diff --git a/AnkiDroid/src/main/java/com/ichi2/anki/CollectionHelper.kt b/AnkiDroid/src/main/java/com/ichi2/anki/CollectionHelper.kt
index 92414ed849..c04baf0645 100644
--- a/AnkiDroid/src/main/java/com/ichi2/anki/CollectionHelper.kt
+++ b/AnkiDroid/src/main/java/com/ichi2/anki/CollectionHelper.kt
@@ -230,7 +230,7 @@ object CollectionHelper {
      * @see android.content.Context.getExternalFilesDirs
      */
     fun getAppSpecificExternalDirectories(context: Context): List<File> {
-        return context.getExternalFilesDirs(null).filterNotNull()
+        return context.getExternalFilesDirs(null)?.filterNotNull() ?: listOf()
     }
 
     /**