What this app does
Localplay is the app that “just plays my MP3s”. No streaming, no recommendations, no account. Pick files or a folder on your device, it reads title, artist and album from the tags, and from then on it plays them with no internet at all.
Picked files are copied into the app’s own storage on this device. Your originals are untouched, and you do not have to pick them again after closing the app. There are no ads during playback, no subscription, and no limit on tracks or playlists.
What is on the screen
- The amber strip at the top: a note that your data stays on this device.
- The dark indigo deck: the current track, a turning disc, the seek bar, and the shuffle, previous, play, next and repeat keys. Below them sit the speed control (0.5× to 2×) and the EQ button.
- The Library card: “Add files” and “Add folder”, the Tracks / Albums / Artists / Playlists / Favorites / Recent tabs, a search box, and the list. Each row has a heart and a “…” button.
- The Queue card: what plays after the current track. Tap a row to jump to it, use × to drop one, or clear the whole queue.
- At the bottom: the JSON export / import buttons and the promise chips (offline play, no subscription, no ads during play, and so on).
How to use it
Tap “Add folder” and choose your music folder. It walks subfolders and takes only the audio files. If your browser cannot pick a folder, use “Add files” and select many at once. Tap a track and the list you are looking at becomes the queue, starting from that track.
If a title or artist looks wrong, open “…” at the end of the row and choose “Edit track info”. The same menu adds the track to the queue, marks it as a favorite, puts it in a playlist, or removes it from the library. The shuffle key keeps the current track and mixes the rest; the repeat key cycles off → all → one.
The EQ button opens bass, mid and treble sliders from −12 to +12 dB, and the speed control goes from 0.5× to 2×. Both are remembered on this device. The lock screen and headset buttons also play, pause and skip.
When you switch devices or reinstall
“Export JSON” writes track info, playlists, favorites and recents into one small file. Audio is not included. On the new device, read that file with “Import JSON”, then add the same music folder. Tracks with matching file names relink on their own, and your playlists and favorites come back as they were.
FAQ
Common questions are about which formats play, where the files live, and whether it is really ad-free. Below is the actual scope.
Which file formats play?
Anything your browser can play: MP3, M4A/AAC, WAV, OGG/Opus, FLAC and so on. The browser has the final say, so for example OGG may not play in Safari on iOS. Title, artist and album are read from MP3 ID3 tags; without tags the file name is used.
Is my music uploaded anywhere?
No. Audio is copied only into this device’s app storage, and the library, playlists and settings stay on this device too. There is no account, no sync and no analytics. Removing a track in the app deletes its copy; clearing the browser’s site data removes everything. Your original files are untouched.
Any ads, subscription, or track limit?
None. No ads during playback or in the library, no subscription, no in-app purchase. There is no cap on tracks or playlists. It is a free tool that runs in the browser, and it opens like an app once added to the home screen.