Skip to main content ↑ ↓

Notice

Please note that most of the software linked on this forum is likely to be safe to use. If you are unsure, feel free to ask in the relevant topics, or send a private message to an administrator or moderator. To help curb the problems of false positives, or in the event that you do find actual malware, you can contribute through the article linked here.
Topic: Does Foobar/iPhone allow one to add albums on an external SD card to library?  (Read 1775 times) previous topic - next topic
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Does Foobar/iPhone allow one to add albums on an external SD card to library?

My niece has an iPhone and has run out of storage space, so I bought her an SD card and an external card reader that works with an iPhone, so that I could give her mp3 albums and she could play them from the external card.

However although her iPhone recognises the card and can see the files on it, it turns out you can't add mp3 albums that are stored on an SD card to the iTunes library - which is crazy when it's so easy to store one's music on an SD card on an Android phone and play it from there.

So I was wondering whether Foobar might solve her problem? Can you add mp3 albums that are stored on an external SD card to the Foobar music library on an iPhone?

Thanks for your help.

Dave

Re: Does Foobar/iPhone allow one to add albums on an external SD card to library?

Reply #1 –
Does anyone know the answer? If not, is there any way to contact the developer so I can ask them?

Re: Does Foobar/iPhone allow one to add albums on an external SD card to library?

Reply #2 –
The problem is that Apple enforces data segregation, and allows its own built-in or installable apps a lot more freedom than third-party apps.  This is becoming an issue with Android too.  It's about security: they can't exhaustively test that every app submitted to the relevant app store is going to be well-behaved under all circumstances, so they all get sand-boxed.

In addition, Apple are very keen on enforcing media copyright, so it's not straightforward moving mp3s around.

My reaction to your enquiry, as would be many people's, is that FB2K is free so what's stopping you testing it for yourself?  The majority here (including me) only use FB2K on PCs under Windows, or under Linux using Wine, so there is not an extensive experience with iOS or Android.

I'm inclined to suggest your niece would be better off deleting all the cat videos and social media apps, making storage available for her music.  We all have to learn where to make compromises.

Quote from: Dave Rado on
is there any way to contact the developer so I can ask them?
This is how!
It's your privilege to disagree, but that doesn't make you right and me wrong.

Re: Does Foobar/iPhone allow one to add albums on an external SD card to library?

Reply #3 –
Hi @fooball

Quote
My reaction to your enquiry, as would be many people's, is that FB2K is free so what's stopping you testing it for yourself?

I don't have access to an iPhone. My niece lives 500 miles away and my phone runs Android.

Quote
I'm inclined to suggest your niece would be better off deleting all the cat videos and social media apps
I don't have that level of control over her.

Quote
Quote from: Dave Rado on Today at 11:58
is there any way to contact the developer so I can ask them?
This is how!

But the developer has written the iPhone version of the Foobar app so he or she must surely be able to answer my question. If she or he is reading this thread, I'd be grateful if they could reply. If they aren't, how can I contact them?

Dave

Re: Does Foobar/iPhone allow one to add albums on an external SD card to library?

Reply #4 –
Quote from: Dave Rado on
I don't have that level of control over her.
So it's her problem, not yours.  Stop trying to be so helpful.  Give advice when and if asked, but let the next generation work out their own problems.

Quote
But the developer has written the iPhone version of the Foobar app so he or she must surely be able to answer my question. If she or he is reading this thread, I'd be grateful if they could reply. If they aren't, how can I contact them?
Suppose you wrote some popular software, and were giving it away for free.  How much of your personal free time would you want to dedicate to personally supporting thousands of users?

A user forum is one way to address that, by creating a self-help group.  Peter will be along if he wants to be, when he wants to be, if he decides it's needed and worth his time.  Patience!
It's your privilege to disagree, but that doesn't make you right and me wrong.

Re: Does Foobar/iPhone allow one to add albums on an external SD card to library?

Reply #5 –
Quote
So it's her problem, not yours.
No, it's my problem because I'd like her to be able to play the birthday present I made her.

In any case, I came here for technical information about Foobar, not for advice about how to run my life.

Quote
Suppose you wrote some popular software, and were giving it away for free.  How much of your personal free time would you want to dedicate to personally supporting thousands of users?

Most developers do provide a means of contacting them when no one in their user forum is able to answer a technical question about their product.

Quote
Peter will be along if he wants to be, when he wants to be, if he decides it's needed and worth his time.  Patience!
More...Quote
Is it possible to PM him? He can choose whether or when to reply but I don't see why he should object to me asking him the question directly.

Thanks

Dave

Re: Does Foobar/iPhone allow one to add albums on an external SD card to library?

Reply #6 –
Quote from: Dave Rado on
So I was wondering whether Foobar might solve her problem? Can you add mp3 albums that are stored on an external SD card to the Foobar music library on an iPhone?
The latest version 1.6 now allows iOS users to select a folder outside of the standard Foobar location. This includes external storage if you have that connected. Any folder you can see in the Files app will work.

Re: Does Foobar/iPhone allow one to add albums on an external SD card to library?

Reply #7 –
When you say "will work" I don't mean so that you can play the files individually, I mean so that you can add the album to your music library, so that you can see the play the whole album and see the track title, album artwork, artist names, etc. for the track that is currently playing. Is that what you mean by "will work"?

Re: Does Foobar/iPhone allow one to add albums on an external SD card to library?

Reply #8 –
Quote from: Dave Rado on
When you say "will work" I don't mean so that you can play the files individually, I mean so that you can add the album to your music library, so that you can see the play the whole album and see the track title, album artwork, artist names, etc. for the track that is currently playing. Is that what you mean by "will work"?
It works as you are asking. All files are added to the library and can be browsed and played as if they were in the standard Foobar location. You just need to add that location in the settings for Media Library using the new "+folder" button and set the main folder that has your music. I am using this on an iPhone12 and have set it for my SD card with 26k songs.