How to Download Tidal Music to SD Card [Fix Greyed Out & Delays Issues]

Part 1. How to Download Tidal Music to SD Card on Android Officially

First, we will walk you through how to save Tidal music to your SD card on Android. Please make sure that your Android phone is running version 5.0 or higher and check the steps to get the Tidal download stored on SD Card below.

Note: It is noted that offline Tidal tracks are all featured in cached files instead of local files. You can only play Tidal music offline in-app, not on other incompatible devices. By the way, iOS users can't save media files to external storage directly due to Apple's system restrictions.

Step 1. Insert your SD card into your Android device and ensure that it is detected by your device.

Tips: Before that, please make sure that your SD card is rated Class 10, UHS-I or above, as Tidal now offers 'Max' quality (up to 24-bit/192kHz). If you use a slower SD card, you will get the stuttering error.

Step 2. Open the Tidal app on your mobile device, and then navigate to the profile > 'Settings' section.

Step 3. Please go to the 'Music Playback' > 'Download Destination' option to open the setting window and change Tidal storage location for SD card.

Step 4. There are two options for your choice, respectively 'Internal' and 'Memory card'. Please check the mark before 'Memory card'.

Step 5. Now, you can start to download music from Tidal to SD Card.

Part 2. Troubleshooting: Tidal SD Card Common Issues & Fixes

However, users sometimes meet issues with Tidal SD card, such as Tidal music playback not working from SD card, etc. Now, let's solve these problems.

Problem 1: The 'Memory Card' Option in Tidal App Is Greyed Out

Fix: For Android 13/14/15 users, you need to go to your phone's Settings > Apps > Tidal > Permissions. Then set 'Files and Media' to 'Allow management of all files'. For Samsung/Pixel users, you should go to your phone's Settings > Apps > Tidal > Battery and set it to Unrestricted.

Problem 2: Tidal SD Card 'Access Denied' or Download Failures

Fix: Tidal works best with the exFAT file system. If your SD card is not formatted correctly, you will get this error. So, you can insert the SD card into your computer, back up your SD card's content to your computer, right-click the drive, choose Format and select exFAT.

Problem 3: Tidal Music Playback Delays from SD Card

Fix: There is no official way to fix it due to Tidal music being encrypted and decrypting these files from SD card in real time will cause massive lag. But you can convert Tidal music to common MP3 or FLAC files and remove the encryption using third-party tools to solve this issue.

Part 3. Best Way to Save Tidal Music to SD Card for Playback Anywhere

By following the above way, Tidal songs are only cache files stored in your SD card. When you cancel your Tidal subscription, all Tidal downloads will disappear automatically. Besides, you can't use an SD card reader to recognize Tidal songs. It's impossible to listen to Tidal music on other devices from an SD card.

So, in this section, you will get the best way to save Tidal music to SD cards. Here, you need to draw support from the professional AudFree Tidal Music Converter, a well-designed to get Tidal music to the local computer for offline playback. It is capable to convert Tidal music to MP3, FLAC, WAV, and more. After converting, you can transfer the converted Tidal music to SD card and other devices or players for offline playback forever even without Tidal subscriptions.

So, why not install the AudFree Tidal Converter and enjoy Tidal music without restrictions? By clicking on the "Download" button below, you can get the free version of the AudFree Tidal Music Converter. It is 100% safe and legal for individual use.

Compare Using AudFree Tidal Music Converter vs the Official Tidal App to Save Tidal to SD Card

Feature	Via AudFree Tidal Music Converter	Via Official Tidal App
Output File Format	Plain files (MP3, FLAC, WAV, etc.)	Encrypted cache files
Playback Device	Any device and player	Within the Tidal app on your phone
Playback Speed	Instant	Slow
Keep Tidal Songs Forever	✔ (Even after cancelling your subscription)	❌ (Files expire if you cancel your subscription)
SD Card Compatibility	100% Compatible	High failure rate

How to Download Tidal Music for SD Card - Detailed Guide

Let's see how to use this tool to convert Tidal music to SD card-compatible audio files. After that, you can easily move Tidal offline music to SD cards for use on other devices or players.

Step 1Add Tidal songs to AudFree Tidable

When you launch Tidal Music Converter on your computer, you will see the built-in Tidal web player on the main screen. You can discover Tidal music that you'd like to save to the SD card. And then, please click this item, click the '+' button and click 'Add to list', it will take a second to load Tidal songs.

Step 2Adjust Tidal output format to MP3 for SD Card

Click the top menu icon on a Windows computer or the 'AudFree Tidal Music Converter for Mac' on a Mac computer. Choose the 'Preferences' > 'Conversion' option in the settings window. Now, you can start to define the output format as MP3, FLAC, WAV, M4A, M4B, AIFF, and more formats that are available to most portable devices and players. You can also change the destination folder under the Output section to store Tidal downloads. Besides, you can set the sample rate, bit depth/rate, audio channels, and other parameters for truly lossless listening.

Step 3Download Tidal music for saving to SD card

Once all settings have been customized, please click the 'Convert' button at the bottom-right corner in the Converting window. This converter will download music from Tidal onto the computer. It also will convert protected Tidal music to common audio files that can be transferred to an SD card without a problem. All ID3 tags can be preserved in converted Tidal tracks.

How to Transfer Tidal Music to SD Card for Offline Listening

You can locate all Tidal music and playlists on your computer by clicking the 'Converted' > 'folder' icon. And then, insert your SD card into your computer via a card reader. Once connected, please drag and drop Tidal music files to the SD card folder for saving. After that, eject your SD card from your computer and insert it into your desired device or player for playback offline.

Part 4. FAQs about Tidal Download to SD Card

How to Fix the Tidal App Crash When I Select 'Memory Card' for SD Card?

You can try to clear Tidal app cache, restart your mobile device and then try again.

View also: How to Fix Tidal Keeps Crashing

I See 'Error 1:404' When Playing Tidal Music from SD Card, How to Fix It?

You can eject the card physically and wipe the metal contacts with a dry cloth. After that, re-insert the card and restart your mobile phone to try again. If the issue still exists, your SD card may be failing.

Can I Move My Existing Downloaded Tidal Music from Internal Storage to SD Card without Re-downloading?

No, it is not recommended. Tidal's database is linked to the specific file path. If you move the Tidal downloads manually, the Tidal app won't recognize the files and you can't play them. In this case, you must change the destination to SD card in Tidal app's settings and re-download the tracks.

Part 5. In Conclusion

Here are two ways to download Tidal music to SD cards. If you just want to save your phone storage, you can choose the official Tidal app. But it comes with some issues. If you want to save music to SD card from Tidal and keep the transferred Tidal songs on other devices, you need to use the AudFree Tidal Music Converter. With it, you can always back up your Tidal songs and listen to Tidal music on multiple devices, including all SD card-enabled devices offline without a subscription. Just try it!