Help Problems syncing music to SD card On S20+

madmax1979 · Mar 19, 2022

Recently after ripping a CD to Windows Media Player I tried to sync the music to my SD card. The problem is my phone, following a connection via USB is not being recognized. I've done this endless times in the past with my S9. The S20+ never worked quite as smooth but it would work. Now it will not work period.

I tried doing all the usual steps, restarting phone, restarting the CPU changing USB cords, updating and nothing worked. I even tried to to see if the S9 would still allow a sync through this method and it instantly worked. I called Samsung Tech support to resolve the issue and the tech was unable to figure it out through mobile control of both devices. I tried to add the music by open the source MP3 album file and dragging over and it just causes it to basically freeze. The phone will not allow you to change the USB settings to be controlled by the connected device either.

Any help with this matter would be greatly appreciated!

Hadron · Mar 19, 2022

I've no experience of syncing with Windows Media Player because I don't use that program, but if I've understood the second paragraph correctly you are saying that just trying to copy over USB fails too? Does it matter whether you try to copy to the SD card or the internal storage? I ask because if copying to internal storage works you can do that and then move it to the SD card (awkward, but sometimes you just do whatever works).

You shouldn't need the computer to change the USB settings, you should be able to do that on the phone. What USB connection mode do you set there? I'd expect MTP mode to be the correct one (which they may call file transfer mode - MTP is the protocol that Android uses for these things, ironically a Microsoft protocol).

One thing that definitely will work is if you bypass the phone altogether: buy a USB microSD card reader, put the card in that, plug it into the computer and copy the files that way.

One thought though: did you try the same SD card in the s9 when testing? Just considering the possibility that the card might be the problem rather than the phone (microSD cards aren't the most robust things).

cwcheese · Mar 19, 2022

I realize my $0.02 ignores your USB issue, but have you tried popping the SD card out of the phone and slip it into the PC via an SD-adapter, to copy the files in that manner. I say this only to inquire if there is a problem with the SD card itself, thus eliminating that as a possibility.

I suspect you may have already tried using myriad cables to see if it isn't some issue with a bad USB cable. At any rate, good luck; it's hard to debug these problems remotely.

madmax1979 · Mar 19, 2022

Thanks to both of you guys for responding.

It's just crazy aggravating because it seems like I've invested so much time into moving all this music over to the phone creating playlists, adding album art etc. and constantly run into little glitches here and there when transitioning to a new phone.

I did try to transfer straight to the S20+ internal memory and had no luck. It's like the minute you plug the phone into the USB it causes the computer to slow down to the point it almost freezes up.

The changing of the USB settings on the phone is won't work. Even the Samsung tech support couldn't figure it out. There is an option that allows for control by connected device but if you check it, it simply gives an error message. The tech said it was "security" that apparently can't be bypassed I guess?

I guess I will try the micro SD card reader as it seems the only option left. When I did plug in the S9 and it worked flawlessly however the SD card wasn't in it. I actually transferred this card when I switched phones but it never had a problem previously during any syncing. I guess it's worth mentioning that the S20+ did work (syncing) at one time although never as smoothly as the S9. I just think its strange that it doesn't even appear as a connected device from the Windows Media Player menu. I have tried restarting all devices and using different USB cords.

madmax1979 · Mar 19, 2022

UPDATE

So I tried removing the SD card as suggested and the Windows Media Player recognized the device (S20+) and allowed me to SYNC. Kind of a pain but very happy it worked at the same time.

Once synced I popped the card back in and transferred the file from internal memory to the SD card.

Wonder what could have caused the issue with the SD card initially? Still seems to be working fine though other than the SYNC issues.

Thanks for again for the suggestion.

puppykickr · Mar 19, 2022

I have never had any luck (besides bad luck) in connecting anything to my devices with a cord besides the charger.

Anytime I need to move files, I do it wirelessly with NitroShare over Wi-Fi.

https://nitroshare.net/

https://github.com/nitroshare/nitroshare-desktop

https://f-droid.org/en/packages/net.nitroshare.android/

svim · Mar 20, 2022

Instead of relying upon a physical connection via USB or having to remove the microSD card every time you want to do some kind of file transfer, you might want to think about using an automatic syncing service like Syncthing. It's a bit involved to implement but it's free, multi-platform, and works over wired and wireless connections. You'll need to install the utility on your WinPC and the app on your phone, and then configure both to select which folder(s) you want to sync.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syncthing
https://syncthing.net/
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nutomic.syncthingandroid&hl=en_US&gl=US
Syncthing will just work automatically in the background through your local network.So no need to mess with a USB cable or permissions and no need to mount/dismount your microSD card all the time.
If you're looking for a simpler solution, just using an online file storage service like Dropbox, Google Drive, or MS OneDrive. There's not as much selectivity and granular control as with Syncthing, and if you're kinda/sorta paranoid on privacy, storing your data online with a commercial service adds a weak point. But they are simpler to implement.

madmax1979 · Mar 20, 2022

I'm definitely going to look into these methods that were mentioned to move these files.

thanks!

Help Problems syncing music to SD card On S20+

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