NostalgicPod

NostalgicPod is a music player for iPhone modelled on the classic iPod. You move through a menu list with a click wheel that has Menu, previous, next and play/pause, and albums can be browsed in a cover flow-style carousel of album art with the current track and artist underneath.

It is built around music you already have. Files can be added through the Files app, from iCloud Drive or as whole folders, and they are played where they are rather than copied. Songs and playlists already synced to the iPhone can be pulled in, and an Apple Music library can be connected with an Apple Music subscription. For people who run their own media server, the app streams from Plex, Jellyfin, Navidrome, Emby, Subsonic and OpenSubsonic. M3U playlists can be imported and exported.

Playback covers common formats including MP3, AAC, ALAC, FLAC and WAV, with FLAC supported up to 24-bit/192 kHz, plus gapless playback, shuffle by song or by album, star ratings and a sleep timer. The main menu also includes internet radio, podcasts by RSS feed and a small set of games in the Extras section.

On iPhone Duo the app gives each display its own layout: the album carousel on the inner display and the iPod menu with its click wheel on the outer display.

NostalgicPod is a one-time purchase of $4.99 on the App Store. It needs no account, and the listing states that it shows no ads and collects no data.

Features

• Plays local files added through the Files app, iCloud Drive or whole folders
• Imports songs and playlists already synced to the iPhone
• Connects to an Apple Music library (Apple Music subscription required)
• Streams from Plex, Jellyfin, Navidrome, Emby, Subsonic and OpenSubsonic servers
• MP3, AAC, ALAC, FLAC, WAV, M4A and OGG playback; FLAC up to 24-bit/192 kHz
• Gapless playback, Shuffle Songs and Shuffle Albums
• Internet radio and podcasts by RSS
• M3U playlist import and export
• Built-in games, including Snake and Brick
• No account, no ads, no in-app purchases

Unfolded, NostalgicPod fills the 7.6-inch inner display with a cover flow carousel of album art, with playback controls in the bottom corner and the current track and artist at the bottom centre. Folded, the 5.4-inch outer display switches to a classic iPod layout: a menu (Music, Shuffle Songs, Shuffle Albums, Radio Live, Podcasts, Extras, Settings, Now Playing) next to the album art of the current track, above a click wheel with Menu, skip and play/pause. The same track stays on screen when you fold or unfold the phone, so the switch between the two layouts is the main thing the app does with the hinge.

Disclosure: NostalgicPod is made by the creator of DuoDiscover. It is listed under the same review rules as any other app.

Official website: nostalgicpod.com