Where do Amazon Music downloads go on Android?

What is Amazon Music?

Amazon Music is a streaming and download service offered by Amazon. It is included with an Amazon Prime subscription or available as a standalone service called Amazon Music Unlimited (source: https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/entertainment/what-is-amazon-music). Amazon Music provides access to over 90 million songs that can be streamed online or downloaded for offline listening (source: https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=GW3PHAUCZM8L7W9L).

With an Amazon Music subscription, users can listen on demand via the Amazon Music app on devices like smartphones, tablets, computers, and smart speakers. Downloaded songs can be accessed offline, allowing playback without an internet connection. Amazon Music also offers curated playlists and radio stations for both Prime members and Unlimited subscribers.

Downloading Amazon Music on Android

To download music from Amazon Music on an Android device, you will need to have the Amazon Music app installed. The app is available for free on the Google Play Store.

Downloading music from Amazon Music requires an active Amazon Prime membership or an Amazon Music Unlimited subscription. Downloads provide the ability to listen offline when you don’t have an internet connection.

With the subscription, you can download tens of millions of songs, playlists, and stations to your Android device. Downloaded content is stored locally on your device storage. The amount you can save depends on your available storage capacity.

Default Download Location on Android

When downloading music from Amazon Music on an Android device, the files are saved to the device’s internal storage by default. Specifically, the downloads are stored in the Music folder on the internal storage.

The exact file path to the Amazon Music downloads can vary slightly depending on the specific Android device model and version. But in most cases, it will be in a folder path like:

/sdcard/Music/Amazon Music/

/storage/emulated/0/Music/Amazon Music/

So the Music folder, which contains all music files on the device, is where Amazon Music stores its downloaded content as well. The downloads are kept in a dedicated Amazon Music folder within the main Music folder.

This internal storage location for downloads is the default for the Amazon Music app on Android. However, it is possible to change the download destination, which we’ll discuss more later.

Changing the Download Location

The default download location for Amazon Music on Android is the Amazon Music folder located at /Android/data/com.amazon.mp3/files/Music. However, you can change where your downloaded music is saved in the Amazon Music settings.

To change the download location on Android:

Open the Amazon Music app and tap on the profile icon in the top right corner.

Select “Settings” from the menu.
Under “Download Location” tap on “Change.”
You will be presented with different storage options to choose from including external SD card or a custom folder location.

Select your preferred new download location.

Changing the setting here will update where any newly downloaded music from Amazon Music is saved on your device. Existing downloads will remain in the old location.

Having the ability to store your music downloads on an external SD card or in a separate folder can help manage storage constraints on your Android device and keep your music downloads neatly organized.

Finding Downloaded Music

To find the music you have downloaded from Amazon Music on your Android device, open the Amazon Music app and select Downloads.

All of your downloaded content from Amazon Music will appear in the My Music section of the app under Downloads. You can browse through artists, albums, songs, and playlists here.

You can also access your downloaded Amazon Music content through your device’s Files app. Go to the Downloads or Music folder and look for the Amazon Music folder. This will contain all of your downloaded songs, albums, and playlists.

If you cannot find your downloads, make sure you are signed into the Amazon Music app with the account that purchased the downloads. The downloads are account-specific.

You may need to scroll down in the app library to find the Downloads section. But rest assured your Amazon Music downloads are stored locally on your Android device and can be accessed either through the Amazon Music app or Files app.

Listening to Downloaded Music Offline

One of the main benefits of downloading music from Amazon Music is the ability to listen offline when you don’t have an internet connection (Amazon Help, 2022). This is perfect for situations like traveling on a plane, commuting on the subway, or being in an area with poor connectivity.

The Amazon Music app allows you to download songs, albums, playlists, and stations for offline listening (Business Insider, 2020). Once downloaded, you can access and play this content through the app without needing to stream it over the internet.

The player features you’re used to still work when listening to downloads offline. You can play, pause, skip, shuffle, and loop songs as well as play downloaded playlists and albums. The only limitation is you won’t have access to Amazon’s full music catalog until you’re online again.

Downloaded music makes it easy and convenient to listen ad-free anywhere, anytime without needing a WiFi or data connection.

Managing Storage Space

With Amazon Music, you can download songs, albums, and playlists for offline listening. However, these downloads can quickly consume storage space on your Android device. Here are some tips for managing storage:

You can manually delete downloaded content in the “Downloads” section of the Amazon Music app. This will immediately free up space. There is also an option to enable “Auto-delete listened downloads” which will automatically remove tracks after you’ve listened to them.

You can adjust the download quality in Settings. Lower quality uses less space, so setting this to “Good” or “Average” instead of “Best” can significantly reduce the size of downloads and save storage.

Periodically clearing the cache in the Amazon Music app can also help. The cache contains temporary data that can build up over time.

By judiciously deleting downloads, adjusting quality, and clearing the cache, you can better manage your storage when using Amazon Music on Android.

Downloading Playlists

One convenient feature of Amazon Music is the ability to download entire playlists for offline listening. This allows you to listen to curated playlists of songs without needing an internet connection. According to Amazon’s help documentation, Amazon Music Unlimited members can download playlists by tapping the “Download” button next to any playlist.

A major advantage of downloading Amazon playlists is that they automatically update with any changes. So if the creator adds or removes songs from the playlist, your downloaded version will also update the next time your device syncs with Amazon’s servers. This ensures you always have the most up-to-date playlist versions saved locally on your Android device.

Licensing Issues

One important thing to understand about downloading music from Amazon Music is that the downloaded songs may expire after a period of time. This is due to licensing restrictions imposed by the record labels and rights holders.

Typically, the licenses for downloaded songs need to be periodically renewed. This requires connecting back to Amazon’s servers to verify you still have an active subscription. If too much time passes without a renewal, the downloads can expire and become unplayable.

The exact expiration period depends on your subscription tier. For example, songs downloaded with a Prime membership expire after 30 days without an internet connection. Music downloaded as part of an Unlimited subscription normally expires after 90 days offline. Downloads may expire sooner if you cancel a subscription.

So in summary, downloaded Amazon Music is not permanently yours to keep. The licenses need to be renewed periodically by reconnecting to Amazon’s service. Be aware of any time limitations based on your subscription type to avoid losing access to downloads. But overall, this system allows you to take your music on the go while respecting licensing agreements.

Sources:
https://www.tunecable.com/en1/amazon-music-tips/keep-amazon-music-playable-when-subscription-expires.html
https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=GCB6ZJE5GTVK8X4K

Android Compatibility

The Amazon Music app is compatible with most Android phones running Android 5.0 or later. According to the Android Central article What devices can play Amazon Music?, the app works on popular phones from Samsung, LG, Motorola, Nokia, and other brands. Though not officially supported, some users have sideloaded the app onto Android tablets with varying degrees of success.

So in summary, the Amazon Music app is designed for Android phones and requires Android 5.0 or newer. While not optimized for tablets, it may be possible to install the app on some Android tablets too.