Aura

_{If Aura helps you personalize your phone without ads, a coffee helps me keep the app tested and maintained.}

Open-source alternative to Zedge: wallpapers, video wallpapers, ringtones, and sounds for Android. YouTube integration, yt-dlp powered.

What Makes Aura Different

Aura is built as a local-first tool rather than an ad-and-credit marketplace:

Area	Aura behavior
Advertising	No ad SDK, sponsored placements, or cross-app tracking.
Account	Browsing, downloading, editing, applying, and backing up content do not require an Aura account; community features use an anonymous app identity.
Credits and paywalls	No Aura credit balance, subscription, or in-app paywall. In full builds, optional Stability AI generation uses the user's own provider key and may consume Stability credits.
AI-generated content	Generation is off by default in full builds and omitted from FOSS builds. Declared AI uploads are labeled, Aura-generated uploads are labeled automatically, and community feeds provide a Hide AI filter.
Offline library	Downloads and offline favorites stay on the device for local use. Missing or moved files keep their library metadata and can be relinked. Portable backups carry the local media identity and technical details without exporting private paths or media bytes.

• Sounds that work offline: 25 Aura Originals ship with the app, then quality-ranked YouTube results add more ringtones, notifications, and alarms when connected.
• Reddit-first discovery: mobile wallpaper and motion communities lead the home feeds, with real cached Atom cursor pagination instead of a fixed recent slice.
• Video wallpapers from multiple sources: browse Reddit live wallpapers and cinemagraphs first, followed by YouTube and optional Pixabay or Pexels results. Local video and GIF import includes loop, crop, Fill, and Fit Canvas controls.
• More ways to personalize: Reddit RSS leads the network feeds. Wallhaven, Bing, Pexels, Pixabay, YouTube, Aura Originals, local files, and community uploads add user-controlled choices.
• Fast, bounded feeds: Discover metadata and a 256 MB image disk cache make repeat visits immediate, while the foreground bitmap cache stays capped at 12.5 percent of app memory.
• Performance proof path: Baseline Profile and Macrobenchmark tests cover startup, Wallpaper Detail, and the main media grids during local physical-device checks.
• 5 bottom nav tabs: Wallpapers, Videos, Sounds, Library, Settings.

Installing Aura

Every release ships one APK per CPU architecture plus a universal one, and a single SHA256SUMS.txt covering all of them, on the same GitHub Release.

Pick the one that matches your phone. Almost every Android phone made since 2017 is arm64-v8a, and that build is roughly a third the size of the universal one because it carries native code for one architecture instead of four. armeabi-v7a is for older 32-bit devices; the x86 builds are for emulators. If you are not sure, the universal APK installs anywhere. Obtainium picks the right one on its own with autoApkFilterByArch enabled, which the bundled obtainium.json already sets.

Do not install debug or third-party re-signed builds.

FOSS store builds omit the Stability AI generator, its provider key field, and Firebase-backed community features. Full GitHub builds retain those optional features, with generation disabled until the user enables it and accepts its disclosure.

Verify the download, then install or update it with ADB:

Get-FileHash .\Aura-vX.Y.Z-versionCode-N-arm64-v8a-release.apk -Algorithm SHA256
adb install --user 0 -r .\Aura-vX.Y.Z-versionCode-N-arm64-v8a-release.apk

Compare the printed digest with SHA256SUMS.txt before installing. The -r update keeps app data only when the installed app and new APK use the same signing certificate. If Android reports a signature mismatch, obtain the official matching Aura build; uninstalling would erase local app data.

Official Aura builds are signed with this certificate:

SHA-256: F2:8E:44:BE:A3:2F:5B:28:90:C8:26:8B:7F:BE:D4:3C:44:A4:D6:71:A5:12:FB:07:EB:F1:8F:DD:41:C6:6E:5A

Every release since v6.38.1 carries it. Check it with apksigner verify --print-certs <apk> or with AppVerifier before installing a build you did not download from Aura's own releases page. A different digest means a re-signed APK, whatever the version number says.

Android's developer-verification rollout begins on September 30, 2026 for participating stores in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand, then expands globally in 2027. Unregistered APKs remain installable through ADB. Android is also launching a one-time advanced flow in August 2026 for power users who enable developer mode, acknowledge the security warnings, and complete its 24-hour waiting period. Follow the on-device advanced flow when the normal package installer declines an unregistered APK; the wait does not apply to ADB. See Android's verification FAQ and Aura's verification decision record.

Quick Start

git clone https://github.com/SysAdminDoc/Aura.git
cd Aura

Open in Android Studio and run. Core browsing works out of the box; optional provider keys can be added later in Settings or local.properties.

YouTube extraction works without account credentials. For networks where YouTube requires proof-of-origin tokens, Settings > Sounds > YouTube PO token provider accepts the credential-free HTTPS base URL of a self-hosted bgutil provider. Aura ships its hash-pinned yt-dlp plugin but sends attestation data only after this optional URL is configured; see yt-dlp's PO Token Guide.

Choosing Update yt-dlp in Settings downloads a replacement executable at runtime. Aura requires a separate confirmation that explains this bypasses F-Droid or other repository review checks before the download can start.

Privacy

Aura has no ads, no subscription, and no cross-app tracking. The public privacy policy is tracked at docs/privacy/privacy-policy.md; the same link is available in Settings > About > Privacy policy.

Features

Feature	Description
HD/4K Wallpapers	Reddit-first discovery with optional Wallhaven, Pexels, Pixabay, Bing, NASA, and Wikimedia results
Wallpaper Quality Filters	Discover chips for For You, AMOLED, 4K+, Portrait, and Icon Safe with curated ranking
On-Device Style Learning	Apply, favorite, and hide signals adapt Discover locally with a Settings reset control
Community Wallpapers	Upload phone-cropped gallery images with tags, Palette colors, and community voting
HEIF/AVIF Wallpaper Import	Local apply, editor, rotation, and community upload flows share one format policy with HEIF support and Android 14+ AVIF gating
Creator Profiles	View upload stats, votes, followed creators, followed uploads, and top creator leaderboard
Shareable Collections	Share wallpaper collections as Aura links, QR codes, or JSON files and import them on another device. Links hold up to 250 wallpapers and work for 30 days
Video Wallpapers	Browse YouTube video wallpapers with ExoPlayer auto-preview or import local clips/GIFs
Video Feed Pagination	Warm-cache loading and pagination share one request gate, so provider results aren't duplicated or dropped
Video Quality Hints	Loop-safe, low-battery, and phone-fit filters plus per-card motion hints
Wallpaper Fit Canvas	Keep the complete image, video, or GIF over AMOLED black, a chosen color, a Palette color, or a cached blurred edge. Behavior and limits are defined for transparent, HDR, missing-frame, and ultrawide media.
Video Loop & Crop Editor	Trim intros/outros with frame thumbnails, preview the loop, and convert landscape videos to portrait
Video Battery Dashboard	Live wallpaper-service heartbeat, battery status, effective FPS, and automatic low-battery capping
Parallax Wallpapers	ML Kit depth segmentation for layered tilt-responsive live wallpapers
Weather Wallpapers	Live weather effects overlay on wallpapers
Shader Wallpapers	Curated AGSL live wallpaper backgrounds with static fallback on older Android releases
Live Wallpaper Instances	Android 16 descriptions keep selected video, parallax, and weather settings with a legacy fallback on older releases
Download Progress	Download notifications use the Android 16 progress style when available and retain the compatibility progress bar elsewhere
Saved Originals	Downloads preserve source bytes and provenance. Apply creates a named device-compatible copy only when needed, then reuses it. Storage behavior is documented.
Local Media Relink	Missing, moved, corrupt, or permission-revoked media remains visible with a Relink action. Aura checks type and technical details before replacing the locator, while keeping favorites, collections, history, rotation choices, tags, and wallpaper targets. Relink behavior is documented.
Touch-Reactive Effects	Optional ripple and sparkle bursts on live wallpaper touches
YouTube Sounds	YouTube-first ringtone, notification, and alarm discovery with duration-aware searches powered by NewPipe + yt-dlp
Aura Originals	25 small CC0 tones included for offline ringtone, notification, and alarm preview, download, and apply
Community Sound Uploads	Pick or record sounds, tag them, vote on community picks, and share via Firebase Storage
Sound Source Badges	Color-coded source indicators on every sound card
Sound Quality Filters	Best, Clean, Short, Calm, and Punchy filters with intent-aware badges
Real-Time Waveform	Mini waveform on each sound card tracks actual playback position
Configurable Search	Customize YouTube search queries and blocked words per sound tab
Ringtones & Sounds	Tab-based browsing: Ringtones (5-45s), Notifications (0-8s), Alarms (5-60s)
Sound Editor	Waveform trim, fades, pitch-preserving 0.5x to 2x speed, Media3 audio export, gapless OGG output, verified lossless cuts, and MP3/FLAC fallback encoding
Wallpaper Editor	Brightness, contrast, saturation, blur, depth portraits, and local text/sticker layers
Crop & Position	Pinch-zoom with aspect ratio presets (9:16, 16:9, 1:1)
Collections	Organize wallpapers into named folders with 2x2 cover previews
Home Widget	Glance-based widget for quick shuffle with error feedback
Quick Settings Action	Add “Next wallpaper” from the system tile editor for one-tap rotation, even while automatic rotation is off
Auto Wallpaper	Rotation schedule with one source, clock-based day/night sources, or system light/dark theme matching
Rotation Exclusions	Keep any wallpaper or video available for browsing and manual apply while leaving it out of automatic rotation. Undo is immediate, Settings can restore any item, and library backups preserve the choice without copying device paths.
Shuffle FAB	One-tap random wallpaper from current tab
Per-Contact Ringtones	Assign custom ringtones with DND priority guidance and a VIP-only silent-default preset
Dual Wallpapers	Coordinated home + lock screen wallpaper pairs
Portable Library Backup	Staged JSON export/import for favorites, collections, searches, packs, profiles, Fit Canvas defaults, rotation exclusions, local wallpaper metadata, and recent wallpaper history. Local paths and media bytes stay off the backup. Restored local records remain visible until the user relinks them.
Theme Packs	Local zip export/import for wallpaper, video, sound, widget tint, and launcher shortcut recipes
Community Voting	Upvote/downvote wallpapers and sounds via Firebase
OLED Dark Theme	Deep blacks, zero burn-in, Material 3

External Automation

Aura exposes two optional broadcast actions for Tasker, MacroDroid, adb, and Termux users:

com.freevibe.action.ROTATE_NOW
com.freevibe.action.SHUFFLE_NOW

Enable them in Settings > Wallpaper rotation > External automation before sending broadcasts. Aura ignores external broadcasts by default, accepts at most one every 30 seconds, and records the last action plus the optional com.freevibe.extra.CALLER_PACKAGE diagnostic extra in Settings > Diagnostics. Broadcasts only enqueue the existing rotation worker, so charging, Wi-Fi, idle, battery, Doze, and WorkManager quota can still delay the wallpaper change. The same one-shot path powers the optional Next wallpaper Quick Settings tile. Add it from Android's tile editor; its active state mirrors automatic rotation, while tapping it still queues one wallpaper change when scheduling is off.

Content Sources

Source	Media and role	Status	Access
Reddit	Wallpapers, Videos. Reddit-first mobile wallpapers and video wallpapers from public Atom feeds.	Active	No key; Full + FOSS; GitHub/Obtainium + Play
YouTube	Sounds, Videos. YouTube-first sound discovery and optional video wallpapers in GitHub and Obtainium builds.	Active	No key; Full + FOSS; GitHub/Obtainium
TikTok	Sounds. Ringtone clips from TikTok ringtone creators, saved as sound only, leading the Ringtones tab in GitHub and Obtainium builds.	Active	No key; Full + FOSS; GitHub/Obtainium
Wallhaven	Wallpapers. HD and 4K wallpaper browsing and search with an optional key for account-level access.	Active	Optional key; Full + FOSS; GitHub/Obtainium + Play
Aura Originals	Sounds. Twenty-five offline ringtones, notification sounds, and alarms included with Aura.	Active	No key; Full + FOSS; GitHub/Obtainium + Play
Pexels	Wallpapers, Videos. Photo and video browsing after the user adds a Pexels API key.	Active	User key required; Full + FOSS; GitHub/Obtainium + Play
Pixabay	Wallpapers, Videos. Photo and video browsing after the user adds a Pixabay API key.	Active	User key required; Full + FOSS; GitHub/Obtainium + Play
Bing Image of the Day	Wallpapers. Bing's daily image with its source and copyright details.	Active	No key; Full + FOSS; GitHub/Obtainium + Play
Wikimedia Commons	Wallpapers. Wikimedia's Picture of the Day with author and license metadata.	Active	No key; Full + FOSS; GitHub/Obtainium + Play
NASA APOD	Wallpapers. Astronomy Picture of the Day and historical picks with photographer credit.	Active	No key; Full + FOSS; GitHub/Obtainium + Play
Lemmy	Wallpapers. Community-voted wallpapers from public federated wallpaper communities.	Active	No key; Full + FOSS; GitHub/Obtainium + Play
Aura Community	Wallpapers, Sounds. Opt-in community wallpaper and sound uploads with voting and reporting.	Community (opt-in)	No key; Full build; GitHub/Obtainium + Play
Local device media	Wallpapers, Videos, Sounds. Wallpapers, videos, and sounds selected from the device by the user.	Local	No key; Full + FOSS; GitHub/Obtainium + Play
AI-generated	Wallpapers. Prompt-created wallpapers after the user accepts the disclosure and supplies a provider key.	Generated (opt-in)	User key required; Full build; GitHub/Obtainium + Play
Open-Meteo	Wallpapers. Weather data used only when optional wallpaper effects are enabled.	Active	No key; Full + FOSS; GitHub/Obtainium + Play
Lorem Picsum	Wallpapers. Legacy attribution only for older saved placeholder images.	Legacy attribution only	Saved items only; Full + FOSS; GitHub/Obtainium + Play
Internet Archive	Sounds. Legacy attribution only for older saved audio.	Legacy attribution only	Saved items only; Full + FOSS; GitHub/Obtainium + Play
Freesound	Sounds. Legacy attribution only for older saved and bundled-source sounds.	Legacy attribution only	Saved items only; Full + FOSS; GitHub/Obtainium + Play
Jamendo	Sounds. Legacy attribution only for older saved music.	Legacy attribution only	Saved items only; Full + FOSS; GitHub/Obtainium + Play
Audius	Sounds. Legacy attribution only for older saved music.	Legacy attribution only	Saved items only; Full + FOSS; GitHub/Obtainium + Play
ccMixter	Sounds. Legacy attribution only for older saved Creative Commons music.	Legacy attribution only	Saved items only; Full + FOSS; GitHub/Obtainium + Play
Klipy	Videos. Legacy attribution only for older saved animated media.	Legacy attribution only	Saved items only; Full + FOSS; GitHub/Obtainium + Play
SoundCloud	Sounds. Legacy attribution only for older saved sounds.	Legacy attribution only	Saved items only; Full + FOSS; GitHub/Obtainium + Play

This table is checked against the provider capability manifest, which also controls provider order and channel availability.

Architecture

Jetpack Compose UI (16+ screens, 5 bottom nav tabs)
  Wallpapers | Videos | Sounds | Library | Settings
  Editors | Collections | Downloads | Onboarding | Widget
ViewModels (Hilt) + Cache Layer
  Repos: Wallhaven, Pexels, Pixabay, Bing, Reddit RSS, YouTube, Freesound legacy,
         Collections
  Services: WallpaperApplier, SoundApplier, VideoWallpaperService,
            ParallaxWallpaperService, WeatherWallpaperService, DualWallpaperService,
            DownloadManager, MediaCopyStore, AudioTrimmer, BatchDownload,
            ContactRingtone, FavoritesExporter, OfflineFavorites
  Audio: Media3 platform transforms + bounded FFmpeg codec fallbacks
  YouTube: NewPipe Extractor (search) + yt-dlp (stream extraction + FFmpeg crop)
Room DB v20 (Favorites, Downloads, Search History, Wallpaper Cache,
            Wallpaper History, Collections, Local Wallpapers, Rotation Exclusions)
DataStore (Settings, Onboarding)
Firebase RTDB (Community Voting + Uploads + Admin Moderation)

Tech Stack

Component	Library
UI	Jetpack Compose + Material 3
DI	Hilt 2.53.1
Database	Room 2.7.2
Network	Retrofit 3.0.0 + OkHttp 5.4.0
JSON	Moshi + KSP codegen
Images	Coil 3.5.0 with OkHttp network loading and GIF support
Audio/Video	Media3 ExoPlayer
ML	ML Kit Selfie Segmentation
YouTube Search	NewPipe Extractor
YouTube Streams	yt-dlp (youtubedl-android 0.18.1)
Scheduling	WorkManager 2.11.2
Widget	Glance 1.2.0-rc01
Performance	Baseline Profile + Macrobenchmark 1.4.1
Min SDK	26 (Android 8.0)
Target SDK	36 (Android 16)
Kotlin	2.1.0

Building

Requires JDK 21 and Android SDK 36. Android Studio Ladybug (2024.2.1) or later recommended.

./gradlew assembleDebug      # use gradlew.bat on Windows
./gradlew testDebugUnitTest
./gradlew lintDebug
./gradlew assembleFullRelease  # GitHub/Obtainium APK; requires signing config
./gradlew -PauraReleaseChannel=play bundleFullRelease  # Play AAB; run separately

Always use the included Gradle wrapper. It pins Gradle 8.12, which is what AGP 8.9.3 needs.

The legacy Android test lane runs against release-minified Full and FOSS APKs. It opens Sounds and exercises NewPipe search on API 26, 27, and 29 without requiring network access. Build its target and test APKs with:

.\gradlew.bat -PauraInstrumentationBuildType=release `
    :app:assembleFullRelease :app:assembleFossRelease `
    :app:assembleFullReleaseAndroidTest :app:assembleFossReleaseAndroidTest

Run debug build, unit tests, lint, signed APK/AAB dry runs, checksum checks, and release metadata guards locally before publishing. Debug builds include Android pseudolocales; the route screenshot gate covers compact English XA and Arabic XB RTL fixtures. Simplified Chinese ships as a real translation pack since v6.45.1.

Copy local.properties.example to local.properties for local SDK, optional API keys, and release signing values. Release variants force local provider keys blank, so development credentials cannot be packaged by mistake. Public releases are built locally as signed, non-debuggable APK/AAB artifacts, verified with apksigner, checked against SHA256SUMS.txt, and uploaded to GitHub Releases for GitHub/Obtainium users. See release signing docs, the distribution channel strategy, alternative-store disclosures, release metadata consistency, SBOM readiness, store asset planning, Android developer verification prep, and supply-chain verification.

After committing a release candidate, verify its exact tracked tree with:

python tools\release_clean_clone_check.py --repo-root . --revision HEAD

This runs the source-backed release, documentation, and legal gates in an isolated archive. Signing keys, generated release artifacts, console checks, publication, and device evidence are reported separately as owner-only pass, fail, or unknown results.

To verify the FOSS release lane reproducibly, start from a clean checkout and run:

python tools\foss_reproducibility_check.py --build-twice --output-dir build\reproducibility

The check copies only Git-tracked inputs into two isolated source roots, fixes the build epoch, disables release signing, serializes R8, and requires matching raw and signature-stripped archive evidence. The resulting APKs are verification artifacts, not public install packages. Existing independently built APKs can be compared with --first-apk <path> --second-apk <path>.

Contributing

Issues and PRs welcome. Please follow existing code style (Kotlin, Compose, Hilt patterns). For crashes or ANRs, use Settings > Diagnostics > Crash diagnostics bundle and paste it into the crash report template; see crash diagnostics. For community identity deletion requests, use Settings > Community identity and the private request flow in community account deletion requests.

License

MIT License. See LICENSE for details.

Content from third-party sources retains its original license. YouTube content is accessed via NewPipe Extractor and yt-dlp under their respective open-source licenses.