Samsung Music is one of the most common music players on Android devices, especially on Galaxy smartphones. It plays local music files, supports multiple formats like MP3 and FLAC, and shows album covers while songs play. But many users find that album art doesn’t always load.
If you face this, here’s how to fix it and let Samsung Music show album covers without doing it manually.
Why Samsung Music Might Not Show Album Art?
Samsung Music uses two things to show album art: the file’s metadata and your phone’s media library. If the song doesn’t have a cover inside its metadata, or if the app can’t access your files correctly, it shows a blank screen or a default icon. Sometimes, the music file is fine, but Samsung Music doesn’t scan or refresh your song library correctly. Other times, the issue is due to file permissions or missing internet access.
Is There a Setting to Enable Album Art in Samsung Music?
To check if Samsung Music is allowed to show album covers:
- Open the Samsung Music app
- Tap the menu icon (three dots) and go to Settings
- Look for options like Show album art or Download album info
- Make sure these are turned on
- Connect to Wi-Fi or mobile data for best results
Samsung Music sometimes tries to pull album info from the internet. If your data settings are off, it may skip downloading album art.
Does the Album File Have the Right Metadata?
Your music files should include album cover art inside their metadata. This data is stored in ID3 tags for MP3 files or similar formats for others like FLAC.
Check these things:
- The music file has a valid ID3 tag
- Album cover art is embedded in the tag
- The song has no broken or empty fields like “Unknown Artist”
If this metadata is missing or broken, Samsung Music won’t know what cover to show—even if the song plays fine.
Fixing Music Files with Third-Party Tag Editors
You don’t need a computer to fix music tags. Use Android apps that scan your songs and update album info.
Popular tools:
- Star Music Tag Editor: lets you add or change cover art
- Automatic Tag Editor: finds and fixes tags using an online database
- Music Tag Editor Pro: good for batch editing many songs at once
If you prefer desktop tools, MP3Tag is a trusted option for fixing thousands of songs quickly. It works well with USB file transfer.
How to Rescan Media Library for Samsung Music?
Even with perfect tags, Samsung Music might not see the changes until you refresh your media library. Follow these steps:
- Go to Settings > Apps > Samsung Music
- Tap Storage and clear the cache
- Restart your phone
- Use a free app like Rescan Media from the Play Store
- Open Samsung Music and wait a few seconds
This makes the app scan your device again and helps detect new or changed album covers.
Samsung Music Not Downloading Album Art?
To download album art from the internet, Samsung Music needs permission to use your mobile data or Wi-Fi. Also, Android may block background tasks to save battery.
Check these:
- Allow network access in app permissions
- Remove Samsung Music from battery optimization
- Make sure Data Saver is off when using mobile data
Without internet access, the app won’t be able to pull album info from servers.
Still Missing Art? Use an Auto Album Art Grabber App
If Samsung Music fails to fetch the art even with correct tags and settings, you can use an album art grabber app.
Try one of these:
- Album Art Grabber: fast and easy tool to get covers
- Cover Art Downloader: finds the best image based on song name and artist
- MusicBrainz Picard (for desktop): advanced editor with auto-fetch features
Once the app adds the album art, Samsung Music will display it the next time it scans.
How File Names Affect Samsung Music’s Ability to Find Album Art?
Simple file names and organized folders help Samsung Music recognize your songs and match the right covers.
- Keep file names short and clear
- Group songs by artist or album in folders
- Avoid characters like %, #, or & in folder names
- Use standard formats like .mp3 or .flac
When to Consider Switching Music Player Apps?
If Samsung Music doesn’t support auto album art for your collection, try a different music player that handles this better.
Here are a few:
- Musicolet: lightweight, offline player with tag editing
- Poweramp: advanced features and strong album art support
- AIMP: good sound quality and customizable library
Conclusion
Album art depends on good tags, correct permissions, and working app settings. Most problems are easy to fix with a few quick checks or apps. Once everything is in place, Samsung Music will show your album covers the way it should.
If this guide helped you fix the problem, or if you found another way that worked, leave a comment below. Share the article with others using Samsung Music and help them make their music look better.
