In the last few days Samsung has been pushing out Android 4.4.2 to flagship devices like the Galaxy
Note III and Galaxy S4. Unfortunately, Google implemented an SD card write restriction in the latest
Android version which can be quite annoying for users with an SD card in their phone.
The new “feature” basically restricts apps from writing to external SD cards. This can be quite
annoying, because many users want to store apps on a secondary SD card instead of the main storage
unit.
Luckily, how to fixing this problem can be easily done if you have root access. Here’s how you can do it
(Please be aware that you’re performing these changes on your own risk!):
Make sure that you have root access
1. Perform a NANDROID backup to be completely safe
2. Use a root-enabled file manager and navigate to /system/etc/permissions
3. Edit platform.xml and find “WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE“
4. Add an additional group definition for this permission: <group gid=”media_rw” />
5. Save the changes and restart your device
6. You are now able to write on your external SD card again
I hope that I was able to help you.
*taken from mobotechie
.
This does not work for Sygic. My rom comes with this setting already applied, and yet Sygic gives me
Code:
SD Card access denied
Work!!!
Thank you very much!!!
Your strategy work fine on my Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini.
You can also install "Kitkat SDcard full access" it's an xposed module
It works on my Samsung Galaxy S4 mini but only for a limited time after restart the phone. I have last nighty of CM11. It seems like something check permissions and change it back. But everything is on the place. Permission hasn't changed. When I open Folder mount application the message "write permission is not set correctly" occurred but media_rw group is still in system/etc/permission file. I've tried to install CM12 but the problem is there too. Kitkat SDcard full access module from xposed hasn't solved the writing issue for me. It works but after sometime doesn't.
impactor said:
This does not work for Sygic. My rom comes with this setting already applied, and yet Sygic gives me
Code:
SD Card access denied
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
I am stuck with the same issue on Sygic. I am on Pac Man 5.1 for Yureka
Any solution so far for this?
Related
Hello,
So I'm about to take the plunge and pick up an Xperia Play in the next few days. With it I'm planning on getting a 32GB microSD (class 4) card. What I'm concerned about though is whether I can fully utilise the card.
What I mean is, is that I've read that some apps can not be directly installed onto the SD card, forcing you to first install them onto the pitifully small internal storage before moving them over to the card. Other apps can not be moved to the SD card AT ALL, creating situations where you may actually run out of internal space and not even have enough to apply phone/OS updates. This has me slightly worried. What's the point in buying a nice big SD card if I can't fully utilise it?
Now, I know things are possible if you root the phone, but I'm not interested in doing that (I know, call me weird if you want, but I have no interest in rooting the phone when I get it). What I want to know is, can I do the following things without rooting the phone?
- Move certain apps/games to the SD card (I realise some vital apps can't be moved for technical reasons)
- Force the phone to install new apps/games directly onto the SD card
Thanks in advance for your time!
firstly, this is Gingerbread, and with Gingerbread means we are given the full authority to install apps on the phone or on the SD card. The problem comes from developers themselves. Whether an app is installed in the internal memory or the SD card is solely determined by the developer because of a string/command they have to put on their application's manifest files. that string gives us the option, so if they have not included that string on their apk's (like Asphalt 6 for example with a size of 29MB!!!), we will have no choice to select where to install it--with a default location on the internal memory!
This one is a good read on what i'm trying to say:
http://muffinresearch.co.uk/archives/2011/02/02/android-force-moving-apps-to-an-sd-card/
there is a hack however, something like pm SetInstallLocation 2 through adb, it's somewhere here.. something like THIS it changes/forces the install location to SD card..
Use link2sd. I have 370 apps installed and still have 239mb of internal storage
Sent from my R800i using Tapatalk
Except link2sd requires root access...
So there's basically nothing I can do about this without rooting the phone or fiddling with the adb? That if the app or game doesn't provide the option or where to install, I'm stuck?
Balls.
There must be a solution...how are you guys not running out of space on this thing?
most, if not all of us have rooted our phone.
White_Pointer said:
So there's basically nothing I can do about this without rooting the phone or fiddling with the adb? That if the app or game doesn't provide the option or where to install, I'm stuck?
Balls.
There must be a solution...how are you guys not running out of space on this thing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The facts are, without root access you don't have enough control over your phone to do it. And if you don't want to use adb, you might as well sell your play and buy a feature phone, because thats all you have atm lol
Sent from my R800i using Tapatalk
Create a partition of your SD card then use link2sd.. For now maybe you don't have interest on rooting your phone but after a few days you will realize how important for us to have root access..
I thought the whole point of Android (as opposed to, say, iOS) is to give the user control. If I can't do something as simple as moving apps to an sd card without rooting the phone, it seems Android has failed in that regard. Even my 2 year old Omnia 2, running the dated Windows mobile 6.1 OS, allows me to choose where to install things and allows me full access to the file manager to move data where I want without ever needing to root it.
I'll probably still get a Play, and maybe adb is an option, but it still seems an annoyance to enable the option which should be there already.
White_Pointer said:
I thought the whole point of Android (as opposed to, say, iOS) is to give the user control. If I can't do something as simple as moving apps to an sd card without rooting the phone, it seems Android has failed in that regard. Even my 2 year old Omnia 2, running the dated Windows mobile 6.1 OS, allows me to choose where to install things and allows me full access to the file manager to move data where I want without ever needing to root it.
I'll probably still get a Play, and maybe adb is an option, but it still seems an annoyance to enable the option which should be there already.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your missing the point, root isnt a bad thing or a hack, google always ment to supply android rooted like any linux distro. But they took root away from the end user to protect them. Malware wise a unrooted phone is a safe phone. It's then the end users problem if they root there phone and have all there passwords stolen. There is no comeback on google. The nexus phones are easy to root because google makes it easy, phones made by companies like HTC are harder to root because they want to protect there software. Although HTC and Sony have made a U-turn recently, allowing for end users to now bootloader unlock there phones and even supporting 3rd party rom developers.
Sent from my R800i using Tapatalk
Unfortunately rooting a phone isn't quite as simple as logging in as the root user in linux. If you could "log in" to your phone as root to perform certain actions such as moving apps to an sd card, and then "log out" when you are done, back into your regular phone user mode, then it would be a different story. As it stands now, you get one thing wrong in the root process and you could lose vital functionality, or in the worst case can brick your phone.
I don't call that "protecting the end user", I personally think that whole concept is a load of bull. If they wanted to really protect the end user they'd make it easy to log in as root, but require the user to contact support for the password or something and get them to accept a T&A first so they understand the implications of it. That way the phone doesn't permanently stay in "rooted" mode, and you only need the root access temporarily so your chances of contracting any Malware are slim.
Doesn't that make a lot more sense?
narflynn619 said:
firstly, this is Gingerbread, and with Gingerbread means we are given the full authority to install apps on the phone or on the SD card. The problem comes from developers themselves. Whether an app is installed in the internal memory or the SD card is solely determined by the developer because of a string/command they have to put on their application's manifest files. that string gives us the option, so if they have not included that string on their apk's (like Asphalt 6 for example with a size of 29MB!!!), we will have no choice to select where to install it--with a default location on the internal memory!
This one is a good read on what i'm trying to say:
http://muffinresearch.co.uk/archives/2011/02/02/android-force-moving-apps-to-an-sd-card/
there is a hack however, something like pm SetInstallLocation 2 through adb, it's somewhere here.. something like THIS it changes/forces the install location to SD card..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's the ADB Hack:
Install Android SDK, download the recommened files.
Open up command prompt (if you're in windows) goto adb, its located [drive installed on, normally C]:\[wherever you installed it, i.e. program files, or if you unzipped it, unzip folder]\android-sdk_r12-windows\android-sdk-windows\platform-tools (where you have it installed might differ from mine. If you don't have the android sdk library, this makes it worth it.)
when you get to the folder you have adb located, and your phone is plugged in (USB Debuging needs to be turned on (settings -> application -> development)),
type:
adb shell
(you'll have to wait a little bit)
when you see the command prompt change to "#"
then type:
pm setInstallLocation 2
reboot
you don't need root, and it's easy to do
Is anyone else experianceing this issue? I just came over from an S4 that was running an AOSP ROM. I am now running our stock ROM, rooted with Xposed. Titanium Backup and Helium say that my external SD card can not be accessed/written to. I have fixed permissions via ROM Manager since I have Philz which doesn't have a fix permissions option. Still cant write to external SD. Any suggestions?
TigerDNA said:
Is anyone else experianceing this issue? I just came over from an S4 that was running an AOSP ROM. I am now running our stock ROM, rooted with Xposed. Titanium Backup and Helium say that my external SD card can not be accessed/written to. I have fixed permissions via ROM Manager since I have Philz which doesn't have a fix permissions option. Still cant write to external SD. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A simple search would have found dozens of threads discussing this and describing workarounds. In short, Kitkat cripples the ability of third party apps to freely write to your SD card obstensibly in the interests of security a la IOS.
That is.. don't let end users do anything other than browse the web or use simplistic apps and we can protect your device from the scary internet, malware and so forth.
Rooted devices can easily restore the functionality.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2674450
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2656781
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2687734
http://android.wonderhowto.com/how-to/insert-sd-card-into-samsung-galaxy-y-0147523/
.
fffft said:
A simple search would have found dozens of threads discussing this and describing workarounds. In short, Kitkat cripples the ability of third party apps to freely write to your SD card obstensibly in the interests of security a la IOS.
That is.. don't let end users do anything other than browse the web or use simplistic apps and we can protect your device from the scary internet, malware and so forth.
Rooted devices can easily restore the functionality.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2674450
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2656781
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2687734
http://android.wonderhowto.com/how-to/insert-sd-card-into-samsung-galaxy-y-0147523/
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks captain obvious. Unfortunately, this is not my issue. It works when Xposed is not installed and doesn't work when Xposed is installed... Search that for me and report back. :good:
TigerDNA said:
Thanks captain obvious. [ ... ]Search that for me and report back. :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The solution should be readily apparent. Even to you. And with that attitude, connect the dots yourself.
Insight into the cause would be most helpful as the "solution" is more of a work around. Knowing the cause would benefit the community. a quick glance back at the OP might have necessary. :good::good::good::good:
Even after all this, Helium will not offer me the choice to use the SD card.
1. navigate to /system/etc/permissions/platform.xml
2.Tap and hold the platform.xml file and select Edit option.
3.Now look for this entry:
name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE"
4.Now add the following string of code just after <group gid=”sdcard_rw”/>.
<group gid="media_rw"/>
5.Having editing the file, save your changes and exit the root file manager app.
6.Finally, reboot your phone or tablet.
When your device boots up the write access on external SD card by third-party apps should be enabled.
jithinpanavelil said:
1. navigate to /system/etc/permissions/platform.xml
2.Tap and hold the platform.xml file and select Edit option.
3.Now look for this entry:
name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE"
4.Now add the following string of code just after <group gid=”sdcard_rw”/>.
<group gid="media_rw"/>
5.Having editing the file, save your changes and exit the root file manager app.
6.Finally, reboot your phone or tablet.
When your device boots up the write access on external SD card by third-party apps should be enabled.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As I said before, even after all this, Helium will not offer me the choice to use the SD card.
dgriffi said:
As I said before, even after all this, Helium will not offer me the choice to use the SD card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried FolderMount from Play, this lets apps write data to the external sdcard. Works well for me.
TigerDNA said:
Is anyone else experianceing this issue? I just came over from an S4 that was running an AOSP ROM. I am now running our stock ROM, rooted with Xposed. Titanium Backup and Helium say that my external SD card can not be accessed/written to. I have fixed permissions via ROM Manager since I have Philz which doesn't have a fix permissions option. Still cant write to external SD. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Simple solution in Playstore: SDFix
I'm using xposed module called kit kat sd card full access
http://forum.xda-developers.com/xposed/modules/kitkat-sd-card-access-t2790992
sepu79 said:
I'm using xposed module called kit kat sd card full access
http://forum.xda-developers.com/xposed/modules/kitkat-sd-card-access-t2790992
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used this one too, sends to work, but TI backup still gains to access the SD, also tried the SDFix app that was mentioned, same end effect. I've even verified the permissions myself with Rom toolbox for browser. Something about how TI accesses the SD is non standard. Works on every other device and Android version I've used through 4.4.2 slim Rom on my moto droid hd
Hi,
I have a concern regarding how Kitkat update resolves the default storage on my Grand 2. First of all I want you to know that I have already rooted and updated the permission.xml file to allow apps such as utorrent to be able to write in sdcard and this is working wonderfully for me. So my question here is how do I default my storage to sdcard for things such as phone screenshots, line images, viber images, instagram images etc.
Sorry for requesting about this but I'm OC like that and seeing my gallery having two same folders(one under sdcard caused by jb update, one under internal storage caused by Kitkat update) from two different locations is what I would like to eliminate. I have scoured the internet for solutions and I have only stumbled upon the following solution. First is to update the init file by switching the symlink declared for emulated/sdcard0 with the extsdcard. Not sure though how to do this or if it is safe. Second is found on this website --> https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/android-porting/SypD_roN_28
TIA for your help.
This new permissions policy for apps writing to the external SD card is doing my head in. I have the stock, rooted, Polish Lollipop 5.0 ROM on my N9005. Dropbox refuses to write to the SD card and gives me a storage full or unavailable error. I'm well aware of how to set permissions for each app that requests it but Dropbox doesn't even ask for permission! Dropsync is even worse, it asks for permission to write to the SD card and I grant it and is displays a message saying that all is OK but when I try to sync I get a storage unavailable error. Similarly, Dolphin browser refuses to save anything to the SD card and doesn't request permission. I've reformatted my SD card using Android, tried a different SD card, cleared the cache for the affected apps, signed in & out of Dropbox but with no success. I don't think the SD card fix apps for Kitkat will work for Lollipop. Can anyone solve this?
Thanks
I emailed dropbox support & they have the answer:
Thanks for writing in, I will be happy to help you with your file issue.
It appears that these duplicate documents were added from the "Samsung Device" app. Samsung created a new deep Dropbox integration for their devices that allows access to all documents in your Dropbox account from a special "DocumentSync" folder on your phone. This DocumentSync feature allows you to add, edit, and delete any files that appear in this folder and these modifications will show up both on your phone and in Dropbox.
We've worked with Samsung on a fix for this duplicate file problem and it should be released sometime soon. In the meantime, if files are still being replicated, you can temporarily disable DocumentSync until the fix is released.
DocumentSync is different from the Dropbox application on your phone and disabling the DocumentSync feature will not impact the Dropbox app. You can turn off DocumentSync on your phone by following these instructions:
1. Tap your device’s “Menu” button
2. Tap “Settings”
3. Tap “Cloud”
4. Tap “Documents” or “DocumentSync”
5. Toggle off
You can also disable this app from the Dropbox website. To do this:
1. Log in to https://www.dropbox.com/account#security
2. Under "Apps linked" find the Samsung Device app.
3. Click the small "x" at the far right of where it says Samsung Device.
Sorry for any inconvenience this might have caused, but I hope this helps! Feel free to let me know if you have any further questions.
Regards,
Randy
I think the way ahead is to uninstall the Samsung Dropbox app with Titanium Backup but when I do this it keeps coming back. How would I go about hacking it out with Root Explorer?
First of all, I'd like to say that I'm making this thread after countless hours of hopeless google search and a very short but rude cal with the LG LatAm support.
I got a second hand LG L3 (e400g) as a gift after my previous phone was stolen, I can't really get anything else due to lack of money so I intend to use this little baby for quite some time.
First of all, I noticed it didn't had WhatsApp, which is crucial for my work, or Facebook or Messenger so I went to get them from the Play Store but it always crashed, I found out the phone had no Google Play services so after getting an apk for that and updating the Play Store and trying to download any application the download always said "pending" and nothing happened so I downloaded an Whatsapp apk and tried to install it, but I found out I only had 5 mb of storage free because Play Store + Play Store services had taken 100mb out of the measly 150 mb the phone comes with (the other 45 being occupied with what I guess are system files and stuff.
Alright, didnd't matter, started to look for some help and found out that by rooting the phone I could install custom play store apks that would most likely work and, more importantly, I could delete bloatware and install apps on the 1gb internal and external memories.
I tried to Install the LG drivers but I couldn't make them work on my PC so rooting at home wasn't an option, called LG to ask for help on how to install that but they told me I was a poorfag for purchasing and old second-hand phone and couldn help me (not their exact words but it surely felt like that).
Tried installing the drivers at work and they worked! So i, very happily, tried to finally root my phone using Spectrum Root but it couldn't work either, so I tried SuperOneClick and it didn't work either. I took some screens but currently I'm at home and I forgot to bring them with me but Spectrum couldn't root anything because it "couldn't create directories" and SuperOneClick just froze on the 7th step of shell root.
What can I do? Anything that doesn't involve getting a new phone because honestly this is the only thing I could afford and I won't be able to change phone for some months so any help would be really appreciated.
TL;DR: Phone can't acces play store, stupidly small storage space and there's no apparent way to root it.
DavidRueda said:
First of all, I'd like to say that I'm making this thread after countless hours of hopeless google search and a very short but rude cal with the LG LatAm support.
I got a second hand LG L3 (e400g) as a gift after my previous phone was stolen, I can't really get anything else due to lack of money so I intend to use this little baby for quite some time.
First of all, I noticed it didn't had WhatsApp, which is crucial for my work, or Facebook or Messenger so I went to get them from the Play Store but it always crashed, I found out the phone had no Google Play services so after getting an apk for that and updating the Play Store and trying to download any application the download always said "pending" and nothing happened so I downloaded an Whatsapp apk and tried to install it, but I found out I only had 5 mb of storage free because Play Store + Play Store services had taken 100mb out of the measly 150 mb the phone comes with (the other 45 being occupied with what I guess are system files and stuff.
Alright, didnd't matter, started to look for some help and found out that by rooting the phone I could install custom play store apks that would most likely work and, more importantly, I could delete bloatware and install apps on the 1gb internal and external memories.
I tried to Install the LG drivers but I couldn't make them work on my PC so rooting at home wasn't an option, called LG to ask for help on how to install that but they told me I was a poorfag for purchasing and old second-hand phone and couldn help me (not their exact words but it surely felt like that).
Tried installing the drivers at work and they worked! So i, very happily, tried to finally root my phone using Spectrum Root but it couldn't work either, so I tried SuperOneClick and it didn't work either. I took some screens but currently I'm at home and I forgot to bring them with me but Spectrum couldn't root anything because it "couldn't create directories" and SuperOneClick just froze on the 7th step of shell root.
What can I do? Anything that doesn't involve getting a new phone because honestly this is the only thing I could afford and I won't be able to change phone for some months so any help would be really appreciated.
TL;DR: Phone can't acces play store, stupidly small storage space and there's no apparent way to root it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Root the phone with KingoRoot, it worked in my LG Optimus L5 E610/E612(f)...
Install Root Browser or a smaller size root browser app (download through your PC and put it in the phone) and delete some system apps/bloatware and get App2SD to install your apps to SD Card.
iTzMeB1tch3s said:
Root the phone with KingoRoot, it worked in my LG Optimus L5 E610/E612(f)...
Install Root Browser or a smaller size root browser app (download through your PC and put it in the phone) and delete some system apps/bloatware and get App2SD to install your apps to SD Card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm gonna try that as soon as I go to work tomorrow because that's the only PC I've found that can instal the drivers properly, thanks for the tip!
DavidRueda said:
I'm gonna try that as soon as I go to work tomorrow because that's the only PC I've found that can instal the drivers properly, thanks for the tip!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem!
EDIT: Tell me if it helped!
iTzMeB1tch3s said:
No problem!
EDIT: Tell me if it helped!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used kingo root and it was a success, however it didn't install any SU terminal or something like that which made me think the root didn't work. I googled some stuff and found out sometimes while it works it doesn't install the SU terminal so I had to get a 3rd party terminall app, i typed "su" and the "$" changed to a "#" which supposedly means it works. I got App2SD but the only apps it shows to transfer to the SD card are the ones I installed manually, none of the bloatware or default ones. And when I tried to use the terminal to set the default install location the SD card (pm setInstallLocation 2) it apparently didn't work because when I pressed enter to input the code the "#" didn't reappeared and the any other code I used later like "date" or "exit" did nothing either.
DavidRueda said:
I used kingo root and it was a success, however it didn't install any SU terminal or something like that which made me think the root didn't work. I googled some stuff and found out sometimes while it works it doesn't install the SU terminal so I had to get a 3rd party terminall app, i typed "su" and the "$" changed to a "#" which supposedly means it works. I got App2SD but the only apps it shows to transfer to the SD card are the ones I installed manually, none of the bloatware or default ones. And when I tried to use the terminal to set the default install location the SD card (pm setInstallLocation 2) it apparently didn't work because when I pressed enter to input the code the "#" didn't reappeared and the any other code I used later like "date" or "exit" did nothing either.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use Root Checker Basic to see if you have rooted it successfully!
Use root browser to free some memory by deleting system apps and then get Ext2SD (I think that's the app's name or whatever), it swaps your SD card's memory with your internal memory, so for example, if you have a SD card with 64gb and you swap memories using the app, you'll get 64gb internal memory, google it!
iTzMeB1tch3s said:
Use Root Checker Basic to see if you have rooted it successfully!
Use root browser to free some memory by deleting system apps and then get Ext2SD (I think that's the app's name or whatever), it swaps your SD card's memory with your internal memory, so for example, if you have a SD card with 64gb and you swap memories using the app, you'll get 64gb internal memory, google it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Root checker said yes but I still couldn't use any SU command, so I just did the unthinkable and ran Kingo Root again and it finally worked 100%. But that didn't fixed the whole play store thing so I just flashed the phone and isntalled CM9 and it worked. I can use the play store and download stuff but only the original 2.3.6 one, if I update it it stops working but I don't care and I don't really want to fix that because I may break something else.
Now for the storage, I could finally use App2SD (Which is apparently called Link2SD or something like that because googling App2SD only gave me results of Link2SD) And save a whole lot of space on my phone and could finally install whatsapp and a couple of browsing apps and stuff but I couldn't install for example facebook because, while I could copy like half of the app to the SD I couldn't copy the data folder.
I searched for your app's name in your previous post but It turns out Ext2SD isn't an app but rather something like a partition format so I got a partition app and partitioned half of the Internal SD but it couldn't copy anything there and I couldn't recover the space either so half the internal memory is kinda dead now. Is there any way to fix this and to have some more storage space without breaking the phone?
DavidRueda said:
Root checker said yes but I still couldn't use any SU command, so I just did the unthinkable and ran Kingo Root again and it finally worked 100%. But that didn't fixed the whole play store thing so I just flashed the phone and isntalled CM9 and it worked. I can use the play store and download stuff but only the original 2.3.6 one, if I update it it stops working but I don't care and I don't really want to fix that because I may break something else.
Now for the storage, I could finally use App2SD (Which is apparently called Link2SD or something like that because googling App2SD only gave me results of Link2SD) And save a whole lot of space on my phone and could finally install whatsapp and a couple of browsing apps and stuff but I couldn't install for example facebook because, while I could copy like half of the app to the SD I couldn't copy the data folder.
I searched for your app's name in your previous post but It turns out Ext2SD isn't an app but rather something like a partition format so I got a partition app and partitioned half of the Internal SD but it couldn't copy anything there and I couldn't recover the space either so half the internal memory is kinda dead now. Is there any way to fix this and to have some more storage space without breaking the phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know... Try searching in the internet or just reflash CM9 and see if the partitions are fixed.