The Tidal FiiO integration offers a great listening experience to audiophiles. FiiO Digital Audio Player (DAP) is famous for its premium DAC chips and powerful amplification. And now Tidal offers HiRes FLAC (Tidal Max), the highest streaming quality, to users.
However, there are lots of related 'FiiO Tidal' issues listed in the FiiO forum, whether you are using a modern Android-based FiiO or an older FiiO device. For example, such questions as 'Tidal stops after updating FiiO', 'error installing Tidal on FiiO', 'can't find Tidal on my FiiO', etc.
This article will guide you through how to play Tidal on FiiO devices officially with the native Tidal app and via the third-party tool offline with the Bit-Perfect audio quality.
Part 1. How to Use Tidal App on Modern FiiO Players & Save to SD Card (M11/M15/M17)
Before beginning, ensure that your FiiO device supports Tidal. Most modern FiiO devices running an open version of Android (Android 10 or later), like the FiiO M11, M11 Plus, M11S, M15S, M17 and R7, are compatible with Tidal and come with the Google Play Store pre-installed.
If your device is not listed above, you can go to the FiiO website to find your product and check its description. Or, you can skip to Part 2 to get the solution.
How to Install Tidal on FiiO for Use
Step 1. Open your FiiO music player by clicking the 'Power' button. Please choose the 'Bottom navigation bar' button to control your FiiO device. Also, you need to connect your FiiO player to WiFi.
Step 2. Please go to Google Play Store to search for Tidal. Then download and install the latest Tidal app. If it prompts 'Tidal asking root permission', please ignore it and reboot your device.
Step 3. After that, open the Tidal app and log in to your account to play Tidal songs on FiiO. To listen to Tidal music with the 24-bit/192kHz FLAC quality, you can go to Tidal app's Settings > Audio & Playback. Then set both 'Streaming' and 'Download' to Max.
When playing a Tidal track, you may see a system prompt asking to "Allow Tidal to access the USB DAC" or "Enter Exclusive Mode". Please choose OK. This allows the app to bypass the Android audio mixer, ensuring the sample rate light on your FiiO matches the original file exactly.
Also, you can download Tidal Hi-Res audio on FiiO for offline listening. However, high-resolution FLAC files are massive. Your FiiO player's internal storage may be running out. To avoid this, you can change the download destination to an external SD card.
Step 1. Insert a formatted MicroSD card into your FiiO player.
Step 2. Go to Tidal app's Settings and scroll down to the My Content section.
Step 3. Click Download Destination and choose Memory Card or External Storage.
Step 4. Check the Storage bar at the bottom of the settings menu to verify the change.
After that, you can start to download Tidal to SD card on FiiO device and enable Tidal Offline Mode to listen to Tidal music offline.
These Tidal downloads on SD card are encrypted cache files. You can only play them inside the Tidal app on your FiiO player.
Part 2. How to Listen to Tidal Music on FiiO (Offline & For Older and All FiiO Players)
If you have a FiiO X-Series (X1, X3, X5 or X7) or older M-Series (M6, M7 or M9), you can't install the Tidal app on your device for use directly. Because they lack WiFi, run outdated Android versions or have 'whitelist' restrictions blocking the installation. Besides, while you can use and download Tidal music on modern FiiO player, they are cache files only and can't be transferred to other devices for offline playback.
To bypass these restrictions and save Tidal music forever to play offline anywhere, the only thing you need to do is convert Tidal-protected files to common files that can be recognized by FiiO or other devices directly.
To do that, we can use the AudFree Tidal Music Converter. It can easily download Tidal to FLAC, MP3, and other audio formats supported by FiiO M11, FiiO M15, FiiO M6, FiiO M9, etc. You will get offline Tidal music downloads on your computer in a few minutes as the AudFree tool runs at up to 37X faster speed. With advanced design, the Tidal audio will be kept without quality loss. Moreover, the ID3 tags of Tidal songs, including genre, title, cover art, etc. will be saved after the conversion. Finally, you can transfer and enjoy lossless Tidal music on FiiO offline for free with no problem.
AudFree Tidal Music Converter
- Convert Tidal audio for listening on the FiiO music players
- Download Tidal to WAV, MP3, Lossless, M4A, M4B, AIFF and FLAC
- Keep ID3 tags and lossless sound quality
- Work at up to 37X faster speed to convert songs in bulk
How to Download Tidal Audio for Playing on FiiO Offline
To get Tidal music for offline listening on FiiO, it is easy to do. Just keep reading the following guidance we show you. After that, you can easily upload and play Tidal music tracks on the FiiO music player without any restrictions.
- Step 1. Add Tidal music to AudFree Tidal Music Converter
- At the beginning, please download and install the AudFree Tidal Music Converter on your computer. Then open the AudFree program and log in to your Tidal account. Now, pick the tracks you want to convert for playing on the FiiO music player. Hit the '+' icon, then tap the Add to list button to add the audio to AudFree Tidal Music Converter.
- Step 2. Set output format of Tidal music for FiiO
- On the Mac version, please find the 'AudFree Tidal Music Converter' on the menu of your Mac system. While on the Windows version, please tap the Menu icon at the top-right corner of the AudFree tool. Then choose the 'Preferences' > 'Conversion' option. Next, you can select the output audio format as FiiO-supported one, such as AIFF, WAV, FLAC, and so on. In addition to that, the AudFree Tidal Music Downloader allows you to personalize the bit rate/depth, channel, sample rate, etc. to enhance the audio quality of Tidal songs.
| FiiO Supported-lossless Formats | FLAC, WAV, ALAC, AIFF, and DSD |
| FiiO Supported-lossy Formats | MP3, AAC, M4A, WMA, OGG |
- Step 3. Convert Tidal for FiiO
- Now, you can select the big 'Convert' button at the bottom of 'Converting' to begin converting. You will see the real-time converting process. When the conversion completes, the converted Tidal audio tracks will be stored in the target output folder on your computer. You can click the 'Converted' button to locate and check them.
How to Transfer and Play Tidal on FiiO Offline
Step 1. Connect the FiiO music player to your computer via a USB cable. Please ensure the device is in 'Storage Mode' or 'File Transfer Mode'.
Step 2. Then, transfer the Tidal downloaded files to FiiO player. Later, disconnect your FiiO device from your computer.
Step 3. Open the native FiiO Music app or the default media player on your device and choose 'Scan for Songs'. You will see the Tidal music files in your local library and you can stream Tidal music on FiiO offline forever without a Tidal app and Tidal subscription easily.
Part 3. FAQs about Tidal on FiiO Player
Why Does Tidal Stop Playing When My FiiO Screen Turns Off?
This is caused by aggressive battery optimization on the Android device. To fix it, go to FiiO's Settings > Battery > Battery Optimization. Then look for the Tidal app in the list and choose 'Don't Optimize' or 'Unrestricted'. Also, ensure your WiFi settings are set to 'Keep WiFi on during sleep'.
View also: How to Fix Tidal Stops Playing When Screen Is Off
Is It Better to Use the FiiO Music App or the Tidal App to Play Tidal Music?
If you have the Tidal music files locally via AudFree Tidal Music Converter, the FiiO Music App is superior. It is lighter, uses less battery, and bypasses Android audio mixers automatically for better sound quality. But if you want to stream new music, the native Tidal app is better for you.
Can I Use Tidal Connect Feature with FiiO Players?
Yes, but only on modern Android-based FiiO players. You can control the playback on your FiiO device from your phone or PC via Tidal Connect. Also, ensure both your FiiO and mobile/desktop device are on the same WiFi network.
Should I Use USB Audio Player Pro (UAPP) Instead of the Tidal App on FiiO?
If the native Tidal app stutters or fails to play bit-perfectly on your FiiO, you can use USB Audio Player PRO (paid app). It features a custom high-res driver that bypasses Android limitations entirely. But it is for streaming only. If you prefer offline listening, use the native Tidal FiiO app or use AudFree Tidal Music Converter.
View also: How to Play Tidal on UAPP
Part 4. The Verdict
If your FiiO music player has pre-installed the Tidal app, you can directly open it to explore the seamless HiRes FLAC music world. If Tidal doesn't work for you, AudFree Tidal Music Converter is your best alternative. It helps you listen to Tidal playlists offline on FiiO music player without any hassle. Additionally, you can also transfer Tidal music downloads to other Hi-Res music players for playback, such as Astell & Kern and HiBy R3 Pro.
Miley Swift
Staff Editor
