# Refrain: Music Player — Play your music files > Personal music player that organizes local files into a synced library. (iPhone/iPad app by Shing Nam Ng.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/refrain-music-player/id6824689043 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Shing Nam Ng](https://appshunter.io/developer/6814156114) - Category: Music - Price: Free - Rating: 5.00/5 from 1 App Store ratings · 1 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 26.0 · 19 MB - Languages: American English, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French (France), German (Germany), Japanese, Korean, Norwegian Bokmål, Chinese (Simplified, China) and 3 more - Released: 2026-10-27 - Data updated: 2026-11-13 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/refrain-music-player/id6824689043/reviews.md ## What is Refrain? Refrain is a music player for the music you own: the albums you bought, ripped and kept. Bring them in as folders, and Refrain makes them into a library that feels like Apple Music, with your music the same on iPhone, iPad and Mac through your own iCloud. FOLDERS BECOME PLAYLISTS Import a folder, a zip or a few songs, open music in Refrain from Files or Safari, drop it onto Refrain on iPad or Mac, or put it in Refrain's folder in iCloud Drive from any device. Each folder becomes a playlist, and a folder of folders stays together. Albums and artists are found from the songs' tags, covers from the files and folders, and an .m3u sets a playlist's order. EVERY FORMAT, NO GAPS MP3, AAC, ALAC, FLAC, WAV, AIFF, Opus, Ogg Vorbis, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus and MP2, in their own files or in Ogg, WebM and MKV, up to hi-res. Music videos in MP4, MOV, MKV, WebM and MPEG-TS play with their picture, AV1 included on iPhone 15 Pro and later. Albums play without gaps, Crossfade joins everything else, and Sound Check evens out the volume from ReplayGain or iTunes tags. A PLAYER YOU KNOW Now Playing with the artwork's colours behind it, and synced lyrics from .lrc files, or found online for songs without them when you turn it on. The queue keeps History and Playing Next together, with Shuffle, Repeat and Continue Playing. Your library has Home, Playlists, Albums, Artists, Songs and Genres, with Top Songs, Recently Added and Loved Songs, and Search finds songs even by their lyrics. ON THE MAC Your library in a sidebar, a player that floats at the foot of the window, and a mini player for a corner of your screen, above your other windows if you like. The media keys, drag and drop, and keyboard shortcuts work as you'd expect. YOURS, EVERYWHERE With iCloud, your music, playlists, loved songs, plays and playback settings are the same on iPhone, iPad and Mac. Songs download as you play them, and you can keep a playlist or the whole library downloaded for a flight. Start on one device and carry on from the same moment on another. BUILT IN Widgets play your recent playlists, or one you choose, from the Home Screen and the Lock Screen, and Shuffle All sits in Control Center and on the app icon. Siri and Shortcuts play your playlists, Spotlight finds your albums and artists, and the Lock Screen, AirPods and AirPlay work as you'd expect. Long recordings remember where you stopped. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account, no ads, no analytics and no tracking. Refrain has no server: your music never leaves your devices and your iCloud. Online lyrics are off until you turn them on, and ask only for a song by its name. ## Key features - Folder-based playlist creation - Supports all major audio/video formats - iCloud sync across Apple devices - Synced lyrics display - Gapless playback and crossfade - Private, ad-free experience ## Is Refrain safe? Not enough ratings yet to assess Refrain. ## Is Refrain legit? Refrain: Music Player appears legitimate, with a few gaps. The AppsHunter Legitimacy Score for Refrain is 65 out of 100 points across 7 verification signals from App Store and developer data. ## Recent user reviews (1 of 1) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/refrain-music-player/id6824689043/reviews.md ### 5/5 — great app *2026-10-29* you just need to work on the optimization cuz its a little bit laggy ## Frequently asked questions about Refrain ### Does Refrain have ads? No, Refrain is designed to be private and does not contain any advertisements. Users can enjoy their music without interruptions. ### What music formats does Refrain support? Refrain supports a wide range of audio formats including MP3, AAC, ALAC, FLAC, WAV, AIFF, Opus, Ogg Vorbis, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, and MP2. It also plays music videos in MP4, MOV, MKV, WebM, and MPEG-TS. ### How does Refrain sync music across devices? Refrain utilizes iCloud to sync your music library, playlists, loved songs, and playback settings across your iPhone, iPad, and Mac. This ensures a consistent experience no matter which device you use. ### Can I play music offline with Refrain? Yes, you can download songs as you play them and keep entire playlists or your whole library downloaded for offline listening, making it suitable for flights or areas with no internet access. ### What is the age rating for Refrain? Refrain has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for a wide range of users. The app focuses on music playback and library management. ### How often is Refrain updated? The latest version, 1.1.0, was released on October 29, 2026, indicating recent development activity. Users can expect ongoing support and potential future updates. ### Does Refrain require an account? No, Refrain is private by design and does not require an account. Your music never leaves your devices or your iCloud, and there is no tracking or analytics. ### Can Refrain play music videos? Yes, Refrain can play music videos in formats like MP4, MOV, MKV, WebM, and MPEG-TS, with AV1 included on iPhone 15 Pro and later models. ## Version history (last 3 releases) ### 1.2.0 — 2026-11-01 Refrain now speaks Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish and Finnish, Siri phrases included. If your iPhone or iPad is set to one of them, Refrain is too. NEW • With Continue Playing on, skipping the last song goes on into your library, shuffled, as the end of the queue does. FIXES • Long recordings, such as audiobooks and DJ mixes, carry on after a call or another app's sound, when your AirPods move to another device, and when you play again from the Lock Screen or the Dynamic Island, instead of showing them playing with no sound. • Dragging the progress bar in a long recording plays from where you let go, instead of jumping back and forth. • History's heading in the queue no longer sits on a band of black or white. ### 1.1.0 — 2026-10-29 Refrain comes to the Mac, finds lyrics for your songs, and plays more of your files. NEW • Refrain on the Mac: your library through iCloud, a floating player at the foot of the window, and a mini player for a corner of your screen. • Refrain in your language: Spanish, German, French, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese Simplified and Traditional. • Lyrics for songs without them: turn on Look Up Missing Lyrics in Settings, and Refrain finds synced lyrics on LRCLIB and keeps them beside the song. • Music videos in MKV and WebM play with their picture, and AV1 video plays on iPhone 15 Pro and later. • More formats: Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, MP2, FLAC in Ogg, and MPEG transport streams (.ts). Surround sound plays in stereo. • Stars for what you love: loved songs show a star in your lists and gather in Loved Songs at the top of Playlists, and you can love playlists too. PLAYER AND QUEUE • The queue gives Playing Next more room: the song playing scrolls away, leaving Shuffle, Repeat and Continue Playing under the handle, and History comes in above as you scroll up, settling into place with a light tap. • Clear is now in History. • Shuffle stays on until you turn it off, so songs you pick play shuffled too. • Long song titles roll across in the mini player and the full player, instead of being cut short. • The volume slider follows the side buttons. • The AirPlay button shows where your music is playing, such as your AirPods, with their name under it. LIBRARY • Shuffle All moves to the app icon: press and hold Refrain on your Home Screen. Home now starts with your music. • Recently Added in Library shows every folder you import, including songs without album tags. FIXES • Music carries on when your AirPods move between your iPhone and another device, instead of showing it playing with no sound. • A sleep timer set for the end of the last song ends with the queue. • Get Info's Reset waits for Done, and your changes show in Now Playing at once. • Songs of the same name from different folders each keep their own file. • A damaged zip is turned away instead of closing Refrain. ### 1.0 — 2026-10-27 No release notes. ## Apps similar to Refrain | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [talkradio: Music & Podcasts](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/talkradio-music-and-podcasts/id6796392241) | — | Free | Music | | [Rabo Music](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rabo-music/id6795204491) | — | Free | Music | | [Null Player](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/null-player/id6787773960) | 4.0 (1) | Free | Music | | [BeatPlay](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beatplay/id6784840928) | — | Free | Music | | [ShelfPod - For Audiobookshelf](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shelfpod-for-audiobookshelf/id6781744751) | — | Free | Music | | [Resonance Music Player](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/resonance-music-player/id6760513914) | — | Free | Music | ## More apps by Shing Nam Ng - [NeuroCards: Focused flashcards](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/neurocards-focused-flashcards/id6814156112) - [Term: School Timetable](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/term-school-timetable/id6816432466) All apps by Shing Nam Ng: https://appshunter.io/developer/6814156114 --- *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 2026-11-13.*