JSON on your phone, explained

Guides for the moment a .json file lands on your Android phone — written by the developer of Sonnet. Where another app or a computer is the better tool, the guide says so.

Opening JSON

• What is a JSON file?What’s inside one, where they come from, whether they’re safe, and how to open one.
• How to open a JSON file on AndroidViewer apps, code editors and online formatters compared.
• Open a JSON file from WhatsApp, Telegram or emailAttachments, “no app can open this file”, and where downloads end up.
• How to open a large JSON file on AndroidWhat works at 2 MB, 20 MB, and 2 GB — and when to use a computer instead.
• How to open a GeoJSON file on AndroidReading the coordinates and properties on a phone, getting the file onto a map, and why points land in the wrong place.

Formatting, editing and fixing

• How to format or minify JSON on AndroidTurn one unreadable line into indented JSON, or squeeze it back onto one line.
• How to edit a JSON file on AndroidChange values, add and delete fields, and save without breaking the file.
• Invalid JSON: what the error means and how to fix itThe nine mistakes behind almost every “Unexpected token” and “Expecting property name”.
• Edit a Minecraft manifest.json on AndroidWhat every field does, which UUIDs to change, and why the game won’t show your pack.

Reading your data downloads

• Read your Instagram data download on your phoneRequesting it, JSON or HTML, unzipping it, and what the odd timestamps mean.
• Read your Discord data package on AndroidWhich folders matter, where your messages are, and which files to skip.
• Read your Spotify streaming history on AndroidWhich export to request, which files hold your plays, and what each entry means.
• Which Google Takeout files are JSONWhat’s JSON and what’s MBOX or ICS, the sidecars next to your photos, and what’s too big for a phone.
• Read your Facebook data download (JSON)Which file holds your posts, messages and comments, and why the text looks garbled.
• Snapchat My Data: what’s in the JSON filesWhat each file in the json folder holds, and why your chat history looks almost empty.
• What’s in your TikTok data download (JSON)One file, not a folder: where your likes and watch history sit, and whether it opens on a phone.
• What’s inside ChatGPT’s conversations.jsonWhy the file reads out of order, which file in the export to open instead, and whether it fits on a phone.

Comparisons

• A Json Genie alternative without adsWhat Json Genie does better, and where Sonnet is different.
• JSON vs CSV: what each format can holdThe same data written both ways, which file is smaller, and what flattening throws away.

Sonnet: JSON viewer & editor

Open any JSON file as a collapsible tree, edit it with a tap, format or minify it. Works offline, no ads, no account.