# StarPlay — Folder-first media player

> Folder-first media player (iPhone/iPad app by 致炫 朱.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/starplay/id6806145078 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [致炫 朱](https://appshunter.io/developer/6805929366)
- Category: Entertainment, Photo & Video
- Price: Free
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 18.0 · 52 MB
- Languages: American English, Chinese (Simplified, China)
- Released: 2026-09-21
- Data updated: 2026-11-13

## What is StarPlay?

StarPlay plays the video and music you already have — from folders you choose, from your photo library, or from an SMB, WebDAV or Jellyfin server you configure. It never imports, copies, or catalogues anything.

WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT

• Plays in place. Grant access to a folder and StarPlay reads it where it lives. Playback itself does not modify your files, and nothing is duplicated.
• Browse by folder. Your own directory structure is the library. No scraping, no metadata matching, no waiting for a scan to finish.
• Opens instantly. No indexing at launch, no network calls, no account to create.

FORMATS

Two playback engines, chosen automatically, so you never have to think about it. MKV, MP4, AVI, MOV, TS, FLV, WebM and more, with multiple audio tracks, embedded subtitles, and hardware decoding.

External subtitles load on their own when the subtitle file sits next to the video and shares its name. SRT, ASS, SSA and VTT are supported.

YOUR OWN SERVERS

Connect SMB shares, WebDAV, and Jellyfin servers. Credentials are kept in the iOS Keychain and used only to reach the address you entered.

MUSIC TOO

FLAC, MP3, M4A and more, with embedded artwork, lyrics from .lrc files or from the file itself, a play queue, shuffle and repeat, background playback and lock screen controls.

BUILT FOR YOUR HANDS

Every gesture is adjustable: brightness, volume, seek sensitivity, long-press speed, swipe down to dismiss. Set it up the way you actually hold your device rather than the way we guessed.

PRIVACY

No StarPlay account. No analytics. No tracking. No advertising. Nothing about you is collected, and there is no server of ours for your data to go to.

Requires iOS or iPadOS 18.0 or later. One app for both iPhone and iPad.

## Is StarPlay safe?

Not enough ratings yet to assess StarPlay.

## Is StarPlay legit?

StarPlay has limited verification signals. The AppsHunter Legitimacy Score for StarPlay is 58 out of 100 points across 7 verification signals from App Store and developer data.


## Version history (last 3 releases)

### 1.0.3 — 2026-10-07

- Fixed: the optional tip in More > Settings > About did not show up in the App Store version. Nothing else changed.

### 1.0.2 — 2026-10-06

- New: an optional tip in More > About. It unlocks nothing; every feature stays free.
- Music: swipe up or down on the empty space beside the cover to adjust brightness and volume.
- Folders: subfolders and files now appear together at the top level of an added folder. Fixes tapping an MP4 there opening an empty folder.
- Picture in Picture: the gesture to return to the app works again.
- Changing the app language no longer jumps back to the first Settings page.
- Long-press-and-slide to change speed is now off by default (turn it on in More > Controls).

### 1.0.1 — 2026-09-21

No release notes.

## Apps similar to StarPlay

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
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| [MLOAD](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mload/id6444372728) | — | Free | Entertainment |

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*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.*