How to play an AIFF file on Android

Apple’s uncompressed audio — AIFF, AIF and AIFF-C

AIFF is Apple’s uncompressed audio format — “WAV for the Mac”. Music exported from studio software, sample packs and CD rips made on Apple computers often use it. Many Android phones cannot open AIFF. The free XanderFiles app plays AIFF in its own audio player.

Get it on Google Play

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What is this file

AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format) stores sound uncompressed — as precisely as a CD or a studio recording. Logic, GarageBand and other music software use it; sample packs and masters are often delivered as AIFF.

.aif and .aiff files are the same format. There is also AIFF-C (.aifc), which can hold compressed sound as well.

How to open it

Install XanderFiles from Google Play. It is free, with no ads and no sign-up.
Tap the .aiff file wherever you have it: in Downloads, in the cloud or in a folder copied from a Mac.
When Android asks which app to use, choose XanderFiles. Or the other way round: open XanderFiles, tap “Open file” and pick the file in Downloads or Google Drive.
The audio player opens and the sound starts. You can build a playlist from the files and listen with the screen off.

What you can do

Play AIFF and AIF: 16, 24 and 32 bits, high sample rates
Uncompressed AIFF-C, plus μ-law, A-law and IMA ADPCM compression
Also CAF (Core Audio) with uncompressed audio or ALAC, WAV, W64 and AU
Playlist, equalizer, volume leveling, background playback
Bit-perfect output to an external USB DAC (Android 14 and newer, if the DAC and phone support the mode)

Good to know

Rare compressed AIFF-C variants with old Mac codecs (MACE, QDesign) do not play.
The app only plays files: it cannot edit or convert AIFF.

Questions

Why is the AIFF file so big?

The sound is not compressed: one minute of 44.1 kHz / 16-bit stereo takes about 10 MB, like a CD. In return, the quality is identical to the original.

What is the difference between AIFF and WAV?

Almost none: both store uncompressed sound. AIFF comes from the Mac, WAV from Windows. XanderFiles plays both.

Is it free?

Yes. No ads, no sign-up, and it works offline.

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Other formats

Get it on Google Play

Free · no ads · no sign-up · offline