iPodRocks

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Troubleshooting ​

Common issues and how to fix them.

Device not detected or mount path wrong ​

  • Symptom: Device does not appear, or sync fails with "path not found".
  • Fix: Ensure the device is mounted before adding it. Use the actual mount path (e.g. /media/ipod on Linux, E:\ on Windows). Avoid symlinks if they cause issues. On Linux, check lsblk or mount to confirm the path.

Sync fails or hangs ​

  • Symptom: Sync progress modal stalls or shows errors.
  • Fix: Check that the device has enough free space. Use "Check Device" in Devices first to see synced vs to-sync counts. If transcoding, ensure FFmpeg is available (it is bundled). For Musepack, ensure mpcenc is on PATH. Cancel and retry; if it persists, try a smaller custom sync (e.g. one album) to isolate the problem.

Genius playlists: "No playback history" ​

  • Symptom: Genius tab says no playback data or no matched plays.
  • Fix: Connect the device and enable "Read playback log" in Devices. Click Recheck device for playback.log to read playback.log from the device. Rockbox must have written this file by playing tracks. If you already synced, try Load from Database instead.

Savant or Assistant not working ​

  • Symptom: Savant playlists or Music Assistant fail or return errors.
  • Fix: Add your OpenRouter API key in Settings → OpenRouter API. Test the connection before saving. Ensure you have credits and the selected model is available. Check your network for API errors.

Harmonic analysis fails after many tracks ​

  • Symptom: Essentia backfill stops or crashes after ~100 tracks.
  • Fix: This was fixed in v1.0.4. Update to the latest version. The engine now frees memory correctly and resets periodically.

Album artwork not on device ​

  • Symptom: Covers missing on the device after sync.
  • Fix: Ensure "Skip album artwork" is unchecked in the Sync panel. iPodRocks copies cover.jpg, folder.png, and similar files. If your files use different names, they may not be detected. Check that the library folder has artwork in the same folder as the audio files.

Musepack (mpcenc) not found ​

  • Symptom: Prompt when selecting Musepack as codec.
  • Fix: Install musepack-tools (or equivalent) for your platform. See Installation. Add mpcenc to your PATH. You can use other codecs (MP3, AAC, Opus) without it.

Database or config location ​

iPodRocks stores its database and preferences in the app's user data directory:

  • Linux: ~/.config/iPodRocks/ or ~/.config/ipodrocks/
  • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/iPodRocks/
  • Windows: %APPDATA%\iPodRocks\

The main database file is ipodrock.db. Backing up this folder preserves your library catalog, playlists, devices, and preferences.