Author Topic: Syncing to Android, puts new copies of existing MP3s on my phone  (Read 4239 times)

LtTawnyMadison

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Hi, when syncing, MB always wants to re-copy all the music that is in the playlists I'm syncing, even though the MP3 files are already on my phone. (Sometimes I sync all playlists, sometimes just a few that have changed, and it will want to copy all songs on the synced playlists.) I can't find a setting to prevent this. So whenever I sync I have to delete all those music files on my phone first; I don't have enough storage space for duplicate files nor do I want them. Help!

I have the latest Android OS on a Galaxy S10 Plus. I am using the desktop app to sync because I couldn't get the WiFi app to work.

phred

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What version of MB are you using? (Help > About)
How was MB installed? (Store, Installer, Portable)
What Android version? 10? 11? 12? "Latest version" means nothing.
Are you sure it's creating duplicates and not just overwriting the existing music files?
Do you perform a 'preview' before doing a sync? Does the preview show the same file being deleted and then copied?
Download the latest MusicBee v3.5 or 3.6 patch from here.
Unzip into your MusicBee directory and overwrite existing files.

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LtTawnyMadison

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What version of MB are you using? (Help > About) - 3.4.8033 Store

How was MB installed? (Store, Installer, Portable) - Either Store or Installer; I don't remember.

What Android version? 10? 11? 12? "Latest version" means nothing. - Android 12

Are you sure it's creating duplicates and not just overwriting the existing music files? - Yes, it creates duplicates. I see the duplicate files on my phone (both looking on the phone itself and in Windows Explorer). They have been copied to a different folder (but still in internal storage, which is where the original MP3s are). The songs that then show in the synced playlist are the new duplicate ones, not the originals.

Do you perform a 'preview' before doing a sync? Does the preview show the same file being deleted and then copied? - I do a preview. It only shows songs to be copied, none to be deleted.

frankz

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If you want files that are not in the current sync to be deleted, you need to tick "delete files that are not on the auto-sync list from the device" in the MB device settings.

LtTawnyMadison

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I don't need any songs that are already on my phone to be deleted (unless I've deleted them from MusicBee); I need them to not be duplicated with each sync. So for example if I add a new album to my library, if I were to then sync my library, it would want to copy not only the new album, but my entire library again. Or if I sync just the playlists that contain the new album, then it wants to copy all the songs on those playlists, even the ones that are already on my phone.

I tested checking that box, and if I am not syncing my entire library but only certain playlists, the preview shows that it would delete all the files that aren't in the particular playlists I'm syncing (both the MP3s and all my other playlists files). If I AM syncing my whole library but most songs are already on the device, it doesn't make sense that it has to delete them all and then re-add them to the phone, and it's a waste of time. I mean I guess if deleting and then re-adding my entire library even for small changes is the only way to get it to work correctly, I will do that. But it takes a lot more time and I shouldn't have to.

phred

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I mean I guess if deleting and then re-adding my entire library even for small changes is the only way to get it to work correctly, I will do that. But it takes a lot more time and I shouldn't have to.
I just finished a sync that involved existing tracks, and some of those tracks were also in playlists. I simply changed the artist''s name from "&" to "and". When I did a preview, MB showed me the files that would be deleted, along with the (same, but renamed) files to be copies. So yes, even small changes need to have the original file deleted and replaced. As far as MB knows "Me and the Yous" is not the same artist as "Me & the Yous".

If your changes have be "small" and you're seeing what appear to be duplicates, this is more than likely the reason.
Download the latest MusicBee v3.5 or 3.6 patch from here.
Unzip into your MusicBee directory and overwrite existing files.

----------
The FAQ
The Wiki
Posting screenshots is here
Searching the forum with Google is  here

frankz

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I tested checking that box, and if I am not syncing my entire library but only certain playlists, the preview shows that it would delete all the files that aren't in the particular playlists I'm syncing (both the MP3s and all my other playlists files). If I AM syncing my whole library but most songs are already on the device, it doesn't make sense that it has to delete them all and then re-add them to the phone, and it's a waste of time. I mean I guess if deleting and then re-adding my entire library even for small changes is the only way to get it to work correctly, I will do that. But it takes a lot more time and I shouldn't have to.

If you have changed your storage settings in between syncs so that the files are due go to a different folder, or are saving files to playlist folders with one playlist the first time and a different playlist the second time, then they will be recopied and the originals will be left unless you tick that option.  

If the file currently exists on the device in the location where MB is sending it and is not older than the one currently on your computer (by date modified), then it will not be deleted and will not be resynched.  It will be left alone.

It's probably worthwhile to post a screenshot of the full device settings page so we can see what you're doing wrong.

LtTawnyMadison

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I mean I guess if deleting and then re-adding my entire library even for small changes is the only way to get it to work correctly, I will do that. But it takes a lot more time and I shouldn't have to.
I just finished a sync that involved existing tracks, and some of those tracks were also in playlists. I simply changed the artist''s name from "&" to "and". When I did a preview, MB showed me the files that would be deleted, along with the (same, but renamed) files to be copies. So yes, even small changes need to have the original file deleted and replaced. As far as MB knows "Me and the Yous" is not the same artist as "Me & the Yous".

If your changes have be "small" and you're seeing what appear to be duplicates, this is more than likely the reason.

I guess I'm not being clear. By "small changes" I mean to playlists, not to files. I'm not making any changes to any song information-- any tags, titles, etc. ONLY to their arrangement in playlists. Sometimes only one playlist. In that case then only the playlist file should need to be updated and there's no reason to overwrite the song file. (But it's not even overwriting; it's duplicating, as I said.)

LtTawnyMadison

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I tested checking that box, and if I am not syncing my entire library but only certain playlists, the preview shows that it would delete all the files that aren't in the particular playlists I'm syncing (both the MP3s and all my other playlists files). If I AM syncing my whole library but most songs are already on the device, it doesn't make sense that it has to delete them all and then re-add them to the phone, and it's a waste of time. I mean I guess if deleting and then re-adding my entire library even for small changes is the only way to get it to work correctly, I will do that. But it takes a lot more time and I shouldn't have to.

If you have changed your storage settings in between syncs so that the files are due go to a different folder, or are saving files to playlist folders with one playlist the first time and a different playlist the second time, then they will be recopied and the originals will be left unless you tick that option. 

If the file currently exists on the device in the location where MB is sending it and is not older than the one currently on your computer (by date modified), then it will not be deleted and will not be resynched.  It will be left alone.

It's probably worthwhile to post a screenshot of the full device settings page so we can see what you're doing wrong.

Reply to your first sentence: I haven't changed any storage settings in between syncs, and my sync setting is for the songs to be arranged in the same folder structure as they are on my PC, not into any playlist folders.

Reply to the second sentence: Yes MB is leaving the current file alone, but it is duplicating that file in another location on my phone even though I haven't changed settings in between syncs.

Reply to the third: I will do that later today.

LtTawnyMadison

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phred/frankz thanks in advance for your help.. i'll post the screenshots later

LtTawnyMadison

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It's probably worthwhile to post a screenshot of the full device settings page so we can see what you're doing wrong.

Here's a screenshot of the settings. https://1drv.ms/u/s!Alm3BgFNATpPm58Y_8RiC4UbEznk_Q?e=jsRs6u

phred

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I'm not making any changes to any song information-- any tags, titles, etc. ONLY to their arrangement in playlists. Sometimes only one playlist. In that case then only the playlist file should need to be updated and there's no reason to overwrite the song file. (But it's not even overwriting; it's duplicating, as I said.)
I agree. There's something odd going on here and I'm able to figure it out. Perhaps frankz has an idea. Or someone else in the forum.

I will suggest however, moving your playlists to the root of your internal storage and remove it from under Music. I've never had my playlist files in the same directory as the music files. This is just a shot in the dark.

I noticed from your screenshot that you don't have "delete files that are not on the auto-sync list..." enabled.
Download the latest MusicBee v3.5 or 3.6 patch from here.
Unzip into your MusicBee directory and overwrite existing files.

----------
The FAQ
The Wiki
Posting screenshots is here
Searching the forum with Google is  here

frankz

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No, nothing looks amiss.  

The puzzling thing is that you say:
1. You have not changed your storage settings or anything about the files between syncs
2. There are duplicate files that MB previously synched that are in a different location than the one MB is using now

These two things cannot simultaneously be the case.  If you have not changed from something else to "\Internal Storage\Music\<<FILENAMEASONCOMPUTER>>," and that's where MB is trying to put the files now, and that's where MB has always tried to put the files, then how did the older synched versions get into a different location that you never had set, and what is this other location?

In any event, I do believe you should enable "delete files that are not on the auto-sync list from the device" and let it go through the process of deleting these older duplicate files and synching to the location you have listed now, and then going forward it should not be a problem.
Last Edit: February 09, 2022, 05:31:27 AM by frankz

LtTawnyMadison

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The older synced versions are in the correct location on my phone, the one that I have them set to go to in my MB settings ("\Internal Storage\Music\<<FILENAMEASONCOMPUTER>>,"). The NEWER duplicate synced versions are the ones that go to the wrong location (they go to internal/storage/emulated/0/Music/ and then after that follow the same paths as the other ones).

When I choose the delete option, it will delete any songs that aren't in my list of things that I've chosen to sync. So to avoid that I have to choose to re-sync my entire library. But then it will still just add duplicates of the entire library. So it seems you're saying that my only option is to do what I've been doing, which is to first manually delete all the  music and playlists off of my phone, and then sync my entire library, re-adding ALL the files.

Oh I think you're saying that if I check the delete option and then sync the whole library it may get rid of those duplicate songs. I think I already tried doing that and it worked for that one time, but when I went back to just syncing certain playlists the same thing happened again. I will test it again when I get home.
Last Edit: February 09, 2022, 02:32:10 PM by LtTawnyMadison

LtTawnyMadison

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enable "delete files that are not on the auto-sync list from the device" and let it go through the process of deleting these older duplicate files and synching to the location you have listed now, and then going forward it should not be a problem.

That seems to have worked, twice now. Thank you!!