FAQ & Troubleshooting

No. Mobile MA is an independent project by Sven Hanold and is not affiliated with, developed, endorsed or reviewed by the Music Assistant project or the Open Home Foundation. The app uses the open API of your own Music Assistant server. You will find the official app and everything about the project at music-assistant.io.

A self-hosted Music Assistant server (version 2.x) your iPhone can reach. Mobile MA is an independent client — the server runs on your side, e.g. as a Home Assistant add-on or Docker container.

The official Music Assistant app (Android and iOS) is in beta according to the project and is distributed via TestFlight and Google Play Open Testing. It is open source and free – a good choice, especially on Android. Mobile MA is an independent client for Apple devices only and is available on the App Store. The difference: Mobile MA covers Apple Watch, Apple TV and Home Screen widgets, which the official app does not currently include, plus CarPlay for every player in the house and Siri Shortcuts with a target player – two areas the official app does not target. On top of that: multi-room scenes and named connection profiles with iCloud backup. Core functions are free; the rest is a one-time purchase, no subscription. Both apps use the same server – you can run them side by side. (As of 16 September 2026)

A one-time purchase (no subscription) that unlocks every premium feature — including CarPlay, Smart Playlists and queue transfer. Your first tap on any premium feature starts a free 7-day trial, no payment required upfront.

Yes — with Mobile MA Unlimited your complete library is available in the car: albums, playlists, podcasts, radio and favourites, artwork included.

Yes — since version 3.9 as a dedicated app on the Mac App Store, with a sidebar, keyboard shortcuts, widgets and a player in the menu bar. It requires macOS 26 or later. Your Unlimited purchase also applies on the Mac; without Unlimited you control one player there.

Your music, your server and your credentials: no — the app only talks to your own server. The single exception is anonymous usage statistics (five events about setup, trial and purchase, no IP address or device ID) that you can switch off at any time in Settings under “Privacy”. Details are in the privacy policy.

Increase the playback buffer in Settings — it smooths over dead zones and flaky Wi-Fi. A larger buffer is especially worthwhile when streaming over cellular.

Set up Remote Access via WebRTC in Settings — it lets you reach your Music Assistant outside your home network without port forwarding or a VPN. On cellular there is one limitation, see the next entry.

Mobile carriers usually block direct WebRTC connections. To connect anyway, your Music Assistant server needs a TURN relay — and Music Assistant only provides one with a Home Assistant Cloud (Nabu Casa) subscription, because that is where the cost of the relayed traffic is covered. Without that subscription, remote access only works on your own network, via VPN, or through a server that is reachable from the outside. This is a property of the server, not of the app — see the reply from the Music Assistant team.

First check that the player is active and available in the Music Assistant server itself. In the app, pull to refresh; after network changes Mobile MA reconnects automatically.

Fixed since version 2.0 — please update the app to the latest version.

Make sure the latest app version is installed (much more reliable since 2.3) and that Background App Refresh is allowed for Mobile MA in iOS Settings.