Audio folder not recognised outside app package area

Scripture App Builder
#1

Hi
Build - SAB 8.3 Linux

App - Tested on Samsung A31/Android 10 and Mintt UltraY3/Android 9 with three different Apps which all previously worked to recognise offline audio folder.
Build Audio source set to download from internet

Problem - audio does not play from correctly named folder in the main folder tree. Audio does play from folder under the package area : Android-data-package name…

Audio download from internet works well … folder auto installed in app package area under "Android–Data’.

Cheers
Laurie

#2

Seems no one else has this issue?
Rebuilt with 8.3.1 - same outcome - If the media file is not on the phone, the user is prompted to download - the new download is placed into the package area of the file system. Previously it was downloaded into the main folder (same level as Downloads)

If the media file is already on the phone, but not in the package area, it does not prompt to download, the play controls show, but no sound is heard on play.

If the media folder in the package area is moved to the top folder area, the media file is found, and play controls visible, but again, no sound is heard.

The problem here is that while the media can download and play, most users share files directly and place them in the top folder area - As they already have the audio files, they are not prompted to download, but they will not play.

Strange that we have been using this for 4 years but issue has not previously arisen.

I will try a windows build next weekend if no one else has seen this situation.
Cheers

#3

Hi,
I have built 2 test apps from scratch with book of Luke only under Win10 new install of SAB 8.3.1 - one app with audio source set to download from internet and second with audio source set to distribute in external folder, “tpiaudio”. The audio behaviour with both apps is the same on the two test phones using Android 9 and 10.

Audio behaviour is as previously described. The audio will only play if the audio folder is located in the app package area - in this case, that is :
Android>Data>net.test.audio.tpi>files>tpiaudio

When the audio folder (tpiaudio) is located in the top folder area, the presence of audio is detected and audio controls appear, but the sound is not heard.

The app with source set to download from internet downloads into the app package area and plays normally. If that folder is moved to the top folder area, the audio is detected but no sound is heard.

Please advise if this is how audio now operates. I can provide both the test apps and source files if it helps

Cheers

#4

Additional test info:

Tested on Android 6.01 and 5.1 - Both these phones had no problem with the audio in the top level folder - the problem is only reproduced on Android 9 and 10.

Cheers

#5

When I get some time next week I’ll test on Android 8. I don’t have 9 or 10 to test on.

#6

Thank you for offering to look at this - I have not had access yet to Android 7 or 8 to test.
I see now that the subject for this post is misleading - the problem appears to be that the audio folder IS recognised but whether it outputs the sound is dependent on the location.

I have tested two more options

  1. It makes no difference when I toggle the “search all folders on the device…” in the build audio settings.
  2. I tested with the streaming option - streaming will not work if the audio file exists in the audio folder outside the package files area. If the audio exists inside the package area, it will still play when set to streaming.

Cheers
Laurie

#7

In Android 8 on my Huawei phone it puts the audio files into the folder specified in SAB.

#8

On Android 10 I see that including audio in the .APK works, but putting in a folder, it appears that the app finds the folder, but audio does not appear to play…although controls appear to be functioning correctly.

#9

We have been able to reproduce this problem on Android 10 devices, and this issue is fixed ready for the next version of Scripture App Builder.

The problem happens where the audio files are in an external storage folder with a folder name matching the specified folder name in the file source settings. If the files are in any other folder in external storage, with a folder name that does not match the one specified in the file source settings, it should already work ok.

So a fix for Android 10 is coming in the next SAB release, and we are investigating other Android versions. Sorry about this - to provide more security, Android keeps changing the way apps can access parts of the device storage.

#10

Thanks, looking forward to the new release.
The folder name fix on the Samsung A31/Android10 does not help - it prompts to download the audio even though the media is present in a different folder and the toggle to search other areas is on.
Cheers