Android phone APP doesn't appear to close the database so the desktop app can access it

[Retired99]

Describe the bug
MoneyManagerEx Issues

At 1148 this morning I installed mmex on android phone. Opened database on phone. Synched & Closed(?) database on phone. Phone is still open. Started to open database on desktop. Got warning message “Attempting to open a database that has been marked as opened by another instance of MMEX. To avoid data loss or conflict, it’s strongly recommended that you close all other applications that may be using the database.” This message implies that the database has NOT been closed from the phone. Opened the database on the phone, synched & closed(?) app again. Then I turned the phone off. Restarted the computer. Started to open the database & got the previously mentioned error message. It appears that the phone mmex app doesn’t close the database.
I have purchased DriveSynch Ultimate for Google from MetCrl to try & auto synch the phone database with the google cloud. The security on the phone or perhaps in mmex will not allow me to access the folder “/storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.moneymanager.ex.android/files/databases/” so I can pair it with the google cloud folder.
With the appearance of the phone app not closing the database, this instant update appears to be a moot point. Is there something I am doing wrong?

To Reproduce
Steps to reproduce the behavior:

1. Open phone database.
2. Close phone database
3. Open desktop app
4. See warning message that this database is already marked as open in other instant

Expected behavior
A clear and concise description of what you expected to happen.
I expect to have the database open on the desktop without any errors.

Screenshots
If applicable, add screenshots to help explain your problem.

Device Information:

• Device: Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
• OS: Android 16
• Storage: Phone storage + google drive]
• Synchronization: I always manually synch after every transaction entered.
• Encrypted: No
• Security: None
• App Version: 5.5.9 (1114)

Additional context
How to change the directory where the database is stored to allow instant 2 way synching

Please feel free to add any other context about the problem here.
It would be great if you could try the latest beta version

[wolfsolver]

Thanks for reporting this issue and for providing such detailed device and reproduction steps.

Regarding the database lock warning, MMEX creates a lock file or flag when a database is open to prevent simultaneous write conflicts and data corruption. If the app crashes or doesn't exit cleanly, that lock can persist. To streamline your workflow and avoid these manual file-locking hurdles, here are a few recommendations:

• Follow the Companion Guide: Check out the official setup guide at [android.moneymanagerex.org/quickstart/start_companion/](https://android.moneymanagerex.org/quickstart/start_companion/) for best practices on syncing between desktop and mobile.
• Configure DriveSync Locally: If you want to keep using DriveSync, the workaround for Android's scoped storage restrictions is to have DriveSync download/sync your database to an accessible local folder on your device (such as Documents/mmex). Then, configure the MMEX Android app to open the database directly from that local folder rather than trying to point DriveSync straight into the restricted app-private directory. Also, if you find a smooth way to get DriveSync working seamlessly, we'd love it if you could write a small instruction page or guide to help other users facing the same setup!
• Test the New Sync Beta: If you are comfortable installing APKs from GitHub, you might want to check out the new synchronization service currently in development and join the beta at github.com/moneymanagerex/mmex-sync, which is specifically designed to handle these multi-device sync workflows smoothly.

Let us know how it goes or if you need a hand testing out the new sync setup!

[luisdev]

"If the app crashes or doesn't exit cleanly, that lock can persist"
How can you clear that "lock" in the MMEX database? Where is the "locked" indicator stored?

[wolfsolver]

simply ignore the message on pc and force open

[luisdev]

simply ignore the message on pc and force open

How do you force open? In MMEX Desktop 1.9.4, I get the "Attempting to open a database that has been marked as opened by another instance of MMEX... Do you want to open the database?" message. If I select Yes, MMEX crashes very quickly - before I can click the Debug button to file a bug report.

I deleted the mmexini.db3 file in the C:\Users\Me\AppData\Roaming\MoneyManagerEx folder, but that doesn't help. The database is still locked.

The .mmb file is on my G: drive, which is a Goodle drive. I moved it onto my local drive, C:, and tried opening it from there, but the "database that has been marked as opened" error persists.

Does MMEX have a column in the database where this "database is opened by another instance" indicator is stored?

This is happening on a test database, so I really don't mind losing the MMEX .mmb file, but I would like to find the cause of this problem. I am more interested in knowing what is broken than fixing it...

I am also testing mmex-sync-v0.2.1 on this computer, so might that be related to the problem? Apparently mmex-sync does add additional tables to the database.

This is happening on my antique Windows 10 Pro 22H2 pc (build 19045.7663).

I have explored the .mmb file with DB Browser for SQLite, but I'm not sure what to look for. Or if there is a column in one of the tables that has that "database is locked" flag.

[wolfsolver]

this crash is very strange. can you get the log?

you can also try to restore your dB by using mmex-sync --cleardb or by export dB from self area
https://mmex-sync.prudenzano.org/selfservice/

[luisdev]

It might be something wrong in my stockhistory_v1 table.

[luisdev]

this crash is very strange. can you get the log?

How?

Is there a "debug switch" I can flick?

[luisdev]

you can also try to restore your dB by using mmex-sync --cleardb or by export dB from self area https://mmex-sync.prudenzano.org/selfservice/

It is a test database, so I'm not worried about losing data. I'm more interested in the cause of the problem.

[wolfsolver]

can you run mmex-sync --verbose to see if there is some more details?

also useful dump from windows
For unexpected crashes or application hangs, use the built-in Windows Event Viewer under Windows Logs -> Application to inspect application error events and fault modules associated with moneymanagerex.exe

[luisdev]

mmex-sync --verbose doesn't reveal anything. But the output is massive - more than the Powershell buffer can handle - and I have it at the maximum (999).

And I don't see any messages in the Windows Event Viewer for MMEX.

Is there a way to dump the output of mmex-sync --verbose to a text file?

[wolfsolver]

I understand that you got a crash using MMEX for PC while opening it... if yes probably you got error in event virecer.

for --verbose is ebouth if you send my last 5 or 6 messages