Help Folder "alt_autocycle". What is it, and where does it come from?

[bramkaandorp]

Ever since I updated my phone to Android 6.0 (OTA official update) I get a folder on my device for which I can't pinpoint the origin.

It's called alt_autocycle, and it doesn't have any content. Removing it doesn't help, because it will just come back.

In case it's related to my phone, it's a Moto X 2014.

 

[scary alien]

Never heard of this....and I don't see any obvious results or references in Google search.

I could move your thread to the Moto X forum if you'd like in case it is a device-dependent file (let me know ).

I suspect it might be app-dependent, though...

You could remove it and carefully watch to see if/when it get's created and try to time it based on what you might have done (i.e., what app might have launched that created it).

 

[bramkaandorp]

I'll definitely do that, but I do wonder which app could have started doing this, because I haven't added any new apps since the 6.0 update.

 

[bramkaandorp]

I finally have the folder again, and I think I know how I got it. I have no idea which app or process creates it, but it happens when the phone is restarted.

After removing the folder and rebooting the phone, the folder appears every time.

What this means, I have no idea, but at least I have an indication.

 

[scary alien]

Ah, that is very interesting!

If your inclined, you could capture your logcat shortly after a reboot and see if there's an entry recorded in the log regarding this file (this would be done from your PC via an adb logcat > logcat.txt and you'd have to have the adb utility, USB debugging enabled, and the proper USB drivers for your device installed).

Listing the timestamp of the file would give you a time range to narrow-down your search a bit, but unfortunately you can usually only see a resolution of minutes instead of seconds).

 

[bramkaandorp]

I'm not that technically inclined regarding Android. Also, it's only really an issue when I reboot, and the folder is always empty, so it's not critical to remove it.

So for the time being, I'm just going to let it be, and maybe I'll do a factory reset in the new year.

Thanks for the tip though. If I ever do decide to become more adept, I'm sure to try it.