AbsentMotionTroubleshooting and questions
Answers to common problems: crashes, missing media, export errors, storage and slow playback.
On this page
The app closed by itself
Android closes apps that use too much memory. This is most likely with 4K video, many heavy effects, or other apps open at the same time.
- Open AbsentMotion again. If it shows AbsentMotion closed unexpectedly, tap Restore to get your last edits back.
- Close other apps, and try the project again.
- Lower Preview Quality to Half or Quarter in the preview strip or in Settings.
- Switch on Use preview copies of large videos in Settings (it is on by default).
- Export at a lower resolution, or split a very long project.
Settings, Crash logs shows what happened in one sentence for each crash. Copy copies it so you can send it with a bug report on GitHub. Nothing is sent automatically.
This phone cannot run the editor
AbsentMotion draws the preview and the export with the graphics chip through Vulkan 1.1 or, when the phone does not have it, through OpenGL ES 3.0. If neither starts, the app shows This phone cannot run the editor with the Android version and the graphics chip instead of closing. Your projects, settings, backups and crash logs still open. Copy details copies the facts so you can add them to a bug report on GitHub. See Requirements and versions. If the editor opens but the preview or exports look wrong, choose OpenGL in Settings, Graphics.
If AbsentMotion closes by itself while the graphics are starting, it remembers this. With Graphics on Automatic, the next start uses the other one, for example OpenGL instead of Vulkan, so the app opens again. This is kept for this version of the app on this phone.
Missing media
A layer is empty, or export says Media Missing: a photo, video or audio file the project used is no longer on the phone.
- Select the layer, open Media Info in the layer menu and tap Swap media file to pick the file again.
- Use Collect media into project in the project card's menu while the files are still there, so the project keeps its own copies.
- Keep Keep a copy of imported media in the project switched on in Settings.
If you export anyway, the layers that use missing files are left out.
Export problems
| Message | What to do |
|---|---|
| Not enough storage | Free space on the phone or pick a smaller resolution. The estimated size is on the export screen. |
| Not supported on this phone | The phone's encoder cannot make that size or codec. Tap Use on the suggestion, or choose H.264 and a smaller size. |
| Slow export | Only a software encoder is available or the hardware encoder is slow for these settings. Continue, or pick the suggested settings. |
| The export slows down | The phone is warm. It slows down on purpose to cool. Let it cool, or take the phone out of its case. |
| Export Failed, frame could not be drawn | Try again. If it repeats, lower the resolution or turn Frame Interpolation Off. |
| Export Failed, the video encoder is busy or cannot make this size | Close other apps that play or record video, then try again. If it repeats, pick a lower resolution or frame rate. |
| Export Failed, the video decoder or encoder stopped working | Another app is using the phone's video hardware. Close apps that play or record video and try again. |
| "The phone's video encoder is busy, so this export uses the slower software encoder" | Nothing is wrong: the export takes longer. Close other video apps to get the faster hardware encoder back next time. |
| The finished video shows a still picture with a play button | The phone could not play it right away. Tap the play button to try again; the file itself is saved. |
| The exported video has no sound | A hidden layer, or a clip at 0 % volume, is silent. The line "Checked: ..." on the Saved to storage screen reports a missing sound track. |
The export keeps running when you switch to another app, and a notification shows its progress. Closing AbsentMotion from the recent apps list stops it.
Storage is full
- Delete unused projects from the home screen and old exports from Movies/AbsentMotion.
- Clear preview copies in Settings frees up to 2 GB.
- Backups in Documents/AbsentMotion can be large: copy them to a computer and delete them from the phone.
- If saving fails, the app says so. Free space and carry on.
It is slow
- Lower Preview Quality.
- Use the Fast Blur option in the preview strip.
- Large photos and videos are heavy. Use preview copies for video, and shrink very large photos before adding them.
- Many layers with effects add up. Hide layers you are not working on (tap the eye).
An update does not install on a Samsung phone
On Samsung phones, Auto Blocker can block the update that AbsentMotion downloaded. When it may be the cause, The update stopped says: "Samsung's Auto Blocker may be blocking this update." This shows at once when Android reports the install as blocked, or after two failed tries to install the same update.
- Open the phone's Settings, Security and privacy, Auto Blocker, and turn it off.
- Go back to AbsentMotion and tap Try Again to install the update. Your projects stay.
- Turn Auto Blocker back on if you want.
The text uses the wrong font
The project uses a font that is not on this phone. Open the project and tap Download in Fonts not on this phone. Fonts need an internet connection once.
Questions
Is it really free? Yes. There is no subscription, no account, no watermark and no advertising. It is open source under the GNU General Public License v3.0.
Does it need the internet? No. Only optional things use it: downloading a Google Font, downloading the caption model once, and the optional update check. See Privacy.
Where are my projects? In the app's private storage, with every media file you added. Back them up from Settings. Exports are in Movies, Pictures, Music and Documents under AbsentMotion.
Can I move a project to another phone? Yes: export a Project Bundle, copy the .absproj file to the other phone and open it there.
Can I open projects from other editors? Some. See Projects, backup and import.
Is there a computer version? Yes, from version 5.0, for Mac, Windows and Linux computers. The phone app still comes first. See AbsentMotion on your computer.
Which languages are there? English, Indonesian, Hindi, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish (Latin America), Spanish (Spain), Filipino, Vietnamese, Thai, Malay, Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Turkish, Russian, Bengali and Japanese. Change it in Settings.
How do I report a problem or ask for a feature? Open an issue on GitHub. Please do not include private information in it.
Where is the source code? On the project page on GitHub.