User Guide

Getting started

Maxzero's main sections sit in tabs along the bottom of the screen (a sidebar on a wide iPad). It reopens on whichever tab you used last.

Once a song is playing, a mini-player sits above the tabs with Previous, Play/Pause and Next buttons. Tap the bar itself to open the full Now Playing screen.

iPhone vs Android at a glance

The player, themes, equalizer, playlists, lyrics and server connections work the same on both. These are the differences:

Adding music

Import from the Files app iPhone & iPad only

Files you import are copied into Maxzero, so they play with no internet connection. The originals are left where they were.

1. Open the File Manager tab.
2. Tap Import Files to choose one or more songs, or Import Folder to bring in a whole folder.
3. Wait for the progress card to finish. A summary appears when the import is done.

Folders are scanned all the way down, and their layout (for example Abbey Road/Disc 2) is recreated in the File Manager.

Music already on your phone Android only

On Android, Maxzero plays the music that's already on your phone, including your SD card and Downloads folder. Nothing is copied, so it takes no extra space.

1. When you first open Maxzero, tap Grant access to let it see your music.
2. On the Choose Your Music screen, pick the folders that hold your music and tap Continue, or tap Show All Music.

• Change your folders anytime in Connections → Library Folders: choose All music on this device or Only selected folders.
• If new music turns up outside your chosen folders, Maxzero asks whether to Add to Library or Keep Hidden.
• To add more music, copy it to your phone over USB, with a file manager app, or with the Wi-Fi Server. The Library updates by itself, or pull down to refresh.
• Ringtones, alarms, notification sounds, podcasts, audiobooks and clips shorter than 20 seconds are left out.

Supported formats

FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF, MP3, M4A, M4B and AAC. Android also plays OGG and Opus Android only. Maxzero recognizes songs by their audio, so exact duplicates are skipped, and on Android your favorites and playlists stay put if you move or re-tag a file.

Other ways in

• Wi-Fi Server: drag files and folders in from a computer's web browser.
• Plex, Emby or Jellyfin: play your existing media server library.
• WebDAV: play music stored on a NAS, Nextcloud or other WebDAV share.
• Apple Music: play iTunes purchases and other downloaded music iPhone & iPad only

Wi-Fi Server

The Wi-Fi Server lets you manage Maxzero's music from any computer on the same network, using just a web browser. No cables or extra software are needed.

1. Go to Connections → Wi-Fi Server.
2. Optionally type a number in Optional PIN. With a PIN, the browser asks for it before showing anything. Without one, anyone on your network can open it.
3. Tap Start Wi-Fi Server.
4. On your computer, open the address shown, for example http://192.168.1.20:6780. Enter the PIN if you set one.

The address normally stays the same each time, so you can bookmark it.

What you can do in the browser

• Upload files or Upload folder. Each upload reports what was added, skipped as a duplicate, or rejected.
• Create a New folder, and Rename, Move or Delete folders.
• Download any song, or download a whole folder as a .zip.
• Upload or create a .lrc lyrics file for a song, or delete its lyrics.
• Use Select to move or delete several items at once.

Changes appear in the Library straight away.

After five wrong PIN attempts, the browser is locked out until you stop and restart the server.

Plex, Emby & Jellyfin

Connect your media server from Connections → Media Servers. You can connect one of each at the same time.

Plex

1. Tap Plex, then Connect to Plex.
2. Sign in at plex.tv in the window that opens to authorize this device. Your password is entered on Plex's site, never in Maxzero.

Prefer to connect directly? Use Connect by Address (Advanced) and enter your server's address (for example 192.168.1.10:32400). Add an access token if your server requires one.

Emby and Jellyfin

1. Tap Emby or Jellyfin.
2. Enter the server address (for example 192.168.1.10:8096), your username and password.
3. Tap Connect to Emby or Connect to Jellyfin.

Playing from a server

In the Library, tap the title at the top and choose your server by name. Each server in Connections shows a status such as Connected, Unreachable or Disconnected, plus whether it was reached over your home network (LAN) or the Internet.

• Songs are downloaded to a temporary cache as they play, and the next song is fetched ahead of time for smooth playback. The cache holds up to 2 GB and clears out the oldest songs first.
• Favorites and playlists come from your server and are managed there. On Plex, songs rated 4 or 5 stars appear as favorites.
• Refresh re-reads your library and retries all of the server's addresses. Use it after adding music on the server, or when moving between home and away.
• Clear Cached Files frees up space. Disconnect removes the server, its saved sign-in and its cache.

WebDAV

Play music straight from a NAS (such as Synology), Nextcloud, or any WebDAV share.

1. Go to Connections → WebDAV.
2. Enter the server URL, for example https://nas.local/dav/Music. Add a username and password if your share needs them.
3. Turn on Allow self-signed certificate if your server uses one.
4. Tap Connect to WebDAV.

Choose WebDAV from the Library's source menu. The first time, Maxzero walks your folders and reads each song's tags; the title shows its progress.

Your files stay on the server and are cached as they play, just like media servers. Unlike media servers, WebDAV songs can be favorited, added to Maxzero playlists, and have their tags, artwork and lyrics edited.

Apple Music & iTunes purchases iPhone & iPad only

Maxzero can play music you own that's downloaded in the Apple Music app, including iTunes Store purchases.

1. In the Library, tap the title at the top and choose Apple Music.
2. Allow access when iOS asks.

Only songs downloaded to your device appear. To add more, download them in the Apple Music app first. Maxzero never changes anything in your Apple Music library.

You can favorite these songs and add your own tags, lyrics and artwork. Playlists are managed in the Apple Music app, so these songs can't be added to Maxzero playlists or deleted from Maxzero.

Browsing the library

Choose a source

Tap the title at the top of the Library to switch between My Music, Apple Music (iPhone & iPad only), and any connected servers. The title turns red if a server can't be reached.

Filters, search and sorting

• Swipe the row of filters to choose Songs, Albums, Artists, Album Artists, Composers, Genres, Favorites or Playlists.
• Use the Search, Play and Shuffle buttons beneath the filters.
• The sort button at the top right lets you sort (by title, artist, album, year, duration and more) and switch between List and Grid. Each filter remembers its own choice.
• On long lists, drag the A–Z index on the edge to jump quickly.
• Pull down on the list to refresh your library Android only

Playing

Tap a song to start playing it. The mini-player updates, and you stay where you are. Tap Play or Shuffle to start playing and open Now Playing.

Long-press for more

Touch and hold a song, album, artist or playlist for options including:

• Play Next and Add to Queue
• Favorite / Unfavorite
• Add to Playlist
• Go to Album
• Edit Tags, Album Artwork, Add Lyrics
• Show Info (format, sample rate, bit depth and file details)
• Delete (music on your device only — this permanently removes the file. On Android, the system also asks you to confirm.)

Now Playing

Open Now Playing by tapping the mini-player, or any Play or Shuffle button. Close it with the house button (or eject in Digital Deck on iPhone and iPad). On Android you can also use the Back gesture.

Gestures

• Swipe the album cover to skip to the next or previous song.
• Double-tap the cover to see the song's info.
• Swipe left or right along the top of the screen to change themes. You can turn this off in Settings → Theme.

Rotate your device for a landscape layout. On an iPad or iPhone with a hardware keyboard, the space bar plays and pauses iPhone & iPad only

Themes

Maxzero has three Now Playing themes on both platforms. Pick one in Settings → Theme, or swipe along the top of the Now Playing screen.

LP Record

Your album sleeve slides out over a spinning vinyl record, set against a soft blur of the cover art. The progress bar and buttons pick up the album's colors.

• Up Next: a row of upcoming album covers. Tap a cover to see its title, double-tap to play it, or touch and hold to rearrange and remove songs.
• Name that Song: a game that hides the artist, title and album. Tap each one to reveal it before the timer (5–30 seconds, or unlimited) runs out.
• Freeze the Record: stops the record spinning.

Digital Deck

A vintage hi-fi display with segmented lettering, stereo dB meters, a spectrum analyzer and format badges showing exactly what's playing.

• Color Mode: Auto (follows the album art), or Blue, White or Green.
• Audio Monitor: choose the dB Meter, the Spectrum Analyzer, or both to alternate between songs. Swipe the meter to switch, or double-tap it to stop it switching automatically.
• Tap the LYRICS badge to show lyrics, or to add them if the song has none.

Showtime

Your music plays over a looping video backdrop. Choose from a live Spectrum Analyzer, Record Player, Cassette Deck, Dolphin Nostalgia, Cyberpunk Store, Space Flight and Neon Ride.

• Swipe the video to change backdrop, or double-tap it to stop it rotating.
• Untick any videos you don't want in the rotation in the theme's settings.
• The Lyrics button shows lyrics right inside the video. Synced lyrics scroll along with the song.

The queue

In Now Playing, tap the List button to see what's coming up.

• Double-tap a song to jump to it.
• Touch and hold, then drag to reorder.
• Swipe left to remove a song.

To add to the queue from anywhere in the Library, long-press a song, album, artist or playlist and choose Play Next or Add to Queue.

Playlists & favorites

Playlists live under the Playlists filter in the Library. Apple Music and media server playlists are shown as they are on those services.

Create a playlist

• Tap + in the Library, then New Playlist.
• Or long-press any song, album or artist → Add to Playlist → New Playlist. If a playlist with that name already exists, the songs are added to it.

Edit a playlist

• Long-press the playlist to rename it, give it custom artwork, or delete it.
• iPhone & iPad: open the playlist and tap Edit to drag songs into a new order, or use the sort menu. Swipe a song to remove it.
• Android: tap the − button beside a song to remove it. Drag to reorder isn't available yet.

On iPhone and iPad, My Music and WebDAV each keep their own playlists. On Android, your playlists appear under every source.

Smart playlists

Tap + → New Smart Playlist to build a playlist that fills itself. Combine any of these rules (songs must match all of them):

• Favorites Only
• Has Lyrics
• Lossless Only
• Minimum plays
• Release Years (from and to)

You can also turn on a Latest Music row of recently added albums above your playlists.

Favorites

Tap the heart in Now Playing, or choose Favorite from any long-press menu. Find them all under the Favorites filter.

Lyrics

Maxzero shows lyrics embedded in your files, and you can add your own.

1. Long-press a song and choose Add Lyrics (or tap the lyrics area in Now Playing when a song has none).
2. Tap Find lyrics at lrclib.net or Search Google to find them online.
3. Copy the lyrics, paste them in, and tap Save.

To remove lyrics you've added, choose Delete Lyrics. The song itself isn't affected.

.lrc lyrics files

• iPhone & iPad: a .lrc file with the same name as a song is picked up automatically.
• Android: .lrc files sitting next to songs on your phone can't be read, because of Android's storage rules. Add them with the Wi-Fi Server's Upload .lrc instead. .lrc files on WebDAV, and lyrics from Plex, Emby and Jellyfin, work as normal.

Tags & artwork

Edit tags

Long-press a song → Edit Tags to change its title, artist, composer, genre, album, album artist, disc and track number, and year. For a whole album, use Edit Multiple Tags.

Your edits are stored by Maxzero; the audio files themselves are never changed. Revert to File Tags (on Android, Reset to the file's own tags) undoes your edits.

Album artwork

Long-press an album (or song, artist or playlist) and open the artwork menu to:

• Select Cover Art from suggested images
• Search Google Images, then copy an image and paste it in
• Paste Image URL
• Choose Photo from your photo library, or Choose File
• Use Automatic Cover to go back to the original

Songs with no embedded cover can get one automatically if you turn on Download missing album artwork in Settings.

File Manager iPhone & iPad only

The File Manager shows the files you've imported, organized in folders, so you can keep things tidy. It's for organizing rather than playing — find songs in the Library to play them.

• Long-press a folder to rename it, move it, or delete it. When deleting, you can remove just the folder (its songs move up a level) or the folder and all its files.
• Swipe a file to move or delete it.
• Tap a file to see its size, import date and format details (codec, sample rate, bit depth, bitrate, channels).

New folders come from importing a folder, or from the Wi-Fi Server's New folder button.

Equalizer, crossfade & output

Equalizer

Go to Settings → Equalizer and turn it on.

• Four presets: Acoustic, Bass, Treble and Vocal. Each one can be adjusted and is saved, and has a Reset button to restore it.
• Ten bands from 32 Hz to 16 kHz, each ±12 dB. Drag a slider, or use + and − for fine steps.
• Preamp: lower it if heavy boosts cause distortion.

The same equalizer is in the Output panel (speaker button) in every theme. On Android, the Preamp is only in Settings.

Crossfade

In Settings → Crossfade, turn it on and choose 1–20 seconds to blend the end of one song into the start of the next. With crossfade off, songs play gaplessly.

Volume Leveling

Turn on Volume Leveling in Settings to even out loudness between songs. Leave it off to hear every song at its original level.

Output panel

Tap the speaker button in Now Playing for volume, left/right Balance and the equalizer.

• iPhone & iPad: tap AirPlay to play on an AirPlay speaker or Apple TV.
• Android: tap Cast to open Android's output switcher and pick Bluetooth headphones, a wired connection or the phone speaker. Balance resets to center when Maxzero restarts.

Settings

Sync & backup

iCloud sync iPhone & iPad only

If you're signed in to iCloud, Maxzero keeps your playlists, favorites, listening history, tag edits, lyrics, custom artwork and settings in step across your iPhone and iPad. There's nothing to turn on; check the status in Settings → iCloud Sync.

Media server sign-ins and cached songs stay on each device.

Google backup Android only

Android doesn't sync Maxzero between devices. If your phone backs up to your Google account, your playlists, favorites, play counts, tag edits, lyrics and settings are restored when you set up Maxzero on a new phone. Server passwords aren't included, so you'll sign in to your servers again. Your music files are backed up separately, by however you store them.

Android and iPhone/iPad data doesn't sync with each other.

Lock screen & background playback

• Music keeps playing when you leave the app or lock your device.
• Control playback from the lock screen and from headphones. On iPhone and iPad you can also use Control Center; on Android, use the media controls in your notifications.
• Playback pauses for phone calls, and when you unplug headphones or disconnect Bluetooth.
• When you reopen Maxzero, your last song is ready to go, paused where you left off.
• Choose where music plays from the speaker button in Now Playing: AirPlay on iPhone and iPad, or Cast on Android.
• CarPlay and Android Auto aren't supported yet.

Troubleshooting

My Music is empty iPhone & iPad

Import songs from the File Manager tab or through the Wi-Fi Server.

My songs don't show up Android

• Make sure you tapped Grant access. If you declined, allow Music and audio for Maxzero in Android Settings → Apps → Maxzero → Permissions.
• Check Connections → Library Folders includes the folder your music is in.
• Pull down on the Library to refresh.
• Audiobooks, podcasts, ringtones and clips under 20 seconds are left out on purpose.

The Apple Music source is empty iPhone & iPad

Only songs downloaded to your device appear. Download them in the Apple Music app, and check Maxzero has access under iOS Settings → Privacy & Security → Media & Apple Music.

The Wi-Fi Server says "Not on Wi-Fi"

Join a Wi-Fi network and tap Try Again. Your computer must be on the same network.

The Wi-Fi Server stopped

It stops whenever Maxzero goes into the background or the screen locks. Keep the app open while transferring and tap Start Wi-Fi Server again.

My server shows "Unreachable"

Check the server is running and reachable from your device, then tap Refresh on its Connections screen. On iPhone and iPad, also make sure Local Network access is on for Maxzero in iOS Settings.

An album is split into several

Use Edit Multiple Tags to give every song the same Album Title and Album Artist.

Lyrics don't scroll with the music

They're plain lyrics. Replace them with Synced Lyrics from lrclib.net.

My .lrc files aren't showing Android

Android doesn't let Maxzero read .lrc files stored beside your songs. Upload them with the Wi-Fi Server's Upload .lrc, or paste the lyrics in with Add Lyrics.

How do I remove everything?

On iPhone and iPad, delete songs and folders in the File Manager, or delete the app to erase all of its data. On Android, delete the app; your music files stay on your phone unless you delete them too.

Still need help?

Contact support at developer@domain67.com.