[Q] 4.2 JB Multi-user and external storage - Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hello everyone,
I have just updated my ASUS Smart MemoPad 10 to 4.2 JB, and started playing around with the multi-user feature. Then I noticed that the first account turns out to be the "owner", while all other additional accounts are treated as "secondary".
First problem encountered: Google Talk won't start under any secondary account. Vaguely, "Only the owner of this device can use this application" message appears. Other Google apps work though.
Another major issue: external storage! After inserting a mirco-SDHC, I had to reboot the device before it was recognized. And then again, only the primary account can see it. When logged in under the secondary account, the "Settings > Storage" wouldn't even list the sd-card. And therefore, other users will not be able to access media files, ebooks, or anything else from the external storage.
I read that:
Each user must have their own isolated primary external storage, and must not have access to the primary external storage of other users.
The /sdcard path must resolve to the correct user-specific primary external storage based on the user a process is running as.
Has anyone seen this issue, too? How can I make an isolated primary external storage? Do I have to insert different physical cards depending on who is logged in?
Is there an app for that?
Thanks!

I really wished someone had an answer here. I got the same SD card problem and don't have a clue how to access it. Did you come right?

Related

Memory Full problem!Please take a look..

Hey there guys...
To start with i have my S3 two days now and i absolutely love this phone...:')
But,after installing lots of games my internal memory has gone full and i can't download any data in-game because i have low storage space...
My external sd on the other hand is around 10gb free but when i try to move the data to the same folder on the external the data isn't identified by the game and it asks me to download again?
It has become really frustrating,it seems i can't do anything about it...
Any suggestions to try?
Cheers,George
As the system now uses unified storage all apps will remain on internal memory; moving the data alone to an external SD card will have no use without altering the application to look for that location for its data. i.e. in the GS2 you had a move to SD option since the phone was partitioned. With the S3 however this option is not there which means that when an application is downloaded all of its information needs to be stored on the internal storage. When the "Move to SD" option was selected within the S2 or prior phones, it informs the application that its new location is within x folder rather than the folder it was originally downloaded too. Since this option is no longer there then the application has no way of being told where its new location is.
Maybe move to SD could be an add-on with a mod/hack but I am not sure if this is possible. Maybe check with a developer?
Have you got a prior Android phone? Maybe install the application on to it; use the "Move to SD" option and see if that will allow it? It's just a suggestion; if you don't have a different Android phone I can try it for you.
Edit: Just tried it; the phone itself doesn't even check for applications stored within an external SD. Sorry man - the only way around it would be a mod/custom/hack (if possible).
T__ said:
As the system now uses unified storage all apps will remain on internal memory; moving the data alone to an external SD card will have no use without altering the application to look for that location for its data. i.e. in the GS2 you had a move to SD option since the phone was partitioned. With the S3 however this option is not there which means that when an application is downloaded all of its information needs to be stored on the internal storage. When the "Move to SD" option was selected within the S2 or prior phones, it informs the application that its new location is within x folder rather than the folder it was originally downloaded too. Since this option is no longer there then the application has no way of being told where its new location is.
Maybe move to SD could be an add-on with a mod/hack but I am not sure if this is possible. Maybe check with a developer?
Have you got a prior Android phone? Maybe install the application on to it; use the "Move to SD" option and see if that will allow it? It's just a suggestion; if you don't have a different Android phone I can try it for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank's for the answer...
In my galaxy s 1 i had no problem having the games data on the sd card,i havent moved and application to the sd but i had the data on sd and everything worked great...now...i don't get it....:/
nfsmw_gr said:
Thank's for the answer...
In my galaxy s 1 i had no problem having the games data on the sd card,i havent moved and application to the sd but i had the data on sd and everything worked great...now...i don't get it....:/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did check for you; the S3 physically doesn't look for application data in the external SD (I edited original post after testing few things).. There probably are ways around it as mentioned but you would need to speak with developers for further insight.
If worst comes to worst application developers may have to implement a look in x location first, if no data found, look "here" in to their applications.
As the phone is unified storage you can store applications in the full ~12GB storage space (All the ones I have, have roughly 11.3GB after OS and all is on it) so have you used the phones storage itself for only applications; and the SD for media etc?
I am interested to know how you have managed to fill at least 11GB of space with applications; how many do you have? How is the performance of the phone with this many applications on it? Any lag navigating (I know there shouldn't be with quad core processor - but it's interesting to know if hundreds of applications cause lag between screen scrolling).
You can use an app called directory bind to link the game data on the SD to a mounting point on the internal SD. Search for it and you'll find it, not sure if I got it here or the play store.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
Yup, there's directory topic on forum, as well as working 'gl to sd' app in play store. It is not just for gameloft games.
Sent from my SGH-I747M
Thank you all guys!!
Well i filled it with lots of games that's why i don't have much space available!
No the phone is flying,it doesn't lag at all!
I use Dragon Ics rom and Siyah Kernel...no oc....
I'll try directory bind and post back soon!
To put applications on the sdcard, you could use symlinking (confirmed this works myself).
Install the application, then go to /data/app and move the apk file to your sdcard (/mnt/extSdCard) or inside a folder on your sdcard.
Then type ln -s /mnt/extSdCard/your-apk.apk /data/app/your-apk.apk

[Q] Play Store Insufficient Space, App Install Target, Resize Partitions?

I'm running the stock unrooted AT&T Jellybean 4.1.2 on my Galaxy Note i717. Since upgrading to 4.1.2, I've been occasionally getting the dreaded Play Store "Insufficient Space" error when app updates are being applied. This behavior seems random, and cannot be replicated. A reboot clears it ... for a little while.
I've spent several hours searching XDA and Google. I've found a thread that discusses partitions in the i717, and suggests moving apps to the external SD card. That's fine, but it seems like a partial solution, since even after moving an app to the SD card, *some* of the app still appears to be in "device storage".
Here is what I see on my phone:
- System Storage: 1.69GB / 1.97GB
- USB Storage: 10.17GB / 10.84GB
- SD card: 57.96GB / 59.46GB
It seems to me that if I WAS running out of space, I should be able to remove files from "USB Storage", to free up more room for Apps. This, however, seems not to be the case. It appears that ALL apps I download are installed to the much smaller "System Storage" partition. When I move an app to the SD card, space is freed up in "System Storage" (and NOT "USB Storage") and taken up on the external "SD Card". But of course in the stock configuration at least, not all apps can be moved, so, again, if I want to install additional apps, I will eventually hit a wall - and, it seems, a very NEARBY 2GB wall, beyond which I cannot really install apps.
So, my questions are:
1. Am I reading this right? Are we really installing apps to the much smaller System Storage partition instead of the larger user-access "USB Storage" partition? Or do I have a setting wrong or an artifact left over from upgrading?
2. Can I repartition this phone (I know it means a full wipe, I'm fine with that) to get more space in System Storage so I can comfortably install more apps? If so, how might that be done?
3. I've rooted this phone in the past, and have run custom ROMs on it but have never hit this particular problem before. Do I really need to root or go custom again to solve this problem? Would doing that solve the problem automatically, or do I have to "do something" once I'm rooted?
4. Is there a better way of dealing with this (other than "don't install so many apps!" ) that I'm not aware of?
Thanks in advance for any help/pointers/guidance!
Glen
go to manage apps and look at downloaded apps. sort by size and see if any are unusually large. some apps are not designed well and store data on the system side rather than use sd. i know next issue is one of these. if you download to many magazines it will use up all free space. if any that you dont use daily and are large i would remove. i keep a copy of all my apps on my external card. only apps i use daily are installed and any others i can install when needed without having to download again. also good when you dont like an update and want to go back to previous version.
s89281b said:
go to manage apps and look at downloaded apps. sort by size and see if any are unusually large. some apps are not designed well and store data on the system side rather than use sd. i know next issue is one of these.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for this. It seems to me that ALL the apps I've downloaded - including such favorites as Google Chrome - are installing themselves completely inside the System Storage, and that NONE of the apps are installing in the larger USB storage partition.
So it's not only a matter of poorly-written apps, it seems to be a systemwide thing. Each time I remove an app, space gets freed up out of the 2GB system partition. Nothing changes in USB storage.
How can I approach this problem?
You are confusing yourself. First off it is NOT "system storage". It is "device memory". That 2GB is the default location to install most apps. However you can move most apps to the "USB storage" (10GB) in Application Manager. In application manager it is called "SD card" and not "usb storage". Do not confuse sd card with your external micro sd card. That is referenced as SD card in the storage menu but it is actually external SD card.
It is poorly written software by samsung. When you go to move apps in the application manager it should say usb storage and not sd card. And when you move them back it should say device memory and not device storage.
Agoattamer said:
You are confusing yourself. First off it is NOT "system storage". It is "device memory". That 2GB is the default location to install most apps. However you can move most apps to the "USB storage" (10GB) in Application Manager. In application manager it is called "SD card" and not "usb storage". Do not confuse sd card with your external micro sd card. That is referenced as SD card in the storage menu but it is actually external SD card. It is poorly written software by samsung. When you go to move apps in the application manager it should say usb storage and not sd card. And when you move them back it should say device memory and not device storage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, thanks for explaining that. I understand. So I assume there is no way to repartition or change the default to get more room for apps? Rooting won't assist with that? Seems that my only choice is to manually move what apps I can off of device memory onto USB storage?
Thank you!
Glen
I have not seen anyone repartition the memory so it would be like the Galaxy S3 and S4 (Device memory and USB memory combined as 1). So yes, your only option is to move what you can to the USB storage. It is a samsung fail to have the memory partitoned on the Note as they do.
Agoattamer said:
I have not seen anyone repartition the memory so it would be like the Galaxy S3 and S4 (Device memory and USB memory combined as 1). So yes, your only option is to move what you can to the USB storage. It is a samsung fail to have the memory partitoned on the Note as they do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, thank you! I'm glad they've at least fixed this in newer models. I have an N7100 and N8000 and neither have the two partitions either. Just sad we can't fix it on the Note.
Thank you for your replies and explanations!
Glen
It would be awesome if a dev could somehow pull these together.
I actually put up a similar request several months ago, but didn't word it like this. I have several other devices, and they all use the space much better than Samsung does on this one. I have a Asus Transformer, that uses the entire internal space, as mentioned, and so does my Nexus. The silly 2 GB limit Samsung puts on these really wastes the capabilities of the device.
This is how to do it
Confirmed working on the i717
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1388996

[Q] SD card and device security

Hey there,
I was reading about encrypting my SD card via settings > storage, but am turned off by the thought that flashing a rom or doing a factory reset will render the sd card useless because the encryption key would be bad. What is the best alternative for securing the SD card say, if the device was stolen? Can this be avoided by "keeping the previous Android device ID" in titanium backup when prompted?
As for the device itself, I am putting some trust into the Android Device Manager, which finds the phone much like Apple's 'Find my iPhone' via the google dashboard, but worry about the feature working when the time comes (if ever!)
Ammi doing it rite? What are some security advices you can give an android user, or perhaps a worthy article on the topic?
EDIT: After looking into the security > storage screen for my phone(HTC One M8), the process only encrypts new files, not currently existing files- which seems to be ineffective and a pain for encrypting all files. I am assuming files transferred to the SD card via USB connection on a PC is never encrypted? Only files loaded onto the SD card through the OS?

Mount external SD Card as Mass Storage on PC: App

Hi folks,
I own a Padfone S, and the thing which bothered me about it when I got it was that it (like every KitKat device) uses MTP protocol for transfer of files to PC instead of USB mass storage (UMS), which in my opinion is a really good thing with regard to the phone's internal storage, but which was a really bad decision by google with regard to external SD cards.
It took me a really long time of googling and trying things I found on the internet until I finally found something that works for me, so I thought maybe I write my solution down here for others to find. All the apps I could find on XDA developers for that purpose didn't work for me, probably because they were written for different phones (what I could find here were apps for Sony, Samsung and LG devices).
What you need:
a rooted Padfone S (probably works on X as well)
an app called "USBMounter_v1.1_Panda"
For your convenience, I have attached the app. Now, what's funny about this app is that I couldn't find any reference to it on any of the sites written in a language I understand (English, German and a bit of French), I just happened to find this app while googling by accident, seems to be written by some Chinese or Taiwanese guy. I thought this was noteworthy, as of course I can't tell you anything about the app's origin, reputation or license, since I don't understand a word of what's written on any of the sites which have this file, but since it's publicly available on so many mirror sites, I think it's okay to share it with you. But keep in mind, use at your own risk (I personally didn't see any signs of malicious behaviour).
How to make it work:
install app
unmount your external SD card
enable USB debugging
open app, and set switch to UMS
connect your device to PC
You will see your SD card in your Windows explorer as a drive with a drive letter, just the way it used to be with every Android device in the good old days.
Now, it is VERY important that you unmount your SD card from your device BEFORE using it with your computer! If you forget that, the SD card will still appear in your Windows PC's Explorer, and at first file operations seem to be carried out normally, but you'll soon end up with inconsistencies in your file system! Sort of makes sense anyway, two devices accessing a file system at the same time doesn't seem to be a good idea.
Unfortunately, I still haven't found a working widget to mount/unmount my SD card, so I always have to go to the settings screen to do that. I tried the "Switch Pro" widget from the Playstore, which supposedly has a mount/unmount functionality, but that doesn't work with the Padfone S, when I tap the relevant button, nothing at all happens. So if anyone knows of a solution to mount/unmount SD card with a shortcut, feel free to post it here.
Finally, two more pieces of information:
My Padfone is on the latest stock rom (UL-ASUS_T00N-WW-11.10.7.18-user), the only changes I have made to my phone is rooting (of course), and chaning the recovery to ClockworkMod.
My SD card is a 128GB MicroSDXC, formatted in NTFS. The Padfone is able to handle this SD card, both size and NTFS file system do not cause any problems at all.
Well, I hope my post can help a few people who want to make the most of the Padfone's SD card slot. ^^
Have a nice day!

[Help!!!] Lost access to internal storage after flashing the TWRP and official ROM

I've downloaded the lastest official ROM, and installed it within TWRP.
Everything seemed to be okay after rebooting into the system.
While I found i was not able to download the wallpaper from web browseror to take pictures due to lack of storage.
I'm not able to upload pictures here, so will try my best to describe the situations:
1. after opening camera, it pops out "Turn off camera? /n Insert an SD card before using the camera. /n Cancel or Turn off"
2. when i try to save something from web browser, it says "couln't save due to limited storage space."
3. opening the file manager, I do find internal storage shown at the bottom, indicating 50.20 GB/total 64.00 GB. But opening it, only two folders appear, namely "Android" and "TWRP".
I wondered if it was caused by some read-only issue to the system drive, but I did allow TWRP to modify the system partition upon booting the rec.img.
I've tried a few rounds, the problem is still there. and my yota 3 is kind of a brick to me now.
Help me, please.
My yota3+ also lost the ability to write to the internal memory (possibly after I've inserted a sd card and decline formatting it). Searching for a solution only come up with a very old thread on HTC which involved commands on a rooted phone like msdos_fcsk and restorecon. I couldn't try these commands as my phone is not rooted. You can try these if your phone is rooted.

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