Topic: JRiver for Android No Longer Working After Using with Android Auto (Read 2210 times)

matthra10 · « **on:** February 25, 2025, 04:23:01 pm »

I have been using JRiver for Android on my phone since shortly after it was originally released. It had some issues in my trucks with bluetooth connectivity but otherwise was great. I have JRiver on PCs and love it for managing and playing my music.

Recently I decided to try Android Auto. It worked fine but I wanted to update my music library with some different music. I copy files from the PC directly to the phone's drive. I have been doing it this way since the beginning. After doing so, whenever I try to reload files into the library in JRiver for Android, nothing seems to work. The app disappears. I barely have time to select any object. I have deleted, downloaded from Google Play, rebooted, retried many times. I have disabled Android Auto in case it was interfering. Nothing seems to help.

Does anyone have any idea how to fix this?

JimH · « **Reply #1 on:** February 25, 2025, 07:27:37 pm »

Try clearing the cache and the library.

matthra10 · « **Reply #2 on:** February 25, 2025, 08:43:57 pm »

That did not change anything apparently. Thanks for responding.

JimH · « **Reply #3 on:** February 26, 2025, 06:55:39 am »

Are the files in a single folder? What is its name?

What are the filetypes? Maybe one isn't liked by your phone.

Edit: I see a similar problem now on a Galaxy S25 Ultra. Android blames it on JRiver. I didn't install it. It was transferred from my previous phone, a Pixel 9, where it was stable.

We'll investigate.

JimH · « **Reply #4 on:** February 26, 2025, 08:58:29 am »

I was able to load a remote library from my laptop and could play from it without crashing.

But when I loaded the Main Library, which was empty, it crashed in about 15 seconds.

Just going to the Load Library page keeps it alive, even if no library is loaded. But loading the Main Library results in a crash.

cncb · « **Reply #5 on:** February 26, 2025, 09:34:41 am »

Quote from: JimH on February 26, 2025, 08:58:29 am

But when I loaded the Main Library, which was empty, it crashed in about 15 seconds.

Just going to the Load Library page keeps it alive, even if no library is loaded. But loading the Main Library results in a crash.

Is it crashing when loading from the main app or Android Auto?

matthra10 · « **Reply #6 on:** February 26, 2025, 10:27:44 am »

It crashes when doing almost everything. Sometimes I can get into Settings; other times it crashes when I select Settings. Attempting to load folders gives the same result.

The files are in the Music folder under Internal Storage for the phone. Under the Music folder, the structure is identical to the structure on my PC. I have used this structure since the beginning with JRiver for Android.

Thanks.

JimH · « **Reply #7 on:** February 26, 2025, 10:27:48 am »

Running on the phone. Not in Android Auto.

cncb · « **Reply #8 on:** February 26, 2025, 12:19:56 pm »

I can't seem to reproduce any crashes even with an empty main library. Local files import fine. Any hints?

JimH · « **Reply #9 on:** February 26, 2025, 12:52:29 pm »

What about with no Library data at all?

What happens if JRiver is unable to write any Library files? A protected or non-existent directory for example.

It happens reliably about 13 seconds after I start the program.

JimH · « **Reply #10 on:** February 26, 2025, 06:01:50 pm »

Android 15. AT&T.

JimH · « **Reply #11 on:** February 26, 2025, 06:28:30 pm »

It may be trying to load a remote library but that library isn't available. You could probably simulate that.

JimH · « **Reply #12 on:** February 27, 2025, 01:56:49 pm »

Similar?

https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/topic,140715.msg975940.html#msg975940

powderboy · « **Reply #13 on:** February 27, 2025, 02:54:11 pm »

Does sound similar, although it never worked for me.

matthra10 · « **Reply #14 on:** February 27, 2025, 03:44:58 pm »

Jim, the other issue you referred to seems different. My JRiver for Android crashes when doing anything.

Also, my Android version is 14. Samsung Galaxy S22.

JimH · « **Reply #15 on:** February 27, 2025, 03:49:48 pm »

Thanks. That helps. I'm trying to identify what is different for the people who are seeing the crash and those who aren't. I can reproduce it, but unfortunately, cncb, our developer, can't. Both his phone and mine are running Android 15.

Make sure you're using JRiver for Android 34.0.3. It's probably the beta build still.

Oddly, it works for me if I load a remote library. Just not the local library. If you want to try that, read the wiki topic for Media Network.

matthra10 · « **Reply #16 on:** February 27, 2025, 04:11:50 pm »

I am using 34.0.3 - 64 bit. I'll check out the Media Network approach. thanks,

powderboy · « **Reply #17 on:** February 27, 2025, 04:45:35 pm »

Mine pretty much crashes all the time too.

powderboy · « **Reply #18 on:** February 27, 2025, 04:54:45 pm »

Mine might be slightly more stable, but it crashes a lot. I have also used MC on my PC for many years and have downloaded my library from the PC as-is onto my SD card. I am able to import the entire library (>3000 files) including all of the cover art without a problem. But none of the files will play and it crashes in short order when I try it use it. very well could be the same issue.

Let me know if you would like me to try anything.

JimH · « **Reply #19 on:** February 28, 2025, 10:01:29 am »

We can duplicate the problem by running Auto Import on the phone. After that, on my phone, JRiver for Android disappears in about 15 seconds.

I can still connect to a remote library and play from it.

We should have a fix for this soon.

In the meantime, if you want to use a remote library, that will work.

You can also prevent the interface from closing by doing this:

1. Press and hold the icon on the phone's screen.
2. Click on "i" (on some phones, choose App Info)
3. Choose Storage > Clear Data
4. Confirm Delete

powderboy · « **Reply #20 on:** February 28, 2025, 01:47:45 pm »

I tried the steps outlined above. Clearing the cache and deleting the app data definitely stabilized things. I have not seen any crashes since doing that. I was also able to load a remote library (using the access key from my MC server PC) and everything looks good, still with no crashes. However, none of the music will play from the remote library. The response is a bit different when I press the play button: when trying to play from the internal library, the play button would flash off/on as if indicating a response to the button push; when I try to play from the remote library I don't see any response at all when I push the play button. I tried deleting the app completely and then re-installed it but the results were the same.

So it seems like you're on the right track, but my device still doesn't play any music files from the remote library. Let me know if there's anything else you'd like me to try.

Thanks for the help!

JimH · « **Reply #21 on:** February 28, 2025, 02:08:36 pm »

What filetype? Try others.

There may be a delay if conversion is required.

Does the progress bar move? Check the volume. The phone's hardware volume should work.

powderboy · « **Reply #22 on:** February 28, 2025, 02:45:34 pm »

These are all .mp3 files and I have tried different ones. Volume is turned up. They play just fine from Google Files, but not from MC. I'm also seeing some strange behavior when I select a song - when I select a song the name of a different song in the same folder appears in the banner at the bottom of the screen. Again, none of the files will play.

powderboy · « **Reply #23 on:** February 28, 2025, 03:04:35 pm »

I just found something interesting. My display had timed out and when I hit the button to wake it up, an window with the last selected file appeared on the lock screen. I was able to play the file from that screen. I could start/stop, move forward/back, and change the volume. All worked fine from the lock screen. But when I unlock and the main MC screen comes up, the displayed file is different and will not play. If I close the display and re-open to the lock screen I can again play the displayed file from the lock screen. I also found that I can scroll through the files in the same folder from the lock screen and I can play each one. But when I unlock, the file displayed in the MC app has not changed and will not play. If I scroll to the same file on the lock screen that is displayed in MC, I can play that file from the lock screen but not from MC.

I hope this is helpful.

matthra10 · « **Reply #24 on:** February 28, 2025, 04:35:32 pm »

OK. The weirder it gets.

I was using Files by Google to look at the folders and files on my phone, specifically the Music folder, etc. In order to see how much space the folders were taking, I had to click in the Files app to grant the permissions that were needed. I did this. After I did this, when I launched JRiver for Android, I could now see the Music files in the JRiver app. All functions now worked.

Of course, I had to go to my truck and see if things there still worked with Android Auto. They did. After exiting the truck, I checked JRiver on my phone again. The app was crashing again. Now I duplicated what I had previously done. It did not fix anything.

After uninstalling both JRiver and Files and reinstalling both several times, the app continued to crash. At that time, I could see the music files but they would only play about 10 or 15 seconds before the app would crash. After continuing to experiment, I ended back where I cannot load the library as I was yesterday.

Jim, I tried deleting the Data and Cache. It made no difference.

Based on last night's experiencef, it certainly seems like a permissions issue.

Thanks for all the comments and effort.

JimH · « **Reply #25 on:** February 28, 2025, 05:01:13 pm »

Craig found the problem and we should have a fix next week. Thanks for all the help.

JimH · « **Reply #26 on:** March 05, 2025, 01:51:25 pm »

We believe this is fixed in 34.0.4, just published.

powderboy · « **Reply #27 on:** March 05, 2025, 04:25:20 pm »

Sorry guys, but this new version didn't fix my problem. Behavior is mostly the same as far as I can tell. I cannot play anything from the internal SD card or from a remote library. Somewhat different now is that when I try to play from the remote library it plays for about a second, maybe less, and then stops. The behavior when playing from the internal library on the SD card is the same.

I'll play with it some more when I have a chance and let you know if I find anything else that might be helpful.

JimH · « **Reply #28 on:** March 05, 2025, 04:38:33 pm »

Did you run Auto Import? It can take several minutes.

powderboy · « **Reply #29 on:** March 05, 2025, 09:41:16 pm »

I cleared the cache and storage and then imported the library manually. I can try auto import if you think that would work differently, but everything appeared to import correctly when I did it manually. I'll play with it some more tomorrow, including deleting and reimporting the app and trying auto import, but I have a feeling that it won't make a difference. The only different I have seen so far is that files did actually play for a fraction of a second when playing from the remote library on my MC server.

JimH · « **Reply #30 on:** March 06, 2025, 06:38:42 am »

Quote from: matthra10 on February 27, 2025, 04:11:50 pm

I am using 34.0.3 - 64 bit. I'll check out the Media Network approach. thanks,

34.0.4 has the fix.

Anyone having the problem, can you try another android phone if you have one?

Please let us know what phone and version of Android you're using. Make sure that the phone OS has been updated.

powderboy · « **Reply #31 on:** March 06, 2025, 11:40:38 am »

BTW, I have NOT seen the instability and random crashes with the new version that I saw on the previous version, so that problem was fixed.

JimH · « **Reply #32 on:** March 06, 2025, 12:49:45 pm »

Quote from: powderboy on March 05, 2025, 04:25:20 pm

... when I try to play from the remote library it plays for about a second, maybe less, and then stops.

I saw this myself today on Android Auto, but it was in an area where I don't get good cell reception. I could press the play button and it would play for another second. As soon as I was in an area with good reception, playback continued without interruption.

powderboy · « **Reply #33 on:** March 06, 2025, 02:42:09 pm »

I was playing from the remote library over WiFi in my house, so cellular coverage isn't an issue. I don't use Android Auto.

FYI, I tried using "Run Auto Import" instead of "Import Folder" and I still have the same issues. I also tried completely deleting and re-installing the app and nothing changed. To reiterate, this new JRiver for Android version fixed the instability and crashing problems but I still cannot play audio from either the SD card or from a remote MC library.

I'm using a Motorola G Power 5G - 2025 phone with Android version 15, which is the latest version as far as I know.

JimH · « **Reply #34 on:** March 06, 2025, 03:02:40 pm »

Try checking for an Android OS update.

So the library shows up on Android, you can browse, but playback aborts. MP3 files? What bitrate? Cover art embedded? Size and filetype of art?

The brief play could be weak network signal. Try rebooting the cable modem, router, everything on the network. Then reboot the rest of your devices.

Is it a simple network? Describe it, please.

Playback on the computer is fine? Everything works? Try making a test library with 10 or 15 files. Share it and test on the phone.

JimH · « **Reply #35 on:** March 06, 2025, 03:21:20 pm »

Example of problem caused by a router:

https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/topic,137495.msg954997.html#msg954997

powderboy · « **Reply #36 on:** March 06, 2025, 05:16:20 pm »

Interesting, but not really a concern for me. I use Gizmo for control of MC on the PC in my house. I want to use JRiver for Android to play music from the SD card on my phone, not from a remote MC library. I've only been experimenting with a remote MC library on my phone in an effort to aid you guys in your troubleshooting.

JimH · « **Reply #37 on:** March 07, 2025, 07:01:29 am »

We appreciate the testing and reports. It really helps.

I just noticed that the media files are on an SD card. That should work, but can you try files that are on the phone itself? Cards can go bad.

powderboy · « **Reply #38 on:** March 07, 2025, 11:03:33 am »

Good idea. I cleared the JRiver for Android cache and storage, moved 14 albums from the SD card into a folder on the phone itself, and then imported that folder. None of the music would play. No response at all when I hit the play button.

FYI, I can play anything on the SD card from Google Files so I don't think there's anything wrong with the SD card.

Matt · « **Reply #39 on:** March 07, 2025, 11:07:08 am »

What file type? Could you try another type (MP3, APE, etc.)? Thanks.

powderboy · « **Reply #40 on:** March 07, 2025, 02:55:48 pm »

The Moto G Power 5G 2025 phone can play MP3, FLAC, M4A, AAC, AAC+, MIDI, and WAV files, so no APE files. All music files I've been trying to play on the phone up to this point have been MP3 files. I downloaded a WAV file to the phone's local memory but I was unable to play it with MC. It plays just fine both in local memory and on the SD card using Google Files though, as do MP3 files.

powderboy · « **Reply #41 on:** March 11, 2025, 10:46:08 am »

Any ideas?

Awesome Donkey · « **Reply #42 on:** March 11, 2025, 10:56:12 am »

Does the JRiver for Android app have the permissions set for music and files and whatnot? SD cards, if I recall correctly, may require a permission thing too, if I recall correctly. My last few phones didn't have SD card slots but I do recall something like this being an issue with external storage like SD.

powderboy · « **Reply #43 on:** March 11, 2025, 12:27:55 pm »

JRiver for Android doesn't work from the local on-phone storage either. But to answer your question, I have looked for the kind of thing you're referring to. There was nothing I could find in setup that has an effect on the SD card storage - I found a way to eject the SD card, but that's about it. All of the permissions for JRiver are also activated.

One of the first ideas posted here is that it might have something to do with my version of Android (version 15). My phone is pretty new and I'm not sure how widespread version 15 is at this point.

Does anyone else out there have JR for Android running on version 15?

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Author Topic: JRiver for Android No Longer Working After Using with Android Auto (Read 2210 times)