An open-source AirPlay mirroring receiver built with Flutter and C++. It enables devices on the same local network to receive screen mirroring and audio from iPhones, iPads, and Macs.
Powered by a shared C++ playback core and UxPlay protocol implementation, Flutter AirPlay delivers high-performance streaming with native hardware acceleration across mobile, TV, and desktop platforms.
AirPlay screen mirroring demo.
VID_20261006_163032.mp4
- ⚡ Native Hardware Acceleration: Hardware-accelerated video decoding via Apple VideoToolbox (macOS/iPad) and Android NDK MediaCodec.
- 📱 Phone, Tablet, TV & Desktop: Unified Flutter interface adapting seamlessly to handheld screens, desktop window managers, and large TV displays.
- 📺 Android TV Optimized: Dedicated 10-foot UI with remote D-pad navigation with one animated white focus ring, dark mode by default, and screen stay-awake support.
- 🪟 Desktop-Friendly Integration: Window aspect ratio automatically tracks video stream; supports always-on-top, fullscreen, system tray / menu bar persistence, and launch at login.
- 🔄 Background Reception: Android runs as a foreground service with notification controls, continuing reception when switched to the background or screen-off.
- 🎯 Dynamic Resolution & Auto-negotiation: Supports "Match Native" (up to 4K 2160p), 1440p, 1080p, and 720p with real-time stream dimension monitoring.
- 🔒 Zero Bloat & Bundled Dependencies: No need to install Homebrew packages or GStreamer runtime on macOS.
- Playback Statistics: Enable Settings → Advanced → Playback statistics overlay on any platform. The passive overlay shows codec, decoder backend, decoded size, one-second scheduler submission FPS, cumulative scheduler drops and queue depths. Drops count late, out-of-order and overflow pictures since the last playback reset; they exclude lifecycle cancellation and network loss. Submission does not measure actual screen presentation.
| Platform | Tier | Video Decoder | Audio Decoder | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| macOS | ✅ Supported | VideoToolbox (H.264 / HEVC) | AudioConverter / CoreAudio (AAC-LC, ALAC) | macOS 12+ (Apple Silicon). Bundled native libraries; menu bar tray & launch at login support. |
| Android Phone | ✅ Supported | MediaCodec (H.264 / HEVC) | MediaCodec (AAC, AAC-ELD), Built-in ALAC | Android 8.0+ (API 26+), arm64-v8a. Foreground service for background standby; SurfaceView rendering. |
| Android TV | ✅ Supported | MediaCodec (H.264 / HEVC) | MediaCodec (AAC, AAC-ELD), Built-in ALAC | arm64-v8a. Full TV remote / D-pad focus handling, enforced dark theme, screen kept awake. |
| Platform | Tier | Video Decoder | Audio Decoder | Limitations & Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iPad | 🧪 Experimental | VideoToolbox (H.264 / HEVC) | AudioConverter (AAC-LC, AAC-ELD, ALAC) | iPadOS 15+. Foreground reception only; stops when switched to background. |
| Windows | 🧪 Experimental | Media Foundation (H.264 / HEVC), FFmpeg fallback | Wasapi / Bundled decoders | Windows 10+ x64. Windows N requires Media Feature Pack. System tray and shortcuts supported. |
| Linux Desktop | 🧪 Experimental | System FFmpeg 6+ (NVDEC / VAAPI, software fallback) | PulseAudio / PipeWire, ALAC | Requires GTK 3, OpenGL 3.2+ / OpenGL ES 3+, Avahi mDNS, PulseAudio/PipeWire. NVIDIA CUDA/OpenGL interop keeps supported YUV frames on GPU; other hardware paths may download YUV before GPU conversion. System tray uses StatusNotifierItem over the session D-Bus. |
Note
DRM Notice: Screen mirroring protected by FairPlay DRM (such as Netflix, Apple TV+, Disney+) is not supported due to hardware DRM chain restrictions. Peer-to-peer (Wi-Fi Direct / Ad-hoc) connection is not supported; both devices must be on the same local network.
- Connect to Same Network: Ensure your iPhone/iPad/Mac and the receiver device are connected to the same local Wi-Fi or subnet.
- Launch Application: Open Flutter AirPlay. The receiver starts automatically upon launch. (Grant local network permission if prompted).
- Start Mirroring:
- On iOS / iPadOS: Swipe to open Control Center, tap Screen Mirroring, and select the device name displayed on the screen.
- On macOS: Open Control Center > Screen Mirroring > select the receiver name.
- Playback & Controls:
- The app automatically switches to the player screen once video frames are received.
- Tap the screen, move the mouse, or press any remote navigation button to reveal on-screen controls.
- Click Disconnect to end mirroring and return to standby.
| Action | macOS | Windows / Linux |
|---|---|---|
| Toggle Receiver | ⌘ + R |
Ctrl + R |
| Settings | ⌘ + , |
Ctrl + , |
| Logs | ⌘ + L |
Ctrl + L |
| Disconnect Session | ⌘ + . |
Ctrl + . |
| Toggle Fullscreen | ⌃ + ⌘ + F |
F11 |
| Exit Fullscreen | Esc |
Esc |
| Close Window | ⌘ + W |
Ctrl + W |
| Quit Application | ⌘ + Q |
Ctrl + Q |
- Mouse Interaction: Double-click video to toggle fullscreen. On-screen controls automatically fade after 2.5 seconds of inactivity.
- Android Phone: Controls fade after 3 seconds. The system
Backbutton hides controls first. PressingBackagain within 2 seconds confirms disconnection. - Android TV: Press
OK,Direction keys, orMenuto reveal controls. Initial focus rests on "Continue watching" to prevent accidental disconnections. Controls fade after 5 seconds.Backbutton toggles controls and never abruptly disconnects.
- Device Name: Customize the receiver name visible via mDNS/Bonjour. Supports auto-saving, random name generation, and one-click reset to device default.
- Fast pairing (Advanced): Available on every platform and on by default. Existing saved preferences are preserved. It disables the legacy pairing advertisement to try to reduce connection time. Changes apply automatically while waiting, or after the current session ends. Turn it off if a sender cannot connect.
- Video Quality Preference: Choose from Match Native, 720p, 1080p, 1440p, or 4K (2160p).
- "Match Native" queries your display resolution and decoder limits to request optimal dimensions.
- Resolution changes take effect immediately during standby, or seamlessly after the active streaming session ends.
- Desktop Preferences (macOS, Windows & Linux):
- Video-sized Window: The first video frame fits the current display. Rotation keeps the window centered with a short transition (disabled by Reduce Motion); manual resizing preserves your chosen display scale. Disconnecting restores the pre-session window size and position. Pauses do not reset the window, and fullscreen, maximized, minimized, or hidden windows apply pending sizing when restored.
- Always on Top: Keeps player window pinned above other desktop applications.
- Show / Fullscreen on Connect: Automatically brings window to front or enters fullscreen upon stream arrival.
- System Tray / Menu Bar: Manual launches open the main window; opening the app again brings its existing window forward. Login startup stays in the tray without opening a window. Use the tray menu to open the app, settings, logs, or quit. If the tray is unavailable or initialization fails, the window opens instead. The existing close-to-tray preference controls what happens when you close the window.
- Open at Login: Off by default. Opens the application after desktop sign-in, not a pre-login boot service. “Receive automatically on launch” controls whether reception starts. The switch reads system registration; opening the app or saving other settings never re-enables it. macOS requires 13+ and may require approval in System Settings → General → Login Items. Windows uses the installed executable; keep portable bundles at a fixed path. Linux requires an XDG-autostart-compatible desktop session, honors
XDG_CONFIG_HOME, and registers the permanent AppImage path when applicable. Moving/deleting a bundle breaks registration; toggle off before moving it and on again afterward. Use Refresh startup status after changing system settings. Existing app-owned Windows/Linux login entries are upgraded to mark login launches without enabling disabled entries. An old unmarked entry may show the window on the first launch after upgrading; subsequent logins stay quiet.
- Android Background Reception:
- Requires Notification Permission (Android 13+) to post the persistent foreground service notice.
- Enable "Display over other apps" in system settings to allow Flutter AirPlay to automatically open when mirroring starts from the background.
1. Device not found in Screen Mirroring list
- Network Isolation: Ensure your Wi-Fi router does not have "AP Isolation" or "Guest Mode" enabled, which blocks mDNS discovery between devices.
- Firewall & Permissions: Allow local network access for Flutter AirPlay on macOS / iOS / Windows.
- mDNS Service: On Linux, ensure the
avahi-daemonservice is running (systemctl status avahi-daemon). - Receiver State: Verify that the homepage status indicator displays "Ready to connect" / "Discoverable" and is not in an error state.
2. Connected but black screen or audio only
- DRM Content: AirPlay mirroring does not support copyright-protected media (e.g. Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+). The sender device will output a black screen by design.
- Codec Negotiation: Ensure your device supports the requested codec. The sender decides the final stream format based on receiver negotiation.
3. Where are the diagnostic logs saved?
Logs are written using mixin_logger (retaining up to 10 files, 5 MiB each) and contain Flutter, protocol core, and decoder diagnostics:
- macOS:
~/Library/Application Support/tech.soit.flutterairplay/logs/ - Android:
Android/data/tech.soit.flutterairplay/files/logs/ - In-App: Open the Logs screen from the homepage or settings to view and export recent events.
Flutter UI / ReceiverModel
|
ReceiverRepository (settings persistence / native actions)
|
lib/receiver/native + native/ffi (C ABI / Dart port)
|
native/receiver (state / desired and active settings / lifecycle)
| |
native/protocol native/playback
| |
vendor/UxPlay native/backends
Apple / Android / Windows / Linux / FFmpeg
Common settings are persisted by Dart. Native hosts supply video surfaces, discovery and OS lifecycle hooks. MethodChannel is used for host bootstrap and OS integration, including Android foreground-service preparation.
For environment setup, local compilation, tests, and CI packaging, please refer to the Development Guide (DEVELOPMENT.md). Codebase architecture and coding standards are documented in AGENTS.md.
- This project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 (GPLv3).
- Incorporates code from UxPlay; upstream details and commits are tracked in
vendor/UxPlay/UPSTREAM.md. - Third-party licenses and notices are listed in THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md.