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BitTorrent Android - FAQ


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Frequently Asked Questions for BitTorrent Android

 

(Edited to support version 2.0 and above)

 

How do I get started?

There are two simple ways to start using the app:

1. Start with a search: tap on the magnifying glass in the upper-right corner of the screen in portrait (vertical) mode, and then enter a search term.  Your browser will open.  Start searching for what you’d like to download.  Remember that you are looking for a torrent file (file ends in .torrent) or magnet link.  Tap on the .torrent file or magnet link, and our app will open and prompt you to select the files you wish to download within the torrent, and choose a download location (those are advanced features; you don’t have to use them).  Tap “Add.”

2. Start with Featured Content: tap on the menu button (three dots) in upper corner of the screen in portrait (vertical) mode.   In the Featured Content screen, simply tap on the download button (the arrow) for the content you’d like to try downloading.  The app will prompt you to select the files you wish to download within the torrent, and choose a download location (those are advanced features; you don’t have to use them).  Tap “Add.”

You can also find licensed, premium torrents from partners like Moby and Madonna at http://www.bundles.bittorrent.com

 

How do I pause torrents?

To pause all torrents, tap on the menu button (three dots) in upper-right corner of the screen in portrait (vertical) mode.  Tap “Pause All.” (Exception: some Samsung devices will have the menu button appear when tapping on the phone’s built-in “menu” button the lower right corner of the PHONE--not on the screen.)

To pause one or more torrents, tap on the circles next to the torrents you would like to pause.  A small menu will show up; tap on the || button to pause.

Tip: once you’ve selected one torrent, you can select all of the rest by tapping on the button that appears on the upper-right corner.  It looks like a box with four other boxes inside of it.  

 

How do I pause seeding?

To pause one or more torrents, tap on the circles next to the torrents you would like to pause.  A small menu will show up; tap on the || button to pause.

To pause all torrents, tap on the menu button (three dots) in upper corner of the screen in portrait (vertical) mode.  Tap “Pause All.” (Exception: some Samsung devices will have the menu button appear when tapping on the phone’s built-in “menu” button the lower right corner of the PHONE--not on the screen.)  

To resume all torrents, tap on the menu button (three dots) in upper corner of the screen in portrait (vertical) mode.  Tap “Resume All.”

To resume one or more torrents, tap on the circles next to the torrents you would like to pause.  A small menu will show up; tap on the resume button (looks like two arrows going aroundin a circle) to resume.  (Exception- some Samsung devices will have the  || button appear when tapping on the phone’s built-in “menu” button corner of the PHONE, not on the screen.)

 

How do I play or open files within the app?

When the torrent has completed downloading, tap on it.  You will land on the “files” page for your torrent.  Tap on the icon of the file you wish to play/open.  You may be prompted to choose a player to open the file.  To play media files, you'll need to find and install a media player in the play store that will be able to open the file in question.  Many phones come with media players installed, so you may not need to download one.

If the media file does not start playing, please keep in mind that the BitTorrent app does not contain a media player-- it's a downloader.  Please scroll down to the troubleshooting question "The movie file I downloaded won't play.  Why?" further down this page for more information.

 

How do I turn off the app?

To exit the app, tap on the menu button (three dots) in upper corner of the screen in portrait (vertical) mode.  Tap “Exit,” then confirm.  (Exception: some Samsung devices will have the menu button appear when tapping on the phone’s built-in “menu” button the lower right corner of the PHONE--not on the screen.)  

 

How do I choose where I want to download the file?

To choose the download location before adding the torrent: when you tap on a torrent link or magnet link in your web browser and choose to download it with our app, a popup will prompt you to select your files from within the torrent, or choose a location before downloading.  Tap “Download Location.”  Navigate to the folder of your choice.  Tap “Ok,” then “Add.”  

To choose the download location after the torrent has already started downloading: tap on the torrent.  You will land on the “Files” page.  Tap on the “Details” page tab (next to the “Files” page tab).  Look at the bottom of the screen-- there is a gray box at the bottom with the label “Download Location.”  Tap on it, navigate to where you want to download and tap “Save.”

 

How do I choose which files I want to download within a torrent?

To choose the files before you add the torrent: when you tap on a torrent link or magnet link in your web browser and choose to download it with our app, a popup will prompt you to select your files from within the torrent & choose a location before downloading.  Tap “Files To Download.”  Uncheck the files you don’t want to download.  Tap “Ok,” then “Add.”  

To choose the files after the torrent has already started downloading: tap on the torrent-- you will land on the “Files” page.  Uncheck the files you don’t want to download.  

 

Do you support magnet links?

Yes.  Be patient with these, as it takes longer for the app to fetch the torrent info from magnet links, but the torrent will start downloading (if you’re impatient, pause and unpause).

 

How do I save to my SD card?

We do not support saving to SD cards, though some users have had success doing this (it varies by phone model).  

KitKat (Android OS v4.4) device owners: you may have issues downloading to an external SD card.  You may also lose all of your torrented files when you uninstall the app.  This is a Google issue-- it’s not specific to the BitTorrent app: please see http://bit.ly/1iqWRmu for more.

Tip for those without SD card support: Download the torrent to your phone.  After it's completely finished downloading, use a free file manager app from the Google Play Store to move it around.

 

Troubleshooting: Solutions to some of the more common issues

 

I'm on a really fast wifi connection- but my torrents won't start, or are running really slowly.  Why?

A number of things can be causing this issue.  Let's eliminate these one-by one:

1- The health of your torrent is poor (most common).  How to check this: try downloading a Featured Content torrent.   Tap on the menu button (three dots) in upper corner of the screen in portrait (vertical) mode. Tap on “Discover.”  Within the Featured Content page, tap on a small torrent you haven't downloaded before.  The only difference between these torrents and torrents you’ll find in the wild are the number of seeds (these are always heavily seeded, therefore they are being shared a lot).   If the torrent will download quickly, then the app is working, but you need to look for torrents with more seeds.

2- Your app is in “wifi-only mode” and you aren't on a wifi network.  How to check this: tap on the menu button (three dots) in upper corner of the screen in portrait (vertical) mode. Tap on “Settings”.  Turn off the switch for “Use Wi-Fi networks only.”  Toggle it once to make sure it is off-- it should be red.

3- Your network connection is poor (common).  How to check this: try streaming content on your browser or an app.  If you can stream content without a lot of buffering, then you probably have a strong connection.  Alternatively, check your wifi speed with the free Speed Test app from Google Play.

4- Your network connection is blocked (your network is blocking torrent files, or is blocking your outgoing port).  How to check for this: try torrenting a Featured Content torrent on another network.  If you can torrent on another network (particularly a fast wifi network), then it’s likely that your network is the culprit.  

Try to fix this by tapping over to Menu>settings >Incoming TCP Port in the BitTorrent app.  Look at the Incoming TCP Port number, and increment it up by one.  For example, if your port number is 6881, make it 6882.  

If the above doesn't work, your network may be throttling BitTorrent traffic, in which case we can't help with a workaround.  But, it may help to follow the next steps below for app issues… stay with us here.  

5- The app isn't working well with your device.  How to check this: delete any unfinished torrents, close the app, delete BitTorrent app data by going to Settings-App-BitTorrent-Storage:Clear Data.  Reboot.  Uninstall/reinstall the app, then reboot.  Then try torrenting something you haven't downloaded before (something w/ many seeds, like Featured Content).  

Samsung owners: this may not be an issue specific to the BitTorrent app.  Please note that Samsung device owners are reporting crashes and download/streaming/wifi connectivity issues related to an Android 4.3 OS update begun this past fall.  Please see: http://bit.ly/1bH59iS or more.

6- You’re not seeding, and the swarm is ignoring you.  I can’t tell you how much to seed, but you do need to seed, or you may be (anonymously) identified by the swarm as a leecher.  (Doesn’t sound good, does it?)  Leechers download, but they don’t share.  Some users reporting slowdowns after using the app for a long time are having this very seeding issue.  How to check this: go to Menu>Settings>Upload limit-- change this to a reasonably number (not zero).  Try seeding a bit, and see if your torrents start speeding up again later.  But please don’t do this with your data plan-- use wifi-only mode, also under Settings.

If none of these fixes work for you, try emailing us at btandroid@bittorrent.com.  Please note that we will likely ask you to run through the steps above before taking further action.  Pro users: you’ll receive premium support by emailing btandroidpro@bittorrent.com

 

I used to be able to download directly to my external SD card.  Now I can’t.  Why?

Please keep in mind that we do not support saving to external memory cards, though some users have had success doing this (it varies by phone model).

KitKat (Android OS v4.4) device owners: you may have issues downloading to an external SD card.  You may also lose all of your torrented files when you uninstall the app.  This is a Google issue-- it’s not specific to the BitTorrent app: please see http://bit.ly/1iqWRmu for more.

Tip for those without SD card support: Download the torrent to your phone.  After it's completely finished downloading, use a free file manager app from the Google Play Store to move it around.

 

Downloading on my external SD card is spotty or slow.  Why?

Please keep in mind that we do not support saving to external memory cards, though some users have had success doing this (it varies by phone model).

KitKat (Android OS v4.4) device owners: you may have issues downloading to an external SD card.  You may also lose all of your torrented files when you uninstall the app.  This is a Google issue-- it’s not specific to the BitTorrent app: please see http://bit.ly/1iqWRmu for more.

Tip for those without SD card support: Download the torrent to your phone.  After it's completely finished downloading, use a free file manager app from the Google Play Store to move it around.

 

BitTorrent is crashing.  What do I do?

Please clear data from the BitTorrent app by going to (within Android) Settings>App>BitTorrent>Storage:Clear Data and reboot. Then try torrenting something you haven't downloaded before (something with many seeds, like Featured Content, under the RSS button).  If the app is still crashing, try uninstalling and reinstalling the app.  Then try torrenting another Featured Content torrent.

Samsung owners: this may not be an issue specific to the BitTorrent app.  Please note that Samsung device owners are reporting crashes and download/streaming issues, battery issues, and wifi connectivity issues related to an Android 4.3 OS update begun this past fall.  Please see: http://bit.ly/1bH59iS for more.

 

The movie file I downloaded won't play.  Why?

We don't have a media player in the app- it’s a downloader. It sounds like you're playing a file type that's not supported by the media player in your device. Please download a free media player app from Google Play and give that a try.

Tip: search for the extension of the file you are trying to play, and use the top rated app that supports your file.

 

I'm having an issue with BitTorrent Pro

Please email btandroidpro@bittorrent.com for premium support directly from our developers.

 

I don't see any torrent details, like the number of peers I'm connected to.

Tap on the torrent, then tap on “Details” tab (it will be next to the “Files” tab).

 

Why is my torrent still seeding? Why do I see a an “up” arrow on my torrent that won't go away? Am I finished downloading yet?  Can I play the file?

Seeding means you've finished downloading, and you're now contributing to the swarm by sharing the file.  Sharing is caring- so the more, the better, but please don't do that on your data plan (try using wifi-only mode, in settings).  You can go ahead and play the file if you’re seeding, provided you have a media player that supports that file type.  To stop seeding, read the answer to the question How do I pause seeding?”

 

I have lots of space on my phone.  Why does BitTorrent say I don't have space to download the torrent?

Are you trying to download two or more large torrents at the same time?  When you start downloading a file, BitTorrent will go on ahead and allocate space in the app for the entire file.  It may be that you don't have enough space to download both torrents in their entirety.  

SD card users: is this space available on your phone, or on your external SD card?  See the answer to the question “How do I save to my SD card?”

 

How do I delete a torrent in the app?  How do I delete the files in a torrent?

To delete the torrent only: tap on the circles next to the torrent(s) you would like to delete.  A small menu will show up; tap on the button that looks like a garbage can.  Make sure the “And downloaded files” checkbox is not checked.  Tap “OK” to confirm.

To delete the torrent and the associated files: : tap on the circles next to the torrent(s) you would like to delete.  A small menu will show up; tap on the button that looks like a garbage can.  Make sure the “And downloaded files” checkbox is checked.  Tap “OK” to confirm.

Tip: once you’ve selected one torrent, you can select all of the rest by tapping on the button that appears on the upper-right corner.  It looks like a box with four other boxes inside of it.  

 

I bought BitTorrent Pro from within the app.  But when I see the app in Google Play, it looks like I still need to buy it.  Do I have to buy it twice?

When you close your app and reopen it-- if you have wifi connectivity-- BitTorrent should turn into BitTorrent Pro automatically (it pings Google Play to verify that you've bought the upgrade). So, just download the free version of BitTorrent and open it-- it will turn into BitTorrent Pro.  You’ll know it’s Pro because the icon in the upper-left corner of the app with be silver, not green.

Please email btandroidpro@bittorrent.com if this is not working.  Users that buy BitTorrent Pro as a standalone app (not an upgrade) can re-download Pro directly from Google Play.  If you accidentally bought BitTorrent Pro both as an upgrade and a standalone app, please contact us at the above Pro email address.

 

Torrents won’t start downloading

Please delete any unfinished downloads, close the app, delete BitTorrent app data by going to Settings-App-BitTorrent-Storage:Clear Data, and reboot.  Still seeing issues? Uninstall/reinstall the app, then reboot. Then try torrenting something you haven't downloaded before (something w/ many seeds).  If that doesn't work, please follow the steps for the question above, “I'm on a really fast wifi connection- but my torrents won't start, or are running really slowly.  Why?”

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