Question 1

Is Heardy free and open source?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Heardy is free, the app has no ads and no analytics, and its source code is public under the GPL-3.0 license at the public repository (the Heardy name and logo remain reserved). The licenses of the app and of third-party software are listed on the licenses page.

Question 2

Why are there ads on the website?

Accepted Answer

The website shows ads to help fund the project. The Heardy app has no ads, no ad SDK and no analytics, and downloading is free. Details are in the privacy policy.

Question 3

Why does the website ask me to turn off my ad blocker?

Accepted Answer

Because ads are what fund the project: Heardy is free and the website is kept running with them. The app has no ads and works the same without them. You can read the terms of use and the privacy policy without turning anything off, and visitors from the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland are not asked: there, access never depends on accepting ads.

Question 4

Do I need an account or an internet connection?

Accepted Answer

Not to listen to your library. Without an account, your library, playlists, history and statistics are stored only on your device and music plays offline. The app still makes some connections: it checks GitHub for new versions, fetches lyrics (from LRCLIB or, as an alternative, NetEase Cloud Music) and translations for the songs you play, and, if you use “Listen” or an online playlist, connects from your device to the service hosting the content; none of them sends your library or an account identifier. Searching, resolving links and downloading happen on your device, with no account and no quota: no project server takes part in the audio. An account is only needed for the features that use the optional server (Explore, friends, stats and sync). More detail in the privacy policy.

Question 5

Where is my music stored and what gets synced?

Accepted Answer

Your music lives in the folder you pick on your device; the files stay yours and the audio never leaves it. If you choose to create an account (it's optional), an index of your library (titles, artists, playlists and their order, online ones included) and your history are synced; never the audio. You can delete that data from Settings → “Erase my account data”. You can also sync your devices without a server: over Wi-Fi or through a shared folder.

Question 6

Which platforms does it run on and how do I install it?

Accepted Answer

On Android 8.0 or later (you install the APK by hand) and on 64-bit Windows 10 or later (with an installer). The app isn't digitally signed yet, so Android or Windows may show a warning when installing. The steps are on the install page, and the files are in the downloads section.

Question 7

How do I add music?

Accepted Answer

Pick the folder where you already keep your music, or copy your files into the one Heardy uses: the app adds them to your library. Songs that aren't in any playlist wait in an inbox, where you assign several at once. You can also import by pasting a link; that's a secondary feature that runs on your device: when importing you choose whether the song is downloaded to your library or kept as an online playlist, and whoever imports is responsible for having the right to that content. It's all explained in the feature guide.

Question 8

How do I get my downloads on my phone?

Accepted Answer

Audio files are not copied between devices: the index is synced. If you have an account and downloaded songs on one device (for example, your PC), press “Sync now” on the other one: “On your other devices” appears on the home screen with those songs, and you can download them one by one or all at once. Sync is always manual. More in the feature guide.

Question 9

What is an online playlist and how does Wi-Fi sync work?

Accepted Answer

An online playlist stores references to songs and plays them by streaming, without downloading; you pick the type when creating it and it never mixes with downloaded playlists. Wi-Fi sync moves your playlists, their order and your stats from one of your devices to another, encrypted, without a server: you pair with an 8-digit code that you compare on both screens, and it only works while the sync screen is open. More in the feature guide.