Mobile audio player AIMP is deservedly considered one of the most reliable and functional tools for listening to music on devices running Android. However, after the first installation, users are often faced with an empty playlist because the app does not scan the entire device for audio files by default. This was done intentionally to protect privacy and save system resources, but requires the smartphone owner to manually specify paths to the media library.
The process of filling the player with tracks may vary depending on the version of the operating system and the structure of the file system of your gadget. In modern versions Android (starting from version 11), access to files has become more strict due to the security policy Scoped Storage, which makes the initial setup a little more complicated. However, the developers have provided several flexible import mechanisms that allow you to add both individual songs and entire albums in a matter of seconds.
In this guide, we will examine in detail all the available methods: from the classic selection of folders through the built-in manager to the use of system tags and cloud services. You'll learn how to properly set up your library so that new tracks appear automatically, and how to avoid common permissions mistakes. Whether your music is stored in internal memory or on a card microSD, you can quickly organize your collection.
Preparing the file system and obtaining permissions
Before you start directly importing tracks, you need to make sure that the application has permission to read files. Without this step, any attempts to add music will be unsuccessful, as the system will simply block the player's access to the data. Modern shells Android require explicit user confirmation when launching media applications for the first time.
When opened for the first time AIMP a pop-up window usually appears asking permission to access multimedia. If you accidentally clicked “Decline” or missed this step, you can change the settings manually. Go to your smartphone’s system settings, find the “Applications” section, select AIMP in the list and go to “Permissions”. Here you need to activate the switch next to the “Files and multimedia” or “Memory” item, depending on your firmware version.
⚠️ Attention: Some Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones with MIUI or HyperOS shell may require additional configuration. Go to “Advanced Permissions” and enable access to files on the device, otherwise the player will not see the files in the root directories.
It is also worth checking the physical presence of the files. If you downloaded music through a browser or instant messenger, make sure that the files are actually saved in an accessible folder and not in the application's temporary cache. To organize your collection, it is recommended to create a separate directory, for example Music or Audio, where you will put all new compositions. This will simplify further library management and speed up the scanning process.
⚠️ Attention: The permission settings interface may differ on different smartphone models (Samsung, Huawei, Pixel). If you cannot find the item you need, use the search in the system settings by entering the word “permissions” or the name of the application.
Basic method: adding folders through the file manager
The most reliable and common method of filling the library is to manually add specific directories through the built-in file manager of the player. This approach gives the user complete control over which tracks are displayed in the list, excluding system sounds and audio from other applications.
To begin, launch AIMP and go to the home screen. At the bottom of the interface or in the side menu (depending on the selected theme), find the folder icon or the “Files” item. Clicking on it will take you to a file browser that displays the structure of your drive. Navigation here is carried out in a standard way: moving through directories is done by tapping on the folder name.
When you open the desired directory with music, pay attention to the top toolbar. There should be a button with a folder symbol and a plus sign, or a menu item called “Add to list” or "Add to library". Clicking this button will add all audio files from the currently open folder to the playback queue. If you want to add only specific tracks, hold your finger on one of the files, select the rest with checkmarks and select the “Add” action from the context menu.
☑️ Check before adding music
After adding, the tracks will automatically appear in the “Library” or “Tracks” section. The player reads metadata (title, artist, album) from file tags. If the tags are filled out correctly, the music will be sorted beautifully. Otherwise, files may be displayed simply by name, which is less convenient for navigating through a large collection.
Using a tag for automatic scanning
For those who do not want to manually select folders each time, AIMP implements a powerful function of automatic directory monitoring using a special marker file. This is the most professional approach to organizing a media library, allowing the player to independently find new music every time it starts.
The essence of the method is to create an empty text file with the name .aimp (or just folder in some versions of the documentation, but more often a dot is used at the beginning) inside the folder that you want to add to the library. The presence of this file serves as a signal to the media scanner: “Here is music that needs to be indexed.” You do not need to specify the path in the application settings - it will find these markers itself during a deep scan.
To put this into practice, use any file manager on your device (for example, Total Commander or the standard “Files”). Go to the root of your music folder, create a new text document and rename it to .aimp. Please note that the extension .txt must be removed, the file must be called exactly that, without extra characters. After that, go to the player settings, select “Library” and initiate a forced scan.
Nuances of working with dots in the file name
On some file managers, creating a file starting with a dot may be hidden by default, since such files are considered system files. If you don't see the created .aimp file, turn on the "Show hidden files" option in your file manager settings.
This method is especially useful if you have a complex folder structure: for example, separate directories for each artist or genre. Just put a marker in the root folder of the collection, and the player will recursively go through all the subfolders. This eliminates the need to add dozens of directories one by one through the app interface.
Setting up automatic library updates
Even after correctly adding folders, a situation may arise when new downloaded songs do not appear in the list. This happens because the default AIMP might not track changes to the file system in real time to save battery power. The solution is to correctly configure the auto-update settings.
Go to the application settings section by clicking on the gear in the menu. Find the category Library. Here you will see the option “Automatically update library”. Activate this switch. It is also recommended to configure the “Monitor changes” option by selecting the “When the application starts” or “In the background” mode if your smartphone has enough RAM.
| Settings option | Recommended value | Impact on operation |
|---|---|---|
| Scanning at startup | Enabled | Guarantees the list is up-to-date every time you open it |
| Scanning depth | All subfolders | Allows find music in subfolders |
| Ignore folders | System, Android | Prevents system sounds from getting into the playlist |
| Update tags | Automatically | Corrects track names when changing files |
It is important to note that frequent background scanning may slightly increase power consumption. If you rarely add new music, you can turn off the background mode and leave only the update when the application starts. This is a balance between convenience and autonomy of the device.
Working with cloud storage and network folders
Modern users often store their collections not only on the internal drive, but also in the “cloud” or on network storage NAS. AIMP supports working with remote sources, which allows you to stream music directly without downloading files to your phone, saving memory space.
To connect cloud storage (for example, Google Drive, Dropbox or Yandex.Disk) you must first install the appropriate plugin or use the “Add storage location” function in the player’s file manager. Some versions have cloud support built in directly. After logging into your account, you will see your remote folders in the same way as local ones. You can add them to the library in the same way as regular directories.
When working with network folders using protocols SMB or FTP you will need to enter the server address, login and password. This is relevant for those who have a media server set up at home. The player will load tracks as needed. It is worth considering that for comfortable listening without delays, a stable connection is required Wi-Fi.
⚠️ Attention: When listening to music from the cloud or network, mobile traffic consumption can be significant if you are not connected to Wi-Fi. Make sure that the “Streaming via mobile network” option is disabled in the player settings if you have a limited tariff.
Fixing problems with displaying tracks and tags
Sometimes users are faced with a situation where files are added, but are not played or are displayed as “Unknown artist”. Most often, the problem lies in incorrect tags ID3 or an unsupported container format.
AIMP supports most popular formats: MP3, FLAC, OGG, WAV, M4A. However, if the file has an exotic extension or is protected by copyright (DRM), the player will not be able to open it. Check the file properties in any manager. If the tags are damaged, you can use the built-in tag editor in the player itself: select the track, select “Edit information” and enter the data manually.
It is also worth checking the encoding of the file names. If song titles are written in hieroglyphs or are displayed in “crazy” characters, change the encoding to UTF-8 using third-party utilities on your computer before copying to your phone. This will ensure that the Cyrillic alphabet and other characters are displayed correctly in the playlist.
Tip: If the music does not appear after adding the folder, try clearing the application cache in the Android settings, and then restarting the phone. This will clear file system indexing errors.
In rare cases, the problem may be related to the access rights to a specific file if it was transferred from another device while maintaining specific security attributes. In such a situation, simply renaming the file or copying it to a new folder directly on your smartphone will help.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Why does AIMP not see music on the SD memory card?
Starting with Android 11, access to external memory cards is limited. You need to give the app special permission to access all files (All Files Access) in the system settings or use the built-in Android explorer to select a folder on the SD card when adding it for the first time, confirming access in the system dialog.
Is it possible to add music from Telegram or WhatsApp directly?
Directly from the messenger application - no. Files in Telegram and WhatsApp are stored in protected directories. You need to first copy the audio file to a shared folder (for example, "Downloads" or "Music") through the file manager, and then add this folder to AIMP.
How to add an entire album with one button?
If the folder structure is correct (a separate folder for each album), use the "Add Folder" function in the player's file browser. If file monitoring is enabled .aimp, then simply copy the album folder to the monitored directory, and it will appear in the library automatically.
Does the player support seamless playback (Gapless)?
Yes, AIMP supports Gapless mode playback For it to work correctly, make sure that the corresponding option is enabled in the sound settings, and that the audio files themselves do not have hidden pauses at the beginning or end (which is typical for some low-quality CD rips).