Why You Can Trust CNET Vodio for Android review: A personalized video viewer for everyone
Vodio's customization options and huge selection of curated channels make it an attractive download for finding and watching videos online.
Similar to the popular Showyou app, Vodio aggregates videos from across the Web and serves them up all in one place. Playback in the app is smooth, and Vodio doesn't degrade the video quality, whether in portrait or landscape mode.
Vodio for Android
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
With so many different video sources and channel options available, Vodio can get a bit overwhelming. So, when you first launch the app, be prepared to take a few minutes to set it up. If you'd rather not take the time, then you can, of course, use Vodio with only its default channels set, but then you'd be missing out on a completely customized video watching experience, which is really the biggest draw of the app. Good thing is, you don't have to set up an account to use the app. But I would suggest connecting your Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube accounts if you want to get the most out of it. Doing so helps the app to better recommend and categorize content.
If you skip the setup, Vodio starts you off with five channels: Music, Sports, Entertainment, Tech, and Highlights. Each channel pulls in appropriately categorized videos from different sources around the Web, and the intuitive swipe controls makes it easy for you to scroll through it all and watch what you want. While I don't find Vodio's interface particularly attractive (it can feel a bit cramped), I will admit that it's easy to use, and it functions smoothly. You can switch between channels by swiping laterally, or you can pull up the channel dock from the bottom of the screen to jump directly to a desired page.
The best thing about Vodio is that it lets you customize your channel lineup. The five default channels are a helpful start, but it also offers over 100 more to supplement your dock. All you have to do is hit the "+" button to see the different curated channels available and put a check next to any item that you want to add to your lineup. You can add channels for general categories like Viral and Android, or channels from individual sources like Facebook, CNET, and Rolling Stone. And if you don't find what you're looking for, you can always run a search and add individual channels that way. You can even add smart channels to your dock, so you can keep track of your watch history, videos you've shared, videos you want to watch later, and more. Altogether, these customization options make Vodio an attractive app for video lovers.
While Vodio's many customization options are certainly a good thing, the controls involved are where I found problems. For instance, if you run a search, and tap on a search result, Vodio automatically adds it as a new channel. This means that if you're only trying to run a one-off search, you'll have to go in and fix your channel lineup when you're done, which can get annoying. It's also worth mentioning that there appears to be no way to rearrange the order of your channels.
Despite its interface issues, Vodio is still an impressive app. It comes with over 100 curated channels to choose from, and it lets you create your own custom channel dock. It even offers a couple of features that its competitor Showyou doesn't (video history and watch later queue). If you're looking for a personalized video watching experience with only the video sources and categories that you love, this app is as fine an option as any.