From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

1. Just now, I converted a book PDF to an MP3 audiobook as per this thread:
Newsgroups: alt.comp.os.windows-10,comp.text.pdf
Subject: PSA: An offline Windows workflow for Balabolka audiobook TTS from PDF
Date: Wed, 4 Mar 2026 11:38:41 -0800
Message-ID: <10oa1o1$1aoh$[email protected]>

2. Now I want to play the MP3 w/o needing the screen to be showing.

3. What free adfree app do you use for that simple audio-player task?

Here are a half-dozen potential Android apps that fit the need.
Musicolet <in.krosbits.musicolet>
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=in.krosbits.musicolet>
AIMP <in.krosbits.musicolet>
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.aimp.player>
Vanilla Music
<https://vanilla-music.github.io/>
Retro Music Player <code.name.monkey.retromusic>
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=code.name.monkey.retromusic>
VLC for Android <org.videolan.vlc>
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details/?id=org.videolan.vlc>
Foobar2000 <com.foobar2000.foobar2000>
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.foobar2000.foobar2000>

Here are a half-dozen potential iPad apps that fit the need.
MP3 Player
<https://apps.apple.com/us/app/offline-music-mp3-player/id6557048073>
LudyAmp
<https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ludyamp-offline-music-player/id6759071307>
Melodista
<https://apps.apple.com/us/app/melodista-music-offline-player/id1293175325>
YMusic (iOS version)
<https://ymusicapks.com/for-ios/>
VLC for iOS
<https://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-ios.html>
Foobar2000
<https://apps.apple.com/us/app/foobar2000/id1072807669>

These appear to be cross platform:
VLC
Foobar2000

Which do you use for free adfree offline audio playback w/ screenblank?
--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

On 2026-03-04 22:13, Maria Sophia wrote:

1. Just now, I converted a book PDF to an MP3 audiobook as per this thread:
   Newsgroups: alt.comp.os.windows-10,comp.text.pdf
   Subject: PSA: An offline Windows workflow for Balabolka audiobook
TTS from PDF
   Date: Wed, 4 Mar 2026 11:38:41 -0800
   Message-ID: <10oa1o1$1aoh$[email protected]>

2. Now I want to play the MP3 w/o needing the screen to be showing.

3. What free adfree app do you use for that simple audio-player task?

Here are a half-dozen potential Android apps that fit the need.
Musicolet <in.krosbits.musicolet>
 <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=in.krosbits.musicolet>
AIMP <in.krosbits.musicolet>
 <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.aimp.player>
Vanilla Music  <https://vanilla-music.github.io/>
Retro Music Player <code.name.monkey.retromusic>
 <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details? id=code.name.monkey.retromusic>
VLC for Android <org.videolan.vlc>
 <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details/?id=org.videolan.vlc> Foobar2000 <com.foobar2000.foobar2000>
  <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details? id=com.foobar2000.foobar2000>

Here are a half-dozen potential iPad apps that fit the need.
MP3 Player
 <https://apps.apple.com/us/app/offline-music-mp3-player/id6557048073> LudyAmp
 <https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ludyamp-offline-music-player/id6759071307> Melodista  <https://apps.apple.com/us/app/melodista-music-offline- player/id1293175325>
YMusic (iOS version)
 <https://ymusicapks.com/for-ios/>
VLC for iOS
 <https://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-ios.html>
Foobar2000
 <https://apps.apple.com/us/app/foobar2000/id1072807669>

These appear to be cross platform:
VLC

VLC is opensource, no adds, but the reproduction of a video stops if I
switch to another app or tap the power button to close the display.

However, if it is a an audio file, it continues playing.

Maybe there is a setting to continue playing a video, but I have not looked.

Foobar2000

Which do you use for free adfree offline audio playback w/ screenblank?

--
Cheers, Carlos.
ES🇪🇸, EU🇪🇺;
--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

Maria Sophia <[email protected]> wrote:

1. Just now, I converted a book PDF to an MP3 audiobook as per this thread:
Newsgroups: alt.comp.os.windows-10,comp.text.pdf
Subject: PSA: An offline Windows workflow for Balabolka audiobook TTS from PDF
Date: Wed, 4 Mar 2026 11:38:41 -0800
Message-ID: <10oa1o1$1aoh$[email protected]>

2. Now I want to play the MP3 w/o needing the screen to be showing.

3. What free adfree app do you use for that simple audio-player task?

Here are a half-dozen potential Android apps that fit the need.
Musicolet <in.krosbits.musicolet>
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=in.krosbits.musicolet>
AIMP <in.krosbits.musicolet>
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.aimp.player>
Vanilla Music
<https://vanilla-music.github.io/>
Retro Music Player <code.name.monkey.retromusic>
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=code.name.monkey.retromusic> VLC for Android <org.videolan.vlc>
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details/?id=org.videolan.vlc>
Foobar2000 <com.foobar2000.foobar2000>
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.foobar2000.foobar2000>

Here are a half-dozen potential iPad apps that fit the need.
MP3 Player
<https://apps.apple.com/us/app/offline-music-mp3-player/id6557048073> LudyAmp
<https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ludyamp-offline-music-player/id6759071307> Melodista
<https://apps.apple.com/us/app/melodista-music-offline-player/id1293175325> YMusic (iOS version)
<https://ymusicapks.com/for-ios/>
VLC for iOS
<https://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-ios.html>
Foobar2000
<https://apps.apple.com/us/app/foobar2000/id1072807669>

These appear to be cross platform:
VLC
Foobar2000

Which do you use for free adfree offline audio playback w/ screenblank?

I have always used the included Music app on iEverything. For many years.
Not sure why you think “free adfree offline audio playback with screen blank” is some kind of special functionality.


--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

Nick Charles wrote:

Which do you use for free adfree offline audio playback w/ screenblank?

I have always used the included Music app on iEverything. For many years.
Not sure why you think "free adfree offline audio playback with screen blank" is some kind of special functionality.

Nick kindly and helpfully mentioned "iMusic," which is not on my iPads.
I only have the built-in iOS app, which is called "Music", on my iPads.

Apparently "Music" comes preinstalled on every iPhone & iPad and it has system-level background audio privileges, so it always plays audio with the screen off. There is no separate "iMusic" app to download I could find.

Hence, that's why Nick brings up the good point that the requirement is so trivial on iOS that he's not sure why it's something special, since Music (which was apparently formerly called "iPod", bundle-ID com.apple.Music) is
a. Always present,
b. Always ad-free,
c. Has system-level background-audio privileges
d. Plays local MP3 files with the screen off

So, unlike Android, iOS already has one consistent, built-in solution.
On the other hand, Carlos is on Android, where no universal app exists.

On Android, apps must explicitly support background audio so video stops
unless the app runs a foreground playback service. Nick is on iOS, where background audio is a built-in system feature, so audio continues
automatically with the screen off, but video always blanks off every time.

On Android, video can continue with the screen off, but only if the app implements a special foreground video service. In fact, I use that feature every night when "listening" to YouTube video documentaries. I choose a
YouTube playlist and blank the screen in the NewPipe ad-free YouTube
player, and not only do I never (see or) hear ads in YouTube videos, but I don't see the video (in this method) 'cuz I blank it out at night.
<https://newpipe.net>

However, this is about audio where most Android video players, including
the venerable VLC, do not continue to play when blanked, just like iOS.

The main difference, if we bring up video, is that on iOS, background video
is not allowed so only the audio track may continue when the screen is off.

But that's exactly what I want since this is a 212-page PDF which I
converted to an audiobook MP3 file using Balabolka on Windows so that I
could listen to it with the screen off.

Back to the audio files, Foobar2000 and VLC fill very different roles on
both Android and iOS, and neither behaves quite like the built-in iOS Music app. The differences come down to design philosophy, supported formats,
library handling, and how each platform treats background playback.

On iOS, the built-in Music app has the smoothest background-audio behavior because it uses Apple's private system-level privileges, which are not available to Foobar2000 or to VLC, but that comes at a cost in flexibility.
--
I strive to make every post on Usenet add value that wasn't there before.
--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

Carlos E.R. wrote:

These appear to be cross platform:
VLC

VLC is opensource, no adds, but the reproduction of a video stops if I switch to another app or tap the power button to close the display.

However, if it is a an audio file, it continues playing.
Maybe there is a setting to continue playing a video, but I have not looked.

Hi Carlos,

Yes. VLC is behaving normally on your phone. On Android, VLC supports background audio by default but not background video.

Android pauses video when the screen turns off unless the app runs a
special foreground video service but VLC apparently does not implement it.

That is why audio continues but video stops. I could be wrong but I looked
it up and there is no VLC setting to change this. As I noted in my response
to Nick, some Android apps (like NewPipe) do support screen-off video, but
VLC intentionally does not, where I can't blame them as, at least on
Windows, it's easy to rip the audio out of a video using the VLC freeware.

Carlos is on Linux where VLC for Android supports playing the audio track
of a video in the background, but Android (or iOS) VLC apparently does not include any feature to save or export that audio as a separate file.

Unfortunately, the iOS/Android VLC lacks the "Convert/Save" functionality
that exists in VLC for Windows, macOS & Linux where we can rip easily.

With that in mind, here's a summary of background audio with no screen.

Android with the screen turned off:
a. Background audio: Allowed
But only if the app implements MediaSession + foreground service.
b. Background video: Not allowed
Unless the app implements a special foreground video service (rare).
c. VLC: Audio continues while video stops.

iOS with the screen turned off:
a. Background audio: Allowed
But only if the app declares the audio background mode.
b. Background video: Never allowed.
c. VLC: Audio from video is not reliably allowed as iOS often suspends it
(based on reports that I unearthed in researching this for iOS)
--
On Usenet, wizened old men discuss topics of interest, where we each add
our own flavor of value so that the group, as a whole, benefits greatly.
--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

Maria Sophia <[email protected]> wrote:

Nick Charles wrote:

Which do you use for free adfree offline audio playback w/ screenblank?

I have always used the included Music app on iEverything. For many years. >> Not sure why you think "free adfree offline audio playback with screen
blank" is some kind of special functionality.

Nick kindly and helpfully mentioned "iMusic," which is not on my iPads.
I only have the built-in iOS app, which is called "Music", on my iPads.

No. I never said iMusic. I said the Music app that comes with every iOS device (iEverything). You are very confused.


--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

Nick Charles wrote:

No. I never said iMusic. I said the Music app that comes with every iOS device (iEverything). You are very confused.

Oh. I just looked. My mistake. I apologize. Mea culpa. Much appreciated the correction. It's called "Music" so it was my fault for thinking "iMusic".

Luckily, the technical details were correct in that the iOS default app
plays audio in the background (no ads, and it's free), while there
basically isn't a default (native) Android app, so only on Android does it matter greatly.

On iOS is matters greatly, but for *different* reasons (e.g.,
functionality), so I appreciate the correction and apologize for my error.
--
I'm never afraid to openly admit a mistake as my ego isn't tied to
pretending otherwise, unlike most people, who are always afraid.
--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

On 2026-03-05 03:39:39 +0000, Nick Charles said:

Maria Sophia <[email protected]> wrote:

Nick Charles wrote:

Which do you use for free adfree offline audio playback w/ screenblank? >>>

I have always used the included Music app on iEverything. For many years. >>> Not sure why you think "free adfree offline audio playback with screen
blank" is some kind of special functionality.

Nick kindly and helpfully mentioned "iMusic," which is not on my iPads.
I only have the built-in iOS app, which is called "Music", on my iPads.

No. I never said iMusic. I said the Music app that comes with every iOS device (iEverything). You are very confused.

You're replying to the resident know-nothing name-changing troll moron
... "confused" is just its constant natural state. Don't waste your
time and everybody else's internet traffic. :-\




--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

On 2026-03-05 04:23, Maria Sophia wrote:

Carlos E.R. wrote:

These appear to be cross platform:
VLC

VLC is opensource, no adds, but the reproduction of a video stops if I
switch to another app or tap the power button to close the display.

However, if it is a an audio file, it continues playing.
Maybe there is a setting to continue playing a video, but I have not
looked.

Hi Carlos,

Yes. VLC is behaving normally on your phone. On Android, VLC supports background audio by default but not background video.

Android pauses video when the screen turns off unless the app runs a
special foreground video service but VLC apparently does not implement it.

That is why audio continues but video stops. I could be wrong but I looked
it up and there is no VLC setting to change this. As I noted in my response to Nick, some Android apps (like NewPipe) do support screen-off video, but VLC intentionally does not, where I can't blame them as, at least on
Windows, it's easy to rip the audio out of a video using the VLC freeware.

Carlos is on Linux where VLC for Android supports playing the audio track
of a video in the background,

Caveat: depending on the desktop, when the desktop doesn't have the
seat, audio stops or pauses. Audio control is given to the seat.

Meaning, that Linux being a multiuser OS, there can be two users using
the machine, and control of the audio is given to the user it thinks is sitting at the computer. For instance, if I switch to text mode using xtrl-añt-f1, sound stops. I'm unsure if it stops or it pauses, depends
on the application. Similarly if I switch to another graphical user.
Possibly the application might continue playing, just the sound would be
cut off.

With variances depending on distributions and desktop.

but Android (or iOS) VLC apparently does not
include any feature to save or export that audio as a separate file. Unfortunately, the iOS/Android VLC lacks the "Convert/Save" functionality that exists in VLC for Windows, macOS & Linux where we can rip easily.

With that in mind, here's a summary of background audio with no screen.

Android with the screen turned off:
a. Background audio: Allowed
   But only if the app implements MediaSession + foreground service.
b. Background video: Not allowed    Unless the app implements a special foreground video service (rare).
c. VLC: Audio continues while video stops.

iOS with the screen turned off:
a. Background audio: Allowed
   But only if the app declares the audio background mode.
b. Background video: Never allowed.
c. VLC: Audio from video is not reliably allowed as iOS often suspends it
   (based on reports that I unearthed in researching this for iOS)

--
Cheers, Carlos.
ES🇪🇸, EU🇪🇺;
--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

Your Name wrote:

On 2026-03-05 03:39:39 +0000, Nick Charles said:

Maria Sophia <[email protected]> wrote:

Nick Charles wrote:

Which do you use for free adfree offline audio playback w/ screenblank? >>>>

I have always used the included Music app on iEverything. For many years.
Not sure why you think "free adfree offline audio playback with screen >>>> blank" is some kind of special functionality.

Nick kindly and helpfully mentioned "iMusic," which is not on my iPads.
I only have the built-in iOS app, which is called "Music", on my iPads.

No. I never said iMusic. I said the Music app that comes with every iOS >> device (iEverything). You are very confused.

You're replying to [people who are discussing a technical topic]...

Carlos kindly added useful cross-platform differences between Windows and
Linux but I'm not sure about the platform differences for macOS which maybe "Your Name" or "Nick Charles" can help us all benefit from their knowledge.

>> Carlos is on Linux where VLC for Android supports playing the
>> audio track of a video in the background,
>
> Caveat: depending on the desktop, when the desktop doesn't have the
> seat, audio stops or pauses. Audio control is given to the seat.

The behavior Carlos purposefully helpfully points out is not seen on my
Windows desktop, so it may be a Linux-only seat-control behavior, or not.

What about macOS?

Maybe "Your Name" or "Nick Charles" can edify us as to how macOS behaves?

As far as I can recall from using Apple PCs in the past while I was
teaching at the local high school, macOS keeps audio output active
as long as:
a. our user session is the one currently logged in
b. the system is not put to sleep
c. the app (e.g., VLC) is allowed to run in the background
Where, from what I recall from my teaching days, locking the screen on
macOS or letting the display turn off does not revoke audio access. VLC, Music.app, browsers & other players continue outputting sound normally.

This matches Windows behavior almost exactly as I recall, but not Linux.
Maybe "Nick Charles" or "Your Name" can help us understand why this is so?

If I can helpfully posit a reason why macOS does not work like Linux does, it's perhaps on macOS there is only a single active-user-session model.
a. On macOS, only one user session is active at a time
b. Where that session always retains control of the audio device
c. So switching users logs out or suspends the previous session

Since I no longer have an Apple PC to test this on, I ask "Your Name"
and/or "Nick Charles" to help us all confirm how macOS works with audio.

If they don't know more than we do, then what stands as the likely answer
of how macOS differs is that on macOS there is no concept of "seat
ownership", much as with Windows, but not like Carlos warned for Linux.

Your Name or Nick Charles,
On macOS, while playing audio in the background with VLC (or Music.app),
does switching to a TTY or another graphical user cause audio to pause
or go silent?

I suspect it will but it's always good to confirm with the Apple experts.
--
Each Usenet post should strive to add useful value that wasn't there prior.
--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

Carlos E.R. wrote:

Carlos is on Linux where VLC for Android supports playing the audio track
of a video in the background,

Caveat: depending on the desktop, when the desktop doesn't have the
seat, audio stops or pauses. Audio control is given to the seat.

Meaning, that Linux being a multiuser OS, there can be two users using
the machine, and control of the audio is given to the user it thinks is sitting at the computer. For instance, if I switch to text mode using xtrl-ant-f1, sound stops. I'm unsure if it stops or it pauses, depends
on the application. Similarly if I switch to another graphical user. Possibly the application might continue playing, just the sound would be
cut off.

With variances depending on distributions and desktop.

Hi Carlos,

Your helpful precaution helps clarify how Linux handles audio when multiple sessions are active. Since Linux ties the audio device to whichever session currently "owns the seat," switching to a different TTY or user on Linux
can cause the sound to pause or cut out even if the player keeps running.

I'm on Windows, so that particular behavior doesn't apply (AFAIK). Windows doesn't use the seat model so the active session keeps audio output even
when the screen is off.

Since we're all about discussing topics of interest on Usenet, the addition
of the PC quirks is rather useful helpful cross-platform information about playing audio, especially as most of us have a Linux, Windows, or macOS
desktop where we do the more complex ripping that results in an audio file,
or, in my case, audiobook generation from PDF.
--
On Usenet, wizened old men discuss topics of interest, where each adds
their own flavor of value so that the group, as a whole, benefits greatly.
--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

On 2026-03-04 13:13, Maria Sophia wrote:

1. Just now, I converted a book PDF to an MP3 audiobook as per this thread:
   Newsgroups: alt.comp.os.windows-10,comp.text.pdf
   Subject: PSA: An offline Windows workflow for Balabolka audiobook
TTS from PDF
   Date: Wed, 4 Mar 2026 11:38:41 -0800
   Message-ID: <10oa1o1$1aoh$[email protected]>

2. Now I want to play the MP3 w/o needing the screen to be showing.

3. What free adfree app do you use for that simple audio-player task?

Apple's Music app for iOS.

:-)
--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

On 2026-03-04 19:07, Maria Sophia wrote:

Nick Charles wrote:

Which do you use for free adfree offline audio playback w/ screenblank?

I have always used the included Music app on iEverything.   For many

-----------------------------------^^^^^

years.
  Not sure why you think "free adfree offline audio playback with screen
blank" is some kind of special functionality.

Nick kindly and helpfully mentioned "iMusic," which is not on my iPads.
I only have the built-in iOS app, which is called "Music", on my iPads. Apparently "Music" comes preinstalled on every iPhone & iPad and it has system-level background audio privileges, so it always plays audio with the screen off. There is no separate "iMusic" app to download I could find.

No. Nick did NOT call it "iMusic"...

...as anyone of any reasonable intelligence could tell just by looking
at what he actually WROTE.
--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

On Thu, 5 Mar 2026 10:22 -0800, Alan wrote:

On 2026-03-04 19:07, Maria Sophia wrote:

Nick Charles wrote:

Which do you use for free adfree offline audio playback w/ screenblank? >>

I have always used the included Music app on iEverything.   For many

-----------------------------------^^^^^

years.
  Not sure why you think "free adfree offline audio playback with screen >> blank" is some kind of special functionality.

Nick kindly and helpfully mentioned "iMusic," which is not on my iPads.
I only have the built-in iOS app, which is called "Music", on my iPads. Apparently "Music" comes preinstalled on every iPhone & iPad and it has system-level background audio privileges, so it always plays audio with
the screen off. There is no separate "iMusic" app to download I could
find.

No. Nick did NOT call it "iMusic"...

...as anyone of any reasonable intelligence could tell just by looking
at what he actually WROTE.

I don't think these hateful words are appropriate. M.S. is certainly highly intelligent, and therefore somewhat absent-minded once in a while, that's all. --- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

Maria Sophia <[email protected]> wrote:

Nick Charles wrote:

No. I never said iMusic. I said the Music app that comes with every iOS >> device (iEverything). You are very confused.

Oh. I just looked. My mistake. I apologize. Mea culpa. Much appreciated the correction. It's called "Music" so it was my fault for thinking "iMusic".

Luckily, the technical details were correct in that the iOS default app
plays audio in the background (no ads, and it's free), while there
basically isn't a default (native) Android app, so only on Android does it matter greatly.

On iOS is matters greatly, but for *different* reasons (e.g.,
functionality), so I appreciate the correction and apologize for my error.

It’s OK. We were all iOS newbies at one time. :-)

--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

On 2026-03-05 14:39, Siard wrote:

On Thu, 5 Mar 2026 10:22 -0800, Alan wrote:

On 2026-03-04 19:07, Maria Sophia wrote:

Nick Charles wrote:

Which do you use for free adfree offline audio playback w/ screenblank? >>>>

I have always used the included Music app on iEverything.   For many

-----------------------------------^^^^^

years.
  Not sure why you think "free adfree offline audio playback with screen >>>> blank" is some kind of special functionality.

Nick kindly and helpfully mentioned "iMusic," which is not on my iPads.
I only have the built-in iOS app, which is called "Music", on my iPads.
Apparently "Music" comes preinstalled on every iPhone & iPad and it has
system-level background audio privileges, so it always plays audio with
the screen off. There is no separate "iMusic" app to download I could
find.

No. Nick did NOT call it "iMusic"...

...as anyone of any reasonable intelligence could tell just by looking
at what he actually WROTE.

I don't think these hateful words are appropriate. M.S. is certainly highly intelligent, and therefore somewhat absent-minded once in a while, that's all.

He literally claimed someone wrote "iMusic"...

...while looking at the text of message to which he was replying.

The hateful words where all Arlen's...

...well actually just his typical smarmy words.
--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2