Buy from download stores
Bandcamp, Qobuz, 7digital, and the iTunes Store sell music as DRM-free files (FLAC, MP3, AAC), often with whole albums packaged as ZIPs. Japan has mora and OTOTOY; Korea has Bugs.
For people who own music files
Why keep music files when streaming exists?
How are your files living right now? Opened once in the Files app and forgotten; sitting in an old player with no lyrics and no artwork; meanwhile another saved song grays out of your streaming playlist. The files are yours. The experience should feel like it. Otoha gives them a home that fits.
No account needed · Local files first · No ads · Lossless formats
MP3
My collection
FLAC
Personal archive
M4A
My collection
MP4
Personal archive
WAV
My collection
MOV
Personal archive
Why ownership
A collection built over years shouldn't live on someone else's server
Every track in your library is a classic you chose yourself. It shouldn't bend to a catalog that changes without notice; nobody warns you before a delisting or a price hike. Files in your own hands are the ones you can count on.
Offline, zero data
The files are on your device. Flights, subways, dead zones: playback doesn't cost a megabyte of data, and every song is one you picked.
Nothing delists, nothing re-prices
A streaming catalog and its price are the platform's call, never negotiated with you. Files in your hands carry no such surprises: playable today, playable in ten years.
Music beyond any catalog
Live recordings, out-of-print albums, small releases, a friend's work. Music no streaming service carries has a home here, and collections worth trading notes on with fellow collectors.
No sign-up, no ads
Otoha has no account system. Nothing to register, no personal details to hand over to any platform, and no ads.
What's yours is yours.
Streaming and a personal library work together
Best for
Streaming
Discovering and subscribing to a catalog
Otoha library
Keeping and managing your files
Sources
Streaming
Tracks supplied by the platform
Otoha library
Music, recordings, courses, and AI work
Offline access
Streaming
Depends on plan and catalog status
Otoha library
Available whenever the file is available
Lyrics
Streaming
The platform version
Otoha library
Import, transcribe, and edit every line
Ads
Streaming
Depends on service and plan
Otoha library
No ads in basic playback
Account and personal data
Streaming
Sign-up required
Otoha library
No account, no personal data collected
Where do music files come from?
There are more legitimate ways to own music files than you might think. The test is the same one as ever: is what you get an actual audio file?
Direct from artists
Much of Bandcamp is name-your-price, re-downloadable any time in the format you choose. Files sold at shows or on an artist's own site are the same kind of file, and so is a friend's own work, shared with permission.
Rip your own CDs
On a computer, the Apple Music app rips to ALAC/AAC and tools like foobar2000 rip to FLAC. No computer? Smartphone CD drives exist; pick one that exports standard files instead of locking rips inside its own app. Legal for personal use in most places.
Free and openly licensed music
Free Music Archive and Jamendo offer Creative Commons downloads, and the Internet Archive's Live Music Archive hosts live recordings that artists allow to circulate.
Streaming offline downloads
Downloads inside Apple Music or Spotify are encrypted caches: they only play in that app and disappear when you unsubscribe. They're not your files, and no other player can import them.
Buy from legitimate sources and follow local copyright law; keep CD rips personal. And back up what you buy, because stores can close too: e-onkyo music merged into Qobuz after nearly twenty years.
A library that is actually yours
Organize everything from a single track to an album, a listening MP3, or a course video.
- 01
Bring files together, not duplicates
Imports from Files, iCloud Drive, or Mac access your files in place: no doubling your storage, no touching the external originals.
- 02
Play FLAC directly, skip the converting
MP3, FLAC, ALAC, and WAV play as they are. No iTunes, no format conversion first.
- 03
Manage lyrics and captions
Embedded lyrics, LRC, SRT, online lyrics, or transcription, all scrolling in sync, with the current line on the lock screen. Your edits are kept.
- 04
Play it your way
Build playlists, listen offline, use AI DJ or Stage, and keep playback free of ads.
Common music, video, and subtitle formats
Audio
MP3, M4A, M4B, AAC, WAV, ALAC, FLAC, CAF, AIFF/AIF
Video
MP4, M4V, MOV
Subtitles and lyrics
LRC, SRT, embedded and online lyrics. Decoding also depends on Apple system media support.
Does Otoha copy my files or double my storage?+
Files and iCloud imports access your files in place with permission, so there's no duplicating a whole collection. Removing a playlist does not delete those external originals.
Can I import songs downloaded in Apple Music or Spotify?+
No. Subscription downloads are encrypted caches that only work inside that app and expire with the subscription. For files of your own, buy from a download store or Bandcamp, or rip your own CDs.
How is this different from just tapping the file in Files?+
Files makes sound. Otoha remembers playlists and progress, adds synced lyrics and artwork, works from the lock screen, and plays offline with speed and loop controls.
Does it support lossless music?+
Yes. FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF/AIF, and CAF play directly, no conversion needed.
Do I need an account to use Otoha?+
No. Otoha has no account system. Download it and start, with no personal details to hand over. The optional Cloud AI subscription goes through the App Store and needs no sign-up either.
Can I still use Apple Music or Spotify?+
Of course. Use streaming for discovery and Otoha for files outside a catalog or files you want to keep.
Catalogs change. Your files follow your rules.
No account needed · Local files first · No ads · Lossless formats