Arloes: a TRUE modern Android TV client for Emby

[Pejamas 149]

10 hours ago, fallenwitch3r said:

Sending is not possible. The file was streaming directly without transcoding. The media is playing without any error on the emby app

Update coming today that im fairly confident should fix all the audio woes.

[Pejamas 149]

ARLOES — 1.8.1
Changes since 1.7.0

NEW

• Optional Glass theme with frosted panels and coordinated highlights across navigation, cards, menus, settings and the TV guide. This was completely re-done to actually be proper glass material
• Built-in libVLC playback fallback for files the default player cannot handle, without installing a separate VLC app. Automatic Compatibility Retry can try it before server conversion.
• Backdrop Blend settings to control how much artwork colour carries into the surrounding page.
• Choose IMDb or YouTube for trailers, or use Ask each time. Hold the Trailer button to choose a source.

IMPROVED

• Faster opening of large libraries, with more titles loaded as you browse and less repeated work while scrolling.
• More efficient card drawing, nearby-row preparation and accessibility updates, with updated performance profiles for library browsing.
• Cleaner action buttons, consistent Spotlight arrows and focus highlights, and clearer watched controls on show and season pages.
• More consistent TV guide spacing, group buttons and navigation, plus smoother episode scrolling.
• Search opens ready for typing, and the Episodes tab opens newest first by default.
• Clearer playback statistics and diagnostic reports, including the active player, selected audio track and reasons for conversion. Video copied without re-encoding is labelled Direct Stream when confirmed by the server.
• Audio compatibility and recovery better match the active player and device. When server audio conversion is needed, supported surround output is preserved; explicit Convert and stereo choices remain respected.

FIXED

• Some MKV files failing to open or remaining stuck buffering, with improved recovery when playback cannot start.
• Dolby Vision Profile 7 files stalling during playback on affected devices. Compatible files can use their HDR10-compatible HEVC video.
• Incorrect DTS-HD capability detection and unnecessary audio conversion on supported setups, while retaining compatibility fallback when an audio format cannot be played.
• Audio language or pre-play track selections not consistently taking effect, missing tracks on some TVs, and track changes leaving playback buffering.
• Automatic audio labels not reflecting language and default-track preferences, and playback statistics showing the first audio track instead of the selected one.
• Audio and subtitle changes not being reflected in the server's playback information.
• Playback controls appearing after an automatic switch to libVLC, and the mini seek overlay staying open after seeking.
• Settings focus returning to the wrong place when moving between categories, settings and choices or closing popups.
• Library menu navigation, collection-page positioning and focus when returning to a title.
• Movie media information becoming unreachable or scrolling back up when opening video, audio or subtitle details.
• YouTube trailer links opening the app without playing the selected trailer.
• Clipped card text, crowded year labels and misplaced progress bars on landscape episode cards.

[Pejamas 149]

13 hours ago, kdackiw said:

- collecitons...adding to a collection should nicely show the poster art for the collection.  Emby TV does this.

Can i get some screenshots of what you mean here? I checked on emby tv app and adding to a collection just shows a list of items or an option to create a new one (what i had) then creating one just uses the images from the posters split out if its a random collection?

[Pejamas 149]

On 31/10/2026 at 07:23, Danpergal84 said:

I really like everything I see in the app. It reminds me a lot of Jellyfin’s "Wholphin," which is a very good thing.

One addition I’d like to suggest is having "Continue Watching" items appear in the launcher—this way, you could access the content you’re currently watching directly from the launcher.

It would also be interesting to provide an option to display a mark—perhaps a heart—on the poster for content that has already been added to "favorites."

Next update has a toggle option in settings > cards & artwork > show favorites badge, shows to the left of any other badge (episode counts/watched tick) if no other marks will sit in that corner spot. Color is based off the selected accent color.

[ChrissiW 0]

Can I join to test it?

I am very interested in this because other clients are not really suitable for me.

Thx

[Pejamas 149]

8 minutes ago, ChrissiW said:

Can I join to test it?

I am very interested in this because other clients are not really suitable for me.

Thx

Step1: Join the test group here: https://groups.google.com/g/arloes-testers

Step 2: Enroll in the test here:  https://play.google.com/apps/testing/tv.arloes.app (after enrolling it can be delayed before the link works to download, cant be done from a phone though as its a TV only app - from a desktop it will give you a target download dropdown)

[horstepipe 434]

2 hours ago, Pejamas said:

Step1: Join the test group here: https://groups.google.com/g/arloes-testers

Step 2: Enroll in the test here:  https://play.google.com/apps/testing/tv.arloes.app (after enrolling it can be delayed before the link works to download, cant be done from a phone though as its a TV only app - from a desktop it will give you a target download dropdown)

For Amazon devices (FireOS) is it the same process?

[lcann25 2]

This latest update is incredible. Everything is working better all the time. I do want to bring this up though because I was the one that suggested it. I asked for the ability to hold down trailers and select one, which you have done and I appreciate that! however you also added an option to ask every time in the settings which is a better solution than my ask. There's no reason to have both. I toggled the "ask every time on" and it's perfect. Great job on this! 

Edited November 1 by lcann25

[kdackiw 1]

Yes sir.  My mistake....the Android emby has it and like other objects supports a custom poster or it generates one.  This is broken in the current emby TV version.

Kev.

 

[kdackiw 1]

On another note - the selection reticle pins to the bottom row when scrolling.  Why not the middle row?  Stopping on a row therefore heading down doesn't reveal the row until you press down, so you actually don't see what is coming next.  Scrolling up however and you see 2x the advance titles, so it is imbalanced.  This allows with the pause the info popup to be in the center of the screen where it is much more intuitive and expected.

Or an option at least to control where the pin is...top/middle/bottom.

This is most prevalent in wall display where you have the most posters of course.  Bit of a toss up in modes/sizes where you have 2 rows displayed.  

Kev.

 

[kdackiw 1]

With the popup after a seek, which disappears now....thank you...should it follow the system 'hide controls' timer setting?  It looks to be a different value and hardcoded?

TY.

Kev.

[kricker 6]

I'd like to try this on my Fire Stick. Is there any way to get the beta APKs from Google somehow to sideload it?

[Pejamas 149]

1 hour ago, kdackiw said:

On another note - the selection reticle pins to the bottom row when scrolling.  Why not the middle row?  Stopping on a row therefore heading down doesn't reveal the row until you press down, so you actually don't see what is coming next.  Scrolling up however and you see 2x the advance titles, so it is imbalanced.  This allows with the pause the info popup to be in the center of the screen where it is much more intuitive and expected.

Or an option at least to control where the pin is...top/middle/bottom.

This is most prevalent in wall display where you have the most posters of course.  Bit of a toss up in modes/sizes where you have 2 rows displayed.  

Kev.

 

This wont be changed, sorry. I cant make the shell move twice on a down press as that's what would need to happen for focus to be on the next row but not be "on the bottom" on the wall view.

[ChrissiW 0]

Thanks for letting me join.

A really nice client and I like the customizations.

I made some movie lists at MdB because the sorting of the Emby server is not so suitable for me (don't have direkt access to the server).

Is there a possibility to get the lists from MdB snd synch them with the content on Emby?

[Pejamas 149]

5 hours ago, kricker said:

I'd like to try this on my Fire Stick. Is there any way to get the beta APKs from Google somehow to sideload it?

theres 3 days left on the google closed test then it hits the store and ill get an apk up on apkmirror with the plan to get it on the amazon store too, just wanted to get as many qwerks ironed out where it was easy to get feedback before people could blindly install, find a bug and not be able to report it.

[lcann25 2]

I just noticed something. Under playlists, if you click on the 3 dot menu, just a thin empty line pops up with nothing in it. Not sure what is supposed to be in there, but it would be nice to be able to arrange playlist files by name, rating etc. That seems to be absent. 

[Pejamas 149]

16 minutes ago, lcann25 said:

I just noticed something. Under playlists, if you click on the 3 dot menu, just a thin empty line pops up with nothing in it. Not sure what is supposed to be in there, but it would be nice to be able to arrange playlist files by name, rating etc. That seems to be absent. 

Bit more info here, where exatly are you talking about? in a library view, a item view, a context menu etc

Edited November 2 by Pejamas

[lcann25 2]

Just now, Pejamas said:

Bit more info here, where exatly are you talking about? in a library view, a item view, a context menu etc

This is what I'm seeing when I click those dots.  Not sure what's intended to be in there, but my suggestion is that could be nice to see Something like the view options menu that's in the movies are tv shows folders currently. The playlist items are kinda weird in that they scroll across the bottom as a row rather than a wall. Be nice to see them like the other folders.

[Pejamas 149]

26 minutes ago, lcann25 said:

This is what I'm seeing when I click those dots.  Not sure what's intended to be in there, but my suggestion is that could be nice to see Something like the view options menu that's in the movies are tv shows folders currently. The playlist items are kinda weird in that they scroll across the bottom as a row rather than a wall. Be nice to see them like the other folders.

ill see what i can do, i dont use playlists so it was just not really looked at originally other than making it work lol.

[Pejamas 149]

55 minutes ago, lcann25 said:

This is what I'm seeing when I click those dots.  Not sure what's intended to be in there, but my suggestion is that could be nice to see Something like the view options menu that's in the movies are tv shows folders currently. The playlist items are kinda weird in that they scroll across the bottom as a row rather than a wall. Be nice to see them like the other folders.

Hows this work? I checked the emby tv app which didnt even have a way to sort playlists, you can sort by default, title, year or runtime.

[lcann25 2]

3 minutes ago, Pejamas said:

Hows this work? I checked the emby tv app which didnt even have a way to sort playlists, you can sort by default, title, year or runtime.

The Emby for Android tv app is garbage for playlists. I have to sort them on the PC to view them properly in the app. it's not a huge issue, it's just my wife has a playlist of Christmas movies and Girlie romance shows so as to keep them out of the regular favorites. 

[lcann25 2]

1 hour ago, Pejamas said:

Hows this work? 

I apologize. I was browsing from my phone earlier. Were you asking if the picture layout will work? Yes that actually looks quite nice 

[Pejamas 149]

2 hours ago, lcann25 said:

I apologize. I was browsing from my phone earlier. Were you asking if the picture layout will work? Yes that actually looks quite nice 

Youve sent me down a rabbit hole now. I'vequickly wired up an mDblist plugin to browse lists, create them in emby based off whats in my library and then view them as home rows in Arloes haha

[lcann25 2]

23 minutes ago, Pejamas said:

I've quickly wired up an mDblist plugin to browse lists, create them in emby based off whats in my library and then view them as home rows

 

 

I will have to research this. It was a different guy that asked about mDblist I believe. I don't know much about it but I will be reading up on it now.  I use Trakt for just about everything currently. 

Edited November 2 by lcann25

[Pejamas 149]

5 minutes ago, lcann25 said:

I will have to research this. It was a different guy that asked about mDblist I believe. I don't know much about it but I will be reading up on it now.  I use Trakt for just about everything currently. 

Oh more so looking into fixing playlists just made me go "huh" maybe i could make some playlists to help my parents find shit to watch haha.