Frequently Asked Questions
General
What is Watermelon?
Watermelon is an open-source Android music streaming app that lets you search, stream, and download music from YouTube Music. It uses yt-dlp under the hood to extract audio streams and delivers them through a clean, ad-free interface.
Is Watermelon free?
Yes. Watermelon is licensed under the MIT license and is completely free to use. The source code is publicly available on GitHub and anyone can build, modify, or self-host it at no cost.
Is Watermelon available for iOS?
No. Watermelon is built specifically for Android and there are currently no plans for an iOS version due to platform restrictions with sideloading and yt-dlp integration.
Features
Can I download songs for offline listening?
Yes. Watermelon supports downloading tracks directly to your device for offline playback. Downloaded songs are stored locally and can be accessed anytime without an internet connection.
What are premium features?
Premium features are managed through Razorpay and unlock advanced capabilities such as higher quality audio streams, unlimited downloads, and exclusive smart playlist options. Most core features remain free.
What is the Telegram bot?
The optional Telegram bot integration lets you search for songs and control playback remotely using Telegram messages. It connects to your self-hosted Watermelon server.
Self-Hosting
Can I self-host the Watermelon server?
Yes. The Watermelon backend is built with Node.js and Express, and you can deploy it on any platform that supports Node.js, including Render, Railway, or your own VPS.
Do I need Supabase?
Supabase is used to store playlists, favorites, and user data. It is required for full functionality, but the free tier is sufficient for most personal use cases.
Support
How do I report bugs or request features?
You can open an issue on our GitHub repository or reach out through the community channels:
- GitHub Issues
- Telegram community discussions
Is Watermelon legal?
Watermelon extracts publicly available audio metadata and streams. It does not host any copyrighted content itself. Users are responsible for complying with local copyright laws.
How do I update the app?
Download the latest APK from GitHub Releases and install it over your existing app. Android will automatically update the app while preserving your playlists, favorites, and settings. Make sure you enable “Install from unknown sources” in your device settings.
Can I use Watermelon without self-hosting?
Yes! The app comes pre-configured with a shared public server. However, self-hosting gives you faster speeds, no rate limits, complete privacy, and full control over your data.
What audio quality does Watermelon support?
Watermelon streams audio in the highest quality available from the source. Most tracks stream at 128–256 kbps AAC. Premium subscribers can unlock higher bitrate streaming (up to 320 kbps) by connecting their own yt-dlp configuration.
Is my listening history tracked?
No. Watermelon does not send listening data to any analytics service. Your search history, playlists, and favorites are stored locally on your device and in your self-hosted Supabase database. We believe your music habits are yours alone.
How do I report bugs or request features?
Open an issue on our GitHub repository. We respond to all reports within 48 hours. For security issues, please email watermelon.music.support@gmail.com directly.
Credits & Community
Watermelon wouldn’t exist without the open-source ecosystem. Huge thanks to:
- The Android & Kotlin communities — Jetpack Compose, Material Design 3, and Kotlin Coroutines.
- The web tooling communities — Next.js, React, Tailwind CSS, Nextra, and Framer Motion.
- The music extraction pioneers — yt-dlp, the spiritual successor to youtube-dl.
- The database & auth providers — Supabase for making Postgres accessible to indie devs.
- The hosting platforms — Render, Vercel, Netlify, and GitHub Pages for democratizing deployment.
Want to contribute? Check out the GitHub repository and submit a PR, report an issue, or just star the project to show your support.