How do I play locally stored music on Android?

Locally stored music refers to audio files, such as MP3s or FLACs, that are saved directly on your Android device’s internal storage rather than streamed from an online music service. There are a few key reasons why someone may want to play locally stored music on their Android phone or tablet:

Having your own music collection allows you to listen to your favorite songs and albums anytime, even when you don’t have an internet connection. This makes locally stored music ideal for situations like air travel or other areas with poor connectivity.

Many audiophiles prefer listening to lossless music formats, like FLAC, that provide higher audio quality than streamed music. The only way to play these on mobile is to have them stored locally.

You maintain full control over your music library, allowing you to organize your files, edit metadata, and add album art. Streaming services don’t provide the same level of customization.

Access to obscure, old, or rare tracks that may not be available through streaming platforms can only be guaranteed by keeping your own local collection.

Overall, while streaming services provide endless music libraries, nothing beats having your own curated collection of songs and albums that you can listen to anytime, anywhere on your Android device.

Locating Your Music Files

Locally stored music files on Android devices can typically be found in a few common folders, depending on where they were downloaded from and the app used to play them:

• Downloads – Music files downloaded directly from the internet via the browser or a file manager app are usually saved in the Downloads folder.
• Music – Some apps create a dedicated Music folder to store songs, like streaming services for caching songs or music player apps.
• External SD Card – If you have an SD card installed, music can be saved directly to the root or a Music folder there.
• Individual App Folders – Apps that play local music often silo downloads into their own folder, usually located in internal storage > Android > data > [app name].

For example, Google Play Music stores its audio files in internal storage > Android > data > com.google.android.music > files > music.

Using a file manager app makes locating these folders easier compared to browsing device storage directly. Apps like CX File Explorer have an indexed interface and search tools to quickly find media files scattered across different folders.

Using the Default Music Player

The built-in music player app on Android is known as “Music”. While some vendors may re-brand this as a different app name, all default music players on Android provide access to locally stored music files.

To use the Music app for accessing local song files, first open the app and select the “Songs” or “Tracks” tab. Here you will find any audio files stored locally on your device’s internal storage or SD card. Tapping on a song will begin playback in the Music player interface.

One limitation of the default player is it only scans certain directories for your audio files – primarily the built-in Music folder and directories on SD cards. So you may need to manually move files into those locations for the Music app to index them.

Using Third Party Apps

There are several popular third party music player apps for Android that excel at playing locally stored music files. Some recommended options include:

• Poweramp – A highly customizable music player with support for many music file formats, an equalizer, tag editor, widgets, and more
• jetAudio – A free player with 32/192 EQ, tag editor, gapless playback, widgets, themes, and even video playback capabilities
• MediaMonkey – A music manager and player designed specifically for large local music collections, with advanced tagging, library organization, and syncing with a desktop version
• Musicolet – An ad-free open source player with multiple layouts, no permissions required, and a clean no-frills interface focused solely on local playback

These are some of the most featured-packed options available for anyone who has a sizeable offline music library on their Android device. They provide many powerful tools for managing, enhancing and enjoying your local music collection.

Transferring Files to Your Device

Before you can play locally stored music on your Android device, you need to transfer files from your computer to your device storage. Here are the easiest ways to transfer music:

Using a USB Cable

Connect your Android device to your computer using a USB cable. Your device storage should show up in your computer’s file explorer as an external drive or device. Simply drag and drop your music files from your computer into your Android device’s storage folders.

Using Android File Transfer

Android File Transfer is a desktop app for Mac/Windows that provides easy file access and transfer. Download and install it on your computer, connect your device via USB, then drag and drop files as needed.

Using Cloud Storage

Upload your music files to cloud storage services like Google Drive or Dropbox from your computer. Then use the app on your Android device to access those files and save them to local device storage.

Once your music files are transferred to local device storage, open your Android’s file manager to access folders containing your music. Or use a media app to locate and play your music library.

Playing Music from File Manager

File managers allow you to access and browse all the files and folders stored on your Android device, including your music files. Opening a music file from your file manager will launch an associated app to play that file. For example, tapping on an MP3 file will launch your default music player app to play that file.

To play local music files from your file manager on Android:

1. Launch your device’s default file manager app. The name and icon will vary by device manufacturer; common options are “Files”, “My Files”, “File Manager”, and “Downloads”.

2. Browse to your music files. Most often they are stored in /sdcard/Music or /sdcard/Download/Music (assuming external storage is available and active). If you transferred files from your computer, check the download or connected storage locations.

3. Once you’ve located the music files, simply tap on a file to play it. The associated music player app will launch (if not already open) and begin playing that file.

4. Use the music player controls as you normally would to play, pause, skip tracks, adjust volume, etc.

5. To play a different track, go back to your file manager app (may have minimized to the background) and select another file. The player will switch to the new selection.

6. You can also select multiple files and queue them up. Long press on a file and select additional tracks. Then tap on one and your player will handle the queue.

This direct file access method requires no setup and helps you quickly access music tracks stored on your Android device. If managing a large library, consider a dedicated music player app with advanced features.

Auto-Indexing Your Music Library

The MediaStorage service on Android is responsible for indexing and making your locally stored music available to media playing apps. However, sometimes the auto-indexing can fail or not pick up newly added music files.

Using an app like AIMP can help automatically index your music library. AIMP has auto-indexing and grouping capabilities to organize your music by album, artist, etc. It also supports editing tags for common music file formats.

If you find the default media indexing on your Android device is not working properly, install AIMP or a similar app. Open the app settings and trigger a re-index of your music folder. This will scan your local storage and populate the music library for playback.

You can also restrict indexing to specific folders if you only store music in certain locations. Over time, the app will automatically detect new additions and keep your music collection up to date.

Playlist Creation

One of the key benefits of having your music library locally stored on your Android device is the ability to create custom playlists tailored to your preferences. Here is a step-by-step guide for creating playlists from your locally stored music files:

1. Open your default music player app or a third party music app like Google Play Music. Navigate to your library view.
2. Look for the option to create a new playlist. This is usually represented by a “+” or “Add” icon.
3. Give your playlist a name and tap the “Create” or “Add” button.
4. You will now see an empty playlist. Find the tracks or albums you want to add from your music library and tap on them to add them to the playlist.
5. Reorder or remove tracks as needed once you’ve finished adding songs.
6. Your playlist will now be saved within your music app for easy access later. You can come back and add or remove tracks at any time.

Creating custom playlists lets you group together your favorite tracks by mood, genre, artist or however else you like. You can create as many playlists as you want this way from your locally stored music collection.

Troubleshooting Tips

If you are having issues playing local music files on your Android device, here are some troubleshooting tips:

Make sure the music files are compatible formats – Android supports common formats like MP3, FLAC, WAV, and AAC.

Check that the files are not DRM protected – DRM protected files may not play on all devices and apps.

Enable storage access – Go to Settings > Apps and notifications > Advanced > Special app access > Storage and check that the music app has access.

Clear app data and cache – Open Settings > Apps > Music app > Storage > Clear Data and Clear Cache.

Re-index music library – Open music app settings and look for options to re-index or rescan music files.

Make sure local playback is enabled – Open music app settings and enable options like “Show Device Files” or “Local Playback.”

Check app permissions – Enable permissions for Storage, Microphone, Contacts etc in app settings if disabled.

Try a different music app – Apps like Phonograph, BlackPlayer, and Poweramp may have better local playback support.

Conclusion

In summary, playing locally stored music on your Android device is easy once you know where to find your files and which apps to use. The default Music app can play common audio formats like MP3 once you point it to the folder where your music is stored. Alternatively, downloading a third party music player from the Play Store can give you more features and flexibility. Transferring your music library to internal or external storage on your device makes it readily accessible to apps. You can also play audio files directly from a file manager without importing them to a music app first.

A few key tips to remember are: use a file manager like Files or Solid Explorer to locate your audio files, enable external SD card access for apps that need it, create playlists to organize your music library, and check app permissions if you run into playback issues. With hundreds of music apps available, you should have no problem finding one that works smoothly for your locally stored music collection. Just follow best practices for file transfers and storage access, and you’ll be able to listen to all your songs, albums and artists on an Android device.