What's point of external SD card?

[zuben el genub]

If media is on the SD card of either type, you can just get to it via USB. The phone is just seen as a media device and you can't mess with the inner workings.

All the media I have is on the external SD card. That is a plus, as I lost most of the books, videos and music I had on the computer during a mess-up. They were all on the SD card for the tablet, so I got everything back.

I can move stuff around on the Acer A500. It puts most of the media there if it finds a card.

 

[AZgl1500]

Backups backups.... get an external USB hard drive and use a sync app to protect your PC against loosing stuff.

I use AllwaySync
____________________________________
2 ea. Verizon Galaxy S5, KK 4.4.4, ART
MyPhoneExplorer saves your tailbone
Nova Prime, Textra, Blue Mail, Qi wireless equipped
MacroDroid senses Screen off, turns Wifi & Data OFF
MacroDroid senses Screen on, turns WiFi & Data ON

 

[teebda1]

Got the same message using my note 4...just use the My Files app that's preloaded on the phone to move the files

 

[nickdalzell]

I must be the only one with kitkat that never has issues writing to SD cards...

 

[Slug]

I must be the only one with kitkat that never has issues writing to SD cards...

No you're not, as several posts in this thread make clear.

Also see EM's post (#15), specifically

Does Samsung apply the policy evenly in KitKat?

No. No they do not.

Two different models of Samsung devices running KitKat don't have the same sd card behaviors with the new policy.

 

[nickdalzell]

I've had no problems writing to SD on any device, including non-Samsung products. i've used ES File Explorer no problem even on the LG G3, Lucid 3, stock Android products including tablets. I always figured it was user error.

 

[EarlyMon]

I've had no problems writing to SD on any device, including non-Samsung products. i've used ES File Explorer no problem even on the LG G3, Lucid 3, stock Android products including tablets. I always figured it was user error.

You figured wrong.

The KitKat restriction when enforced does not let apps write to folders that they don't own.

Take a picture with your stock camera. Get a third party editor and change it.

To save pre-KitKat, you could put the new version back into the same folder as the original.

KitKat, you have to save to a different folder, owned by the editor app.

That's the restriction, when enforced, and it's enforced more often than not.

Sloppy apps that expect to save to the same folder they loaded from are generating most of the confusion here.

I don't understand the debate in this and many other threads.

Google has been clear about what they changed, they did change it, no it does not remove your SD card access, yes it can change the way you work.

And Samsung is inconsistent in their application of the policy, so "it does XYZ on my Samsung" proves nothing, and not using your device in a way that doesn't hit the restriction does nothing.

 

[nickdalzell]

All i know is ES File Explorer could write to any folder on the Ext SD no problem. Perhaps my devices being rooted makes the issue not happen for me? I'm not running any ROMs though, just rooted stock firmwares.

 

[EarlyMon]

All i know is ES File Explorer could write to any folder on the Ext SD no problem. Perhaps my devices being rooted makes the issue not happen for me? I'm not running any ROMs though, just rooted stock firmwares.

A lot of people can't get ES to do that.

That means that one parameter has been set in one xml file. Root alone doesn't do it.

I forgot the model but Samsung set that for one phone with the KitKat update but new phones supplied with KitKat don't have it.

If rooted and suffering the problem, the SD Card Fix Xposed module solves it as well.

It's the inconsistency between models, within models and between makers that's causing the confusion.

It's been updated with Lollipop - but again - expect mileage to vary.

 

[nickdalzell]

Perhaps i just got lucky? i've just never had issues at all. most of my devices run at least 4.4.2. some got it via custom ROM others stock. i know the in-built file managers work, i just use ES because i copy media back and forth between my NAS and the SD cards on my device but have had no issues at all

I just created two folders on the SD though, with ES, called 'Music' and 'Movies.' those are all that show up and i can write to them no problem. the only difference in KitKat is that the directory structure got convoluted. aka, /storage/emulated/1 is the microSD card (/storage/emulated/0 is internal) vs /storage/sdcard as it was in JB

 

[EarlyMon]

Statistics are like this -

If I say that something has a 99% chance of happening, that could mean that it hits you 99 out of 100 times.

It can also mean that it will never hit you but does hit 99 other people all of the time.

I would imagine that most all custom roms have dealt with the permission change as well. It's a very popular modification.

 

[nickdalzell]

Yeah, the first time i ran KK was on my rooted SIII via a ROM. ART benefited that phone extremely well. i then was reading stories about 'ZOMG cant write to mah SD Card!' with responses like 'Google made write access go away in KK' and i was like 'What the heck are you all talking about?'

But now i'm not running any ROM and it still works f ine!

 

[EarlyMon]

Yeah, the first time i ran KK was on my rooted SIII via a ROM. ART benefited that phone extremely well. i then was reading stories about 'ZOMG cant write to mah SD Card!' with responses like 'Google made write access go away in KK' and i was like 'What the heck are you all talking about?'

But now i'm not running any ROM and it still works f ine!

In light of what I said already, your point is?

 

[theinfo]

i am using my builtin app (file manager) copy.cut/paste between Sd card and Internal Memory. Nothing cause error. it is simple and easy

 

[EarlyMon]

Great. Glad it's not raining for you either.

It's raining where other people live.

Welcome to the forums!

 

[wxx3]

Well, reading this thread explains a lot.

I really like Samsung products, but they are slow at understanding who their customer really is.

In any case, while my note 2 stopped being able to transfer photos to ext sd last year, my tablet worked fine until yesterday.

Don't know why, it's still the same 4.4.2 it's had since fall, but all of a sudden es file manager can't write to the ext sd.

Come on Samsung, if you want to compete with Apple, then do so.

Richard

 

[Hadron]

Come on Samsung, if you want to compete with Apple, then do so.

Be careful what you wish for. Apple phones don't have SD slots - and neither does the Galaxy S6

 

[mikedt]

Well, reading this thread explains a lot.

I really like Samsung products, but they are slow at understanding who their customer really is.

In any case, while my note 2 stopped being able to transfer photos to ext sd last year, my tablet worked fine until yesterday.

Don't know why, it's still the same 4.4.2 it's had since fall, but all of a sudden es file manager can't write to the ext sd.

Come on Samsung, if you want to compete with Apple, then do so.

Richard

Suddenly not being able to write to SD storage, that would suggest to me that there could be a problem with your phone, e.g. the SD has gone read-only for some reason, and not really something that Samsung has done. You may want to investigate the problem. It could be that the file-system has corrupted, or that the SD is wearing out.

 

[wxx3]

Be careful what you wish for. Apple phones don't have SD slots - and neither does the Galaxy S6

Which is exactly my point.

Who are they trying to please by reducing our options? Google, verizon, sprint, ??
it is certainly not the customer who likes their phones because of all features and ability to modify.

They would blow apple out of the water.

 

[EarlyMon]

Worth noting that ES File Explorer has a known defect here, so KitKat only gets half the blame.

The KitKat constraint is that apps can only write to folders they own - by creating the folder in the first place.

If your file manager can't create top-level folders on the sd card, try another file manager.

Maybe try X-plore, it's very good and I seem to recall it working here.

There are also root mods to reduce the problem.

 

[wxx3]

Worth noting that ES File Explorer has a known defect here, so KitKat only gets half the blame.

The KitKat constraint is that apps can only write to folders they own - by creating the folder in the first place.

If your file manager can't create top-level folders on the sd card, try another file manager.

Maybe try X-plore, it's very good and I seem to recall it working here.

There are also root mods to reduce the problem.

Thanks. Downloaded X-plore this morning and I like it. Very much like it looks and it seems it may be easier to view gallery than gallery.

So my whole problem started with ES FE when I did make a new directory. It moved 4 files into the new directory before it got the error message. So today, I tried again, after unmounting and remounting the SD card, which makes a difference on my phone. No change, but it will copy or move 4 files.

I just wonder what changed?

 

[wxx3]

Suddenly not being able to write to SD storage, that would suggest to me that there could be a problem with your phone, e.g. the SD has gone read-only for some reason, and not really something that Samsung has done. You may want to investigate the problem. It could be that the file-system has corrupted, or that the SD is wearing out.

Now this has been the problem with the Note 2. Even with new sd card, sometimes it moves files and sometimes it doesn't. If I unmount card and remount it, I normal get at least one move before it acts up. It has been so inconsistent the last 6 months, that I have given up on it and periodically connect to laptop and download.

But it's a real PIA when it doesn't have to be.

 

[jefboyardee]

I must be the only one with kitkat that never has issues writing to SD cards...

Me too!

I've been droiding about four years and way back when, I thought the only reason we had SD cards was because of the cost of internal memory. Now that the problem is being solved, SD cards are becoming more of a accessory than a necessity. But then again, I've taken about fifteen pictures in those four years, so my needs are likely to be off scale.

 

[kieths]

It appears Lollipop made some progress on the Write to Storage permissions issue.

I use another File Manager, "Astro", which has worked well in the past, floundered during the Kitkat days, and given the 'fix' / workaround for most devices when Lollipop was released.

The trick is to name the SD card (with practically any name, using Windows or similar, and an SD card adapter). Astro can then read/write any folder under the named SD card. They have instructions on their website with step by steps.

One challenge I've seen is writing to -even renaming with Windows- an SD card that's already got any content written to it by Android. Though I don't 'encrypt' my SD content, Windows - or even another same model phone - cannot mount / recognize the SD as being a viable format (Windows asks if I'd like to reformat). My simple workaround was to copy out all files to an OTG USB device, format the internal SD, remove and rename it to "64GB" under Windows (an easy name to remember), then put it back in the phone and copy the OTG backed up files into the device.

I don't believe Astro's technique of writing to a named SD volume is limited to their app alone... but I've not seen other apps (including other File Managers) adopt the technique.

Astro File Manager is in the Play Store, as both Free and Pro versions (mostly, the Pro just removes the banner ad).

 

[The_Chief]

What I like about external microSD cards is portability. If I get a new device, I can take my photos and files with me to the new phone on the same card. Transferring all that stuff from one internal memory to the other is a time-consuming pain.