Files App Has Mystery Documents

[PGB1213]

Hello All!
My Moto G Stylus using Android 11 has some files in the Files app that I don't recognize. They are under "Downloads" and in "Documents & Other".

In Downloads, there is a zip file called 2023-07-14 02-53-13.zip. I did not click on it because I don't know where the enclosed files will land on the phone.

In Documents & Other, there are several dates with files under the dates. A screen shot of one page is attached.
Example File Names in the most recent date: DB_SONGS_LOG, PCs_M_2019, etc.
Example File Names in an Older One: 117173, 117174, Etc. Those are all numbers. When I hover, a pop-up says December 1979. (Before cell phones!)

Clicking any file asks me if I want to open it in Garmin Connect or in Magic Earth- even the one that says Musicolet Backup.
Using Garmin, I get a message: "Unable to open course". I don't have any courses saved in Garmin. If I choose Magic Earth, a blank page shows up.

Do any of you know what these files are & if I can ditch them?
Also, is there a way to prevent these- assuming they are not important?

Thank You for helping me figure this out!
Paul

 

[AugieTN]

Musicolet Backup is a music backup. Google them and see if anything negative comes up. If something negative comes up (like malware) do a factory reset

 

[ocnbrze]

they are in your download section which means they are not from your system apps.....which also means that you should be able to just delete them with no harm to your device. if an apps needs those files it can just be re-downloaded. i would just delete them and go on your merry ways.

 

[PGB1213]

Thank You both for taking time to reply.

Musicolet is an app on my phone, but since clicking the file with Musicolet Backup doesn't do anything, I'll delete it and watch to see if it re-appears. If it does, I'll explore more.

I'll go ahead and delete the other files. It will be interesting to find out if they re-appear.


Interestingly. a Zip file appeared during this morning titled 2023-07-15 02-03.zip. I haven't any idea what generated that zip file. Un-zipping it revealed more files like the ones shown in the screenshot at my question. I wonder what generated that action.


Thank You Again for helping. I appreciate the knowledge you shared.

Please Enjoy Today!
Paul

 

[svim]

The Downloads folder is a catch-all dumping directory for a lot of apps, so there will be files in it from your web browser app, text messenger app, etc. At some point it sounds like you inadvertently downloaded some content either by tapping on some link in an obscure web page or something like that.

In any case, files in your Download folder are not going to be vital files that your phone depends on to function, they're just downloaded stuff from the Internet. If you can't recall why those zip files are there, the odds you don't need their content. Delete them.

 

[PGB1213]

Thanks Again all.
Another mystery zip file showed up today. I doubt it's from anything I downloaded because I don't have a data plan and don't surf the web. Perhaps one of my applications retrieves these things on its own.

I tried deleting them and the world didn't end, so I'll keep on deleting.

Thanks Again!
Paul

 

[nickdalzell]

The only things I ever noticed that repopulate my devices are any folders that I want deleted as they're clutter but come back (Such as Ebooks, Alarms, and Downloads). They're not essential but within seconds of removing them, they're back again. I've been a stickler for a cleaner file structure without unnecessary folders and want the files app to have everything in one view without scrolling. I can get that with PCs, so why not in this case?

 

[kavinoven]

The files you see are likely from Garmin Connect, a fitness app. They might be old backups from December 1979. You can delete them safely. To do this, open Files app, go to "Documents & Other," find the folder, and tap the trash can icon.

To prevent future backups, open Garmin Connect, tap three lines, choose "Settings," "Device Settings," "Backup & Restore," and turn off "Automatic Backup."