FAQ

#Do I need an Aether account?

No. Aether has no account of its own. You sign in to your own servers (Plex, Jellyfin, Emby, Silo, Nexus, shares) and, if you want, to optional services such as Trakt, Simkl, MDBList, Seerr and OpenSubtitles.

#Does Aether provide any movies or shows?

No. Aether does not provide, host or distribute content. It plays what is on your own servers, shares and devices — and IPTV playlists you bring yourself. For titles on streaming services it can show where they are available and hand off to that service's app; it does not play them.

#How much does it cost?

The app is free, and no playback or library feature is behind a payment. Optional tips and the Supporter subscription (monthly, yearly or a one-time Lifetime purchase) support development and add Smart Downloads, profiles 3–5, extra accent colors and the Pure Black background, exclusive app icons and automatic music recognition. See What it costs.

#Which devices does it run on?

iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and Apple Vision Pro with OS 26 or later, and Macs with Apple silicon on macOS 26 or later. One App Store purchase record covers all of them. See Platforms.

#Does it work offline?

Yes — download a title and it plays without a connection, MKV and AVI included. Skip-intro data is saved with the download. Downloads live on the device, not in iCloud backups. Apple TV keeps a self-cleaning playback cache instead of downloads.

#Does my server have to transcode?

No. Aether plays the original file by default and repackages formats Apple's player cannot open on the device itself, with PrismCore. Your server only converts a title when you choose a lower Default Quality or a smaller version.

#Will Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision work?

Through Apple's player — the default Aether player setting — yes: Atmos in E-AC-3 passes through to your receiver, and Dolby Vision plays as Dolby Vision, including in MKV files repackaged by PrismCore. The Prism player shows Dolby Vision as HDR and outputs multichannel PCM without Atmos. TrueHD and DTS soundtracks play in surround, but Atmos or DTS:X objects inside them do not survive the conversion. See Playback.

#What syncs between my devices?

With Sync With iCloud on (the default): resume positions, Home layout, watchlist and ratings, profiles, playback and appearance settings, and Live TV playlists — each with its own switch in Settings ▸ Services & Sync ▸ iCloud Sync. Resume positions of local files do not sync, and parental controls, search history, quality, the player choice and Cinema settings stay on each device. Server sign-ins stay in the device's Keychain unless you turn on Sync Server Logins (iCloud Keychain; not available on Apple TV).

#What data does Aether collect?

Aether sends anonymous usage statistics — anonymized feature-usage counts, never titles, file names, servers or accounts. They are on by default and you can turn them off with Anonymous Usage Statistics (iPhone, iPad and Vision Pro: Settings ▸ Help & About; Apple TV: Support & About; Mac: Help & About ▸ Privacy).

Your media stays on your servers and devices. To show artwork, ratings and suggestions Aether talks to metadata services such as TMDb and OMDb, plus the services you sign in to. Diagnostics are only sent when you choose Send Diagnostics, and you see the report first. The Privacy Policy has the details.

#Can I turn PrismCore off?

Yes — Settings ▸ Playback ▸ PrismCore. It is on by default; with it off, formats Apple's player cannot open play with Prism instead.

#Why doesn't Picture in Picture or AirPlay appear?

They are available whenever Apple's player is playing, which includes everything PrismCore repackages — but not with the Prism player or the PrismCore Software Path, and AirPlay is not available on Vision Pro. Check Settings ▸ Playback ▸ Video Player.

#Does Aether have widgets or Siri shortcuts?

Not yet. On Apple TV there is a Top Shelf row of what you are watching, and on iPhone, iPad and Vision Pro your titles appear in Spotlight search.

#How do I get help or suggest a feature?

Email support@aetherplayer.com — ideally after Send Diagnostics — or join the Aether Discord from Settings ▸ Join our Discord. See Troubleshooting.