Support

Help with Tape — a self-hosted audio player.

Last updated: 2 September 2026

1. Start here: the app ships empty

Tape contains no music and no catalog. On first launch it asks for the address of an audio server that you control, and everything you see afterwards comes from that server. If the first screen asks for a server URL, nothing is broken — that is the whole app.

A server is compatible if it answers a small HTTP API under /api/v1. The endpoints are listed in the server API documentation.

2. The address must be https:// with a valid certificate

This is the single most common reason a server will not connect. iOS refuses plain http:// and self-signed or expired certificates, and the failure surfaces as a generic system error rather than as an explanation.

• NAS (Synology, QNAP and similar): the address and a free certificate are usually two clicks in the control panel.
• Your own server: you need a domain name — certificates are not issued for a bare IP address. Caddy obtains one automatically; certbot does the same for nginx and Apache.
• Local network only: http:// to a private address works, but only while you are at home.

See the note on the main page for the same in context.

3. Common problems

The server does not connect

• Check the address in a browser on the same device first — if the browser warns about the certificate, the app will refuse too.
• Include the scheme: https://music.example.com, not music.example.com.
• If the server runs on a non-standard port, include it.

The library is empty after connecting

The app shows what the server returns. An empty library means the server has no content to offer this session — check the server, not the app. Some servers expose nothing at all until you sign in.

A track will not play, or stops partway

• The server must support HTTP Range requests. Without them, seeking and background playback break.
• Formats: MP3 · AAC · ALAC · FLAC · WAV · Opus play natively. Anything the device cannot decode will not play, however the server labels it — the container name is not the answer: an .ogg file holding Opus plays, the same container holding Vorbis does not, because iOS has no Vorbis decoder.
• If playback stops when the screen locks, check that the file is served over a stable connection — the app keeps playing in the background by design.

Sign-in

Signing in is optional and is offered by the server, not by the app. Browsing works without an account. If the sign-in option is missing, the server did not offer one.

4. Your data

Tape collects nothing. What the app keeps — the server address, a session token in the iOS Keychain, your player settings, queue, history and playback position — is stored on your device only and is removed when you delete the app. There is no account with us to close and no data of yours for us to hand back. Details are in the Privacy Policy.

Anything the server stores is handled by whoever runs that server, under their own rules. Requests about server-side data go to its operator.

5. Reporting a problem

Reports are much faster to act on when they carry the following:

• iOS version and device model;
• the app version, from the bottom of the app's profile screen;
• what software the server runs;
• the exact error text, including any system error shown by iOS;
• whether the same address opens in Safari on the same device.

Where to send it depends on whose problem it is, and the two go to different people:

• The app itself — a crash, a control that does nothing, a screen that will not load: open an issue on GitHub. That is the developer's channel, and it is public — do not put passwords, tokens or server addresses in it.
• Your library, your account or your files — missing tracks, sign-in, anything about the content: the operator of the server you connected. The app has a Support screen for exactly this; messages from it go to that server, not to the developer of the app.

The app can also attach diagnostics — see Send logs in the app's profile screen. That report goes to the server you are connected to, so send it when the server's operator asks for it.

6. Terms

Use of the app is covered by the Terms of Use.