Frustrated with existing iOS music players' complexity and lack of desired features like gapless playback and folder-based organization, the author developed their own minimalist MP3 player in SwiftUI. The project served as a learning experience in SwiftUI, audio playback with AVFoundation, and file management. The resulting app supports essential features like playlists, shuffling, and background playback, while prioritizing a clean interface and offline functionality. The author details their development process, highlighting the challenges and solutions encountered, such as efficient file indexing and handling large music libraries on-device.
In a detailed blog post titled "I Built My Own Audio Player," the author, Alex, chronicles his journey of developing a native MP3 player application using SwiftUI for iOS. Driven by a desire to gain deeper understanding of low-level audio processing in iOS and to address perceived shortcomings in existing music player apps, specifically regarding playlist management, Alex embarked on this personal project. He explicates his motivations, outlining the limitations he observed in current players like the lack of granular control over playlist ordering and the complexities involved in syncing playlists across devices. He desired a more streamlined and intuitive experience, one that gave him complete authority over his music organization.
The post meticulously details the technical challenges encountered and the solutions implemented. Alex describes the process of learning to work with the AVFoundation framework, a core component of iOS responsible for handling audio and video playback. He elaborates on the intricacies of decoding MP3 files, managing the audio playback buffer, and integrating the player with the user interface built using SwiftUI. He discusses the specifics of handling user interactions, such as play, pause, skip, and volume control, as well as the more complex tasks of implementing playlist functionality, including adding, removing, and reordering tracks.
The author further elucidates his exploration of various UI/UX design choices, aiming for a balance between aesthetics and functionality. He emphasizes his preference for a minimalist design approach, opting for a clean and uncluttered interface that prioritizes ease of use and efficient navigation. The blog post also highlights the iterative nature of the development process, showcasing how Alex progressively refined the player's features and interface based on his own user experience and through experimentation.
Finally, Alex reflects on the lessons learned and the overall satisfaction derived from completing this project. He notes the significant learning curve associated with audio programming in iOS and underscores the value of tackling such challenging projects for personal growth and skill development. He concludes by expressing his hope that sharing his experience will inspire other developers to explore similar endeavors and contribute to the open-source community.
Summary of Comments ( 158 )
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44062227
Hacker News users generally praised the author's effort and clean UI, with some expressing interest in the project's code. Several commenters discussed alternative approaches for audio playback in Swift, mentioning libraries like AVAudioEngine and AudioKit, and debated the complexities of handling background audio playback properly. Others pointed out the challenges of supporting various audio formats beyond MP3 and considered the potential battery drain of a SwiftUI-based player. A few users questioned the practical need for such a project given existing solutions but acknowledged the learning experience it provided. Several commenters recommended adding features like playlist management and a sleep timer.
The Hacker News post "I Built My Own Audio Player" (linking to an article about building a native MP3 player in SwiftUI) has generated a modest discussion with a few interesting points.
Several commenters focus on the developer's choice of SwiftUI and its perceived limitations, especially for tasks like audio playback. One commenter questions the suitability of SwiftUI for complex, performance-sensitive applications, expressing skepticism about its maturity and robustness compared to UIKit. They specifically highlight potential issues with background audio playback and suggest that SwiftUI might not be the ideal tool for this particular use case. This concern is echoed by another user who mentions encountering difficulties with SwiftUI's handling of background tasks.
Another commenter points out the complexity of seemingly simple features like gapless playback, highlighting the challenges faced by developers even when using established frameworks like AVFoundation. This comment adds context to the developer's undertaking, suggesting that building a robust audio player is more involved than it might appear at first glance.
A few comments discuss the benefits of using native libraries and APIs (like AVFoundation) instead of relying on third-party solutions. This approach is praised for providing greater control over the app's behavior and performance.
One user expresses interest in the developer's approach to handling background audio playback in SwiftUI, acknowledging the framework's limitations in this area. They inquire about specific techniques used, suggesting a practical interest in learning from the developer's experience.
Finally, some comments express appreciation for the project and the developer's willingness to share their experience. They view it as a valuable learning resource for others interested in SwiftUI development and audio playback.
While the discussion isn't extensive, it touches upon relevant topics surrounding SwiftUI development, audio playback, and the challenges of building seemingly simple applications. The comments primarily focus on the practicalities of using SwiftUI for this type of project, highlighting both its potential and limitations.