KitKat & SD cards explained

[ironass]

Why your SD card doesn't work the same in Android 4.4 KitKat, and the reasons for the change...

KitKat and SD cards

 

[jejb]

I appreciate the link. At least I understand the "why" now. But since I don't feel I need to worry about the security aspect of it (I practice safe app loading), I'm not a fan of the new direction. I was not happy about the Knox thing and the introduction of not being able to go back to a prior release we got in 4.3, and I'm really not happy about this update. I'll be staying on 4.3, at least for now.

Also, isn't it talking out both sides of their Google mouth when they cut off app's full access on the SD card, but they still allow them full access to the internal storage? How is that anymore secure?

I agree with one of the posters in the linked thread. One of the reasons I own Andriod over iOS is for the openness of it. We seem to be headed toward the iOS side of things these days, though. A pity, that.

 

[GrouchoM]

So, should I move all my apps that are on the SD to the phone prior to the KK update to reduce the risk of losing them or their data?

 

[ironass]

So, should I move all my apps that are on the SD to the phone prior to the KK update to reduce the risk of losing them or their data?

Wouldn't hurt. It depends on how good the developer of a particular app is. This change to the way that KitKat handles files on the SD card has been known about for months. Some developers have updated their apps to allow for this... you've probably noticed a rash of updates in the Play Store that state that they have been updated for KitKat.

Don't forget, that when you move an app to SD card that its system files are usually left on the internal storage so that the app can function properly. This is why some people report that they have XYZ app on both internal and external memory. If the developer has not updated his app to comply with the KitKat file set up, it will not work. This also applies to apps that try and access files that they do not own. Blame the developer, not KitKat.

 

[icedtea]

experiencing this. . .GO backup prompted NO SD card found and the backup file will be saved to internal storage. . .

 

[GrouchoM]

experiencing this. . .GO backup prompted NO SD card found and the backup file will be saved to internal storage. . .

Do you have a file manager, e.g. ES File Manager? If so, can it find your old GO backup on the card and transfer it to the phone?

 

[icedtea]

Do you have a file manager, e.g. ES File Manager? If so, can it find your old GO backup on the card and transfer it to the phone?

haven't created a backup before shifting to kitkat . just not sure if its possible to transfer the backupfile (if i create a new one) to the sd card upon completion. ..

 

[GrouchoM]

Do you have ES File manager or something like it? If so, can you access your card and transfer "stuff" to and from your phone and card?

 

[Jimliner]

Hi All,

I did the modification to the parameters.xml file. It did not work. Did a little searching. I did the OTA update to Kitkat. The changes to the parameters file only works if you have the leaked version that was out before the official update.

 

[MikeEthio]

I was wondering why my SD card not working like it was before. Thanks

 

[anoniemouse]

Surely there really should be an option in KitKat to convert your card to an ext4 format & then have it secured like internal memory (security problem solved).
Then there would be no problems from the sd card, the security issue would be null.
Cards would then have to be read through the phone on a windows pc, but directly accessible from a Linux pc.
I am sure Google could do this, if they want to that is.

 

[Deleted User]

Surely there really should be an option in KitKat to convert your card to an ext4 format & then have it secured like internal memory (security problem solved).
Then there would be no problems from the sd card, the security issue would be null.
Cards would then have to be read through the phone on a windows pc, but directly accessible from a Linux pc.
I am sure Google could do this, if they want to that is.

But they don't want to. All Google branded Nexus devices are lacking the External SD card slot.

 

[Goodspike]

Thanks Ironass. My main concern was always having different apps being able to read music off the microSD card, and it appears that isn't a concern.

 

[Riche101]

I Took the KK plunge its not that bad I can still choose my downloaded tv goes etc

It helps I guess also having a slim custom Rom as virtually no bloat

 

[ironass]

Updated fix, for rooted users, in post #1.

 

[hansangb]

"Android 4.4 KitKat removes your ability to write files to the MicroSD card" Isn't this too broad? KK doesn't allow apps to have free access to the ext SD card, but the apps are still free to write to their own directory. From what I have read, apps can still write to the ext SD card, but only to the directory owned by the app.

 

[ironass]

"Android 4.4 KitKat removes your ability to write files to the MicroSD card" Isn't this too broad? KK doesn't allow apps to have free access to the ext SD card, but the apps are still free to write to their own directory. From what I have read, apps can still write to the ext SD card, but only to the directory owned by the app.

Correct! As per the link in post #1...

"That has all changed, and now third-party applications

 

[Riche101]

I've found that a certain app that downloads my tv shows etc still lets me choose the directory where I want to save them, plus I'm just gobsmacked by the difference of a Sammy Rom to a G.E. I deleted over 150 backed up old uneeded things from Titanium Backup.

 

[DemDog]

Just for my own clarification on this KitKat and microSD card business. All I have on my SD card are things like pix, some videos and pdf docs. When I do take a pix with the camera on my Note 3 I have it set to go onto my microSD card.

In addition I transfer or copy pix of my family from the web onto a directory on my laptop and then copy those to a directory on my microSD card. I view those files on my Note3 using either the Gallery app that came with the phone or QuickPic that I purchased from the Play Store.

Will I be able to still view those pix, videos (using the built in video viewer) and pdfs (using Adobe Acrobat Reader for Android)?

I am not worried about loading and running apps from the microSD card. I just use it as more and separate storage from my phone storage.

Thanks in advance for answers to my questions and help clarifying just what the problem is with KitKat and the microSD cards.

 

[dynomot]

Just for my own clarification on this KitKat and microSD card business. All I have on my SD card are things like pix, some videos and pdf docs. When I do take a pix with the camera on my Note 3 I have it set to go onto my microSD card.

No problem with that, as it was before KK.

In addition I transfer or copy pix of my family from the web onto a directory on my laptop and then copy those to a directory on my microSD card. I view those files on my Note3 using either the Gallery app that came with the phone or QuickPic that I purchased from the Play Store.

No problem there either, that will work fine as before.

Will I be able to still view those pix, videos (using the built in video viewer) and pdfs (using Adobe Acrobat Reader for Android)?

.

Yes.

I am not worried about loading and running apps from the microSD card. I just use it as more and separate storage from my phone storage.

This is exactly how Google want to allow you to use it. Google world prefer all devices running Android not to have a removable micro SD card. The issue is applications getting access (permissions) to everything on SD card by default. Now if they want to read and write data they have to use their own folder. This does not mean that a photo (.jpg) in a common folder (like the camera's DCIM folder) cannot be "seen" and displayed by a/any gallery app, it may need permission granting, that will be done in installing the app, but it will still work fine . It means that a photo (.jpg) in say the Sygic (a sat nav app) folder on my micro removable SD card cannot be read or "seen" by it, unless I copy/cut and paste it to a "common" folder or one created by the app wanting to see it. Now that was causing problems using the stock on board file manager, and ones like I use such as root Explorer, however this should not cause problems anymore as most file managers been re written and updated by their authors.

You cannot move applications themselves to the external (removable) SD card and expect them to work any more, neither can you cut and paste an applications data folder from the internal SD card to the external (removable) SD card and expect it to work. The application itself must now ask for and get permission to create a folder on your external (removable) SD card. It was lazy coding, and a massive security problem that allowed apps to be able to read and write to any folder they liked on the external (removable) SD card. KitKat has done away with the security breach, but given itself a bad name in the process by seemingly "breaking" apps that used to work. Not so, Google were just repairing a security problem in Android that meant that app authors had to change the way their app worked.

 

[DemDog]

Thank you to ironass and dynomot for helping me get this figured out. I am updating to KK as I type this on my laptop. Hope all goes well and I can do what I had been doing before.

 

[Tsepz_GP]

Google really should've better explained the KK SD Card drama.

When I updated to KitKat I realised it doesn't affect how I use my phone. I've ALWAYS believed in installing apps + games in Internal Memory, and using the memory card for media: Music, Videos, Pics, Docs, app back-ups etc... It makes sense as they require constant access when active and internal mem is a lot faster and more reliable.

 

[AshokKusampudi]

Google should do better job with these updates, need to be specific about the changes.

 

[ironass]

Google really should've better explained the KK SD Card drama.

Google should do better job with these updates, need to be specific about the changes.

To be fair to Google Android, they did announce the enhanced security changes that KitKat brought to SD cards, (whose memory works differently to the phone's Internal storage), some 6+ months ago.

The fear, alarm and despondency has been caused, in the main, by posters on here and elsewhere, whose app's had not been updated, (and in some cases are still not), by their developers to work with KitKat and decided to blame KitKat rather than their apps. Hence my link in post #1, back in March.

 

[Funderbolt]

To be fair to Google Android, they did announce the enhanced security changes that KitKat brought to SD cards, (whose memory works differently to the phone's Internal storage), some 6+ months ago.

The fear, alarm and despondency has been caused, in the main, by posters on here and elsewhere, whose app's had not been updated, (and in some cases are still not), by their developers to work with KitKat and decided to blame KitKat rather than their apps. Hence my link in post #1, back in March.

In other words, people got stupid about what the update really was, and started flapping their gums about something they didn't understand. What else is new.