I ditched PlexAmp for this Android Auto player—it's faster and handles offline music way betterter offline
I love experimenting with different audio software , but I'm going to be totally honest here: I really do not like PlexAmp, especially when I'm using Android Auto. I've tried to get along with it. I really have. But there are, in my opinion, far better apps for Android Auto out there .
But it just doesn't work for me. It's too slow to stream the music from my NAS, the metadata management isn't great, and it can never seem to put my albums in the proper order.
It's not for me, or it could just be the device I'm using it with. Either way, I found something to replace it: an app that works similarly , but handles my music better.
Symfonium is a surprisingly good media replacement
It's better than VLC and PlexAmp for my needs
Not too long ago, I was a VLC fan for local music playback (when I'm not experimenting with TUI apps, anyway). While I still like VLC on desktop, I found a more suitable replacement for both it and PlexAmp on my phone: Symfonium .
I don't keep all my music on Plex or Jellyfin . There are certain types of media, like vintage radio shows or live shows from the Internet Archive, that I prefer to store and listen to locally.
I used to use VLC for this, but Symfonium does better with metadata, organization, and playback. The app has vastly improved my experience for streaming content from my NAS when I'm in the car, which is why I've largely embraced it over previous choices for Android Auto. The app has settings for simple organization into four categories: home, recent, library, and favorites, and you can toggle any or none of them on for your Android Auto display.
Offline use is nothing short of amazing, not only for local files but also for streaming from my various self-hosted servers. I tend to like moving music around and dedicating different services for different types of music (for example, all my radio shows are on Jellyfin, my albums are on Plex, live shows are local, and so on), so this works out well.
Symfonium: Music player & cast
MUSIC & AUDIO
Price: Free
4.7
NAS integration is extremely simple
I was surprised at how seamless it was
David J. Buck/How-To Geek
Originally, I was using PlexAmp for streaming my albums for a while, but I grew increasingly frustrated with it and ended up switching to the Jellyfin mobile app . Even that required a few extra steps to set up properly (although it isn't difficult).
When I discovered Symfonium offered the ability to use both locally hosted files *and* I could access my NAS, so I jumped at the opportunity to try it out. I attached it to both my Plex and Jellyfin accounts and took it for a test drive. It took less than ten seconds to sign in and set up on my device (as always, your device may vary).
So far, I've driven approximately 80 miles while listening to music from different sources (local, Plex/NAS, and Jellyfin/NAS) and haven't experienced a drop in quality or buffering issues.
The last time I opened PlexAmp, it struggled. I'm still waiting for Lawn Boy to load (also, PlexAmp seems to really like loading tracks from near the end instead of the beginning, so it loses some points there for me). Symfonium can also pull media from so many other sources, like Kodi, Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive, which makes it pretty versatile for most of what I do in this hobby.
Advanced caching makes a difference
A faster and seamless listening experience
The first thing I noticed about Symfonium is how fast it is. Everything I played back from my NAS didn't struggle or hiccup or have any kind of problems.
Phish did not struggle to play. The Zappa box sets played in the proper order, without metadata mix-up or other issues. It was a refreshing change from PlexAmp.
The thing that impressed me most about the app, though, was the advanced caching. There's a playback caching option that pre-caches songs . So if your network is spotty or having problems, the songs will still play fine. It also helps with preventing excessive data usage due to the way the data is stored.
To enhance your Symfonium experience, spend some time getting acquainted with the cache and metadata settings and tweaking them to your specific listening needs.
Symfonium also has an offline cache and a rolling cache that deletes the oldest data when the cache is full. It's a handy feature when you're working with limited storage. I use a rolling cache with around 4.8GB as my limit. I also used the backup feature that allows Symfonium to back up my information (private storage, settings, filters, favorites, and so on) to private storage.
I also like the automatic cache, for some of my favorite albums (the app is already doing it for some of my collection).
Symfonium is unique among Android Auto music apps
A few simple features make this a go-to app for me
David J. Buck/How-To Geek
As I listened more often with Symfonium, I figured out why I prefer it over everything else. It has excellent features, but music playback just *works* without issue. In my experience, it's faster than PlexAmp in my car. I also like that the app lets me cast to other devices if I want to use it at home.
I honestly prefer the equalizer and customization settings in the app over what I've experienced with others. It sounds good to my ears when listening through my car speakers.
There are no ads, even on the free version. A lack of ads improves the listening experience significantly, plus I don't have to pay a subscription fee. The app developers also listen to their users, inviting anyone who uses the app to make suggestions/recommendations for future updates and features.
I can't stand when Metadata isn't perfect in my apps
But Symfonium handles it well
David J. Buck/How-To Geek
If you're a metadata nerd like me, then you understand the frustration of an app or software getting it wrong. I've had that happen with some radio shows back when I used Windows Media Player frequently. Music Bee did a pretty solid job with it on Windows, but I've had some trouble finding an app on Android that handles it properly.
Metadata works like a dream in Symfonium. Some programs struggle with handling it properly, but all of my albums are correct in the app. The artwork it grabbed for several of my albums is high-quality, and I was surprised at how well it chose images to represent the albums, and now I can't imagine listening to music in the car the old way ever again.
Symfonium is the PlexAmp replacement I've been looking for
David J. Buck/How-To Geek
After extensive driving and listening, I am admittedly impressed with this app and feel like it's one of the better options for audio on Android Auto. It works well, hasn't crashed on me yet, and does everything you'd expect from an Android Auto-optimized app.
Symfonium is only $6.99 for lifetime access. That's pretty good for everything it does. I went ahead and did it, and I'll be using it on Android Auto permanently and during my non-driving time as well.
