Install Sona

Sona runs on Linux (x86_64), macOS 14 or later (Apple silicon) and Windows (x64). It is in early development: every release so far is a pre-release. You need an Apple Music subscription. Sona is not affiliated with Apple or Google.

Download a file from the releases page. SHA256SUMS lists every file, and each has signed build provenance. To verify one:

gh attestation verify <file> --repo coredev-uk/sona-go

Install on Linux

1. Download the package for your system: .deb, .rpm, Arch (.pkg.tar.zst) or AppImage.
2. Install it with your package manager, or make the AppImage executable and run it.

The packages pull in GTK3, GStreamer and libayatana-appindicator3 (the tray icon). Your package manager updates them. The AppImage updates through AppImageUpdate.

Install with Nix

The repository is a flake. Follow its nix branch:

nix run github:coredev-uk/sona-go/nix
nix profile add github:coredev-uk/sona-go/nix

In a NixOS or Home Manager configuration, set inputs.sona.url = "github:coredev-uk/sona-go/nix" and use overlays.default (pkgs.sona) or packages.<system>.default. nix flake update sona updates it. Outside NixOS, the GPU driver needs nixGL.

The flake has three packages:

• sona: the latest release.
• sona-nightly: the newest nightly build of main, or the release when that is newer.
• sona-source: builds your checkout, without Last.fm scrobbling or Discord presence.

Install on macOS

1. Download Sona-<version>-macos-arm64.dmg, open it and drag Sona to Applications.

2. Open Sona. On macOS 15 and later, macOS blocks the first open because the app is not notarised. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security and choose “Open Anyway”, or run this once:

   xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Sona.app

Sona updates itself: Settings → General → Updates → “Install and restart”.

Install on Windows

1. Download Sona-<version>-windows-x64-setup.exe and run it. It installs for your user and needs no administrator rights. Or extract Sona-<version>-windows-x64.zip anywhere you can write to.
2. If SmartScreen warns about an unknown publisher, choose “More info”, then “Run anyway”.

Sona updates itself: Settings → General → Updates.

The uninstaller removes Sona’s playback sandbox. If you delete a portable folder instead, quit Sona and run sona.exe --remove-sandbox from that folder first. Your data stays.

Next

Sign in and finish the first-run setup.