Best Practices for Video Playback in Android
Article Summary
Saurabh Arora from Viki reveals the video playback mistakes that shock users and kill engagement. Most Android apps get at least 3 of these wrong.
The Viki engineering team has spent years perfecting video playback for millions of global viewers. This article distills their hard-won lessons into 7 actionable practices that separate great video apps from mediocre ones.
Key Takeaways
- Request AUDIOFOCUS_GAIN and implement OnAudioFocusChangeListener to prevent audio conflicts
- Listen for ACTION_AUDIO_BECOMING_NOISY broadcast to pause when headphones unplug
- Use MediaSession framework to support headphone controls and third-party controllers
- Switch to onStop (not onPause) for split-screen mode support
- Implement SCREEN_ORIENTATION_SENSOR_LANDSCAPE for flexible device positioning
Critical Insight
Android's built-in frameworks handle most video playback UX challenges, but only if you know which APIs to call and when to call them.
