Native Media Player 5
Warning: Unity 2022 and below are incompatible with Android SDK 35+. Upgrade to Unity 6 or newer to ensure proper support.
Starting with Android SDK 35, background audio is no longer possible using the legacy library (Media2) due to new background execution restrictions. As a result, I had to completely rewrite the plugin using Media3, which requires JDK 17 or higher — meaning it's only supported in Unity 6 or later.
Here’s a brief overview of the recent changes in Android SDK and its media libraries.
SDK 33 / NMP 3
☑ ExoPlayer (Media2)
-
SDK 34 / NMP 3
✖ ExoPlayer (Media2)
SDK 34 requires background services to be configured with specific flags, but ExoPlayer's background service—managed by PlayerNotificationManager—does not expose methods to set these flags.
SDK 34 / NMP 4
☑ Custom Media Player (Media2)
As a result, I built a custom media player based on the Media2 library that mimics ExoPlayer’s functionality while exposing the required flag setters for background service support.
SDK 35 / NMP 4
✖ Custom Media Player (Media2)
SDK 35 no longer supports MediaBrowserService from the Media2 library, and Google has officially mandated migration to Media3.
SDK 35 / NMP 5
☑ ExoPlayer (Media3)
The good news is that Unity 6 supports Java 17, allowing Media3 integration — but projects must be upgraded to Unity 6 or later.
Welcome to the Native Media Player documentation! This powerful and versatile media player is designed to provide a seamless audio experience across both Android and iOS platforms. Built on three years of Unity audio plugin development, the Native Media Player offers a wide range of features to enhance your application's audio capabilities.
Highlights
Easy to Use: User-friendly interface and straightforward setup.
Cross-Platform API: Supports both Android and iOS, providing a consistent experience across devices.
Proven Technology: Based on three years of experience in Unity audio plugin development.
Drag and Drop Components: Simplifies the integration process with easy-to-use components.
Local and Remote Audio Support: Play audio from local (StreamingAssets, PersistantDataPath) and remote sources.
Background Playback: Continues to play audio when the app goes into the background.
Background Controls: Manage audio playback while the app is in the background.
Automatic Metadata Retrieval: Automatically fetches media metadata from the audio source.
Custom Metadata: Create and manage custom media metadata.
Modular Remote Action Buttons: Fully customizable remote action buttons for playback control.
Modular Event Listeners: Fully customizable event listeners to handle various playback events.
Unity Editor Test Mode: Test your audio setup directly within the Unity Editor.
Playback Features
Basic Controls: Play, Pause, Stop, Next, Previous, Fast-forward, Rewind, Seek-To.
Playback Modes: Repeat, Loop, Shuffle.
User Interface: Volume bar, Seek bar.
Native Event Listeners
Player States: Player Idle, Player Buffering, Player Ready, Player Ended, Player Error.
Metadata Updates: Metadata Changed, IsPlaying Changed, IsLoading Changed.
Platform Support
iOS: Supports 64-bit devices running iOS 11.0 and above.
Android: Supports both 32-bit and 64-bit devices running Android 7.0 and above.
Last updated