topic Betreff: Writing on USB disks impossible on Marshmallow in Android TV

Writing on USB disks impossible on Marshmallow

kinggo01 — Thu, 23 Feb 2017 15:08:56 GMT

So, after spending fair amount of time with 625 different file managers I found out that this just does not work. Even the apps that ask for permission can't get one because we are never presented with this or something like this

but file commander and other show this as a helper

but it leads to nowhere because the chooser from above never opens. There's no way to grant permission, it always end with some error. And the only meaningful one is from x-plorer that tells me this :

"no activity found to handle intent {act=android.intent.action.open_document_tree (has extras)}"

Betreff: Writing on USB disks impossible on Marshmallow

Kuschelmonschter — Thu, 23 Feb 2017 15:45:57 GMT

Ah I see what you mean. Doesn't work here anymore either with Marshmallow 😞 .

Betreff: Writing on USB disks impossible on Marshmallow

kinggo01 — Thu, 23 Feb 2017 15:57:28 GMT

yeah........ and from what I've googled it's most likely another one or two liner just like for DTS passthrough.

They just can't make it right. But to be fair, the blame is mostly on google because they are very persistent in treating external storage as everything but what it actually is, a simple removable storage.

Betreff: Writing on USB disks impossible on Marshmallow

bobybc — Sat, 25 Feb 2017 17:39:56 GMT

The same on my 55XD8577

Everything was OK before Android 6 with my USB stick Samsung 128GB

After update all apps can read , but can't write to the stick!

I can't use it as internal storage too...so many bugs were fixed, but some new one itroduced - what a shame!

Betreff: Writing on USB disks impossible on Marshmallow

Anonymous — Sat, 25 Feb 2017 18:00:10 GMT

Hi All

I have reported this issue to Sony.

If you have other information that would help Sony diagnose the problem, please post back. However from what I gather, you guys are saying that there is no way to grant write permissions to attached USB drives??

Cheers

Betreff: Writing on USB disks impossible on Marshmallow

kinggo01 — Sat, 25 Feb 2017 18:37:21 GMT

Exactly. And I did try A LOT of them. ATM I have 4 of them installed.

So, user can't write to the disk but at the same time system always creates folder Android (with standard data and obb folders inside) so apps can write there. And as far as I can tell, they don't do that, they just create folders but still use internal storage. But if you point an app to write there, it will.

Betreff: Writing on USB disks impossible on Marshmallow

Jecht_Sin — Sat, 25 Feb 2017 22:58:54 GMT

I have the same issue. My 49XD8099 came with 6,.0.1 preinstalled. I am using X-plore and I am 99% sure that I managed to have X-plore opening the Android 6 hidden file manager (the one in the pictures in the first post) necessary to allow the writing permission. Then I did some factory resets and when I needed to write on it again the external SD card wasn't writable anymore. With the hidden file manager never opening but getting instead a "toast" notification with an error about something between brackets "{...}" missing.

Betreff: Writing on USB disks impossible on Marshmallow

bobybc — Sun, 26 Feb 2017 10:20:24 GMT

I've reported the issue too, but still no response...

Meanwile the only workaround i found is that on app subfolder of Android/data aplication can write, all other apps can read

So i pointed my torrent client to download files in its app folder on the USB stick, and pointed Kodi to read from there in order to see downloaded movies.

The good think is that internal storage of TV can be accessed with write permissions , thus i pointed my FTP server to write files in /sdcard/Download. I can put some torrent files in a subfolder where Flud listens to, this way it starts to download file on a USB drive.

Betreff: Writing on USB disks impossible on Marshmallow

Anonymous — Tue, 28 Feb 2017 00:23:16 GMT

Issue added to the bugs and issues list:

https://community.sony.co.uk/t5/android-tv/android-tv-bugs-and-issues/m-p/2300665#M17009

Betreff: Writing on USB disks impossible on Marshmallow

Jecht_Sin — Tue, 28 Feb 2017 14:06:11 GMT

I have narrowed down a bit the issue. My understanding is that the Android 6 built-in file manager, necessary to grant writeable permission, simply isn't there. These are my findings (they are quite technical):

- The file manager is the package "com.android.documentsui"

- If I start the file manager via command line using "monkey"(*) it works on my Xperia X Compact (Android 7.0 but it shoudn't matter):

F5321:/system $ monkey -p com.android.documentsui -c android.intent.category.LAUNCHER 1                                                                                            
Events injected: 1
## Network stats: elapsed time=29ms (0ms mobile, 0ms wifi, 29ms not connected

- Using the same command on the television I get instead the following:

255|shell@BRAVIA_ATV2:/system $ monkey -p com.android.documentsui -c android.intent.category.LAUNCHER 1                                                                            
** No activities found to run, monkey aborted.

- Please note the "monkey" command did start other apps. Like this one I used for testing (RAIPlay):

252|shell@BRAVIA_ATV2:/system $ monkey -p it.rainet.androidtv -c android.intent.category.LAUNCHER 1                                                                                
Events injected: 1
## Network stats: elapsed time=59ms (0ms mobile, 0ms wifi, 59ms not connected)

I also tried to install a copy of com.android.documentsui for 6.0.1 I've found in Internet. It did install, asking to install and not to update (that's why I believe the package simply isn't there inour Android TV 6.0.1), but trying to launch it with "monkey" I've got the same error. So I am not really sure what's going on. Hopefully Sony didn't take it out on purpose to take out the possibility of recording copyrighted material!!

NOTE: (*)"monkey" is a stock Android command to operate with apps. I've just found it in the Internet, so I can't say more about it. I just know it does the job I needed.

Betreff: Writing on USB disks impossible on Marshmallow

hukcelmic — Sun, 14 May 2017 15:59:03 GMT

any news about this inconvenient ? or some alternative way ?

Betreff: Writing on USB disks impossible on Marshmallow

kinggo01 — Sun, 14 May 2017 18:33:22 GMT

Sadly, no. Two months was not enough for sony to fix this. They were busy with launching new XE models with the same bugs.

Betreff: Writing on USB disks impossible on Marshmallow

MiCal1967 — Mon, 15 May 2017 17:38:43 GMT

Did you try FAT32 and check System - Apps - Permission - App permissions - Storage - "your app" enable ?

Then reboot

Mine works ok. ES File explorer can copy a file from internal storage to external USB.

NTFS formatted USB gives an error "Copy Task failed" "unsupported operation"

I think NTFS was OK in Lollipop

Betreff: Writing on USB disks impossible on Marshmallow

kinggo01 — Mon, 15 May 2017 19:08:06 GMT

Nope. No matter what the format is or what file manager is, writing is impossible because androids built in file manager is missing.

Only apps can write in their folder (Android/XYapp) that is created automatically when you plug in the disk. But user can't grant access to any file manager to write on external disk.

Betreff: Writing on USB disks impossible on Marshmallow

bobybc — Tue, 16 May 2017 05:42:52 GMT

Yes, i can confirm that i've tried with all supported filesystem formats and the result is the same

permission manager is missing.. or does not work at all

Betreff: Writing on USB disks impossible on Marshmallow

MiCal1967 — Wed, 17 May 2017 05:46:00 GMT

This is my DTR3.0 G2 Kingston 32GB flash drive formatted as FAT32

Album.apk is a System file inside device->system->app->album. I copy this by using ESFile Explorer

and as you see below I past this to Kingston USB flash with no problem

Betreff: Writing on USB disks impossible on Marshmallow

kinggo01 — Wed, 17 May 2017 07:43:39 GMT

hmmmm...... Black magic then.

But even if that would work here, it's not something that I need since all my disks are NTFS since a lot of files are over 4GB.

Betreff: Writing on USB disks impossible on Marshmallow

MiCal1967 — Wed, 17 May 2017 07:56:31 GMT

I know.

This is a serious issue. FAT32 and large files.

exFAT in also not accessible. Only System can add folders there too.

This means that there is something wrong with Write Permissions for specific Formats.

NTFS Deny Right Permission enabled by default.

Can you read from NTFS formatted USB HDDs ?

Betreff: Writing on USB disks impossible on Marshmallow

Kuschelmonschter — Wed, 17 May 2017 07:58:45 GMT

MiCal1967 schrieb:

Can you read from NTFS formatted USB HDDs ?

Sure. NTFS can also be written by apps into their respective folder. I use it for Timeshifting in Kodi.

Betreff: Writing on USB disks impossible on Marshmallow

hukcelmic — Wed, 17 May 2017 09:09:19 GMT

did you have 3.865 fw installed ?