Use external subtitles in GoodPlayer

Keep the video and subtitle together

For local playback, place the external subtitle in the same folder as the media file.
Use a matching base name, for example movie.mp4 with movie.en.srt. A language suffix helps identify multiple subtitle tracks.
Open the video and check the subtitle selection for the intended track. If automatic matching does not find it, use manual subtitle selection.

For an IDX/SUB subtitle, keep both parts together with the same base name, such as movie.idx and movie.sub. A network server may expose a different name in its media URL, so a similar-looking library title does not guarantee an automatic filename match.

Play with a downloaded subtitle

After downloading a subtitle, select the media file to play with it. This selection applies to the current playback only. It does not rewrite the subtitle file or automatically create a permanent association.

If you reopen the video later, check the selected subtitle again. To keep local files easy to match, organize the media and subtitle together with consistent names.

Tested formats and languages

The missing-character box issue in multilingual ASS subtitles is fixed, and GoodPlayer 12.13 includes that fix. ASS (Arial style, without attached fonts) and external UTF-8 SRT each passed device display checks for 32 language or writing-system variants, including Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Hindi and Thai.

Playback checks were completed on October 19, 2026 using an iPhone 12 Pro Max (iOS 27.0.1) and GoodPlayer 12.10. Font fallback tests also passed on the iOS 18.0 simulator. See the complete list of 32 variants, test conditions and scope.

Fix garbled text or missing characters

ASS subtitles using several languages or writing systems could show some characters as boxes. Updates through 12.13 fix this multilingual display issue. If you use an older version, update GoodPlayer and test the original subtitle again.

Preview the text subtitle and try the encoding selection. Choose the encoding that displays readable text.
If needed, use a text editor on your computer to save a copy as UTF-8, then import that copy and select it for playback. Keep the original until you have checked the result.
If the text is readable in preview but characters appear as boxes during playback, check the subtitle font settings and test another subtitle file.

Text encoding changes apply to text subtitle files. IDX/SUB subtitles contain image-based subtitle data, so changing a text encoding will not repair missing image content.

Check selection before changing files

No subtitle appears: Confirm the external file was imported, choose it manually, and check that subtitles are enabled for playback.
The wrong language appears: Switch to the intended subtitle track and verify its filename.
A downloaded subtitle worked only once: Select it with the media file again. The download-to-play choice is not saved as a permanent link.
Subtitles overlap controls, or loading an external subtitle crashes: Update GoodPlayer and try again. Updates through 12.13 improve placement around controls, including while paused or resizing, and fix a crash when loading external subtitles.
Only network playback fails to find subtitles: Test a local media/subtitle pair and manual selection to distinguish matching from server access.

For help, provide the file extensions, an example of the names and the error or display problem. You do not need to send your entire video library.