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.3GP File Extension – What are they and how to open these types of files?

UPDATED ✅ Do you want to know which are the best programs and applications to import .3GP files on PC and smartphone? ⭐ ENTER HERE ⭐ And learn how

do you know the .3GP file extension? Have you heard about it, but don’t know what type of documents it represents or what its characteristics are? Do not worry, because in this post we are going to inform you about all this and answer all your questions.

This container format was initially designed to be able to convert and transmit audio and video through 3G-type mobile phones creating what was expected to be a standard of global communication system. In addition, it corresponds to a format used so that mobile phones with a camera can also capture videos and pass them between devices 3G In a simple way.

The creator of this third generation format was 3GPP, or what is the same, 3rd Generation Partnership, an association of telecommunication groups of great importance throughout the planet.

What is it and what are files with the .3GP extension used for?

files with .3GP extension

The .3GP is a container which is used to create a type of multimedia files on 3G mobilesalthough we currently see that it can also be used on some 2G and 4G. In addition to audio and video, you can include simple text, capable of being reproduced with a text editor.

The audio inside this container will be saved in formats like AAC-LC or AMR-NB. The video, meanwhile, is stored in H.263 or MPEG-4. For those in the know, this file type is, in fact, a reduction or simplification of the mp4. On some occasions there are even devices and software that detect them and call them mp4 in order to be read. The result, if you are an Apple user, is really similar to the one generated by Quicktime.

Videos in .3GP format have two different resolutions. On the one hand, 176 x 144 pixelswhich is used in mobiles that only support 3G format and, on the other hand, 320 x 240 pixelswhich is used on WideScreen devices capable of playing the MP4 format.

Among its specifications we find the use of GSM networks, especially W-CDMA, EDGE or GPRS, fully standardized capabilities of said global communication system. In addition, it is notable for storing values ​​of interest such as big-endian values.

The Benefits that presents using the .3GP format are several. The space occupied by these videos is less to the one generated in other formats. The data packets necessary to transmit these videos are much more little ones. This has given a tremendous gain in terms of the users who use it, currently being a very popular container for low-weight content, so necessarySecondly, on mobile devices.

By againstamong its disadvantages we have that the quality of your images is too short. There are also not too many programs or software that are capable of reproducing this type of file (although one is enough for us and there are options). Finally, it is not as useful as .avi, the default transmission medium for desktop computers.

How to open and listen to .3GP files on my smartphone or computer?

If you have a video mounted in a .3G container format and you can’t see it on your device, you need to download certain programs that have support for it.

Next, We indicate some of them depending on the system you are going to use to enjoy the content:

on Windows

Windows Media Player is the next player preinstalled in the Windows operating system, so in order to see the files in .3GP you just have to resort to it.

In order to open a file with file extension .3GP with any of the programs available in this operating system and From the file itself we must follow the following steps:

open 3gp in windows

  • With the right button mouse click on the file.
  • Next, click on the option “To open with”.
  • Windows presents you with a software to open the file, in this case, you will surely have Windows Media Player itself by default. If you do not want to use any program from the offered list or you want to set one as default, click on “Choose another app”.
  • Now clicking on “More options” you can choose the player program you want and that, logically, you have previously installed.
  • you will see a square unchecked just below the list of softwares. Check it (“Always use this app to open .3GP files”).
  • Finally, you accept on the corresponding button.
  • You will see that the icon of the file changes and that when you double click on it, the program you have selected runs and opens the file with the .3GP extension without having to do anything else, reproducing automatically.

You can also do the opposite action, which is open the file once inside the software:

  • At the top of the player, go to the taskbar and click on the menu “File, Archive”.
  • They select the option “Open”.
  • Next, go browsing between folders until find the file you want to read in the location where you have it saved.
  • Click on the option “To accept” of the box and it will play without problems (provided, as we say, that the player has support for this type of file).

on macOS

Using any of the programs compatible with MacOS and with .3GP you can play files of the type on your MAC computer. You just have to follow the steps indicated below:

  • Open the player of files.
  • Click on the option on the toolbar “File, Archive”.
  • Choose “Open”.
  • All your team locations will be displayed. Navigate through them until find the file what do you want.
  • pick it and click on the button “To accept”.
  • You can check the option “Use this program as default when opening files with this extension”. In this way all files of type .3GP will always open with this software.

On Android mobiles

Those mobile devices that wear Android where they want to play videos with the .3gp extension will only be able to use one program (for the moment).

In this case, it is the application known as VLC for Androidwhich only requires a simple installation and is nothing more than a video player that supports a large number of formats.

To be able to use it we do not have to follow too many steps:

  • Once the application is downloaded, it is necessary to open it, clicking on it (an access will have been created on the desktop of the mobile device).
  • Then look for the option “Files” or “Folders”.
  • Then give “Videos”.
  • By clicking on it, the system folders that include video will be accessed and we only have to go to the one that includes the file to play.
  • By the time we have him located, click on the file and start to reproduce without much inconvenience.

open 3gp in android


VLC for Android
VLC for Android
developer:
video labs
Price:
Free

On iPhone devices with iOS

We also have special applications to download on Apple mobiles, so that if you have an iPhone you can enjoy these videos in .3GP format without any problem. OPlayer HD It is a really recommended option because it has HD quality, which is not useful for this case, but it will allow you to enjoy other high-resolution audiovisuals.

The operation of this application (as well as that of the vast majority of players) is like the one we have previously downloaded for a mobile device with Android. Opening a file with this format is something simple through any application; it only requires its location and clicking on it to hit it.

What are the best programs and applications to play 3GP files on desktop and mobile?

In my view, there are several programs that can be used to play 3GP files, both on desktop and mobile, considered top both for their ability to do so and for their compatibility with other file extensions or for their functionalities.

The logical thing would be to use better-known players, since they support a very large number of formats and they won’t make us have to download any extra codec, as happens with basic players that, from the start, include support for playing very few formats and , to complete such support, we have to manually search for compatible codec packs.

On a computer with operating system Windows We have several programs that can be used to open files with a .3GP extension. Some of them are 3GP PlayerAdobe Flash Professional, ALLPlayer, Any Audio Converter, DRM Media Converter, DVD Ripper + Video Converter Ultimate, Final Media Player, Free 3GP Converter, Free Studio, KMPlayer, Microsoft Windows Video, Quicktime Player (although it’s from Apple, you can use ), Real Player, VLC Media Player and Personal Video Converter.

As you can see, most of them are not really known but, as we had anticipated, we can always resort to a couple of basic ones that do not fail.

For the apple operating system we have some programs that, once they have been installed, can be used without any problem. The most used applications by all the people who have a Mac are Adapter, Adobe Flash Professional, Any Video Converter Pro, FVL Crunch, iVI – iTunes Video Importer, MPlayer, Prism, Quicktime Player, RealPlayer, Toast 11, VLC Media Player, and Xilisoft iPhone Ringtone Maker.

for both platforms we can stand out:

  • Quick Time Player. Free application very easy to use to be able to interact with this type of files. In addition, it helps you to be able to use it as an online video viewer in many other formats. Initially it is for Mac but it is now also available to make it work on Windows operating systems.
  • 3GP Player. This is another free program that works with a large number of video codecs although, as its name indicates, it couldn’t be more ideal for .3GP. In addition, it takes up very little space on our computer.
  • PowerDVD. It is a very powerful and complete video player, which is used for a much more general use, including a large number of file formats to play. In addition, it offers you the possibility of converting 3GP files to another format or vice versa. It is a paid program, but if you are not convinced you can always use the trial version they offer so you can get to know the product.
  • VLC Media Player. It is able to decode the container if it includes audio CCAbut for files that include AMR.

How to convert videos with 3GP extension in MP4 or .AVI format?

convert 3gp files

Another of the most interesting options in the case of having a video in .3G format lies in converting it to other more popular and easy-to-play formats, such as, for example, AVI. We can use desktop programs or web applications that can do it online in a few minutes. For example:

  • https://video.online-convert.com/en/convert-to-mp4
  • https://convertio.co/en/3gp-mp4/

The method to do it is always the same:

  1. Open the program or web page to be used for the conversion.
  2. import the files in .3GP format that you want to convert. To do this, you can do so by clicking on the “Import file”, “Add file” or similar button. Some applications offer you the possibility to import several files with the same format. Remember that .3GP files are usually small in size, meaning you can upload a huge number of them for conversion at the same time.
  3. Choose the type of format to which we want to convert the file. The most recommended formats are .mp4 or .avi, although each application will offer you various options.
  4. In some programs we will be offered the possibility of configure parameters of conversion that we want to use.
  5. Define the route where we want the file generated by the conversion to be stored. This option will not appear in all web applications, but it is very interesting because we need to know where the program places the converted file. If you do not have the option, the location will be the one you have assigned by default for downloads.
  6. Start converting the files to another format. To do this, click on the button “Convert”, “Start conversion” or “Start”.

or we can also reverse the process, take a video and convert it to 3GP to enjoy its benefits in small devices. The procedure is the same, loading the file and choosing the destination format we are talking about.

It may be that the indicated options have another name, but the procedure to carry out the conversion is always the same. Although it is something very simple, it is important to follow the steps so that the conversion is correct.

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