No iTunes Playlist or Audiobook files on SD card [#14726]

[Lorence]

New cell phone. Moto G5 with Android 7. MediaMonkey Pro installed a few days ago. The Windows 7 PC iTunes directory files were copied directly onto the cell phone SD card with the card plugged into the computer.

I also have MM (free) installed on the PC along with Apple's iTunes. MM works fine on the PC. Music and audio books play normally. Artist info and album artwork appear on screen. All iTunes playlists appear and function on my PC version of MM.

When connected to the PC with a USB cable the cell phone version MM syncs both the internal storage and SD card files with the PC version of MM.

The cell phone version of MM plays iTunes music and videos. It also displays all artist information and album artwork. It cannot find and display the iTunes playlist files or the Audiobook files.

When I select Playlists or Audiobooks from MM main menu I get the appropriate screen with the message "No Media" along with the two choices, "Chose library folders" and "Synchronization."

Selecting "Chose library folders" displays the cell phone internal storage and SD card files. iTunes, iTunes Music and all the album files appear on screen but when selected I do not see anything resembling Playlists or Audiobooks. There is also a file on the SD card called Playlists. Neither Playlists or Audiobooks are found in any files.

Selecting "Synchronization" ends up with Everything is in sync. Internal storage and SD card

I've been through the cell phone MM menus time and again but cannot find any reference to Playlist and Audiobook files anywhere other than on the Main Menu.

[Lowlander]

Which version of MMW and MMA? Are you sure the Playlists and Audiobooks are selected to be synced to the device and if so that they are on the device after sync?

[Lorence]

Which version of MMW and MMA? Are you sure the Playlists and Audiobooks are selected to be synced to the device and if so that they are on the device after sync?

MM Windows V 4.1.20.1864
MM Pro Android V 1.3.1.0751

I managed to get the playlists I want to use into MM Android. The music side of MMA now works perfectly.

I put the cell phone SD card back into the Windows PC and with MMW's Tools - Scripts - Export All Playlists I copied the Playlists onto the SD card. With the SD card back in the cell phone I now have all the playlists working in MM Android.

Still no Audiobooks.

I checked a few directories on the SD card I know contain Audiobook .m4b files. They are there and I can see them in the cell phone's setup software. Those files were installed from my Audiobook CD collection not downloaded from Apple. I probably converted those files to .m4b to make them work properly and be recognized by Apple iTunes as Audiobooks but they are mine, paid for and legal. None of Apple's business.

Those m4b files play on the PC version of MM without a problem. I assume they should play on the Android

I can select Audiobooks on the MM Android main menu. Directories of both the internal storage and SD card are shown but no individual files are shown inside the directories when selected. The little arrow goes round and round for a while but nothing is found on the SD card.

[Lowlander]

Try opening them with MMA when you're viewing them in a file explorer on the device. M4B may not be natively supported by the device in which case MMA can't play them.

[Lorence]

Try opening them with MMA when you're viewing them in a file explorer on the device. M4B may not be natively supported by the device in which case MMA can't play them.

Initially when I selected an .mp3 music file the cell phone gave me the choice of several apps to use. I selected MMA and said to always use MMA with an .mp3 file. Now when I select an .mp3 file the cell phone opens MMA and plays the song. I assume this is the way it should work.

Initially when I selected an .m4b audiobook file the cell phone did nothing. I guess that meant my cell phone didn't know what to do with the file.

I downloaded a few file manager apps and found one that recognized the .m4b file format.

When I select an .m4p audiobook file in the file manager app, it says "No apps are installed to open this type of file" then gives me several choices to "Open As." If I select the "Audio" choice the file manager displays the MMA icon. If I chose the MMA icon the m4b file will play on MMA.

MMA will play the .m4b audiobook file when I select the file with a file manager.

When I select Audiobooks in the MMA main menu it still says "No Media" and gives me the "Chose library folder" and "Synchronization" choices. When I chose a library on the SD card containing .m4b files nothing displays on the screen.

MMA knows what to do with a .m4b file and will play it but MMA doesn't seem to recognize those files on the SD card.

Is there any way I can specify to MMA that .m4b are valid audiobook files?

If the problem is getting Android to know what to do with an .m4b file, can you tell me what I need to look for in the File Manager type of apps that will associate an .m4b with MMA? What is that sort of feature called in Android terminology?

I know how the file association works in Windows, but can't find any sort of reference to a file association sort of feature in any of the Android File Manager apps I've seen.

The Android File Manager app I have installed on my cell phone will get MMA to play the audiobook when forced to but the association only works once when it is forced, not automatically like when file types have been associated in Windows.

[Lowlander]

I would assume the problem lies with Android not knowing what to do with the format natively as MMA relies on Androids native capabilities when it comes to file support. Odd thing is that the file does play. A developer may know more about this.

[Peke]

To see Audio books in MMA you need to sync with MMW and they must be Audiobook type, also as M4B are essentially M4A file with different extension try to rename them to M4A an see if MMA see them then?

NOTE: M4P files are Apple DRM protected files and it is possible that your device is not authorized to play them.

[Lorence]

To see Audio books in MMA you need to sync with MMW and they must be Audiobook type, also as M4B are essentially M4A file with different extension try to rename them to M4A an see if MMA see them then?

NOTE: M4P files are Apple DRM protected files and it is possible that your device is not authorized to play them.

Changing the m4b's on the cell phone's SD card to m4a's works. The m4a's are recognized as Audiobooks and play properly (so far) on the cell phone version of MM.

Problem solved.

Thanks for the help.

[Peke]

Hi,
THX for Update, MMA v2.0 should solve that issue as we are introducing our own scanner engine.

I added it as http://www.ventismedia.com/mantis/view.php?id=14726 so that we can confirm and track this report.