How to convert AVI to iPhone - mapsupdates’s diary

Have you downloaded videos in AVI format from the Internet, would you like to transfer them to your iPhone but iTunes does not allow you to use them? Do not worry, it's an absolutely normal thing. iTunes supports only MP4, M4V and MOV videos, so to be able to transfer a video to iPhone you must first convert it to one of these formats. How do you say? Does it seem an extremely complicated operation to do? I assure you that you're wrong! Using some software that I am going to advise you, you can convert AVI to iPhone in an extremely easy, fast and even free way.

All you need is a few minutes of free time to read this tutorial and a little 'patience while waiting for your videos in AVI format are transformed into videos optimized for iPhone. If then the patience is not among your main virtues, know that there are alternative applications to the default iOS that allow you to load - and then view - the videos in AVI format on iPhone without having to first convert to MP4, M4V or MOV.

Would you like to know more? Perfect, now I'll explain everything, but let's go with order: let's first see how to convert video in the format optimized for iPhone (then in the format readable by default iOS applications) and then how to bypass the restrictions of the Apple operating system thanks to media players third parts. Enjoy reading and have fun!

HandBrake (Windows / macOS)

If you want to convert AVI for iPhone , you will hardly find a better solution than HandBrake : it is a free and open source converter optimized for creating videos for iPhone, iPad and other Apple devices. It is compatible with both Windows and MacOS and its interface is highly intuitive. Do you want to find out more in detail how it works? So here you are satisfied.

First, connect to the official HandBrake website and download the program to your PC by clicking on the Download HandBrake button . When the download is complete, if you are using a Windows PC , start the executable HandBrake-xx-x86_64-Win_GUI.exe and, in the window that opens, click on the Yes button and then on Next , I Agree , Install and Finish to conclude the setup.

If you use a Mac , instead, open the dmg package that contains HandBrake, drag the program icon in the Applications folder of macOS and you're done: the program will be installed on your computer.

To start the HandBrake for the first time on the Mac, you will have to right click on its icon and select the Open item from the menu that appears: this operation is used to bypass the macOS restrictions (which by default blocks applications from uncertified developers) and it must be performed only once. Subsequently, the application can be started normally.

Now you can take action! Then start HandBrake and, in the window that opens, if you use Windows, click on the File button located in the left sidebar to select the AVI video to optimize for iPhone. If you use a Mac, the file selection window will open directly and then you can immediately select the AVI file to convert to video for iPhone.

Once you have chosen the video to convert, expand the Devices menu in the right sidebar and select one of the following options (if you do not see the right sidebar, select the Show presets panel item from the Presets menu at the top or, if you are using a Mac, click on the Toggle presets button located at the top right).

Apple 1080p30 Surround - if you need to convert a movie in Full HD resolution to 30 FPS. Profile compatible with iPhone 5 and later.
Apple 720p30 Surround - if you need to convert a movie in HD resolution to 30 FPS. Profile compatible with iPhone 4 and later.
Apple 540p30 Surround - if you need to convert a movie in SD resolution to 30 FPS. Profile compatible with all iPhone models.

Next, click on the Browse button , select the folder in which to save the output video, assign a name to the latter (by typing it in the appropriate text field) and the Enter . Then click on the Start encode (or Start ) button at the top and wait patiently for the movie conversion to finish. The duration of the operation, of course, will depend on the length of the video and the computing power of the PC in use.

Mobile Video Converter (Windows)

If, for one reason or another, HandBrake does not satisfy you, you can try Mobile Media Converter : it is a small free converter for Windows that supports all major video file formats (AVI, MP4, MOV, WMV, FLV etc. .) and can be used without facing tedious installation procedures. To download it to your PC, connected to its official website and click on the portable item located next to the Windows flag.

When the download is complete, start the Mobile Media Converter xx Portable.exe executable , drag the video (or video) AVI you want to optimize for iPhone in the program window and select the iPhone / iPod Video with subsoption from the Conversion to drop-down menu. . Then click on the arrow ◀ ︎ you see on the right, presses the Advanced button and use the Video size field to choose the resolution in which to save the movie for iPhone.

Finally, click on the OK button to save the changes, choose the folder in which to save the video optimized for iPhone using the (...) button and presses the Convert button to start converting the movie.

Adapter (Windows / macOS)

Another good alternative to HandBrake is represented by Adapter : a free converter compatible with all the main video file formats available for both Windows and MacOS. To download it to your PC, connected to its official website and click on the Download Adapter button .

When the download is complete, if you use Windows, start the executable Adapter-xx.exe and, in the window that opens, click on Yes first and then click OK and Next . Then check the checkbox next to I accept the agreement , to accept the conditions of use of the program, and end the setup by first pressing on Next for 6 consecutive times and then on Install , Next and Finish . If necessary, two free software required for the operation of the Adapter: VLC and FFMPEGwill be downloaded and installed during the process(you will have to follow the setup by clicking on Next / Next ).

If you use a Mac , to install Adapter, you just have to drag the icon of the latter in the Applications folder of macOS and start the program. When you first start, the program will ask you to install FFMPEG : accept.

From this point on, the steps to take are the same on Windows and macOS: then drag the video (or videos) AVI to optimize for iPhone in the Adapter window, select the Video options > Apple> iPhone 4S, 5, 5S / Retina Display (* .m4v) (or iPhone 4 / Retina Display (* .m4v) if you use an iPhone model equal to or less than 4) from the drop down menu located at the bottom and presses the Convertbutton to start the conversion.

The output movie will be saved in the same folder as the original video. To change this setting, click on the gear icon to bring up the Adapter settings panel and click on the Custom button at the top to choose a route of your preference.

Watch AVI on iPhone without converting them

Do you think that converting AVI to iPhone and then synchronizing it with iTunesis too slow and cumbersome? I understand you, also because now the limits imposed by Apple can be overcome very easily. As? Installing a third-party video player on iOS and using it to first pass the video files in AVI format on iPhone and then to play them without making any conversion.

Among the best players for iPhone (and iPad) that allow you to transfer and play files in AVI format on the iPhone there is VLC , which is completely free and requires no configuration. The application is freely available on the App Store , so to download it you have to do is open the store of your "iPhone" (the icon of "A" on the blue background that you find in the home screen), press the Search tab (in bottom right), look for VLC and proceed with the player installation by tapping the Get button . You may be asked to authenticate yourself via Touch ID, Face ID or Apple ID password.

Once you have installed the VLC application, start it and activate the data transfer function via Wi-Fi by pressing the icon of the road cone located at the top left and activating the option Sharing via Wi-Fi .

At this point, switch to the PC, open the browser you usually use to browse the Internet (eg Chrome or Safari ) and connected to the address that appeared in the sidebar of VLC, for example http://iPhone-di-Andrea.local. If everything went well and iPhone and PC are connected to the same Wi-Fi network, you will access a panel through which you can upload videos to iPhone.

To upload videos to iPhone, drag them to the Release files box and wait for the upload to finish. It should not take long.

At the end of the operation, you will be able to access the videos in AVI format loaded on the iPhone simply by opening the VLC app and selecting their thumbnails. The commands of the player is useless to specify them: they are those of all the video players: play, pause, forward, backward, volume adjustment etc.

If you need it, you can upload video in AVI format in the VLC app for iPhone also physically connecting your phone to your computer and taking advantage of the file sharing feature of iTunes : I explained you well how to do it in my tutorial on how to upload videos to iPhone .