BluAS, all you can shuffle with BluOS

Introduction
BluAS stands for "BluOS Album Shuffle" and is an Android app controller that allows you to control your BluOS player at home. Its main function is to select and play complete albums randomly selected from your BluOS library (on your NAS).

BluAS is particularly interesting for users with (very) large local music collections who want to rediscover their collection thanks to the random playback function.

The official BluOS Controller mobile app doesn't offer such an "album shuffle" function, while users have wanted this for a long time (look at these cases from January 2020, April 2022 and October 2023).

The BluAS Android app uses the publicly available API of your BluOS device, which you can find here. My initial implementation was developed as a Python script and a more interactive webpage version, both are still available upon request.

The BluAS Android app offers a simple and minimalist interface (for mobile devices and tablets).

Free and full version
PhD Software offers a free version and a full version. The free version limits the number of artists (max. 250), the number of artists per genre (max. 15) and the number of albums per artist (max. 5). The additional play modes like Autoplay, Listplay and Track mode are not supported.

You can also select and play quickly an album using the Artist filter (see below). With the Autoplay feature, albums (or tracks) can repeatly be played from your library (without the need to create a playlist yourself). With the Listplay feature, you can create and play a playlist with randomly selected albums (or tracks) from your library.

How to install
You can download the latest full version of the app (v1.9.2, see below its release history) from my download page (or click here) and install it on your Android device (Android 8.1+). The full version requires a registration code you have to request from PhD Software by email (for which I charge a fee of 49 euros). When you only want to use the free version, you can download it from Google Play. The app does not share any data and does not store personal data.

To communicate with your BluOS device, a number of technical parameters must match your local situation (via the app's technical settings). These technical parameters are automatically set by a discovery function when the BluAS app starts for the first time (and these values are still empty). However, you may also have to set them manually (if the discovery fails):

• Address of your BluOS player within your local network
• Service name of your music library on your NAS (default LocalMusic)
• Port (covers) number for cover rendering (default 11004)
• Library (covers) name for cover rendering (default /library/v1)

How it works
First, an artist is randomly selected (by pressing the 'Artist' button), so that every artist on your NAS has an equal chance. Second, an album is randomly selected and played. BluAS uses an own index containing all your available artists and its genre. This allows a quick selection of the albums!

The overview of all its functions (via the buttons) you can find below. You can get an overview in the BluAS app by pressing the logo at the top left of the screen.

Button layout overview
Artist	Shuffle	Skip	Play	Vol. up
Album	Repeat	Back	Info	Vol. dw
Secundary functions (by long press) button function Artist Create index for BluAS or re-index BluOS Shuffle Selects the latest albums (full version only) Repeat Selects the favorite albums (full version only) Play Set artist to randomize from Info Show app info (version & notes) Vol. up Select genre to randomize from Vol. dw Toggle Track mode (full version only)

How to use
When you start the player for the first time and have set the correct technical parameters (by BluAS or manually), you can check the status of your BluOS device with the 'Info' button. If everything looks allright, you can create your BluAS index: long press the 'Artist' button, select 'Re-index BluAS' and wait for BluAS to finish creating the index (watch its progress bar). The BluAS index is based on the BluOS index, which you can optionally re-index first. However this can take some time (its progress is visualized by a flashing info text).

Tapping the 'Artist' button randomly selects a new artist, and pressing the 'Album' button randomly selects another album by the currently selected artist. When BluAS takes control by selecting and playing an album, BluAS becomes standby, the 'Artist' button gets highlighted. In standby mode, the album's tracklist can be displayed using the 'Info' button (otherwise the current playlist is displayed).

Additionally, the combination of the 'Shuffle' button and 'Repeat' button determines the Autoplay mode (full version only), when BluAS continues with playing another album after the selected album has finished playing.

• Shuffle only, BluAS plays random album of a random artist
• Shuffle+Repeat, BluAS plays random album of the current artist
• Repeat only, BluAS replays current album of the current artist

The Autoplay mode requires the app to remain active in the background. It starts a so-called foreground activity (indicated by its icon in the status bar) and requires the permission for unrestricted battery usage (Android 12+). But if BluAS detects another app being used, it will lose its standby status, any autoplay will not continue, and the 'Artist' button gets dimmed

Although BluAS is an album controller, it offers with Track mode also the feature to autoplay just one track from a selected album, chosen at random, of course.

This autoplay feature is an unique way to randomly play music from your library. You can keep playing it endlessly if you want (as long as BluAS remains connected to your local network).

Play modes
BluAS offers different play modes (available via the Settings-menu, which requires a restart of the app). The default mode plays only the selected album or track and does not move to a next one. The Autoplay mode, however, continues playing with a random album (or track) by another random or current artist. You can also repeat the current album or track. The Autoplay mode is set by default but can be altered using the 'Shuffle' and 'Repeat' buttons (if standby).

The Listplay mode cannot be changed while the app is active (like the other play modes); you must restart the app after switching from Autoplay to Listplay mode and vice versa. Listplay mode creates a playlist of random albums or tracks, selected based on genre or artist. You can start this mode by tapping the 'Listplay' button (which has replaced the 'Artist' button).

The advantage of Listplay mode (compared to Autoplay mode) is that the app does not need to run continuously (so no foreground activity and standby control are needed), disadvantages may be the lack of surprise and its limited duration. The duration of a playlist created with the Listplay mode depends on the number of albums or tracks, which is maximized by BluAS (max. 10 albums or 100 tracks). The Listplay mode does not support the selection from favorites or latest albums.

Filters
To refine the random selection of albums, two filters are available.

With the first filter (long press 'Volume up' button), you can select a genre from a list (with all available genres from your BluAS index). After selecting a genre, a popup appears with all the artists from this genre (if the Filter info setting is enabled).

Users can also select 'Favorites' or 'Latest' (via long press 'Shuffle' or 'Repeat' button, full version only) to play at random albums from your latest or favorites albums, which number you can set as setting. Also a special feature of BluAS allows you to randomly select and play your favorite tracks, enable both the Track mode and the Favorite track mode setting (via the extended settings submenu).

With the second filter (by the onlt text input field in the upper right corner), you can select an artist from whom you want to play random albums. A list appears with the available albums of the artist. Tap the album from the list to show its tracklist, or long press to play the album. You may return from the tracklist to the list by tapping the title bar of the popup window. Otherwise BluAS will decide which album to play (with the 'Album' button).

You can search quickly for only parts of an artist name. To select a specific artist name, you may prefix (or postfix) your search text with a dot. Example: enter '.Yes' to find artist Yes (instead to find f.i. 'Bright Eyes' by 'Yes').

You can also filter albums of a prefered artist by entering a matching value to the artist value prefixed with a '?'. Example: enter 'Beethoven?sym' as artist value for selecting all his symphony albums and not his guitar albums ;-).

Nice to know
The index created by and within BluAS is based on BluOS indexing results. If you've added a new album to your music library, be sure to re-index your BluOS music library first (by BluAS or BluOS). It's also nice to know that BluAS uses an artist-centric approach. While an artist can belong to multiple genres, BluAS can only select them based on one genre.

BluAS can also display the album's year, if it's included in the album's file path on your network folder (4 characters starting with '/19' or '/20').

BluAS plays a randomly selected album by default after a confirmation, which can be changed via the Settings-menu. The different play modes can also be enabled through the Settings-menu. You can use the app in light or dark mode through the Settings-menu and perhaps also choose for dynamic coloring of the background.

BluAS randomization was initially completely random or 'memoryless', which means that for every choice, any artist or album can be selected (except the previous one). The randomization is now more 'memory-based'; choices made are excluded from subsequent choices as long as there are still other choices available that have not yet been made. For example: if you have selected 20 artists (for some genre), all 20 artists are randomly selected before an artist can be selected a second time (in autoplay). However, the randomization of tracks in Track mode is still 'memoryless'.

Occasional communication errors may occur with your BluOS device (such as timeouts due to overload or unexpected changes in its address). You can determine the actual technical cause of this - if it is persistent - by enabling the Collect log technical setting (which enables sharing the log via long pressing the 'Volume down' button, replacing its default function).

BluOS compatibility
The app is at least compatible with BluOS firmware version 4.10.13 (July 2025). Since there is no way to revert to previous BluOS firmware versions, there is a small risk that upgrades may cause compatibility issues. Therefore, PhD Software greatly appreciates all comments and feedback when running BluAS on other BluOS versions. The BluAS app is developed with help of my own local music library for 30 genres with more than 2000 artists, 10000 albums and 100000 tracks.

Android compatibility
The latest version (v1.9.2) of the app can be used from Android 8.1+ (Oreo, API level 27).

Suggestions, questions or a registration?
For suggestions, questions, a registration, or a customized version, send an email to info@phdsoftware.nl.

Release history
The first 'final' version was created after a period of many step-by-step improvements. New improvements are added via update versions. As of version v1.9.2, BluAS is also distributed via Google Play (as free version).

Notes regarding release v1.9.2: Releasing the app via Google Play necessitated improvements to the discovery function. If no BluOS device is found, more information on how to resolve the issue is displayed. There can be various reasons for this, but a restart is usually required (after changing settings or the network). In addition, minor issues have been fixed, and dark mode is now the default theme.

Notes regarding release v1.9.1: A splash screen is now started when the app is launched, which shows that the app is preparing things (IP discovery, or load index file). The settings which require a registration are now moved to a new submenu called 'extended settings'. This release will also be distribution via Google Play, but for now, only as the free version. In the near future the support can be expected of the In-App Purchase option for a full version via Google Play. The use of the app is now measured and displayed in the main settings menu (total time and play time). The cumulated duration are updated when the app is exited. Other improvements are made for when an external source is rselected while the app is active (default cover is now shown). It is now possible to change the theme without restarting the app, but be aware, the app may loose its standby status (when autoplay is active).

Notes regarding release v1.8.7: A fast discovery scan yields quicker results but carries the risk of the process proceeding too rapidly. Therefore, an optional setting has been added to adjust the speed to your situation. The address offset can now also be configured for faster discovery. The discovery settings are located as a submenu within the technical settings. In addition, the function overview (by hitting the logo) and various text elements have been updated.

Notes regarding release v1.8.6: The app has been updated to Android API level 36 (Android 16); this was necessary for security reasons but required some layout adjustments. Furthermore, the option to select latest and favorite albums has been moved to the 'Shuffle' and 'Repeat' buttons (via a long press); this is more intuitive than the previous method involving the genre select function. When you select an artist and their albums are displayed, you can view the tracklist in a pop-up; long-pressing the pop-up's title bar now plays the album immediately. Self-configuration has been improved; the process takes slightly longer, but the likelihood of a successful configuration is higher. Minor visual improvements have been implemented (based on testing in both portrait and landscape modes across Android API levels 27 through 37, corresponding to Android versions 8.1 through 17).

Notes regarding release v1.8.4: The pop-up window with information about artists, albums, and tracks is updated by using the title bar as a close button. The display of playlists has also been improved: artist and album names now appear before the track names (instead of within the track name). The option for dynamic album art can also be set using a range value (part of the new submenu with various settings). Another interesting feature is the ability to sort and show albums by year (instead of alphabetical order). However for this option, the year must be present in the file path of your album tracks.

Notes regarding release v1.8.3: The Listplay playmode can now create playlists with a larger number of tracks. Therefore, it was necessary to add extra processing logic to BluAS. Progress can be viewed in a pop-up window; creating playlists with tracks, in particular, can take some time. The next step was to expand the settings with a new submenu (Number settings), where you can configure the length of the playlists. Furthermore, the BluOS re-index function is now combined with the Create index function (long press the 'Artist' button). To select the current artist as selected artist (showing its albums) is now back by a long press of the 'Play' button. Some nice visual changes have also been implemented in this release; the album art can now change size slightly during playback and the visual and controller settings can now be selected directly. For the free version, the max. number of artists per genre is decreased to 15 (enabling more genres) and the selection of favorites or latest has been removed from the genre select function.

Notes regarding release v1.7.6: Using a list of albums (from v1.7.5) made the interface a bit easier, but required still an update to show the tracklist by a tap and to play the album by a long press. By closing the popup, the list of albums is reshown, which makes a quicker select of another album possible. The setting Filter info is now renamed into Genre info, and can be disabled without blocking the Genre select function. Furthermore, the album cover is added to the tracklist popup. The long press to toggle the Track mode is switched to the 'Volume down' button, which button is always available. The long press to set the current artist as selected artist (showing its albums) is now available via the 'Album' button.

Some notes regarding release v1.7.5: Support is now being provided for landscape orientation, which seems better suited for tablet users. Album artwork is now also automatically scaled to a square format (if not square). Selecting a genre (including favorites and latest albums) is no longer done via an input field, but via a list selection. This required a redistribution of the long press functions to the buttons, which can now be shown by the new quick reference function (tap the logo in the top left). Finally, it is now also possible to select and play a specific album for the free version! Warning: Leave the Filter info setting enabled, otherwise no selection list is displayed!

Some notes regarding the latest release v1.6.4: With this release, an improved randomization algorithm has been introduced, which supports a less random but more spread-out selection. However you may turn it off (by a setting). Furthermore, a feature has become available to re-index your BluOS library (long-press of the 'Volume down' button). A very handy feature is the ability to switch quickly between track mode and the standard album mode (long-press of the 'Album' button). The dynamic color option (especially when using the light theme) has also been improved like more cosmetics (like a flashing title when playing) and technical issues. PS the original idea to use a short, looping video as an indication of playback status has been scrapped due to higher battery consumption and its minimal but fun value.

BluAS examples (click for hi-res)

BluAS playing example (click for mp4 clip (no music))