Stow Player vs CX Music Player

STOW is the offline audio player built for people who own their media. Easily import your music, audiobooks, podcasts, lectures, DJ sets, live recordings, and other audio files directly from local Wi-Fi Transfer or import from Files. No account required. No cloud. No ads. Whether you're organizing a small collection or thousands of files, STOW gives you powerful tools to keep everything accessible and available wherever you go. FEATURES • Import audio from Wi-Fi Transfer or the Files app. • Organize with folders, playlists, tags, favorites, and history • Offline playback with no internet connection required • Background audio and lock screen controls • CarPlay support • Sleep timer • Crossfade playback & Built in EQ • Queue management with Play Next support • Artwork support • Search across your library • Customizable library views • Widgets for quick access BUILT FOR MEDIA OWNERS STOW does not stream music and does not require a cloud subscription. Your files stay on your device, under your control. PERFECT FOR • Music collectors • Audiobook listeners • DJ mixes and live recordings • Language learning content • Lecture archives • Podcast collections • Long-form audio libraries YOUR LIBRARY. YOUR RULES. If you already own the files, STOW gives them a home. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

CX Music Player is a simple, free music player for audio files you already keep in Files. Choose a folder, review the music found inside it, skip subfolders that contain podcasts or sound effects, and import only the tracks you want. After import, it reads common MP3 ID3, M4A/MP4 atoms, and FLAC/Vorbis tags locally on your device. Compatible local M3U8 playlists can keep your chosen order. YOUR FOLDERS, YOUR CHOICE • Choose a directory through Apple's Files picker • Find supported audio in nested subfolders • Exclude any folder before importing • Keep an organized local library on your iPhone BROWSE YOUR LIBRARY • Browse Songs, Artists, Albums, and Genres when available • Import ordered local M3U8 playlists • Keep the Folders view for your original organization • Play albums in disc and track order • Display compatible embedded JPEG or PNG cover art COMPLETE PLAYBACK • Play one folder alone or include its enabled subfolders • Play, pause, seek, skip, and go back • Remove individual songs from Up Next without deleting Library music • Shuffle and repeat your music • Continue listening in the background • Use lock-screen and Control Center playback controls PLAN MUSIC FOR LATER • Keep non-playable song ideas in Finds and Planned Playlists • Search your imported Library and saved plans locally • Add a title or save a public music link without downloading it • Share or import a metadata-only CX Music Player JSON file • Keep playable Library playlists separate from planning lists LOW-DISTRACTION CONTROLS • Manually switch to large Previous, Play/Pause, and Next controls • Reach Up Next or your Folders without scrolling • Set up music while parked and prefer car controls or Siri when available PARKED CAR-AUDIO HELP • See the current playback output reported by iOS • Run a silent connection check • Open Apple's system playback-route picker • Review pairing and auto-connect checks for your radio PRIVATE BY DESIGN CX Music Player has no account, ads, subscriptions, in-app purchases, analytics, or backend. Audio, filenames, embedded tags, cover art, imported M3U8 data, Library data, Finds, and Plans are processed locally. A shared planning JSON contains metadata, notes, public source links, and portable IDs—not audio, local file paths, or API keys—and goes only to the iOS destination you choose. Current output names and types are displayed only in memory. Imported audio and its cover art are marked excluded from device backups; iOS may back up small non-audio app data. GOOD TO KNOW iOS does not let apps silently scan the whole phone. CX Music Player scans only the Files folder you explicitly choose. M3U8 playlists may reference only relative files inside that folder; web addresses and other arbitrary URIs are not loaded. The app does not access Apple Music or MusicKit, stream music, download from media services, or share your audio files. Importing creates a local copy and therefore uses device storage. Direct MusicBrainz and Last.fm search is disabled in this release pending terms and privacy review. Optional Google and YouTube actions open a fixed search in Safari; CX Music Player does not scrape results, embed those sites, or download media. Driving Mode is an in-app screen, not a CarPlay app. CX Music Player cannot pair a radio, force a Bluetooth connection, change the radio source or priority, or configure automatic reconnection. Pair and configure your car through iPhone Settings and the radio while parked. Supported file extensions: MP3, M4A, AAC, WAV, AIFF, AIF, CAF, and FLAC. Playback depends on the file's codec and integrity. Playlist format: UTF-8 M3U8 with local relative paths. Choose your folder and press play. That's it.