It’s worth noting, too, that this makes Plex more of a standalone app on mobile, as it no longer requires a connection with your Plex media server in order to work. It will also allow you to open files you have saved in another app – like Dropbox, for instance – and then play them in Plex. And you can use the Plex app to play files from your web browser, from your Downloads, or from a file explorer app, says Plex. This new option means you can load up those files on an SD card, or just sync them over to your device, then use Plex’s Android app to watch them while on the go. However, many Plex users already have a robust video library with TV shows and movies from a variety of sources ( cough, torrents) – some of which may be more difficult to play on mobile. It recently rolled out options to record live TV using a DVR-like function, as well as watching local channels by connecting Plex with an antenna. The expanded support arrives at a time when Plex is trying to reinvent itself as a DIY alternative to streaming TV services.

The new feature is entering a public beta today, and will support local playback of a number of file types, says Plex, including MKV, MP4, AVI, and WMV. The move will enable it to better challenge VLC, an app users have historically turned to in order play a wider variety of video file formats.

Personal media player software maker Plex says it’s now easier for mobile users on Android to play any video file saved on their device within its app.

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