Bittorrent Android Faq- Revised

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Frequently Asked Questions for BitTorrent  Android

 

How do I get started?

 

There are two simple ways to start using the app:

 

1. Start with a search: click on the magnifying glass in the lower left corner of the screen in portrait 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 for a download location before downloading.

 

2. Start with Featured Content: click on the RSS icon in the lower-right corner of the screen in portrait mode.  In the Featured Content screen, simply click on the download button (the arrow) for the content you’d like to try downloading, and it will be added to your torrent list and will start downloading.  You can also find free premium torrents from partners like Moby and Madonna at http://www.bundles.bittorrent.com

 

How do I pause torrents?

 

To pause all torrents, press the ||  button on the top right corner of your screen (it will appear when you have torrents downloading).  (Exception: some Samsung devices will have the “pause all” button appear when clicking on the phone’s built-in “menu” button the lower right corner of the PHONE--not on the screen.)

To pause individual torrents from your list: tap on the torrent.  A small menu will show up; tap on the || button to pause the torrent.

 

How do I pause seeding?

 

To pause individual torrents (seeding or downloading) from your list: tap on the torrent.  A small menu will show up; tap on the || button to pause the torrent.

 

To pause all torrents (seeding or downloading): press the ||  button on the top right corner of your screen (it will appear when you have torrents downloading).  Pressing it again will resume all torrents.  (Exception- some Samsung devices will have the  || button appear when clicking on the phone’s built-in “menu” button corner of the PHONE, not on the screen.)

 

How do I play files?

 

When the file has completed downloading, click on the “play” button that appears next to it.  You will 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, press the “exit” button (the circle with the line through it) in the upper-right corner of the screen , then confirm.  (Exception: some Samsung devices will have the “exit” button appear when clicking 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?

 

When you click on a torrent link or magnet link in your web browser and choose to open it with our app, a popup will ask where you’d like to save it.  Navigate to the folder of your choice.  This popup does not appear with Featured Content downloads from the RSS feed.

 

Do you support magnet links?

 

Yes.

 

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).  

 

Tip: 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.  Click on the RSS feed button.  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: click on the settings button (the gear icon) on the lower right corner of your screen in portrait mode, and check and uncheck “Use Wi-Fi networks only.” (Try checking and unchecking-- even if the box already appears unchecked.)

 

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 Speedtest 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 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 for 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 a bittorrent app for a long time are having this very seeding issue.  How to check this: go to Settings>Upload limit-- change this to a reasonable number or 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, 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.

 

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.

 

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).

 

Tip: download to your phone.  After it's completely finished, use a free file manager app from the Google Play store to move the file around.

 

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

 

Do a long press (press and hold) on the torrent. The torrent will expand, and you'll see how many peers are sharing the file.

 

Why is my torrent still seeding? Why do I see a blue line on my torrent that won't go away? Am I finished downloading yet?  Can I play the file?

 

Does the blue line have the word "Seeding" under it?  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.

 

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.

 

What happens when I delete a torrent in the app?  Does the file also get deleted?

 

If you delete the torrent in-app, you are only deleting the torrent, not the associated files.  Tip: to delete the files you’ve downloaded, try getting a free file manager app from Google Play, and delete the files with it.

 

Why do you not offer file selection?  Why do I have to download the entire torrent?

 

I'm sorry- the app currently does not allow you to choose specific files to download in a torrent.  Some users have had success with downloading a free file manager app from Google Play, then--after completely finishing the download-- deleting the files they don't need.

 

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). Please email btandroidpro@bittorrent.com if this is not working.  Users that buy BitTorrent Pro as a standalone app can re-download Pro directly from Google Play.  

 

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?”

 

 

BitTorrent Support