You don’t need to download torrents on your phone. You can stream them instead. Here’s how to stream torrent files on Android.
Finding and downloading legal torrents on your Android smartphone or tablet is not a difficult task. However, often because of the large size of the videos, you will need to wait for hours before you can watch the content.
On a desktop, you can stream torrents with WebTorrent and other apps without downloading them. On Android, your options are limited but it is possible. Here we show you the three ways to stream torrent files without downloading them on Android.
WebTor is a torrent streaming service available as a web app. You can paste the magnet link for a torrent and start streaming right away. It also supports subtitles, on-the-fly transcoding, and direct downloading.
The only issue with the app seems to be the pop-up and in-page ads, which are quite annoying. Otherwise, WebTor is an excellent service to stream torrents on Android.
The uTorrent client on Android supports a preview file feature. You can use this feature to play torrents as they start downloading. While the torrent will continue to download in the background, you can continue to play the video without waiting for the download to finish.
Download: uTorrent (Free, in-app purchases available)
To stream torrent files using uTorrent:
If you don’t want to use a web app, you can use the Telegram app and VLC Player to stream torrents on your Android device. You can get started by installing the apps from the Play Store if you don't already have them.
Download: Telegram (Free) | VLC Player (Free, in-app purchases available)
Now here's how to stream torrents on your phone.
While this is a handy solution, it only works if you manage to find the torrent link with a multimedia extension. For example, if the Telegram bot returns a zip file link for the given magnet URL, it will not work with VLC Player.
WebTor is an excellent all-platform torrent streaming client. It is on the web, supports on-the-fly transcoding, and you can even download torrents directly if you want.
However, if you prefer to download torrents in the background while streaming, then the uTorrent app for Android is a good alternative. While the Telegram and VLC Player torrent streaming hack is a handy solution, it is tedious and unreliable.
If you want to stream torrents on your Windows, Mac, or Linux systems, there are multiple desktop and web-based torrent streaming apps to stream torrents on the go.
Tashreef is a developer and works as a technical writer at MakeUseOf. With a bachelor’s degree in Computer Applications, he has over 5 years of experience and covers Microsoft Windows and everything around it. When not looking for a missing semicolon or churning out text, you can find him trying FPS titles or looking for new animated shows and movies.
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