Why does my Android keep deleting music?
## Introduction
It can be incredibly frustrating when music randomly disappears from your Android device. You’ve spent time carefully curating playlists and downloading your favorite songs, only to find they’ve mysteriously vanished. This unexplained deletion of music files is an issue reported by many Android users.
There are various potential causes for your Android device unexpectedly deleting songs. The music files may not actually be deleted, but rather unlinked from your music library. Issues with storage space, memory cards, syncing problems, malware, cached data, or app permissions could all contribute to music seeming to disappear. Thankfully, with some troubleshooting and adjustments, you can likely resolve the issue and prevent music from being deleted again.
Checking Storage Space
Music files can take up a significant amount of storage space on your Android device. According to Lifewire, a 1GB storage can hold around 312 songs if they are compressed as MP3s at a standard bitrate. The amount of storage required depends on the length of the song and encoding quality. Reddit users report having over 100GB worth of music files for large libraries.
If your device’s storage is full or nearly full, it may start automatically deleting files including music to free up space. The Android operating system will delete cache files first, but can start removing media files if storage remains low. Before your Android deletes any more music, you’ll want to assess how much total space you have available and how much is being used by music files. You can find this info in your Settings under Storage.
If your music library is taking up over 50% or more of total device storage, the lack of free space could lead to music being deleted. Try removing unneeded apps and files, backing up photos to the cloud, or moving some music to an SD card, if available, to free up internal storage.
Corrupted Memory Card
A corrupted or damaged memory card is a common cause of music files mysteriously disappearing from Android devices. SD cards can become corrupted due to software errors, physical damage, or bad sectors. When this happens, the Android OS may struggle to read files stored on the card properly, leading to data loss or the files appearing deleted when they still exist on the card.
According to CleverFiles, formatting the SD card can often fix corruption by fully resetting the file system. However, this results in permanent data loss unless you recover the files first using data recovery software designed for corrupted cards like Disk Drill. Reformatting also doesn’t help if the card has developed physical defects.
To minimize corruption, it’s recommended to safely eject the SD card before removal, avoid excessive heat, handle the card carefully, and replace older cards showing signs of wear. Periodically backing up the card contents provides protection in case errors do occur.
Syncing Issues
One potential cause of music being deleted from your Android device is syncing issues with cloud storage services. When you enable uploading and syncing music to the cloud, such as with Google Play Music, Apple Music, or Spotify, it can sometimes cause music to be deleted from the local storage on your device.
This usually occurs when the cloud service detects a difference between the files stored locally versus in the cloud. For example, if you delete a song or album directly from the cloud service, it may then also delete it from your Android’s local storage to sync everything up. The cloud service incorrectly assumes you want the local files to match what’s stored in the cloud.
To avoid syncing deletions, you can disable music uploading and sync in the cloud music app’s settings. You can also use a separate local music player app on your Android that does not sync with any cloud services. This will allow your locally stored music to remain intact regardless of what you do with the cloud music library.
Overall, being aware of which songs and albums you delete from a cloud library can help prevent accidental music deletion from your Android device when syncing occurs. Checking sync settings and using local-only music apps can also let you keep cloud collections separate from your phone’s music storage.
Virus or Malware
One common reason Android devices may unexpectedly delete music or other files is due to a virus or malware infection. Viruses and malware can sometimes delete, corrupt, or encrypt files as part of their malicious routines. According to AVG, Android devices are vulnerable to viruses that can “delete photos, text messages and contacts, drop phone call quality, and overall damage your mobile experience.”
Some signs your Android device may be infected include increased data usage, unknown charges to your phone bill, pop-up ads, or unusually slow performance. To check for and remove viruses or malware, you can use your Android’s built-in security through Google Play Protect. Go to Settings > Google > Security > Play Protect to scan your device and remove detected threats. You can also install a trusted anti-virus app like AVG Antivirus to scan and remove infections. Finally, performing a factory reset can wipe any malware, though you may lose data in the process.
System Cache
One common cause of music randomly deleting on Android devices is a full system cache (https://www.hexnode.com/blogs/what-why-when-and-how-to-clear-cache-on-android-devices/). As apps run, they store temporary data in a cache partition to optimize performance. Over time, this cache can build up and take up significant storage space. A full cache may cause issues with media storage and lead to music being inadvertently deleted.
Clearing the cache removes this temporary data and frees up space (https://www.androidpolice.com/clear-app-cache-data-android/). This is an easy troubleshooting step that may prevent music from being randomly deleted going forward. On Android devices, you can clear the cache by going to Settings > Storage > Cached data and tapping “OK” to confirm. Be aware that clearing cache for certain apps like music players may sign you out or cause other minor issues that are easily fixed.
Overall, a full system cache is a common culprit behind media randomly disappearing on Android. Keeping the cache cleared out periodically can help optimize device storage and prevent music from going missing unexpectedly.
App Permissions
One common reason for music being deleted from an Android device is that certain apps have been granted access permissions that allow them to modify or delete files in storage. It’s important to check which apps have been given access to your storage and media files.
You can view and manage app permissions by going to Settings > Apps & notifications > App permissions. Look under the Storage permission to see which apps have access. Any apps that don’t need access to storage should have this revoked.
In particular, be wary of file manager, cleaner, or optimizer apps that may automatically delete files they deem unnecessary. It’s best to disable the app’s storage access if you don’t want it removing your music.
Additionally, some apps like cloud storage or music services may delete local files when syncing with their online libraries. You may want to check their app settings to disable syncing.
Carefully reviewing app permissions and revoking unnecessary access can help prevent files from being unexpectedly modified or deleted from your device. Grant storage access only to apps that truly require it.
Source: Change app permissions on your Android phone
Manual Deletion
Sometimes music files may get accidentally deleted by the user. This can happen in a few ways:
Accidentally tapping the delete icon or “trash can” icon for a song or album in a music app. It’s easy to accidentally tap delete when trying to play a song.
Deleting music files when cleaning up storage space on your Android. You may delete music files you didn’t intend to when trying to free up storage.
Using the file manager to delete music files to clear space, without realizing you still wanted those files.
Uninstalling a music app that leaves behind music files. For example, uninstalling Spotify could delete downloaded music.
Clearing app cache/data for a music app in Android settings. This can erase music downloads and playlists.
Factory resetting your Android without properly backing up your music library first.
Thankfully, with the right data recovery software, it’s often possible to retrieve accidentally deleted music files, even without a backup. Just avoid writing new data to the device to increase chances of recovery.
References:
[1] https://www.quora.com/I-accidentally-deleted-data-from-media-storage-in-my-Android-phone-Now-my-media-app-does-not-show-any-files-How-do-I-fix-this-problem
System Restore
One potential cause of music being deleted on an Android device is performing a factory reset, also known as a system restore. This resets the phone back to its default factory settings, erasing all user data in the process [1]. When doing a factory reset, media files such as music are often deleted.
If you have performed a factory reset on your Android device recently and noticed your music files disappeared, this is likely the cause. Unfortunately, a factory reset erases all user data, so any media files stored locally on the device will be permanently deleted. The only way to recover the deleted music would be if you had it backed up externally before resetting your phone [2].
In the future, make sure to backup any important media files before factory resetting your Android. You can save music files to an external SD card, cloud storage, or sync them to a computer. That way, you’ll have a copy if they are erased during the reset process.
Conclusions
There are several potential culprits when it comes to music randomly disappearing from Android devices. The most common causes tend to be:
- Insufficient storage space on the device or memory card – Especially if using a low memory SD card, music may get automatically deleted when nearing capacity.
- A corrupted external memory card – Faulty SD cards can lead to data loss or files like music going missing. Reformatting the card may help.
- Syncing issues with music apps or cloud storage – If enabled, auto-sync can sometimes delete local music copies when connectivity is unstable.
- Virus or malware infection – Malicious apps could potentially access and delete music files without the user’s knowledge.
- Full system cache – The OS may clear cached music files to free up space which appears as missing tracks.
Solutions range from freeing up storage space and reformatting SD cards, to adjusting app permissions, running antivirus scans, and doing a system cache wipe or factory reset as a last resort. The specific fix depends on pinpointing the exact cause. Backing up your music library regularly is also recommended to avoid permanent data loss.
In summary, while music disappearing unexpectedly can be alarming, the problem can usually be remedied by methodically troubleshooting and ruling out each potential root cause.
