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Network Shares (SMB/FTP/WebDAV)

Torream can connect directly to file shares on your local network or a remote server — SMB (Windows/NAS shares), FTP, and WebDAV — and play video straight from them without downloading first.

Overview​

Network share features include:

  • Three protocols: SMB, FTP, WebDAV (with optional TLS)
  • Save multiple shares and switch between them
  • Folder browsing with breadcrumb-style back navigation
  • File-type icons (video, audio, other)
  • Encrypted credential storage
  • Direct playback — no manual download step

Learn more about the Media Library → for how played network files relate to your local library and watch history.

Getting Started​

Prerequisites​

Requirements:

  • The share server (NAS, PC, or remote server) and your Android device reachable on the same network (or a server reachable over the internet for FTP/WebDAV)
  • Host address, port, and credentials for the share

Adding a Share​

  1. Open the Browse tab (bottom navigation)
  2. Tap + in the toolbar
  3. Choose the protocol: SMB, FTP, or WebDAV
  4. Fill in:
    • Name — a label shown in your share list
    • Host / IP address
    • Port — pre-filled with the protocol default (SMB 445, FTP 21, WebDAV 80/443), editable
    • Path — for SMB this is ShareName/optional/sub/folder; for FTP/WebDAV it's the folder path on the server
    • Username / Password — leave blank for anonymous access where supported
    • Use HTTPS/TLS — WebDAV only, switches between http:// and https://
  5. Tap Save — Torream connects and lists the root folder before saving, so a wrong host or bad credentials shows an inline error immediately instead of saving a broken entry

Browsing & Playback​

  • Tap a saved share to open it
  • Tap a folder to go deeper
  • Tap the back arrow in the toolbar (or use the system back gesture/button) to go up one folder at a time, eventually returning to your share list
  • Files show a type-specific icon: a play icon for video files, a music note for audio files, a generic file icon for everything else

Playing a File​

Tap any video file to start playback immediately in the regular Torream player — subtitles, resume position, and playback controls all work the same as local files.

How Playback Works Per Protocol​

Torream uses each server's native protocol wherever possible, and only proxies traffic locally when a protocol has no direct player support:

  • FTP — played directly; the FTP protocol is built into the app's media engine
  • WebDAV — played directly over http(s)://, with your credentials sent as a standard Authorization header
  • SMB — Android's media engine has no built-in SMB support, so Torream connects to the SMB share itself and relays the file to the player over a local, on-device connection (never leaving your phone) — this is why the very first SMB file you play may take a moment longer to start than FTP/WebDAV

Security​

  • Saved passwords are encrypted on-device using Android's hardware-backed Keystore (AES/GCM) before being stored — never saved in plain text
  • Credentials are only decrypted in memory when actively connecting, and are never logged
  • All connections are direct between your device and the share's server — nothing passes through a third-party server

Limitations​

  • SMB: uses the modern SMB2/3 protocol (no legacy SMB1 support); each browse/play action opens a fresh connection rather than keeping one open in the background
  • FTP: passive mode only; FTPS (FTP over TLS) is not yet supported — use WebDAV with TLS instead if you need an encrypted connection
  • WebDAV: authentication is Basic Auth only (no Digest or OAuth-based WebDAV servers)
  • Folder listings are fetched live on every visit — there's no offline cache of a network share's contents

Troubleshooting​

"Couldn't connect" when saving a share​

Check:

  • Host/IP and port are correct and reachable from your device (try pinging or browsing to it from another app first)
  • Your device and the share's server are on the same network (for local SMB/FTP shares)
  • Username/password are correct, or the server allows anonymous access if left blank
  • The Path field matches the server's actual folder structure — for SMB, the first segment must be the exact share name

Files list but won't play​

Check:

  • The file format is supported by Torream's player (see Video Player)
  • For SMB, confirm the share user has read permission on that specific file, not just the folder

Slow to start playing (SMB)​

This is expected for the first file in a session — Torream is opening a fresh connection to the share. Subsequent seeks within the same file use range requests and should be smooth.

Summary​

Torream's network share support provides:

✅ SMB, FTP, and WebDAV in one place ✅ Encrypted, on-device credential storage ✅ Direct playback — no manual downloads ✅ Folder browsing with back navigation ✅ File-type aware icons

Making it easy to watch video stored on your NAS, PC, or remote server without copying it to your phone first.