Android KitKat restrictions

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surfs-up

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So, I recently escaped from the world of iOS, and joined Android by getting a Note 3. I moved over because I didn't like the miniature screens of the iPhone, and restrictions - no SD slot, no removable battery etc etc

I have been ecstatic with the move, however I am disappointed that it appears with the newer KitKat OS, that you can no longer write data to the SD card !!! I went and bought a 64 GB SD card, so I could download content, and store it on the card, but it appears that you cannot do this.

Is there a way around this...apart from rooting ?

Or do i have to manually remove the card, insert into my laptop, instal content onto it, and put it back in the phone every time I want new stuff on the card ? I can't believe they did this....I deserted Apple for these type of restrictions, but now find Android doing it.
 
Cant you even copy files to if via the build in file manager?
 
I can copy files directly to and from my S5's SD card and memory with no issues (Windows or Ubuntu).

Also, alternative is Airdroid.
 
Park@82 said:
Cant you even copy files to if via the build in file manager?
Click to expand...

Seems like the problem is using an app (browser or whatever) to download directly to the SD card.

The reason for it is obvious but you'd think they'd allow you to switch it on and off or better yet prompt you to allow it for certain apps.
 
surfs-up said:
So, I recently escaped from the world of iOS, and joined Android by getting a Note 3. I moved over because I didn't like the miniature screens of the iPhone, and restrictions - no SD slot, no removable battery etc etc

I have been ecstatic with the move, however I am disappointed that it appears with the newer KitKat OS, that you can no longer write data to the SD card !!! I went and bought a 64 GB SD card, so I could download content, and store it on the card, but it appears that you cannot do this.

Is there a way around this...apart from rooting ?

Or do i have to manually remove the card, insert into my laptop, instal content onto it, and put it back in the phone every time I want new stuff on the card ? I can't believe they did this....I deserted Apple for these type of restrictions, but now find Android doing it.
Click to expand...

Shame on you!
 
I had the same problem, but did something and now it's fixed (can't remember). If it was totally restricted you would've seen more posts about it.

Try unmount in Settings/Storage and then mount again. I recall suggestions of formatting it in pc, but I never tried that.
 
I couldnt write to the ssd and then i switched the phone to camera mode in usb connection settings, worked after that. Dunno if this is your issue also, but try
 
That's bizarre. I've never heard of anyone ever having such an issue. Should be able to copy and paste on the go. Check your mount settings when you insert the phone to your PC. It's in the notification area.
 
OP, sounds like your SD card may be the culprit. Samsung by default will allow you to write files to the SD card.
 
surfs-up said:
Seems I am not alone - a quick search on the internet reveals thousands of irate Android users

I found a fix - but it seems I have to root it first, then go in and change the permissions file
Click to expand...

Have you asked in the Note 3 thread if they had this problem?
 
Here is one example of thousands, from a search relating to this problem

One draw that Samsung's Galaxy S line has had over the Google Nexus 4 and 5 and the HTC One (though the M8 appears to be following suit) is expandable storage. Pop a microSD card into the slot and you have extra storage for music, photos, and even apps themselves in some cases.

However, with Android 4.4 KitKat, a change in the way the operating system gives read and write permissions to apps has caused a bit of a brouhaha among Android users. In regards to what the Android OS considers secondary storage, like an external SD card, the ability of third-party apps to freely write to it has been crippled.

Any app that doesn't come pre-installed on your phone, either by Google, Samsung, or your carrier, will lack write privileges to the external SD card. Third-party cameras and image editors won't be able to save photos. Music players like doubleTwist, whose developers have made a plea for its users to complain to phone manufacturers, can't sync music to your SD card. Those are just a few examples of how this affects KitKat users, but it applies to every single app that you install.
 
surfs-up said:
No, because it appears to be an Android KitKat problem - affects all users on this OS, not just the Note 3
Click to expand...
I am aware of the problem but from what I heard it doesn't affect all devices in exactly the same way.
surfs-up said:
the ability of third-party apps to freely write to it has been crippled.

Any app that doesn't come pre-installed on your phone
Click to expand...
This is why I asked:
Cant you even copy files to if via the build in file manager?
Click to expand...
so you can download to on-board storage and copy it to SD card via build in file manager, no?
 
I had that issue on the custom rom I ran on my Xperia, also till recently on my S4 but about two weeks ago I received an update and now I can move apps to sd card again
 
surfs-up said:
Here is one example of thousands, from a search relating to this problem

One draw that Samsung's Galaxy S line has had over the Google Nexus 4 and 5 and the HTC One (though the M8 appears to be following suit) is expandable storage. Pop a microSD card into the slot and you have extra storage for music, photos, and even apps themselves in some cases.

However, with Android 4.4 KitKat, a change in the way the operating system gives read and write permissions to apps has caused a bit of a brouhaha among Android users. In regards to what the Android OS considers secondary storage, like an external SD card, the ability of third-party apps to freely write to it has been crippled.

Any app that doesn't come pre-installed on your phone, either by Google, Samsung, or your carrier, will lack write privileges to the external SD card. Third-party cameras and image editors won't be able to save photos. Music players like doubleTwist, whose developers have made a plea for its users to complain to phone manufacturers, can't sync music to your SD card. Those are just a few examples of how this affects KitKat users, but it applies to every single app that you install.
Click to expand...

Instead of spouting FUD, perhaps take the time to understand why this was done, and why for the majority of use cases, it is a non-issue.
 
I don't have these problems. Root and Xposed FTW!

Having said that, the moment I inserted my SD in the S5, it prompted to create the necessary folders on external SD card.

EDIT: I didn't use Xposed - see post #23
 
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