying millions of applications, we're calling them on it, and we're the bad guys?

Sorry, your love of your Huawei device is blinding you.

I must say I also find this a strange and stupid decision
Apparently you are noticing this issue for some time.
A few months ago I had this issue and posed a question on the forum here: https://forum.videolan.org/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=144087
No reaction from VLC people, no sticky thread to explain the solution, nothing on the wiki...
And now you are fed up with Huawei. It doesn't seem to me it was troubling you that much.

Because after this even, we asked Huawei to whitelist us. They refused.

So now, we ban them.

But for starters -> https://stackoverflow.com/questions/199 ... mmatically

I am sure that you can do something to let the user know why some behaviour does not work on their device, but I think the problem is that in this case, developer shouldn't. "App can stay active when they follow the foreground service rules" is well documented on the official Android documentation, and this is what we developer do: we make Android apps, not make HUAWEI apps, or Samsung apps, or OnePlus apps. We make apps for this platform because it can run on so many different device with the same behaviour, and if every OEM can just do whatever they want, a lot of people are not going to make apps for this platform. It would probably be like 2004 all over again!

What I don't understand/don't like is why and how HUAWEI is doing this. If you have some advanced feature, such as multiple cameras, I can understand why a company made those changes (still not happy about it, but understandable). But in this case, why are they killing service so aggressively? It's like they have issue with their hardware (e.g. not enough horse power, battery life not good enough), and they decided to "workaround" it by modifying system behaviour. And if that is the only way, they should at least make official documentation and list behaviour changes compare to stock Android.

Also, I am pretty sure that like half of the affected users won't even read a popup. If we can get most people to follow instructions, half of the IT department around the world can be dismissed VLC is a good app that is free and open source, it should not be punish (e.g. get a bad review on Play Store) for stuff that they have no control (i.e. cannot guarantee users read the instruction and go through the like 6 steps)

BTW, please feel free to visit numerous thread on reddit about this issue and how people feel about it.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/commen ... vlc_media/

https://www.reddit.com/r/androiddev/com ... ess_limit/

half of the users? You mean 90%?

Why is Huawei not providing an API to query the support of background and an Intent to open the right setting?
Why don't they use a runtime permission?

I do not want to enter in the discussion but one can install any app that is on Play Store with Yalp Store app, you can also download apps for device you don't have.
One can also ditch the stock ROM and install a custom one (like LineageOS)

PS: I think a good way to counter attack is change the app to always keep the screen on while it is working, so their purpose of artificially enlarge the battery life at the cost of usability will be defeated

Please, implement the solution presented in the program
Web Video Cast |Browser to TV(Chromecast/DLNA/+)
https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... t.webvideo

https://imgur.com/a/4FoJtKT
https://imgur.com/a/rXfXGWc
https://imgur.com/a/DDvBeBf
https://imgur.com/a/BcFX0CX
Huawei P10
Thanks!

Hi,

This solution needs to add popup in VLC, only for Huawei devices, and translates it in hundred of languages. I don't think it's VLC's role to make it's own system popup and Huawei should fix this by using android permission system, like everybody else does and like how everything in Android works.

How come that the VLC players can't be installed in Huawei?

How come it is not compatible?

Maybe the Huawei creator should develop the VLC inclusive for its device only.

Please, implement the solution presented in the program
Web Video Cast |Browser to TV(Chromecast/DLNA/+)
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.instantbits.cast.webvideo

https://imgur.com/a/4FoJtKT
https://imgur.com/a/rXfXGWc
https://imgur.com/a/DDvBeBf
https://imgur.com/a/BcFX0CX
Huawei P10
Thanks!

Hello, I've recently bought a Huawei and I also have this issue . I see it was first posted in 2018 does it mean it will not get fixed? Or is there a fix already that I do not know of? Thanks .