Like different video file formats, each time you receive an audio file, it can be in various formats, such as MP3, M4A, WAV, FLAC, WMA, OGG and more.
Even with default audio players on Android phones, not all audio can be played. If you need to play any sound, music or audio file effortlessly, you better find a powerful audio player application that supports all audio formats.
Many devices do not support multiple audio formats. This requires downloading a third-party app to play them. And M4A audio files belong to a group that needs third-party applications.
The M4A file format is not a household name precisely, behind the much more popular MP3.
However, it does not mean that it is not essential. Apple’s iTunes Store, the dominant digital music distribution force, offers DRM-free music as M4A files along with AAC, so you may one day find yourself on an M4A track you want to play somewhere other than iTunes.
Some Android music players support all music formats, including M4A and WMA. Nonetheless, the most significant factor that makes listening to music more common is the unique features these music apps offer.
What is the M4a file?
Files with the .m4a extension are container files that store audio data. Audio data contained in .m4a files are encoded using an MPEG4 part 14 format.
Apple created the .m4a file extension. This is very similar to the .mov and .mp4 file formats except that the .m4a files do not contain any image data.
As with MP3 files, m4a files are compressed, but the compression technology used to create .m4a files provides higher sound quality. File compression makes managing files easier, reducing file size. This allows them to be downloaded faster from the Internet and enables the M4A to file to take up less space.
When it entails creating and storing audio on a device; there are several ways to do this. However, there are three categories to which audio files belong. They are:
- Uncompressed audio formats
- Audio formats with lossy compression
- Audio formats with continuous compression
Apple iTunes and the iTunes Store commonly use the m4a audio file. Enhanced audio encoding reduces files to a small size for fast file transfer.
Can Android play M4a?
Yes, one can play m4a audio materials on Android. But it requires a third-party application to play them. Fortunately, many apps can play this audio format. So this is not such a big problem.
The m4a is a kind of audio format that can provide better sound quality compared to MP3. At the same time, it takes up less space on your hard drive. Although the M4A is a recognized audio format type, there are still many media players that do not support this type of audio file.
You’ll need to turn to the music player apps that support m4a files to enjoy it on Android devices. Another solution to this problem is that you can convert m4a files to the most common audio files such as MP3s supported by most if not all Android players so you can enjoy it on your Android phones.
What are the best apps to play m4a, WMA files?
We will introduce some useful apps that support m4a music playback on Android phones and recommend some of the best m4a converters you can use when converting them to mp3 so you can easily listen to them from any default player on your Smartphone.
1. Equalizer Music Player
The Equalizer Music Player is a free video and audio player that comes with several tools that can be used to improve audio quality.
It supports many music and video formats including .m4a, .mp3, .mp4 and so on. Edit playlist, delete songs, and more. This app is considered by many to be the best free audio and music player for Android users. It’s completely free; you can download it from Google Play.
2. VLC for Android
VLC for Android can play any video and audio files, as well as network streams, network shares and disks, and DVD ISOs such as the desktop VLC version.
Plus, it’s a full audio player with a full database, equalizer, and filters that play all sorts of audio formats.
VLC is a universal media player app. It supports not only m4a files but also several audio and video file formats. VLC is for everyone, is completely free, has no ads, no in-app purchases, no espionage, and is created by passionate volunteers.
3. Player dreams
It is also a free audio player with a built-in bookmark editor.
In addition to the standard features you might find on other similar players such as skin customization, equalizer, and auto-pause during a phone call, etc .; it can also be used to partition files. Pretty good choice if you have some m4a files editing jobs.
4. PowerAmp
Poweramp is another application that supports many audio and video formats. You have to download a trial version. Unfortunately, the trial runs 15 days after the first application. When it runs out, you need to buy an app that costs around $5.18.
It is considered the most influential music player that can play almost all types of audio files, including the m4a, and can also be used to organize your music library. The coolest thing about PowerAMP is theme support.
You can download quite a number of themes on Google Play, including free and paid options.
The player can automatically search and download artwork for a missing album so you can easily optimize your Android music library.
5. BlackPlayer
BlackPlayer is a paid music player app on the Google Play Store. It means you are offered premium features and support for less than a dollar.
First of all, it is easy to use and one of the fastest. It restores multiple locally stored music files such as m4a, mp3, flac, and wav. Also, it has an Integrated Equalizer, BassBoost, Virtualizer, Left/Right Sound Balance.
The paid app has a 4.6/5 rating. The user interface is speedy and clean. Overall, the BlackPlayer music player is lightweight to meet your audio needs.
6. Pulsar
Pulsar is an offline music player that does not display ads. It has a clean, beautiful and straightforward user interface. You can also change its themes to see what suits your music taste.
Pulsar supports a variety of music file types including m4a, mp3, aac, flac, ogg, wav and more. If you can’t find your music on Pulsar, just scan your library.
It has many features, the biggest of which is Chromecast support. However, other features require you to buy a premium version. Pulsar is a robust music player application that can be downloaded from millions and translated into 36 languages.
7. PlayerPro
PlayerPro is a paid application that closely resembles PowerAMP with many similar features, such as searching for missing album art information, restoring artist M4A audio files, playlists, folders, etc., organizing your media library on Android. An excellent alternative to PowerAMP if you want value for your money.
PlayerPro has a friendly, fast and intuitive interface and powerful audio configuration options. Besides, it can be upgraded with several FREE plugins: Skins, DSP Pack, and Widget Pack.
Note: The Pro version is separate. Remove the trial version after purchase.
How to convert .M4a Files to Mp3 on Android
The m4a is definitely not the best when it comes to compatibility.
If you don’t want to waste your time searching for a power app that supports m4a file playback on Android devices, a great alternative is to convert your m4a music files to the most standard music formats, such as mp3, before enjoying on portable devices.
You should know that mp3 is a popular music format supported by all default Android players. Here are five services that enable you to convert m4a files to mp3. So you can play on your Android device.
In Conclusion
Some audio and podcast materials use the m4a file extension, but since this format does not support bookmarks to save the last place you visited the file, they are typically saved in an m4b format, which can store this information.
The MPEG-4 audio format is used by Apple iPhone as a ringtone but is saved using the m4r file extension rather than the m4a.
Compared to mp3, m4a files are usually smaller and of better quality. This is due to the improved m4a format for substitution of mp3s such as perceptual compression, larger stationary block sizes, and smaller sample block sizes.