# Google Music and Nandroid Backups



## JstnBsn (Jun 29, 2012)

I'm posting in this forum because I'm not sure if devices with SD cards handle it the same way. When you use Google Music to sync songs offline, they are stored as app data instead of media files. I usually have around 6-7gb of music synced. This isn't really an issue until I have to do a Nandroid backup because it wants to sync all of the music as well. This is a huge waste of space and takes forever.

My question is, is there a way to skip certain directories for backups. Otherwise I have to clear out my whole music library and resync again even when I want to just update a ROM.


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## gr36 (Jan 11, 2012)

Maybe not much help bit TWRP takes about a third of the time

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki


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## jumperalex (Apr 23, 2012)

Similarly, now with CWM 6's use of blobs, it should be much faster after the first time. But I agree, it would be nice if either recovery had the option to filter off-line cache files and/or specific extensions.


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## JstnBsn (Jun 29, 2012)

I'm not too concerned about the time, but the space. Backups with my music would be like 10gb.


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## housry23 (Aug 25, 2011)

there is an app in the play store that allows you to make your offline music from Google music available to other players. You get the first 50 or so transfers for free, but have to pay a 1 time fee to import more than that, but it's well worth it. I think the app is called "offline music importer". It could allow you to download your music, move it to external storage and then you could delete it from the play music app. Try the first 50 for free. Worth a shot

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki


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## JstnBsn (Jun 29, 2012)

housry23 said:


> there is an app in the play store that allows you to make your offline music from Google music available to other players. You get the first 50 or so transfers for free, but have to pay a 1 time fee to import more than that, but it's well worth it. I think the app is called "offline music importer". It could allow you to download your music, move it to external storage and then you could delete it from the play music app. Try the first 50 for free. Worth a shot
> 
> Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki


the issue with that is i actively use the sync. i have no problem with how google handles the music and files. i like being able to add something to itunes at home and it automatically downloading to my phone. that transfer app would just defeat the purpose.


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## housry23 (Aug 25, 2011)

Well you can still keep them available to Google Music. It would be a pain because you would have to delete them before backing up your rom and then download them again after the nandroid finishes

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki


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## JstnBsn (Jun 29, 2012)

housry23 said:


> Well you can still keep them available to Google Music. It would be a pain because you would have to delete them before backing up your rom and then download them again after the nandroid finishes
> 
> Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki


Yeah, exactly. The best solution would be if there was a way to just exclude a directory from the nandroid backup, kind of how .nomedia excludes stuff from the media scanner. I tweeted/google+'d Koush but got no response.


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## Joesyr (Feb 7, 2012)

Have you tried:
-Make an app+data backup with TiBu
-Move the cached music to sdcard with a file explorer
-Restore backup or flash rom or whatever it is you're doing.
-Restore app+data with TiBu
-Move cached music back to its original location.

Not sure if this would break the app's identification of the cached files but it seems worth a shot.

Alternatively, a few months back I just copied the bulk of the music I was always re-syncing to my internal storage, and I'm much happier for it. I'd suggest just identifying the songs you always sync and putting those in their own folder. The Play Music app doesn't show duplicates with the cloud files if the tags are the same.


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## JstnBsn (Jun 29, 2012)

Joesyr said:


> Alternatively, a few months back I just copied the bulk of the music I was always re-syncing to my internal storage, and I'm much happier for it. I'd suggest just identifying the songs you always sync and putting those in their own folder. The Play Music app doesn't show duplicates with the cloud files if the tags are the same.


Thanks for this suggestion. I usually have a playlist of new music that constantly changes and then i just add the stuff i like to my synced tracks. This would work perfectly.


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## stewi21 (Nov 3, 2011)

I too just ran into this issue (I'm currently waiting for it to finish doing this massive nandroid :| ) anyway does anyone know of a way to do a clean flash of a new ROM without deleting all my music cache? I don't fancy using all my bandwith to re cache all my music, plus titanium wont really work if I have more than 8gb of music. Cheers Y'all


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## burntcookie90 (Oct 15, 2011)

I have this issue as well. 13gb of music trying to backup.

Sent from my GNex


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## stewi21 (Nov 3, 2011)

if anyone knows how to back up files from /data directly to/from a computer that would work


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## burntcookie90 (Oct 15, 2011)

stewi21 said:


> if anyone knows how to back up files from /data directly to/from a computer that would work


"adb pull /data/data/com.google.android.music/ ."

I havent tried it myself but i'm assuming reversing it with a push would work.


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## stewi21 (Nov 3, 2011)

Thanks for that  Kind of crude...but its a means to an end

Do you reckon it would make sense only to pull the cache...or would that break parts of the app?


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## burntcookie90 (Oct 15, 2011)

stewi21 said:


> Thanks for that  Kind of crude...but its a means to an end
> 
> Do you reckon it would make sense only to pull the cache...or would that break parts of the app?


I'm not sure, I'd pull everything.

I'm writing a desktop app right now that will tag and rename the files according to their db entry.


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## burntcookie90 (Oct 15, 2011)

https://github.com/burntcookie90/GMusic_Offliner

Here's the app i mentioned.


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## stewi21 (Nov 3, 2011)

does your app just rename all the mp3 files to their corresponding track names?

[EDIT] ahhh I just read the description on github...so it's useful if you are trying to, for example, pull the music from the phone onto a computer and import into a media player there?


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## burntcookie90 (Oct 15, 2011)

stewi21 said:


> does your app just rename all the mp3 files to their corresponding track names?
> 
> [EDIT] ahhh I just read the description on github...so it's useful if you are trying to, for example, pull the music from the phone onto a computer and import into a media player there?


Yeah, but in this case, I ended up putting the files back on the phone in the /sdcard/media/Music folder.


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## stewi21 (Nov 3, 2011)

Saw this over on XDA, might do the job of backing up and replacing the google music cache without the pain of adb  http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1821601


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