AndreyPavlenko/Fermata

Fermata is worth a look if you keep music and video in a folder hierarchy and want an Android player that respects it. It is not a streaming-service client or a library-first catalog app.

The problem

Many Android players assume a flat library indexed by tags, so a carefully arranged folder tree of albums, shows or language courses gets flattened or ignored. Someone with hundreds of files arranged by folder wants to tap into a directory and resume where playback stopped last time, without rebuilding the collection as a library. Fermata changes that step: you browse folders directly, and each folder remembers its last track and position. The result is a player that treats the filesystem as the playlist.

What's different

Folders are the main organizing unit, and the app keeps per-folder playback state, including the last played track and position. Favorites and playlists sit on top, with CUE and M3U support, so existing playlist files still work. An IPTV add-on adds XMLTV EPG and Catchup for live TV, unusual in a player otherwise focused on local files.

Audio effects can be set globally, per track or per folder, and playback speed can also be configured at track and folder level. That is useful for audiobooks, lectures and language material where a whole directory should run at one speed. The media engine is pluggable: MediaPlayer, ExoPlayer and VLC; the README notes that subtitles and audio-stream selection in the video player require VLC.

Android Auto and Android TV support extend the same app to car and living-room screens, including favorites and playlists on the TV home screen. The main trade-off is that this is folder-first rather than metadata-driven; people expecting rich automatic library management may find it a different model. The README also warns that sites using the Fermata name are 100% scams and that the app is free and open source, so take it from the official repository.

Who should try it

A good fit is someone with a local collection arranged by folders, especially needing per-folder speed and equalizer settings or listening to long spoken content. Android TV and Android Auto users benefit because the app targets those surfaces explicitly. A poor fit is someone whose listening is mostly subscription streaming or who depends on tag-centric library browsing. Users who need in-app subtitle and audio-track switching in video should plan on the VLC engine.

Requirements and limitations

This is an Android application, running on Android phones, Android TV and Android Auto. Video subtitle and audio-stream features are tied to the VLC engine, so other engines will not provide that experience. Building from source requires the Android SDK, and the repository must be cloned with submodules, which matters for anyone not using the prebuilt APK. Source builds also require an application ID suffix parameter. A Docker build path is documented for those preferring a containerized toolchain.

HotRepo's take

HotRepo's stored coverage begins on 2026-10-24 and shows one monthly Java board observation: +99 stars this month, rank #9, dated 2026-10-25. With only a two-day recorded sample and no daily-board history, persistence cannot be judged. If considering it, check the project's release listing and confirm which engine your video subtitle and audio-track needs require.