Database Users

[Q] Limited access to external SD Card by some apps

Hi,
I've done a search and haven't been able to find anything solid on this so I apologize if it's been covered. I've been using the Atrix for a few days now and I noticed that when I view click on the "Files" app (the default file viewer that comes with the Atrix) it comes up with a list of the following options:
Internal phone storage
SD card
Shared folders
Protected Content
This is different than previous Android phones I've used in that I get a file structure instead of options of where to look. That's fine; I can just click on one of those options to view the contents. However, I use a application at work to use my phone as a glorified picture frame. It's called Slideshow Bob and it does not recognize the external SD Card. This hasn't been an issue with prior Android devices, but from little I can glean from doing an online search, this does seem to be a limitation with some Motorola models. Again, I have had no problem accessing my pictures in Slideshow Bob from any of the Samsung Android devices I own and this is my first Motorola phone with this OS so I'm wondering if this is a bug that will be remedied or if they've basically limited file access from apps on this phone. I'm sure that's not the case with every app, but it certainly is for some. Anyone else have any issues or workarounds they'd like to share?

iirc, none of the currently released Samsung Android devices have built-in storage plus an expansion slot, which is why you've likely never seen the issue.
Basically, Android was never designed to have more than one expansion slot, so that ends up being mounted in /mnt/sdcard (or /sdcard, with one symlinked to the other). Since there's no standard on where additional storage ends up being (and most programs assume there's no additional storage anyways), programs usually don't know where to look.

There is probably an option is Slideshow Bob of where to get the pictures, try /mnt/sdcard-ext/[folder name], where [folder name] is the name of the folder on the external sd card where the pictures are.

Sogarth said:
iirc, none of the currently released Samsung Android devices have built-in storage plus an expansion slot, which is why you've likely never seen the issue.
Basically, Android was never designed to have more than one expansion slot, so that ends up being mounted in /mnt/sdcard (or /sdcard, with one symlinked to the other). Since there's no standard on where additional storage ends up being (and most programs assume there's no additional storage anyways), programs usually don't know where to look.
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Hi,
My Samsung Captivate had 16GB of built-in memory and an SD expansion card slot which I filled with an additional 16GB card. In the android file manager I could access the expansion card by going into the ext_sd (or something like that) under the main sdcard directory. I could also see this folder in Slideshow Bob.

harolds said:
There is probably an option is Slideshow Bob of where to get the pictures, try /mnt/sdcard-ext/[folder name], where [folder name] is the name of the folder on the external sd card where the pictures are.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
There is no such option. There is an option for the default folder, but it's a text field you have to type in, not a directory structure. I tried typing in the path to the external sd card, /sdcard-ext/MEDIA, directly (which ASTRO file manager shows exists), but the app says the directory does not exist. I really think Motorola is doing something to limit what apps can and cannot access for whatever reason. This has never been an issue with my Samsung Captivate or Galaxy Tab.

I think this actually has to do with the external sd card being mounted separate from the internal. In my previous devices the external card was seen as a directory on the internal sd card. With the Atrix it is an entirely separate item and some apps may not be able to access it as a result of having that different mounting. I don't have any other apps with which I need to navigate to a directory (other than various file managers) so I can't test how endemic this is. I imagine it might be an issue for apps that rely on a folder structure for data access such as music apps that are folder based instead of reading from what's in the media library.

I just tried another slideshow app. It is a problem, I think, with Slideshow Bob. It can't see any folders not on the internal sd card. In my Samsung devices the external card was viewed as a folder on the internal card and was, therefore, not a problem.

Apps having directory navigation problems on the Motorola Atrix
Kenny, I have the same problem with the PowerAmp app. My phone is also rooted and I have root explorer which shows me the music files exist. I can even play one file at a time with the power amp from explorer. But I get the same issue when I try to navigate to the music using poweramp. One more possibility is that the Atrix is running Android 2.2.1. Perhaps there is an issue with the upgrade. (I thing this "upgrade" is a disappointment compared to 2.2. I'd rather try Gingerbread.) AT&T has a 30 buyers remorse period and I've only had the Atrix for a week. I love the phone and I would hate to take it back but wtf? I'm just like the rest of you, I just want the damn thing to work!
p.s. My wife's Samsung Captivate never had this issue either.

Update: I found this issue in the Poweramp forum and I also spoke to an at&t support specialist and they verified what was said earlier about the problem is in the difference between the Atrix file system versus the Captivate. The Captivate mounts the external sd card as a folder inside the internal sd card while the Atrix has it mounted separately. The Poweramp administrators promise a fix in a week so I'm glad they are aware of the problem. This seems like an easy bug to fix. I will snoop around the market to see if an app can "trick" the Atrix file system to put the external sd in an internal sd folder. If anyone is aware of such an app, let us know.
The Atrix is promised the Gingerbread upgrade later this year. It has a new file system (ext4) which promises to be faster for phones like our Atrix or the Nexus. As I said, it seem an easy problem to fix, I'm sure this problem will be a thing of the past by then, I'm going to keep my Atrix and wait.
Kenny, you might want to check your app's web site to see if they have a fix in the making.

The Atrix being my first android phone im still learning things every day and I have had similar issues with the sd card and storage partitions. while checking out different files and what not I stumbled upon this default.prop file which contains the following..
#
# ADDITIONAL_DEFAULT_PROPERTIES
#
ro.secure=1
ro.allow.mock.location=0
ro.debuggable=0
persist.service.adb.enable=0
EXTERNAL_STORAGE_MOUNT=/mnt/sdcard
I was wondering if any one with more android experience is familiar with creating and editing prop files for certain activities could confirm if we switch the last line to sdcard-ext if this would now read or set our external sd card to be the sd card that the system and most apps read and write to. I haven't tested it myself but being familiar with different registry edits in winmo and windows im thinking this will work.. anyone agree or have some information they can share?
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App

Can deleting programs also delete photos?

The first thing I did after taking the A500 out of the box to test drive some features, like the camera, browser, etc. The very next thing I did was root it....then using Titanium Backup I started deleting bloat ware. I found it odd that there seemed to be 3 different programs to view photos, so I deleted the two programs (forgot what they were called), figuring I would simply use the standard Android Gallery....like I do on every other Android device I have ever owned.
After a restart I noticed that the video and pics I took before removing those programs were gone. So I tried using file manager to find them on either the SD card or device, no luck. Plugging the tablet into a computer was no help, and placing the SD card in my laptop didn't help. Those pics and videos are simply gone. I don't know if it is a bad SD card, or by deleting those programs that caused the problem. I have since changed my camera settings to save to the device and not the SD card, and took a few more videos and pics just to see what happens.
Wasn't sure if this was common.

[Q] Installed ES File Explorer, but Gallery won't display moved images

I bought the Aquos (reluctantly) a couple of weeks ago and am not overall impressed, but am stuck with it for now...so am dealing.
But I have having major anxiety (OK, maybe just major annoyance) about the storage issue. I have a 64gb card attached and it is fairly useless. I can't move apps over since the firmware doesn't support app2sd (i think that is what i saw one Dev put on their site).
OK, so I downloaded ES File Explorer and I can move things between the device storage and the SD card easy enough, but as soon as I move images - the gallery won't show them anymore.. They are there... I can navigate to them from apps... But just not the gallery.
In my gallery you can see folders i moved onto the card via taking the card our and putting it in a reader. So I know the gallery 'sees' the card.
I have even moved and/or saved a file into one of the folders on the card that is already showing... And they don't show in the gallery.
Is anyone else having this issue? Or is this maybe just my phone.. (I have tried 2 different SD cards, a 32gb and the 64gb and get the same results)

MysticCrab said:
I bought the Aquos (reluctantly) a couple of weeks ago and am not overall impressed, but am stuck with it for now...so am dealing.
But I have having major anxiety (OK, maybe just major annoyance) about the storage issue. I have a 64gb card attached and it is fairly useless. I can't move apps over since the firmware doesn't support app2sd (i think that is what i saw one Dev put on their site).
OK, so I downloaded ES File Explorer and I can move things between the device storage and the SD card easy enough, but as soon as I move images - the gallery won't show them anymore.. They are there... I can navigate to them from apps... But just not the gallery.
In my gallery you can see folders i moved onto the card via taking the card our and putting it in a reader. So I know the gallery 'sees' the card.
I have even moved and/or saved a file into one of the folders on the card that is already showing... And they don't show in the gallery.
Is anyone else having this issue? Or is this maybe just my phone.. (I have tried 2 different SD cards, a 32gb and the 64gb and get the same results)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have used ES File Explorer for years and haven't had this issue, even on the Crystal...
Are they images that other Image Browsers can view also? If the Gallery app is set to default, clear it, and try viewing the photos with ES, Google Photos, or other apps when it prompts you to choose an app to display the pic.
If that fails, try formatting the card through the phone and moving the photos again.

I use quickpic always an it always registers when I move anything over through es.

Always is a loaded word... If it always worked then why isn't It still working?
Before you give up on this phone I think you should try my above post or something else. Instead of factory resetting the phone as a last resort I think you should do so anyways to see if that will fix the freezes you've been having.
My personal opinion is that you should see if your problems go away by trying X (whatever that might be). My philosophy is that if something is broken I try and fix it. If I can fix it I'll be cautious to not repeat the initial problem. If I can't, whether it's not worth fixing after evaluation or too expensive to do so, I can have a clear-ish conscious towards disposing of it. In the end this is my opinion and you can do whatever you want with your stuff.

Well in the past 4 years quickpic is THE ONLY gallery app I'll use. ES and Quickpic are the first 2 things I install on any new ROM and phone. As far as always goes I just said that because I have never had an issue with it or es.

I don't know what to tell you...
I too use ES as my file manager and previously used that to transfer most of my images to my SD card. After I installed Quickpic I was able to view all the images I transferred to my SD card.

Gallery image fail
format your sd card on a pc then reinsert it into your phone it should work then.

Lost Gallery photos
Deltax82 said:
format your sd card on a pc then reinsert it into your phone it should work then.
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Click to collapse
I had this same problem and with ES files. Look through you're files and if you find files " .nomedia " delete them . I still don't know how the .nomedia files got on my phone but soon as I deleted them all my photos in Gallery showed back up. No more problems with photos.

Back last February I had a problem with files named
.nomedia and they caused problems with my photos stored on my phone. After I realized it was nomedia files causing the problem I deleted all nomedia files and all was good until last week. Now the nomedia files are showing up again. I delete them only to have the nomedia files return. Delete the file and it shows back up in a different place,in a different file. It's always someplace on my SD Card and I can't get rid of it.
I'm not sure what to do?
My device is
SAMSUNG-SM-G925A
S 6 EDGE
5.1.1
kernel 3.10.61
January 29 KST 2016
Thank you in advance for your time and help.
Randy6501

Known Bugs in JFLTE-GPE 2015315

I am making a thread to let developers and users discuss and talk about known issues with the JFLTE-GPE rom
1.) when you go to format your sd card, it ask to draw a lock pattern even if you have a password, it stilll allows you to enter a password.
2.) Sd card support for apps, i know google changed the way the sd card works in lollipop but that was a very useful feature
3.) Camera saves to phone by default even if card is inserted, you have to manually change it to sd card
4.) When using facebook messenger i had a issue when trying to send a photo the phone would detect media files such as thumbnails for media and stickers and I had to drag for ever to get to the photo I wanted to send
Will anybody like to reply to this post to state their issues with the rom please I will help people from the information I know about it already.
Thanks for everyones time

aaron kid69 said:
I am making a thread to let developers and users discuss and talk about known issues with the JFLTE-GPE rom
1.) when you go to format your sd card, it ask to draw a lock pattern even if you have a password, it stilll allows you to enter a password.
2.) Sd card support for apps, i know google changed the way the sd card works in lollipop but that was a very useful feature
3.) Camera saves to phone by default even if card is inserted, you have to manually change it to sd card
4.) When using facebook messenger i had a issue when trying to send a photo the phone would detect media files such as thumbnails for media and stickers and I had to drag for ever to get to the photo I wanted to send
Will anybody like to reply to this post to state their issues with the rom please I will help people from the information I know about it already.
After further use I found out I cannot unlock my device while in call
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

2) The sd card support for apps was not there in the first place.
Google doesn't want apps and app data to be on the SD card.
I don't know if the rom devs can do anything.
3) The only camera that supports saving to SD is the Motorola camera. Or, maybe, a third party camera app.
This issues should be posted on the actual development thread. That's what it is there for. To discuss issues and problems.

1. Never encountered this, as I don't use a pattern lock or password.
2. As mentioned, Google does not want apps or app data on the MicroSD card. In fact, their phones do away with the MicroSD card entirely.
3. The One Plus camera app also requires the user to manually select the MicroSD card. I don't see this as a major issue, especially when more phones are coming without MicroSD card slots.
4. This is normal behavior, though I agree that it is annoying. The solution is to create a blank text file named ".nomedia" (period required) in every folder that you don't want scanned. For example, I have Moon+ Reader Pro. That app stores every single book cover it extracts from my PDFs in a folder on the internal storage. When using the AOSP Gallery the media scanner would find all those images for my book covers. Adding a .nomedia file to Moon+ Reader Pro's cover storage cache removed those files from the Gallery the next time I opened it.

Internal/SD storage mess

Hi everyone,
I got the latest Moto X as soon as it went public because I loved the idea of Vanilla Android with SD support. I got the 16 GB version and a 64 GB SD. Ever since I got it, the phone has been bugging me about the storage and today I finally gave in. Until today I kept my photos, music and podcasts on my SD card but the internal memory was constantly full and I couldn't install new apps. So I thought formatting the SD card under Android 6 would make it one with the internal storage. It didn't. It made it worse. I can move apps to the SD card but I can't force photos and other media to be saved there. I was hoping for internal-SD continuity and I got a total lack of control. So now I can't receive SMS and I keep having "storage is running out" notification while I still have 60 GB free on my SD card.
What's your take on this? Thanks!

Since this is about SD cards, I'm having another problem to state if OP doesn't mind. On my Moto X, when using exploring (using file explorer) the original sd card I've used for years, many folders do not show up. The same happens to a video player (RockPlayer), where it doesn't show many folders I have on my card (it did when used on my previous Atrix 2). However, when I go to "Storage & USB" and select the card, everything is normal. That means, only when viewing the sd card via "Storage & USB", all folders appear.
However, applications and games (besides gallery) will assume the first situation, where those folders remain invisible. Does anyone know what the problem actually is?
Edit: After checking, it seems that my /sdcard folder is the same as /storage/emulated/0.
Thank you.

MoCML said:
Since this is about SD cards, I'm having another problem to state if OP doesn't mind. On my Moto X, when using exploring (using file explorer) the original sd card I've used for years, many folders do not show up. The same happens to a video player (RockPlayer), where it doesn't show many folders I have on my card (it did when used on my previous Atrix 2). However, when I go to "Storage & USB" and select the card, everything is normal. That means, only when viewing the sd card via "Storage & USB", all folders appear.
However, applications and games (besides gallery) will assume the first situation, where those folders remain invisible. Does anyone know what the problem actually is?
Edit: After checking, it seems that my /sdcard folder is the same as /storage/emulated/0.
Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seems like my sdcard folder is now C601-8353 under Storage folder, along with Emulated and Self folders.

domi_niku said:
Hi everyone,
I got the latest Moto X as soon as it went public because I loved the idea of Vanilla Android with SD support. I got the 16 GB version and a 64 GB SD. Ever since I got it, the phone has been bugging me about the storage and today I finally gave in. Until today I kept my photos, music and podcasts on my SD card but the internal memory was constantly full and I couldn't install new apps. So I thought formatting the SD card under Android 6 would make it one with the internal storage. It didn't. It made it worse. I can move apps to the SD card but I can't force photos and other media to be saved there. I was hoping for internal-SD continuity and I got a total lack of control. So now I can't receive SMS and I keep having "storage is running out" notification while I still have 60 GB free on my SD card.
What's your take on this? Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried using OpenCamera instead? It's free, open source, AND lets you choose where to store the pics. IMHO the picture quality is better too.
You could also move the pics to the card manually after you take them...

TXJim said:
Have you tried using OpenCamera instead? It's free, open source, AND lets you choose where to store the pics. IMHO the picture quality is better too.
You could also move the pics to the card manually after you take them...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great call, thanks for the tip.

I haven't had any problems saving photos or other media to my SD card with adoptable storage. This is something you should be able to specify in preferences whether you are using adoptable storage or not. If this doesn't work with some apps just use a file manager to move the files to the SD card.
Sometimes when I move apps to my SD Card, I would get similar messages about being out of space, even though this wasn't the case. Deleting the cache on SD card seemed to fix the problem. There can also be a problem if your SD card is too slow. However, you would probably get an alert if that was the case.

My advise erase it all internal and sd card start from a blank state the phone should give you the option to mount the sd as internal I don't like how it is implemented so I chose not to use it.

For some strange reason my phone will not read my SD card I have it formatted to internal stage and now it says searching for SD card. I'm so mad I've searched all over with no solution, I'm about to get a new phone and scrap this one, sorry I'm just very upset and I had to vent, of anyone knows of this type of issue please share.
Sent from my SM-G935T using XDA-Developers mobile app