With version 1.6, Mobile MA takes another step toward becoming a truly iOS-native client for Music Assistant. The update focuses on two main areas: Live Activities for system-wide playback visibility, and a significantly improved Genres view for browsing large libraries.
Live Activities: What’s playing, always in view
The headline feature is Live Activities. Whenever your home Music Assistant server is playing something, the current track now appears directly on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island – complete with artwork, title, and artist. A quick glance at the iPhone is enough to see what’s playing – no need to open the app or unlock the device.
This is exactly the kind of integration iOS has offered for years, and which has been missing from self-hosted music setups. If you use Mobile MA throughout the day – kitchen, living room, office – the difference is immediate: the remote becomes invisible, the information stays visible.
Under the hood, the Live Activity respects Mobile MA’s architecture. No metadata is mirrored to the cloud; nothing leaves your local network. The self-hosted philosophy remains intact, while the app makes full use of the system integration iOS 17 already provides. Technically, Live Activities now live in their own module – clearing the path for future widgets and Home Screen components.
Genres: A new way through your library
The second major focus of version 1.6 is genres. In libraries that have grown over years, genres are often the underrated gateway to your own music: you don’t always know what you want to listen to – but you usually know what mood you’re in. That’s exactly where this update aims.
The genre view has been rebuilt from the ground up. Libraries with many or unusually named genres are now grouped cleanly and can be browsed reliably. Subgenres are mapped correctly, duplicates caused by different spellings disappear, and even very large libraries load smoothly.
For users with heterogeneous collections – vinyl rips, purchased albums, streaming integrations via Music Assistant – this is a real gain. Instead of returning to the same few albums or playlists, the reworked genre view invites you to actually rediscover your own library: from hip-hop and jazz through electronic music to niche genres that would otherwise get lost.
Polish and stability
Beyond the two focus areas, there has been substantial cleanup under the hood. Test coverage has grown significantly: an extended unit-test suite now protects playback logic, queue handling, and favorites against regressions in future updates. Product identifiers and project structure were adjusted, giving upcoming features a more stable foundation to build on.
Who should upgrade
If you’re already using Mobile MA as a remote for your Music Assistant server, version 1.6 offers the smoothest experience to date. Live Activities turn the app into a silent companion in everyday life, while the reworked genre view opens up your own music collection in a new way.
Version 1.6 is available in the App Store now. Requirements remain iOS 17 and a reachable Music Assistant server on your local network. As always: no third parties, no cloud, no accounts – just your own music, on your own server, controlled from your own iPhone.
Version history:
← Previous: Version 1.5 — Every Speaker, One Tap
All versions: Mobile MA section
Help & questions: Support form