Retroid Pocket 5 DS save location: melonDS Android checks

This guide covers melonDS Android

It concerns the rafaelvcaetano Android port on the Pocket 5's Android path. Steam Deck EmuDeck folders and RetroArch mGBA cartridge-save instructions belong to different software.

Start with the Pocket 5 overview and DS handheld guide if you are still installing. For GBA games, use the separate mGBA import guide.

Scan in melonDS before adding a launcher

The developer says ROMs should already be scanned by melonDS for third-party frontend integration. Its preferred launch URI also needs read permission. Verify a direct launch first, then configure the launcher using the project's documentation.

If the documented fallback condition occurs, the developer names Android/data/me.magnum.melonds/files/saves. This is a conditional fallback, not the universal folder for every app build or launch. Android file access can depend on your installed setup; do not promise yourself a folder is accessible before checking.

Locate the save your setup actually writes

1. Back up known progress and record game build, melonDS version, selected save location and launch method.
2. Use a disposable game/save copy if necessary to avoid overwriting established progress. Launch directly in melonDS and make an in-game save.
3. Close normally, inspect the configured save directory and identify the file written by that session.
4. Reopen directly through Continue and verify the saved location.
5. Launch that same scanned game from the frontend and check whether Continue shows the same progress.

This proposed comparison separates app configuration from launcher behavior. It does not claim that Pocket Deal Radar tested a particular frontend or Android file manager.

Direct launch works, frontend launch looks new?

Preserve both observed save files before importing or moving anything. Check that the frontend targets the same game copy and that melonDS scanned it. Record the URI or chosen file, permission and configured save directory.

A new-game screen from one launch method does not prove the original save is gone. It establishes that this path did not show that progress. Investigate the actual files and settings before changing the game build.

Importing another device's Pokémon progress

Consult the source emulator's export documentation and this app's instructions for format compatibility. An emulator state is not automatically a transferable cartridge save. Work with copies, match the destination's expected game and filename, then verify Continue, team and location.

Save again and reopen before retiring the source. If you also intend to update the hack, complete the same-build transfer first and investigate the maker's update rules separately.

Renegade Platinum patching is a DS game starting point, not a confirmed Retroid migration result. Developer documentation checked 7 Oct 2026; device performance and a completed transfer remain untested here.

Compare direct and frontend launches without losing either save

Use the same scanned game and a known progress checkpoint for both launch methods. Changing the ROM copy or game release at the same time makes a launcher comparison inconclusive. Keep existing readable saves backed up before making a new diagnostic save.

Example: a direct launch shows your current team, while a frontend shows the start of the game. Preserve both files before experimenting. Confirm that the frontend points to the intended scanned game, then inspect the save location. Do not overwrite the current playthrough with the first file you find beside a ROM.

A file's modification time can help locate a recent write, but it does not identify the correct adventure by itself. Continue and a recognizable checkpoint provide the reader-facing verification. If copies contain different progress, record those differences before choosing a working copy.

Follow the branch that matches your symptom

1. No save found beside the game: inspect the configured directory, scanning status and documented fallback condition. Absence beside the ROM does not establish that no save exists.
2. Direct launch works; frontend fails: inspect the frontend's game identity and integration against the developer's instructions. Keep the working direct launch as the baseline.
3. Both launches show old progress: compare your readable backups and identify where the desired checkpoint exists before replacing anything.
4. The fallback folder is inaccessible: establish a supported access or export route for your installed Android setup. Do not clear app data as a way to find an existing save.
5. A copied file loads once: save in-game and repeat Continue through the launch method you intend to keep. Retain the original until that check passes.

These steps help isolate storage and launch behavior. They do not verify a particular frontend's configuration, every Android version's file access or compatibility of saves from another emulator.

Check the frontend target and read permission

The port's developer specifies package me.magnum.melonds and activity me.magnum.melonds.ui.emulator.EmulatorActivity. The preferred launch data is the game's URI with read permission. Its older uri and PATH parameters are marked deprecated.

These are integration details to compare with your launcher's supported configuration, not a universal settings form to paste into every frontend. First preserve the direct launch that works. Then inspect what the frontend launches; changing save data cannot repair an entry that never opens the intended game.

Example: opening Renegade Platinum inside melonDS works, while a launcher card fails before the game starts. Record the launcher and selected file and compare its integration against the developer's reference. If the card later opens the game but shows new progress, move to the save-location comparison above. That is a new stage, not proof that the first change deleted your save.

Developer frontend reference, checked 7 Oct 2026. This does not confirm a particular launcher or installed app variant.

Check whether the launcher targets stable or nightly

The developer supplies two Pegasus metadata examples. The regular example targets me.magnum.melonds; the nightly example targets me.magnum.melonds.nightly. Both name the same emulator activity, pass the file URI and grant read permission. Do not replace the package in a launcher entry without first identifying the app you intend to open.

Example: your direct launch opens the adventure you recognize, but the launcher uses a nightly entry. Compare the app identity before moving progress. A different launch target is a configuration difference to resolve; it is not proof that the game or save is corrupt.

1. Identify the app used by your working direct launch.
2. Inspect the launcher's selected emulator entry or supported integration settings.
3. Compare its package target with the developer's matching example.
4. Scan the intended game in that app, then retry the same launcher entry.
5. Check Continue and the actual save destination again.

The examples are Pegasus-specific integration references. Other launchers may expose the choice through an emulator selector rather than editable metadata. The fallback folder described earlier comes from the regular-package documentation; do not mechanically reuse it as a verified nightly path.

Sources checked 8 Oct 2026: regular metadata and nightly metadata.

Before clearing app data after a nightly update

The port's README warns that nightly builds can have more bugs and that an update may require clearing app data. That is a troubleshooting warning, not a promise that your Pokémon progress will survive that action.

Before changing app data, separate a launch failure from a missing-Continue result. If the app will not start, record the previous working build and updated build. If it opens but shows different progress, first compare the app target and direct/frontend save paths.

1. Locate the actual cartridge save from the last working setup where accessible.
2. Copy it to a separate readable backup location and record the exact game build.
3. Keep the original backup untouched while investigating the update.
4. After resolving the app problem, confirm the intended save directory and game identity before any import.
5. Verify ordinary Continue and a second normal save/reopen before calling recovery complete.

If the only progress copy is inside storage you cannot currently access, the backup has not been checked. Stop before a reset that might remove the copy you still need. A screenshot of the party can help identify a recovered adventure, but cannot replace the cartridge-save file.

Developer nightly-build warning, checked 8 Oct 2026. No nightly migration or recovery was tested on a physical Pocket 5 here.

Compare direct and frontend launches

Write down the same game build, emulator version and save filename for both attempts. In the direct launch, record whether Continue appears and which trainer or location it opens. Then record the frontend name, launch entry and the same in-game details. “A file exists” and “this launch loaded that file” are separate observations.

For example: direct launch shows an existing trainer; the frontend opens the new-game screen. That is a launch-route difference to investigate, not proof that progress has been deleted. Keep the original save while checking which entry and directory each route uses. If both routes open the wrong adventure, return to the save identity and game-build checks instead of changing the launcher again.

Use the local DS session notebook to download a plain-text record of your attempt. Blank fields stay unrecorded; the notebook does not diagnose your setup.