The MPEG-4 audio format is used by iPhones. M4As are smaller than MP3s. M4As have better quality. MPEG-4 files store video or audio. MPEG-4 audio-only files use the .m4a extension. This helps distinguish between MPEG-4 video and audio files. You will see M4A files from the Apple iTunes Store. The songs use AAC compression. This reduces the file size. Songs with copyright protection use .m4p files.
M4A files store audio data. M4A files use MPEG-4 multimedia container format. Most M4A audio data is encoded with AAC codec. Some M4A files use ALAC lossless compression. Compression makes files smaller. Smaller files are easier to share.
Usually this content is songs. The songs use AAC compression. This helps reduce the file size. Audio files with copyright protection use the .m4p extension.
M4A files can only store audio data. The format was developed by Apple in 2004. It is based on QuickTime format.
The .m4a file is an unprotected audio file. M4A files can directly be iPhone ringtones. M4A files have poor compatibility with non-Apple devices.
Apple iTunes
VLC Media Player
QuickTime Player