I’ve never seen a feature request thread getting closed (unless it is implemented or the Roon developers are sure that they will never implement it) and this one is open and has the most votes of all requests. The mods don’t decide which features are tackled by Roon and posting redundant threads does nothing to convince the Roon developers.
There’s another feature request for ARC on tablets that was marked „on roadmap“ and I guess this might be a prerequisite because it will adapt ARC to larger screens. Maybe after this it‘s less work to get it to PC
Away from home ARC is the only way unless you have a second Roon server on a laptop or another computer device at that location. I have a third Roon server on my Dell laptop for this purpose. I also have another Roon subscription so I can keep my Nucleus active at home for ARC on my iPhone and CarPlay.
Okay, unless you need two roon servers running at the same time you can use one at a time with a single license. Then you would have roughly two non-ARC options. Using local files on your mobile laptop or using something like a remote NAS for having one centralized music file library. A mobile roon server should be able to handle both.
I personally never use any sort of music streaming service when I’m away from home since in most cases I do not have a reliable internet connection anyway, e.g. on a plain, on a train or at a rather remote place. So, local files are the only way for me. 100% reliable, anywhere, anytime. That’s why I was never and I’m still not interested in ARC at all .
Like with most mobile applications, they are usually strictly limited to Android and iOS platforms. That’s the nature of “mobile” in current days. Android sandboxes are just a workaround .
In case I missed it somewhere, why do think you are strictly limited to a notebook using roon when you are away from home? Any smartphone is able to output sound to headphones or loudspeakers via cable or Bluetooth, with or without ARC. What is your use case away from home making it impossible to use ARC on a smartphone? Or is it mainly about having the ARC smartphone UI accessible in some window on a notebook, not being forced to grab the smartphone?
You or I don’t have to share or understand every use case other people have. Is it not sufficient if they have one? But the one you replied to was well explained, so what is not to understand here?
Voted and +1 from me as well. I’m frequently in the office on a work computer and I can’t install a VPN solution like ZeroTier or Tailscale. I am able to install userspace apps like Roon though, so this would be incredibly helpful. Especially since I already have a full second listening setup in the office with a DAC/amp + phones.
I created the request originally because I was at work / not on my home network. Therefore I could not access Roon on the Windows PC I was using without opening firewalls rules. Not everyone would be able to do that, or be allowed to do that.
As a developer myself, it seemed like a small step to include the ARC functionality in the desktop version of Roon, or release a version of ARC for Windows / Mac / Linux.
We moderators are not privy to the development schedules of Roon Labs, and Roon Labs keep their cards close to their chests. The first we get to know about things is via something being released in Early Access.
You might think that “Desktop ARC” is a small step, but personally, I suspect it will emerge as a radical overhaul and merging of ARC functionality into the existing Roon client app.
Even if they don’t implement a full desktop app, I find it weird that they’re blocking the iOS/iPadOS app from being loaded into Apple Silicon computers. It’s just an opt-in checkbox and would work seamlessly since there aren’t any unusual multi-touch gestures required.
Not sure what other people are making of the announcement of re-focusing on their “core audience” but I’m thinking it probably means that improving ARC is not high on the priority list.
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