# OuterTune: a Material 3 Android music player that plays local files and YouTube Music

> OuterTune is a Kotlin fork of InnerTune that combines local library playback with a YouTube Music client. The README now says the app is no longer in active development, so the question is whether the latest release still fits your use case.

**OuterTune/OuterTune** — A Material 3 Music Player for Android with local file & YouTube Music support. Forked from InnerTune

- Repository: https://github.com/OuterTune/OuterTune
- Stars: 5,408 · Forks: 373
- Language: Kotlin
- License: GPL-3.0
- Published: 2026-09-22 · Updated: 2026-09-22 · Language: en
- Canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/outertune-outertune

## What OuterTune solves, and who it is actually for

Two Android music apps usually sit on one phone: a local player for owned files and a separate client for streaming. OuterTune merges them. The README describes it as both a local media player and a YouTube Music client, and it lists playing local and YouTube Music songs at the same time as a feature. That is the specific problem it addresses, and it is a narrower one than it first appears.

The intended user is on Android 8 (Oreo) or higher, has a YouTube Music account, and keeps a folder of MP3, OGG or FLAC files. The README also says the app uses a custom tag extractor instead of MediaStore's metadata extractor, giving the example that tags delimited with \ now show up properly. Anyone who has watched a local player mangle a multi-value artist tag will recognise why that detail is in the feature list at all.

The README is blunt about the project's status: "This app is no longer in active development." That sentence changes the audience. OuterTune is for people evaluating a finished build, not a project to invest in. For a replacement YouTube Music client the README names Metrolist and ArchiveTune; for a local player it names Gramophone. It also invites anyone who wants to take over the maintainer role to make contact.

## How the local library and the YouTube Music client share one app

OuterTune is a Kotlin Android application built with Jetpack Compose, and the repository's topics list confirms android, jetpack-compose and material-ui. The default branch is named lite, and the top level contains app/, material-color-utilities/, prebuilt/, fastlane/, a Gradle wrapper and a Modules.md file. The presence of material-color-utilities as a checked-in module is consistent with the Material 3 theming the README advertises, since that library is where dynamic colour schemes come from.

The data flow splits along the source of the audio. Local files are read from device storage and parsed by the custom tag extractor the README mentions. YouTube Music content arrives through the client side of the app, which the README describes as supporting song downloading for offline playback, background playback without ads, and account synchronisation. The README states one limit plainly: full playlist sync from the app to the remote account is temporarily unavailable. Synchronisation is therefore one-directional in practice for playlists, even though the feature is listed under account sync.

Everything else sits above that split. Multiple queues, synchronized lyrics with LRC and TTML support including word-by-word formats, audio normalization, tempo and pitch adjustment, and Android Auto support are all listed as features without reference to where a track came from. That is the architectural bet: one playback surface, two sources.

## Installing OuterTune on Android and playing a first track

The README does not publish a `gradle` command or a step-by-step install. It points at three distribution routes instead: the GitHub releases page, IzzyOnDroid, and Obtainium. The package name used in the IzzyOnDroid link is com.dd3boh.outertune, which is what you would look for if you install through a store or an updater rather than by sideloading.

The most direct route is to download the APK from the latest release and open it on the device. The release list shows v0.11.1 as the most recent tagged version, dated 2026-09-06. Older tags include a v0.10.2-b1 build labelled LIQUID GLASS EDITION and a v0.10.2-b1 / v0.11.0-a1 prerelease, so the tag names are worth reading before you pick a file.

If you prefer an updater, Obtainium can track the GitHub releases for you. The README's Obtainium badge encodes the app id com.dd3boh.outertune and the source repository, along with settings such as includePrereleases and fallbackToOlderReleases. That includePrereleases setting matters here: with prereleases excluded you will be offered stable tags such as v0.11.1 rather than the b1 builds. The badge's encoded settings are long and URL-escaped, so read them in the README rather than retyping them from memory.

After installing, sign in to YouTube Music inside the app if you want the streaming side, and grant storage access so the local scanner can read your audio folders. The README's warning applies at this point: in a region where YouTube Music is not supported, the app will not work unless you have a proxy or VPN to a supported region. That check comes before any other troubleshooting.

## The maintenance problem is the headline limitation

Most reviews would put a caveat about maintenance near the bottom. Here it belongs near the top. The README states that OuterTune is no longer in active development, and the last push to the repository was on 2026-09-16. The most recent release, v0.11.1, is dated 2026-09-06, ten days before that push. So the code is recent, but the project's own text says the work has stopped, and the README directs users elsewhere.

That combination is unusual and worth stating precisely. A recent push does not contradict the README's statement; it may be a last commit, a translation update, or a release tag. What the README does not document is a rollback path, a support window, or a commitment to fix anything found after v0.11.1. If you hit a bug, the README's own answer is to file a GitHub issue, but there is no published promise that it will be addressed.

The second limitation is regional. The README warns that where YouTube Music is not supported, the app will not work without a proxy or VPN. That is not a bug you can fix in settings; it is a precondition. The third is the playlist sync gap: the README says full playlist sync from the app to the remote account is temporarily unavailable, and the word temporarily is doing a lot of work in an app whose development has stopped.

The wrong-tool cases follow from those three. If you need an iOS client, OuterTune is not it. If you want a desktop player, it is not that either. If you need a client that will keep pace with changes on the YouTube Music side, the README itself sends you to Metrolist or ArchiveTune.

## OuterTune against InnerTune, Gramophone and Metrolist

OuterTune is a fork of InnerTune, and the README credits z-huang/InnerTune as the base. The difference in approach is scope. InnerTune is the upstream YouTube Music client; OuterTune adds the local media player side, the custom tag extractor, multiple queues, and the audio effects listed in its feature set. The README's own framing is that OuterTune is "a supercharged fork of InnerTune". If you only stream and never touch local files, the extra surface buys you little.

Gramophone is the local-player comparison the README itself makes, offered for people who want a local music player. Gramophone is also credited for its lyrics parser, which OuterTune uses. The split is clean: Gramophone for local files, OuterTune when you want local files and YouTube Music behind one interface and are willing to accept the local side arriving as a fork's addition rather than a dedicated player's focus.

Metrolist and ArchiveTune are named as replacement YouTube Music clients. The difference is that they are presented as current options for the streaming use case, while OuterTune's README describes its own development as finished. Choosing between them is less about features than about whether you want a project that is still moving.

One more difference is worth noting because it is easy to miss. The README credits Musicolet as inspiration for the local player experience and Gramophone for the lyrics parser, which tells you the local side was assembled by studying existing players rather than designed from scratch. That is a reasonable way to build a fork, and it also explains why the local features read as a checklist of things other players already do.

## Licence, upgrade cost, and what a fork inherits

OuterTune is licensed GPL-3.0, and the LICENSE file sits at the top level of the repository. The practical consequence for anyone building on it is the usual one for that licence: if you distribute a modified version, the source has to travel with it under the same terms. This is a description of the licence identifier, not legal advice; read the licence text and the CONTRIBUTING.md notes before you build or redistribute.

The upgrade cost is the part the README does not cover. There is no published migration guide, no schema versioning note, and no statement about whether library data or downloaded songs survive an update from an older tag to v0.11.1. The release list shows prerelease tags with names like LIQUID GLASS EDITION, which suggests the project was experimenting with UI variants before it stopped; whether settings carry across those builds is not documented.

For a fork, the cost compounds. The repository includes a checked-in material-color-utilities module and a prebuilt/ directory, and CONTRIBUTING.md is the place the README points for building and contribution notes. Anyone resurrecting the app inherits a Kotlin and Jetpack Compose codebase, a Gradle build, Weblate translation files, and a dependency on the YouTube Music side continuing to accept the client's requests. The README's invitation to take on the maintainer role is real, but the README does not describe what that role involves.

## Conclusion

OuterTune fits Android users who want one app for local files and YouTube Music, and who accept that the README declares development stopped. It does not fit anyone who needs iOS, Windows, or a client that receives fixes; the README points those users to Metrolist, ArchiveTune, or Gramophone. Before installing the v0.11.1 APK, check the wiki FAQ for your region and confirm whether YouTube Music is supported where you are, since the README warns a proxy or VPN is required otherwise.

## FAQ

### What is OuterTune used for?

OuterTune is an Android music player that works both as a local media player for files such as MP3, OGG and FLAC, and as a YouTube Music client. The README lists song downloading for offline playback, background playback without ads, account synchronisation, synchronized lyrics, and Android Auto support among its features.

### Does OuterTune still work?

The README states the app is no longer in active development and points users to Metrolist, ArchiveTune or Gramophone instead. The most recent release is v0.11.1, dated 2026-09-06, and the last push to the repository was on 2026-09-16. The README also warns that in regions where YouTube Music is not supported, the app will not work without a proxy or VPN.

### What are the key differences between InnerTune and OuterTune?

OuterTune is a fork of InnerTune, and the README describes it as a supercharged fork. The additions it lists include local audio file playback alongside YouTube Music, a custom tag extractor instead of MediaStore's metadata extractor, multiple queues, and audio effects such as normalization and tempo or pitch adjustment.

### How to install OuterTune on Android?

The README offers three routes: the GitHub releases page, IzzyOnDroid, and Obtainium. The latest tagged release is v0.11.1, and the package name used in the IzzyOnDroid link is com.dd3boh.outertune. The README does not publish a command-line install procedure.

### Is OuterTune available for iOS?

No. The README describes OuterTune as a music player for Android and states that Android 8 (Oreo) and higher is supported. No iOS build or iOS installation route appears in the README or the repository layout.

### Is OuterTune legal to use?

The repository is licensed GPL-3.0, and the README carries a disclaimer stating the project is not affiliated with, funded, authorised, endorsed by, or associated with YouTube, Google LLC or its affiliates. The README does not otherwise discuss the legality of using the app.

## Sources

- [Issues](https://github.com/OuterTune/OuterTune/issues)
- [License: GPL-3.0](https://github.com/OuterTune/OuterTune/blob/lite/LICENSE)
- [OuterTune/OuterTune on GitHub](https://github.com/OuterTune/OuterTune)
- [README](https://github.com/OuterTune/OuterTune/blob/lite/README.md)
- [Releases](https://github.com/OuterTune/OuterTune/releases)

---

Hysen Labs editorial analysis, written from the project's own repository and release notes. Cite the canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/outertune-outertune