Innioasis Y1 MP3 Player

Earlier this year, I purchased an Innoasis Y1 mp3 player. In all honesty, I haven’t used it as much as I thought I would. The problem is I only put mp3s on there from CDs I picked up at thrift stores, so my selection is quite limited, and I haven’t taken the time to remove tracks I don’t like or to make playlists.

Despite all this, I still really like the unit as a cheap mp3 player. I do wish I could find a case or something to protect it a bit. As strange as it might sound, I’d like for it to have a bit more heft. There are some 3D printer plans for cases, but I don’t have access to one of those, so I’m still waiting for someone to come with something.

What I found fascinating is that this little player has slowly developed a following online. The company has embraced the fandom and opened up the unit to the fans, and now there are all kinds of user-friendly ways to update the firmware, install Rockbox, and new themes. It’s still a small, niche fandom, but it’s really nice to see young people embrace this cheap mp3 player and try to make it better. It reminds me a lot of the early internet, and I love seeing that.

For those who may have missed it, below is my initial review of the unit published in March of 2025. You can find all sorts of fun stuff on r/Innioasis, Innioasis App, and Discord.

Last year, I had an ugly breakup with Spotify. I decided I would just go back to mp3s and be done with streaming music. Then, we ended up getting Apple One a few weeks later, and it was convenient to utilize Apple Music while I rebuilt my mp3 collection.

Well, over the past couple of months, I’ve been picking up CDs left and right at thrift stores. I had some of my old mp3s left on a cheap mp3 player I bought maybe five years ago. Recently, I decided I’d start using my mp3 player more, and I discovered the Bluetooth was dying in it. So, I hopped online and found a recommendation for Dodosoul mp3 player which died on me before I even got my mp3s loaded up on it.

The sad state of affairs is that there is no major mainstream producer of mp3 players these days. It’s a lot of small companies of questionable quality who produce these players, or you can find an older player that’s been refurbished. I leaned toward buying a refurbished iPod, but that can be an expensive endeavor and honestly, I just wanted something that worked that I could easily take down into the gym or on a walk with. Preferably, something I wouldn’t be too concerned about if it broke.

Eventually, I ran across some folks online discussing the Innioasis Y1. It’s a relatively new player that runs on Android and has a company behind it that seems interested in actually updating firmware and improving the device over time. It’s also unique in that it has a clicker wheel, and looks quite a bit like a cheap plastic iPod classic, which it really is.

I decided to take a chance and ordered the Innioasis Y1. I figured, if it sucked, I’d just return it like the Dodosoul. Well, I’m actually impressed by this mp3 player. It looks good, feels nice, although it’s very light. You won’t mistake it for an iPod that’s for sure.

But the UI is one of the best I’ve seen on a budget mp3 player, and it works shockingly well. I’m no audiophile, and I’m not concerned about file formats, although it plays twenty-one different file types, and has audiobook support. If the 128 gig isn’t enough room, iFixit has a quick and easy breakdown tutorial to easily upgrade the MicroSD card.

For me, loading up my mp3s was a breeze, since I just plugged the player into my computer and moved things over to the folders. I have no complaints on the sound quality, and my Bluetooth headphones synced right up. I even found the built-in speaker to be adequate to listen to music while I’m playing video games, which is one of my favorite things to do late at night.

Not everything is perfect, of course. Right now, the firmware is updated via .exe files, so that leaves Apple users out in the cold (This has since been fixed thanks to Innioasis App, the official firmware install tool). Also, I’m still waiting on it’s next big firmware update, which is supposed to bring video playback (Edit: video playback was added) and hopefully some better sorting with the click wheel. The single biggest issue with the clicker wheel on this device is if you have a lot of artists, and you try and scroll quickly, it doesn’t bring the artists up by the letter. Instead, you just scroll through all the artists. If I read correctly, they are adding that function with the next firmware upgrade.

Searching for mp3 players these days can be a major pain, so I figured I’d share my thoughts about this one here. I’ll update this post should I run into any issues.