Hi there,
I would like to know where Roon ARC downloads files to locally on Android devices. I tried asking in the webinar but was directed here by Noris.
Thanks in advance!
Kirk
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It also interests me
All ARC downloads, whether on Android or iOS devices, are stored on the local device storage, and for Android, specifically not on an external memory card. The Roon staff are looking into using available external memory cards on Android devices, but this remains under review for a potential future release of ARC.
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True. However, the question as I see it, is where in the local storage are the files actually being kept. All my other Android music players can utilize a shared storage location and play music from there. ARC does not. Nor can my other players access music that ARC downloads. Both are show stoppers for using ARC for offline local playback, for me.
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that’s right, they are our files we should be able to manage them so as not to have double libraries on the smartphone
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As @Rugby points out, @Robert_F, I’m specifically interested in the path on disk to where the downloads are on the mobile device. Apologies if it was unclear in the initial question, but could you please give the path?
Thanks!
It’s my understanding that the music files that Roon ARC downloads, are not accessible to anything but ARC itself.
For sure, I’m imagining this is likely - but I’m interested in where that sits on disk even if it’s inaccessible.
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Just out of curiosity, why do you need to know the location of the files?
So you could share them with other apps but this looks unlikely. They are your own files after all so being able to download them and potential use them in other apps when Roon ARC doesn’t function for one reason or another. Most apps you can point to a specific folder for them to look for audio files.
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+1 to @CrystalGipsy, but in addition, I already manage all my music file sync to my mobile device using Google Drive and Autosync for Google Drive. If I could access the Roon area I could simply move files over or symlink or something, rather than having to parse everything I have sync’d via Drive and do the same sync via Roon.
This. As well as being able to copy the files via USB is much faster than ARCs method.
I have over 500 gb of music on my phone already that is assible to any of the 6 music apps on my phone. ARC is the only app which cannot make use of the music that is already on my phone.
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Given arc doesnt index or hold your database that would be a dog dinner. It’s just an extension of your core not a standalone media app. It relies on the core and your library for everything. It would not know what to do with them or how they might be the same version on your core. I get being able to use usb or lightning for downloads but have access to files and play them thet have not gone through arc is out of its current scope by quite a large margin. Would also only by for Android as iOS doesn’t really allow such things at all. Even Plex limits it’s local play to the main app and only on Android.
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But would the inverse be true? If I knew where the Roon files were I could point a different application at them to be indexed, presumably.
Also, fwiw, for the Roon folks, I would still just like to know where the downloads are regardless of [im]possible purpose.
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Yes the inverse would be true unless they are encrypted in some way.
Currently some DAPs, for instance the sony wm1zm2, can do bit perfect from its walkman app but not in roon remote or arc app.
If arc can be used to download files for the walkman to use, it would be helpful before the version of arc that bypasses the android mixer is available.
+1 to this.
If someone could inform us where ARC keeps downloaded files on android that’d be great.
Would be helpful for various reasons from manual copying (trying to download a ~1TB library takes ages especially when downloads seem to pause not long after the phone locks, meaning you have to keep it on and arc active. Not ideal for OLED displays…) to google drive syncing
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I don’t know if this helps much but the files seem to be saved somewhere within the ARC app and are inaccessible from elsewhere
They are kept in the app specific storage, I think. Meaning other apps can’t use the files and they go away on a reset reinstall.
Hi all, it would be really very handy, if the downloaded files were stored anywhere else and it should be any path that one can configure. For example an external SD-Card as the available space on the device itself might be to few.