ARC offline album playback functionality (when downloaded as part of playlist)

[Noah_Weiner]

Roon Core Machine

Windows 11
11th Gen Intel(R) Core™ i7-11700 @ 2.50GHz 2.50 GHz
16.0 GB (15.6 GB usable)
64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
Music Files stored on NAS QNAP TS-251

Networking Gear & Setup Details

Ethernet between Core and NAS
Wifi via Xfinity X1 stock devise.

Connected Audio Devices

Pixel 7 (Android)

Number of Tracks in Library

32,271

Description of Issue

Apologies, I logged this in the forum a few days back, but realize I really meant to submit a ticket to Support. I see no way to move it. So reposting here.

I’ve curated playlists specifically to make it easy for me to maintain what ARC downloads from my local media for offline listening later. I’ve encountered a number of issues, but want to focus on one here (it may answer several other questions).

In one such playlist I have 150+ albums. While in Offline mode viewing the playlist, ARC is able to see and play tracks in the playlist. Each track (in the playlist) shows the “downloaded” icon.

However, also while in ARC Offline mode, when browsing to these same albums (via “Albums,” or “Artist”), the tracks are nowhere to be found - even though all the files of these albums are verified as on my devise and playable (via to playlist).

Is this to be expected; that ARC is incapable of recognizing and finding files successfully downloaded as part of a playlist unless, and only if, one browses to them within the downloaded playlist itself?

My grand plan was to simply rely on having clicked the download button once (for the playlist), instead of 150+ and counting times per every album I want available offline. I’d then be able to search for albums to play, and play them. A sensible plan for sure (it would also, logically, remove offline files from my devise if I removed them from the playlist).

But before I get more frustrated about ARC not supporting the logical notion that music files stored via ARC Offline (in playlists or otherwise) ought to be reachable via whatever ARC search criteria leads one to those files in the app, I thought I should ask. I also thought I’d ask before un-downloading the playlist (with all these exact same files already stored on my device) and manually clicking to download albums 150+ times.

So is this a bug, user error, or a feature request? Am I asking the entire question correctly?

Noah

[Noah_Weiner]

Hey Support. It’s been 10 days since I contacted you here. How long should it generally take to get a response? Did I submit my request for information and help incorrectly?

Thanks,
Noah

[benjamin]

Hey @Noah_Weiner,

Thanks for bringing your older thread to our attention, and you have our apologies for it slipping through the cracks in the first place!

@Noah_Weiner

However, also while in ARC Offline mode, when browsing to these same albums (via “Albums,” or “Artist”), the tracks are nowhere to be found

A great question, and is probably best to first explain the nature of how Arc handles downloads. Simply put - ARC keeps track of how content was downloaded — whether via an album, track, or playlist. If the content was downloaded only via a playlist, ARC doesn’t treat the associated album or artist as “offline-available” — even if every track from that album is downloaded.

So, in your case: even though all the album’s tracks are present and playable in the playlist, ARC doesn’t surface the album under “Albums” in Offline mode unless you’ve specifically tapped Download on that album itself.

For now, to have the album show up in the Albums tab offline, you still need to download the album directly.

It may be worth checking out our Feature Suggestions category to see if someone has already requested a similar feature request for Arc, and if not, please share your request here!

Thanks @Noah_Weiner - I hope this makes sense!

[Noah_Weiner]

Thank you, @benjamin .

@benjamin

For now, to have the album show up in the Albums tab offline, you still need to download the album directly.

Thanks for explaining how ARC is doing what it does. It helps me understand the current state and not feel like I’ve been missing something, or that something must be broken in the app (“working as designed” is such an important concept. ).

Submitting a feature request aside, if I follow your recommendation above, I would have everything I’m looking for in ARC. If I make peace with the extra effort of downloading albums after downloading playlists, I’d get the desired end result.

However, can you please confirm for me if this effort would mean I’m doubling the stored media on my phone? Or, is ARC smart enough to recognize that an entire album already exists in its logical(?) folder structure, such that it wouldn’t double download the album’s tracks, but still successfully be able to present those albums as “downloaded” and available offline via the Albums view after I’ve taken the extra step to download the albums that were in the playlist?

And does this same logic hold for Tracks? Will no individual tracks appear as downloaded unless I’ve also downloaded each individual track of an album - and would this triple the storage space needed on the phone in order to see tracks?

I think you see where I’m going with this question about downloading, seeing things as available, and storage implications. The extra effort of tapping download is annoying but… just more tapping. The storage issue is sort of a game ender to the possibility of this “work around” working ahead of a feature request making its way into production some day.

Thanks,
Noah

[Rugby (aka Daniel or Big Dan)]

@Noah_Weiner

I’m doubling the stored media on my phone

Hi Noah,

Fellow user. From your question, I’m inferring that for example, you might have an album already on your phone but not in Roon ARC and you are wondering if downloading the album with ARC will double the space, your current download and the one ARC will do?

If so, then the answer is yes. ARC cannot see or interact with other music on your device; it can only see what it downloads. Since what it downloads is secured and encrypted, other music apps will not see anything downloaded via ARC.

[Noah_Weiner]

Hi @Rugby ,

I really appreciate your input and wanting to make sure I was communicating clearly. From your inference, I fear maybe I was not.

No, I’m not referring to other music files that might be on my phone. I’m only talking about how the ARC downloaded media storage would be impacted and available “offline” within the ARC app.

If album tracks are visible as downloaded only in the downloaded playlist (containing those album tracks) in ARC, and I then do a second download of those specific albums to get them to appear in ARC under Albums (as @benjamin suggested was a valid path to achieving), does this second download add a second full set of those album tracks to the storage of my phone?

[Rugby (aka Daniel or Big Dan)]

Ahh, I am not sure. I personally never download tracks with ARC.

But, you could do a test. Create a playlist of 1 track, download that to ARC. Note the data used, then download the album. And compare the data used versus the size of the album. Support doesn’t work on weekends, so you could wait for Benjamin to comment during the work week.

[Noah_Weiner]

Thanks again, @Rugby. Yeah, I’ve done a test with 5 albums, then also a playlist containing those same albums. It appears not to have doubled the download storage used.

@benjamin I’d look very forward to your confirmation that when following these methods it’s true that ARC will never store multiple copies of the same track no matter how many different download avenues were followed (playlist, album, track).

Thanks,
Noah