Cartridge — Music Player

Your Synology NAS music on phone, CarPlay or AirPlay 2. Gapless playback, offline downloads, high-res audio support. Fast, private, ad-free. Alternative to DS Audio.

Cartridge is a beautiful, modern music player for your Synology NAS. Stream your entire music library over Wi-Fi, DDNS, or QuickConnect — from home or anywhere in the world — with the speed and polish of a native iOS app.

Cartridge connects directly to your Synology DiskStation running the Audio Station package. There are no subscriptions, no ads, no accounts, and no data collection. Your music stays on your NAS. Your listening history stays on your iPhone.

KEY FEATURES

• Stream your library Browse and play your entire Synology music collection. Home, Artists, Albums, Genres, Composers, Folders, and Search.

• Gapless playback Seamless transitions between tracks — essential for live albums, classical works, DJ mixes, and concept albums.

• Offline downloads Save songs, albums, and playlists to your iPhone for listening on the go. Wi-Fi-only by default to protect your data plan.

• AirPlay 2 Cast to HomePod, Apple TV, or any AirPlay receiver. Full lock-screen metadata handoff, full-screen receiver UI, and Spatial Audio support on AirPods and multichannel on your Apple TV

• Audiophile-grade playback Native support for FLAC, ALAC, AAC, MP3, AIFF, and WAV — including high-resolution PCM up to 192 kHz.

• DSD support Play DSD64 stereo and multichannel files (.dsf / .dff) directly from your NAS using a custom software decoder.

• Smart Home screen Recently played, recently added, liked songs, and pinned favorites — all on a single scrollable page.

• Playlists Create, edit, and sync playlists stored on your NAS. Or build local iPhone-only playlists for offline use.

• Internet radio Add and play Shoutcast, Icecast, and HLS streams alongside your NAS music.

• Full-screen Now Playing Animated album art, gradient background colors that shift with each song, swipeable queue, and one-tap navigation to artist or album.

• Lock screen + CarPlay Standard iOS media controls and CarPlay support for hands-free listening in the car.

PRIVACY BY DESIGN

Cartridge does not collect, transmit, or share any personal data with the developer or any third party. There is no developer backend — the app talks directly to your NAS. Your credentials are stored in the iOS Keychain, and your listening history lives only on your device. No analytics, no tracking, no SDKs, no ads.

REQUIREMENTS

• A Synology NAS running DSM 6 or DSM 7 • The Audio Station package installed on your NAS with your music library indexed • Network access from your iPhone to your NAS (Wi-Fi, DDNS, or Synology QuickConnect)

ABOUT

Cartridge is an independent, unofficial third-party app. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Synology Inc. "Synology", "DiskStation", and "Audio Station" are trademarks of Synology Inc., referenced only to describe compatibility.

Support: https://mbjprod-netizen.github.io/cartridge-app/support.html Privacy: https://mbjprod-netizen.github.io/cartridge-app/privacy.html