Amazefilemanager: What's your plan for Android Q?

[staltz]

Hello fellow FOSS developer, I build the Manyverse app which is also on F-Droid.

Have you heard of Google's schedule to deprecate shared external directories? See this article.

Your app uses Environment.getExternalStorageDirectory() which Google is deprecating in API level 29.

https://github.com/TeamAmaze/AmazeFileManager/blob/7fccbd75715e9733c3298fbc9df84f35c7d1bf8a/app/src/main/java/com/amaze/filemanager/adapters/AppsAdapter.java#L245

I think this is terrible news from Google, and I'd like to use getExternalStorageDirectory() too. This change in Android Q will affect all File Managers and significantly change the UX and possible features for users. I would like to know if you have any ideas what could be done.

[bowiechen]

Considering Google isn't enforcing mandatory use of Storage Access Framework until Android R, I'd say we have some more breathing room. We should look into utilizing SAF to gain filesystem access like Solid Explorer has done.

[anderspitman]

@staltz have you made any progress on this? I'm planning an app that ideally should be able to read/write files/directories that are accessible from other apps. This really seems like a bad move on GOOG's part.

[anderspitman]

I've been doing more research the past couple hours. The entire Android storage ecosystem as it currently stands is mind-boggling. As far as I can tell, the best hope lies in the "all files access" permission (mentioned here, also discussed here), which is coming in Android 11. I literally might wait to write my app until this is widespread.