Stream your music over AirPlay from Windows or Linux

AirPlay beyond the Mac: what RustMusic does

AirPlay sends sound to a device on your local network, over Wi-Fi or Ethernet. On macOS and iOS, the sender is part of the system. Windows and Linux have nothing similar: the player itself has to talk to the device. RustMusic 0.3.0 includes such a sender for the first version of the protocol (AirPlay 1), on Windows, Linux and macOS.

AirPlay 1 receivers are common in living rooms:

• network amplifiers and AV receivers (Onkyo, Denon, Marantz…) with an AirPlay input;
• AirPort Express, connected to a hi-fi system through its audio output;
• Apple TV, depending on the model and its settings;
• Shairport Sync, an open-source AirPlay receiver often installed on a Raspberry Pi connected to a DAC or amplifier.

AirPlay or UPnP/DLNA player: who plays the music?

RustMusic 0.3.0 can also play on a UPnP/DLNA network player. The difference matters: with UPnP, the file is sent as is and the device decodes it. With AirPlay, RustMusic decodes the track and sends the device an ALAC stream at 16-bit / 44.1 kHz, which is CD quality.

Because RustMusic produces the sound, the queue, gapless playback, Replay Gain, seeking and pause all stay in the app. The connection stays open from one track to the next, so the end of one covers the start of the following one.

An AirPlay device plays sound about 2 seconds after receiving it. RustMusic accounts for this: the displayed position follows what you hear, a pause is heard immediately, and playback resumes from where your ears left off.

Turning on AirPlay in RustMusic

1. 1

   Install RustMusic 0.3.0

   Windows, Linux (.deb, .rpm or AppImage) or macOS. AirPlay streaming works the same on all three.

2. 2

   Enable AirPlay in settings

   In Settings → Network & DLNA, under “Network players”, turn on “Play on an AirPlay device (v1)”. It is off by default: while it is off, RustMusic does not search for any AirPlay device. On macOS, accept the local network access request.

3. 3

   Choose the device

   Open the “Audio output” menu in the player bar. AirPlay devices appear in the “Network players” section, marked BETA, with their icon and the AirPlay label. The “Search” button looks again if you have just switched a device on.

4. 4

   Start playing

   Title, artist, album, cover art and progress appear on the device, depending on what it can show, at the moment the track is heard.

Limits of this beta

• AirPlay 1 only: a device that accepts AirPlay 2 only is not listed.
• A device protected by an AirPlay password is not listed either.
• CD quality at most: a hi-res file (24-bit, 96 kHz…) is sent at 16-bit / 44.1 kHz. For hi-res on a network amplifier, choose that amplifier as a UPnP/DLNA player instead, if it offers it.
• No DSD over AirPlay for now.
• RustMusic’s volume changes the stream sent, never the amplifier’s volume. Leave it at 100% and set the level on the amplifier.
• The computer does the work: RustMusic must stay open and the computer awake while you listen.

AirPlay device not showing up?

• Check that the computer and the device are on the same local network, not on the Wi-Fi “guest” network, which often isolates devices.
• Check that the device is on (or in network standby) and that AirPlay is enabled in its own settings, then click “Search”.
• A VPN no longer hides devices: since 0.3.0, the search starts from every network adapter on the computer, even when a VPN or virtual adapter is active. If your VPN blocks all local network access, allow it in the VPN’s options.
• On macOS 15, RustMusic needs permission to access the local network, otherwise macOS silently blocks the search. Check it in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Local Network.
• On Windows, if the firewall asks, allow RustMusic on private networks.
• A device that accepts AirPlay 2 only, or that is password-protected, will not appear: this is a limit of this version.