# Play-Fi — user reviews > 207 indexed App Store user reviews of Play by DTS, Inc., rated 4.50/5 from 3,465 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/play-fi/id779245456/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/play-fi/id779245456.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 2,441 · 4★ 600 · 3★ 229 · 2★ 66 · 1★ 129 ## What do users think of Play? Overall sentiment: negative **Pros** - 🚀 Works well - 🔒 Integrates well with amplifier - 👍 Keeps improving with updates **Cons** - 🐛 Buggy, glitchy, and unreliable - 👎 Limited features and functionality - 🔌 Constant connection issues - 💤 Slow to load and connect - 🤯 Frustrating user experience **Commonly reported bugs** - Drops connections frequently - Fails to recognize devices - Resets music playback unexpectedly - Issues with volume control and balancing - Incompatible with recent firmware/software updates **Most requested features** - Add support for Apple Music - Improve Spotify integration - Implement gapless playback - Provide better interface and navigation - Add search functionality for local music libraries ## Newest reviews (17 of 207) ### 2/5 — Descent *2026-06-14, version 8.73* As others have said, each release seems to create new problems and remove functionality. I enjoyed it much more 15+ years ago. It is almost worthless at this point and that makes me sad. It could work so well. It has worked so well in the past. ### 2/5 — Dropped audio all the time *2026-04-07, version 8.72* I run play if to Definitive technology speakers around the home. I run play fi on a dedicated iPad on a 5G network with a unique ssid just for audio… never fails.. always fails, audio stops and app shows it continues to play.. useless ### 2/5 — Nouvel achat Loewe mr3 basées sur Play-Fi *2026-03-07, version 8.72* J’ai acheté deux speakers Loewe mr3 sur base de leur réputation sonore et esthétique et d’une promotion 1+1 en cours sur le site office. Avec l’idée première de servir de baffles surround arrière pour ma nouvelle TV Philips OLED910, ainsi que de possibilités bluetooth et AirPlay. Multiples déceptions liées à la complexité Play-fi: - le téléviseur supprime la sortie dédiée pour mon caisson de baffles câblé Bower & Wilkins si je fais une configuration home cinéma, il désactive également le traitement AI du son dans le cas d’une configuration Play-Fi. - une fois un groupe HomeCinema créé sur le téléviseur il n’est plus,possible d’utiliser les speakers d’une autre manière sauf en supprimant complètement le setup Play-fi qui doit donc être refait ah prochain usage surround - le mode « paire stéréo » fonctionne en play-fi mais pas en bluetooth et pas tout à fait en mode AirPlay (il faut connecter chaque baffle individuellement en AirPlay) - Les sources musicales’Amazon Music et Apple Music conduisent toutes deux a des messages d’erreur à la lecture - inquiétude pour la pérennité Play-Fi J’hésite à renvoyer les baffles…. PhV ### 3/5 — Limited features. *2025-11-21, version 8.72* Very limited features… should have more flexibility streaming from various devices to other devices and more functionality. ### 4/5 — works well *2025-10-19, version 8.62.1* Play-Fi is a reasonably useful app for accurately controlling music volume on wireless devices over wifi, such as loudspeakers the app doesn't seem to do anything else apart from that though, so its functionality is limited i've found that it won't work if a VPN is active at the same time you want to use this app. even when the devices are sharing the same network ### 1/5 — App never works consistently *2025-04-13, version 8.62.1* The Paradigm speakers with Play-Fi cost a premium price. They sound good for what they are when the app will work. I spend more time trying to get two different speakers playing or even one speaker playing then I ever spend listening to them. This app should have been released. ### 1/5 — Useless *2024-12-25, version 8.62.1* I have a set of Play-fi speakers. These sound great, but have constant connection issues and do not work with most audios sources (Apple Music) making them useless. Worst purchase ever. ### 1/5 — Never fails to disappoint *2024-12-22, version 8.62.1* Have two devices that use the infernal play-fi now and they never work without Herculean efforts of manual intervention. The faq is no use. Turn them off and on. Is your WiFi ok?? Like jeez. This is 2024 and you still write junk like this. ### 2/5 — Dire *2024-12-17, version 8.62.1* The worst way to interact with a HiFi that I can imagine. I have an Audiolab 6000N Play. If I’d have known what a monumental pain this app is, I’d never have invested in the streamer. Slow to connect and limited streaming sources. Buggy and glitchy. The graphics are poor and basic. It’s only getting 2 stars instead of one, because I’m feeling generous. ### 3/5 — Poor, but functional *2024-10-23, version 8.61.2* As is so often the case with manufacturers of very good hardware, the software is not up to the same standard. It took me almost a couple of hours to get this thing working. Some of what it was telling me was not even possible within the app, at that stage of setup. Once it does find the unit - in my case an AudioLab 7000n - it updates and works, after a fashion. Everything is poorly designed and basic. If you want to use this with your 2 channel stereo, you’ll be MUCH better of with MusicStreamer (Stratospherix) for streaming to the AudioLab via AirPlay2. ### 3/5 — Has been very good *2024-10-15, version 8.61.2* This was really good but since the last update it struggles to find my speakers. I have 5 in all and it randomly finds 1 or 2 of them 🥴 ### 1/5 — Underachievement *2024-10-13, version 8.61.2* Can you for the love of Christ make this work with Apple Music ### 4/5 — Thank you for the update! *2024-09-30, version 8.60.7* New update fixed an odd glitch that needed me to restart the amp every time I wanted to use the app for the past few years. UI isn’t the most intuitive (scenes?) as I usually go directly through Spotify but overall decent app, thanks! ### 1/5 — Bad update *2024-09-28, version 8.60.7* After update songs stop at 4 seconds just like the Onkyo Play-Fi app. Please roll back the update. ### 1/5 — Update *2024-09-16* Why are you so afraid to update your app so it includes Apple Music? ### 4/5 — Backward step *2024-09-15, version 8.60.7* Works pretty well using an iPhone or a Samsung tablet, connecting easily and reliably to my Audiolab Omnia. Love the fact you can listen to music up to 24 bit 192khz when available from your streaming music provider. There is an issue where occasionally the Omnia will ‘lose it’ whereby it carries on playing the stream but loses its internal data connection to the control panel and remote control, so the only remedy is to turn the unit off at the mains switch; I think this is possibly an Audiolab issue rather than DTS. The big issue is that Play-Fi used to stream all the BBC radio stations and they sounded very good; however in the last few months that has not been possible as the app just reports an error. This means that you have to use BBC Sounds and Bluetooth - definitely a retrograde step; could this be sorted please DTS? Other radio stations around the world stream beautifully and I often listen to European and Scandinavian jazz stations. So overall pretty good - just a shame about losing the BBC. ### 1/5 — Seems awful *2024-09-11, version 8.55.1* I have the SVS wireless speakers. This app constantly disconnects I constantly have to unplug the speakers constantly have to reinstall this software and in one to two days it never connects. I have no idea what else to do. Everything is up-to-date firmware on the router. Everything else works in the house. Just these two items seem to have a conflict. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Garbage *2026-03-27, version 8.72* If the only way to stream hi res music is using this application find another product. Baffling that this is the state of music streaming in 2026 , you’re forced to sign into your music service through their terrible application which always shows a white screen leaving you stuck no matter what you do ### 1/5 — Disappointed *2026-03-22, version 8.72* This app is absolutely horrendous! Not sure who is rating it so high but gotta say I don’t believe them. Can’t get XM to work, drops Amazon Music after a song our two, same with the others. Wish I had a choice of another service. It’s terrible! ### 1/5 — Apple app does not support Apple Music. *2026-03-07* I see “this file is unsupported” ### 1/5 — Annoyed *2026-01-10, version 8.72* Why is this app so hard to use?!! I wish SVS didn’t make people use this garbage app with their Prime Wireless speakers! ### 1/5 — Each new release is even more useless than the last… *2025-12-22, version 8.72* I had high hopes for this release. Not sure why, maybe I figured it couldn’t possibly get any worse. Well, I was wrong. This is the worst release I have had the misfortune to use. I tried to use it. It played from my music server for a few tracks and then stopped. And now it won’t play at all. Cycling the device power, force quitting the app, rebooting the server. Nothing has made it start working. These developers should really be ashamed of themselves. ### 1/5 — Worst app EVER. *2025-10-21, version 8.62.1* It has been a year since my last review of this awful app. The newest version doesn’t work any better than the previous version. Today it took me half an hour to connect to my hardware. It played for two hours and then abruptly disconnected and would not reconnect. If you see hardware that requires Play-Fi, run away. This is an app that takes what would have been wonderful hardware and turns it into a nightmare. Worst app EVER. ### 1/5 — The app is crapp *2025-10-19, version 8.62.1* The app is SLOW to load. The app shuts down the streamer after an hour or so. I have to completely shut down my phone before I can restart the streamer and the app. BTW that streamer is an Audiolab 6000N. ### 1/5 — Disappointed *2025-10-07, version 8.62.1* Polk audio used to work, now I had to download this app my mini speakers have to be reconnected each time I listen to music often taking 30 minutes or more. Sometime I can’t get all 3 to work together. Disappointed in Polk audio for their lack of support on such and expensive product that only a few years old. ### 1/5 — Slow, buggy, feature less app *2025-09-04, version 8.62.1* App is very slow to load, too many glitches and way less features when compared to other streaming app. ### 1/5 — Pure garbage *2025-05-30, version 8.62.1* Plays 1 or 1-1/2 songs then quits. You would be lucky to get it going again. I’m using the same app on multiple iOS devices with the same results. Absolute Junk. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Latest updates *2025-04-26, version 8.62.1* At last it has gap-less playback and you can set it to critical listening mode permanently. A great update over the previous version. I’m impressed now. ### 5/5 — Our all day friend *2025-03-20, version 8.62.1* Boom is feel-good station. It is on all day and evening either through Alexa or WiFi with DAB in the car. Boom enhances our lives. ### 5/5 — I am selling the amp I like because of this app *2024-11-24, version 8.62.1* Normally I wouldn’t throw shade at things like this just because I have had a few issues but in my case it is more like it has only worked properly a couple of times. What is really annoying is the constant dropping of the amp which has been connected disconnected uninstalled reinstalled updated finally get it working again and it forgets everything overnight and then when you go to re-discover your device it shows some samsung device I have never owned. F.F.S.! Of all the devices I have on my home network this one is never ending trouble and on the website there is no “support” tab but luckily a list of manufacturers who are using this technology (?) so I can avoid buying another product with this complete waste of space. ### 5/5 — Works great. *2024-06-22, version 8.52.4* Integrates well with my amplifier and works well. ### 5/5 — Could be better *2024-05-02, version 8.52.4* Usually takes me a couple of attempts and a few minutes to pair with my audiolab 6000n. Changing songs has a bit of delay as well, but using the app is good but I still find the actual Spotify tidal apps better to use. However the audio quality from the audiolab streamer is far better than any Bluetooth device just a shame it isn’t as easy to use as Bluetooth. ### 5/5 — Good software *2023-08-20, version 8.31.2* Very good software I use ### 5/5 — NEED APP CONTROL TO SWITCH TO LINE IN *2023-07-08, version 8.31.2* app is great but we need to be able to switch to LINE IN without going to the device and pressing the line in button ### 5/5 — Works well with 7000n Play *2023-06-07, version 8.30.13* DTS Play Fi as of version 8.3 appears to be working smoothly and gaplessly, at least with my Audiolab 7000n. I suppose you would be right to argue that the release of buggy software in the first instance is a very bad PR move. However it appears to now work pretty well. Loving the ability to stream 24bit 196hz wirelessly from Qobuz. ### 5/5 — please add local folder as a source *2023-05-24, version 8.30.13* Great app, but could you please add the functionality to use a local folder from which to play .m4a files? And the importing of the .m3u8 formatted playlists would be fantastic! ### 5/5 — Buggy *2023-04-26, version 8.30.13* Update. So my initial review still stands however I have become used to the issues and just work around them. However I now use an old iPad connected via BT to the Quad or with the Play-Fi app as a sort of fancy remote and that works great. Original review:- Use this app with my Quad Vena 2 play and often will not connect. Every time you switch between devices - for example from iPad to iPhone you have to reset. When it’s working and not causing grief it’s fine. Also unable to use with iMac as a server - dealer told me to download Linn Kazoo and whilst that actually works and can see my iMac I’m unable to play any content. To say the app is frustrating is an understatement but I try and workaround the issues. End up using Bluetooth too often. --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-23.*