❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

General Questions

What is FastMediaSorter?

FastMediaSorter v2 is an Android app for quickly organizing photos, videos, and audio files from local folders, network drives (SMB/SFTP/FTP), and cloud storage (Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox).

Is it free?

Yes! FastMediaSorter v2 is completely free and open-source.

What Android version do I need?

Standard, Lite, and Photos require Android 8.0 (API 26) or newer. The Legacy flavor supports Android 6.0 (API 23) or newer. XR / noLegal additionally requires supported headset hardware and the current sideload runtime path.

Does it require internet?

No for local files. Yes for network drives and cloud storage.

Does the app have widgets?

Yes! FastMediaSorter v2 ships a variety of home-screen widgets - find them via long-press on the home screen → Widgets → FastMediaSorter. They include resource shortcuts, slideshow launchers, and more.

File Operations

Where do deleted files go?

Deleted files move to a .trash/ folder in the same location (soft-delete). They’re not permanently deleted until you:

Can I undo a delete/move?

Yes! Tap the “Undo” button (or bottom-right touch zone) within a few seconds after the operation.

⚠️ Note: Undo is not available for network file deletions (they are hard-deleted immediately).

What’s the difference between Copy and Move?

What is File Manager Mode?

File Manager Mode allows you to use the app as a full-featured file browser across all directories. In this mode, the app bypasses standard media filters and displays all files (including ZIP, RAR, APK, EXE, PDF, etc.). You can perform standard file operations like copying, moving, renaming, sharing, and deleting. For unsupported binary files, a bottom sheet is automatically opened, allowing you to manage the file or open it using external applications.

How do I find and remove duplicate files?

Open a folder, tap the overflow menu, and choose Find Duplicates to review matches yourself, or Find and Delete Duplicates to remove them right away. There’s also Delete by Size.. for a quick cleanup sweep based on file size alone. The automatic option skips confirmation, so use Find Duplicates first if you want to double-check before anything is deleted. Matching is content-based - size, then a quick hash, then a full SHA-256 check - so renamed copies are still found.

Network & Cloud

How do I connect to my home NAS (network drive)?

  1. Tap ”+” → Network → SMB / Network Drive
  2. Option A - Automatic: Tap “Scan Network” to automatically discover available devices on your network
  3. Option B - Manual: Enter server address: \\192.168.1.100\share or smb://192.168.1.100/share
  4. Enter username and password
  5. Tap “Connect”

Common issues and fixes:

Problem What to try
“Connection refused” Open Windows Firewall → allow TCP port 445 inbound. Or temporarily disable the firewall to test
“Wrong password” Try leaving Username blank (guest access). If you use a Microsoft account, enter your full email as the username
“Host not found” Make sure phone and PC are on the same Wi-Fi router. AP Isolation (a router security setting) can block device-to-device traffic - disable it in router settings
Scan finds nothing Disable VPN on phone. Enable Network Discovery in Windows (Control Panel → Network and Sharing Center → Advanced sharing settings). Then try entering IP manually
Very slow browsing Edit the resource → run Speed Test. If below 5 Mbps, switch phone to 5 GHz Wi-Fi band. Disable video thumbnails for slow connections
Works on Wi-Fi but not mobile data Expected - SMB is a local network protocol only, it cannot work over mobile data

→ Full walkthrough: SMB Setup Guide

How do I connect to Google Drive?

  1. Tap ”+” → Cloud → Google Drive
  2. Tap “Sign in with Google”
  3. Grant permissions when prompted
  4. Your Drive folders will appear

Note: Files are NOT downloaded automatically - they stream on-demand.

How do I connect to OneDrive?

  1. Tap ”+” → Cloud → OneDrive
  2. Tap “Sign in with Microsoft”
  3. Grant permissions when prompted
  4. Your OneDrive folders will appear

How do I connect to Dropbox?

  1. Tap ”+” → Cloud → Dropbox
  2. Tap “Sign in with Dropbox”
  3. Grant permissions when prompted
  4. Your Dropbox folders will appear

Can I use SFTP or FTP?

Yes! Select SFTP or FTP when adding a folder:

Can I share PC folders with the app?

Yes - Fast Media Sorter for Windows publishes chosen PC folders over SFTP and shows a QR code / .fmscfg config. On the phone, use Import from companion or Scan QR code on the Add Resource screen. See the PC-side guide: How to publish PC folders to Android. Available in Standard, Photos, Legacy, XR/noLegal.

Why are thumbnails not loading for network files?

Network thumbnails generate on-demand to save bandwidth. Scroll slowly or wait a few seconds for them to appear.

If thumbnails never load at all:

Connection keeps dropping / files fail to open mid-playback

Quick Sort & Destinations

What are “Quick Sort” folders?

Quick Sort folders are pre-configured target folders for fast file sorting. You can assign up to 30 folders with numbered buttons.

How do I set up Quick Sort?

Method 1: Settings → Operations → Quick Sort destinations, then tap “Add to Quick Sort”
Method 2: Edit any folder → Enable “Mark for Quick Sort”

How do I use Quick Sort while viewing files?

  1. Open a photo/video in full-screen
  2. Tap a numbered button (0-9) on the command panel, OR
  3. Tap the bottom-left corner (COPY zone) or bottom-center (MOVE zone)

Can I use number keys instead of tapping?

Yes - connect a hardware keyboard, gamepad, or TV remote and your Quick Sort buttons get numbered (0-9) automatically. Press the matching digit to copy or move the file to that destination instantly, same as tapping the button.

Quick Sort buttons are not showing

Make sure you have added at least one destination folder first: Settings → Operations → Quick Sort destinations, then “Add to Quick Sort”. Buttons only appear when at least one destination is configured.

I accidentally sent a file to the wrong folder

Tap Undo immediately (bottom-right of the command panel) - available for a few seconds after each operation. If you missed the window, go to the destination folder and move the file back manually.

Touch Zones

What are “Touch Zones”?

Touch Zones are invisible areas on the screen that trigger actions when tapped. The screen is divided into a 3x3 grid:

┌─────────┬─────────┬─────────┐
│  BACK   │  COPY   │ RENAME  │
├─────────┼─────────┼─────────┤
│  PREV   │  MOVE   │  NEXT   │
├─────────┼─────────┼─────────┤
│ COMMAND │ DELETE  │  PLAY   │
└─────────┴─────────┴─────────┘

How do I see Touch Zones?

Settings → Playback → “Always show touch zones overlay”

Can I disable Touch Zones?

Yes, just use the command panel buttons instead. Touch Zones are optional.

Screen & Voice Capture

What is the left-edge gesture strip?

It’s a quick-capture menu you open with a diagonal swipe from the left edge of the screen. Turn it on in Settings → Operations → Edge screen gestures → Gesture overlay. From the menu you can take a screenshot, snap a photo, crop and share the current image, open an app or panel shortcut, or start a screen, video, or voice recording - all without leaving what you’re looking at. Available in Standard and XR/noLegal.

How do I record a quick voice note?

Three ways: the Voice recording item in the overflow menu, the Quick Recorder home-screen widget, or the edge gesture’s Start audio recording action. However you start it, a floating Stop control stays on screen - even over another app - until you tap it to save.

Input & Controls

Does it support physical keyboards and gamepads?

Yes! Full keyboard, mouse, and gamepad input is available across all screens. Press F1 on any screen to see the active key bindings for that surface.

How do I remap controls / change keybindings?

Settings → Operations → Controls & Keybindings - reassign any action to a different key, button, or gamepad input. The app ships with 70 built-in defaults; tap Reset to restore them. Conflicts are highlighted automatically.

How do I download a media file from a URL?

Share any http(s) link to FastMediaSorter via the Android Share sheet (from a browser, messenger, or any app). FastMediaSorter will download the file and offer to save it to any of your configured resources.

Performance & Storage

How do I find a specific file by name?

Use the Filter panel in Browse: tap the filter icon in the toolbar, type any part of the filename in the name field - the list updates instantly. No separate search bar is needed; the filter fully covers this scenario.

Why is the app slow with 5000+ files?

The app uses pagination to load files in batches. For very large collections:

The app crashes or freezes

  1. Force-close and reopen the app
  2. If it crashes on a specific folder: that folder may contain a corrupted file - try opening files one by one to identify it
  3. Clear cache: Settings → General → “Clear Cache” - this resolves most stability issues after updates
  4. If crashes persist: report via GitHub Issues (link at the bottom of this page) - attach a description of what you were doing when it crashed

How much storage does the thumbnail cache use?

Default: 2 GB (configurable in Settings)

How do I clear the cache?

Settings → General → “Clear Cache”

Favorites

How do I mark files as favorites?

Tap the star icon while viewing a file.

Where can I see all my favorites?

Main menu → “Favorites” tab

Security & Privacy

Can I password-protect folders?

Yes! Edit folder → Set PIN Code (4-6 digits)

Is my data collected?

No. FastMediaSorter does NOT collect or send any personal data.

Does the app save GPS location in my photos?

Only if you turn it on. In Settings → Operations → Photography, enable photo capture, then turn on Geotag photos underneath it - the app asks for location permission right away, not at shutter time. A geotagged photo’s File Info screen shows the capture date and the GPS spot from the photo’s EXIF data as a tappable link that opens your maps app or browser.

Can I see how I use the app?

Yes - it’s opt-in and off by default: turn on Statistics collection in Settings → General to open a local usage dashboard: files sorted, space freed, playback time, and more, broken down by media type. Nothing is sent automatically; Send to author or Export only shares a summary if you choose to.

Auto-Translation

How does translation work?

We use a Hybrid OCR System:

“Auto” mode automatically detects the source language and selects the best engine. It prevents errors like confusing English ‘C’ with Russian ‘С’.

Does it work offline?

Yes. You only need internet once to download the language models (approx. 30MB for ML Kit, 15MB for Tesseract).

Why is translation sometimes slower?

If the app detects Cyrillic text, it initializes the Tesseract engine, which is more powerful but takes 1-2 seconds longer to start than ML Kit.

What is lens-style translation mode?

Lens-style mode displays translations as an overlay on top of the original image, similar to Google Lens. This allows you to see the translated text in its original context and position. You can enable it in Settings → Media → Other (the “Lens-style overlay” toggle).

Standard mode shows translations in a separate text view below the image.

Slideshow Background Music

How do I add background music to slideshows?

  1. Add a folder containing audio files as a resource
  2. Go to Settings → Media → Images
  3. Enable “Play music during slideshow”
  4. Select your music resource from the dropdown
  5. Start any slideshow - music will play automatically!

Can I use music from network drives or cloud storage?

Yes! The app automatically handles network files by downloading them to cache before playback. This works with SMB, SFTP, FTP, Google Drive, OneDrive, and Dropbox.

How do I skip tracks during slideshow?

Tap the track name displayed during the slideshow to skip to a different random track from your music resource.

Does it work with all flavors?

No. Background music is available in:

The Lite flavor does not include audio features.

Internet Streams

Does FastMediaSorter play internet radio?

Yes. The Streams screen plays http/https audio streams (mp3/aac), Icecast/Shoutcast radio with ICY now-playing metadata, HLS (.m3u8) and DASH VOD, and RTSP sources. Available in Standard, Legacy, and noLegal/VR. Lite supports progressive-audio only. Photos has no Streams feature.

How do I open the Streams screen?

Tap Streams in the main window dropdown (visible when Streams is enabled). You can also reach it via Settings > Media > Streams where the master toggle lives.

How do I add a radio station?

In the Streams screen, tap + and paste the station URL. Tap Save. The station appears in the list immediately.

Can I import a playlist?

Yes - tap Import > From URL and enter a remote .m3u address. A curated FastMediaSorter catalog (with topic and language chips) is available for download from Settings > Extensions or the Welcome onboarding screen.

A stream is not playing - what do I do?

If a stream fails, a dialog appears with Retry, Remove, and Cancel options. Cross-protocol 301 redirects are handled automatically. If the host is dead or very slow, the catalog import times out quickly rather than hanging.

Does radio keep playing when I leave the Streams screen?

Depends on Settings > Player > Background audio playback. With background audio ON, playback continues. With it OFF, leaving the screen stops the stream and offers a Stop / Keep playing choice - the same behaviour as the local audio player.

Can I see live thumbnails for streams?

Switch the Streams toolbar toggle to Grid view - each channel shows as a tile with its last captured frame, so you can spot what’s playing at a glance. The tile stays visible even after you close and reopen the app, then refreshes with a new capture once the stream is live again.

Can I cast a stream to my TV?

Yes, for video streams - tap Cast in the player and pick a Chromecast on the same Wi-Fi network. RTSP streams can’t be cast; the button only appears for formats the Chromecast receiver supports.

Wear OS

Does FastMediaSorter work on Wear OS smartwatches?

Yes! FastMediaSorter v2 includes a Wear OS companion app that allows you to browse and play local media files directly from your smartwatch.

What features are available on Wear OS?

The Wear OS app currently supports:

Note: Network and cloud features are not yet available on Wear OS.

EPUB E-Books

How do I enable EPUB support?

Settings → Media → Documents → “Support EPUB e-books”

Note: Restart the app after enabling for changes to take effect.

How do I read an EPUB book?

  1. Add a folder containing .epub files as a resource
  2. Open the folder - you’ll see EPUB files with “E” badge
  3. Tap any EPUB file to open it in the reader

Can I navigate between chapters?

Yes! Use:

Can I adjust font size?

Yes! While reading, use the -A/+A buttons at the bottom to decrease/increase font size (14-32px range). Settings are saved per-book.

Can I search text in EPUB?

Yes! Tap the Search button (🔍) to open search panel. Type your query and navigate through matches with Prev/Next buttons.

Does it work with network/cloud files?

Yes! EPUB files are automatically downloaded to cache when opened from SMB/SFTP/FTP/Cloud storage.

Does it remember my reading position?

Yes! The app saves the last chapter you were reading. When you reopen the book, it continues from where you left off.

What about dark/light theme?

EPUB viewer automatically adapts to your app theme (Settings → General → Color theme).

Scheduled Operations

What are Scheduled Operations?

Time-based automation rules that run Copy, Move, or Delete operations between any of your resources (local folders, NAS, cloud) on a repeating schedule - even when the app is closed.

Where do I set up Scheduled Operations?

Settings → Operations → Scheduled operations by schedule. Tap ”+” to add a new rule.

Will it run if my app is closed?

Yes. Operations are scheduled via Android WorkManager, which runs them in the background regardless of whether the app is open.

Why didn’t a scheduled operation run at the exact time?

Android may defer WorkManager tasks by a few minutes to optimize battery. For more reliable timing, grant the app Battery Optimization exemption (Settings → General → Battery Optimization). The minimum interval is 15 minutes.

Scheduled operation ran but copied 0 files

This is usually correct - it means all files were already present in the destination (the operation uses “skip existing” by default). To verify: check the operation log and look at the “skipped” count vs. “copied” count.

If you expected new files to be copied but they weren’t:

Can I see what was processed?

Yes. Tap “View Log” in the Scheduled Operations section to see a timestamped history of every run including per-file results.

Still have questions?

Didn’t find an answer above, or something isn’t working as described? Please reach out - every message gets read and most issues get fixed.

Want a feature that isn’t there yet? Write - many features in the app were added because someone asked. If it makes sense for the use case, it gets built.