Any news on accessing Android/data on OS 13 - WITHOUT PC?

[Jochen K]

Hi,

I've been fighting my way through the "upgrade" process from Android 7.1 to Android 13 for more than two days now, cursing the "nice folks" at Google every step of the way.

With Locus my problem was moving my 11 GB MapsVector folder from its rightful place somewhere on the micro sd card to the sd card version of Android/data.

In the forum I'd read about two apps which were supposed to do the trick:

-FV File Explorer
----which didn't even SHOW Android/data, just Android/media.

-X-plore
----which showed the contents of Android/data just fine, and when I tapped  menion.android.locus

told me that "a one-time action" was needed to reach my goal.

Instead all I did reach was a barrier in the form of a "helpful" bit of information:

"This folder can't be used. For the protection of your data [URGENT desire to puke] please select a different folder"

Eventually I was forced to boot my PC - so far Google has not managed "for the protection of our data" to block that particular access.

Still, having to wait till I'm near my PC EVERY time I want to do ANYTHING involving Android/data would be a MAJOR pain.

So: IS THERE a way to access that blasted monument to Google's arrogance from inside the phone?


Regards,
Jochen

[michaelbechtold]

Hi Jochen,
until now the Google policy re. /Android/media is less perverted than the one re. /Android/data.
Locus also scans /Android/media/menion.android.locus on both, internal and external SD.
Also file Android - on device - file managers can handle that folder more easily than /Android/data. My experience ...

[Jochen K]

Thanks, Michael,

maybe I will try that next.

Right now I seem to have found a (slightly cludgy) solution:

https://droidwin.com/how-to-access-android-13-data-and-obb-folder-transfer-files-in-them/

...describes just that: basically, there is a hidden file manager in Android 13; you disable the visible file manager (Files, Eigene Dateien, whatever) and download an app "Files" from the Play Store (the one by "marc apps & software), which calls this hidden file manager from its hiding place.

With it you can access Android/data both internally and externally.

The cludge comes when you try to copy or move files; for that you will actually have to read the description from the above link and/or watch the video. [Actually, "doing" is easy, "finding out how" is non-trivial.]

Regards,
Jochen

[Jochen K]

To correct my previous post: I should have read the comments to the method described in the link before posting.

Apparently Google REALLY don't like the notion that someone who buys an Android phone actually owns it.

It seems that they have already partly fixed the loophole this method used; I at least can still move stuff out of sdcard/Android/data, but no longer into it.

Just to check, I downloaded a current LoMap - and found it residing snugly in the internal Android/data, where I absolutely don't want it (free space internal 9.8 GB, external 230 GB).

I could easily move the files into the external Android folder, but, depending on how I then proceeded, Android/data was either greyed out or not visible at all.

So, it'll have to be my PC to finish the job, after all - and hopefully not botch it (MTP transfer is notorious for its tendency to corrupt large files, and of the 60+ map files I tranferred into the external Android/data, Locus flagged one as faulty, as well it should: it's about half the size it should be.)

[I just hate using adb push, because I keep making typos, making the whole process quite time consuming.]

[michaelbechtold]

I'm using x-plore, grant access as requested, and can read/write from/to /Android/data, even on Android 13, Sept. security level (tested this morning). And even on EXT SD/Android/data

[Jochen K]

Weird; do you - like me - use a Samsung phone? Samsung are notorious for making things more difficult than they have to be.

[michaelbechtold]

x-plore does it, on Galaxy A52 and S6 lite, both on Android 13. And on S10, Android 12.

[Jochen K]

Lucky you - or unlucky?

I had to "walk the extra mile"  (OT: in Willingen (Upland)), but now even my old Total Commander has access to all four folders.

[Jochen K]

Hi,

I don't want to "steal" another's idea, so I'll just point you to the source:

a method that, (at least for Samsung devices) as far as I can tell, enables EVERY file manager to handle Android/data and Android/obb on Android 13, is described here:

https://xdaforums.com/t/cant-access-android-13-android-data-folder.4491183/page-3#posts

Take a look at the post beginning "I bet you are having a really bad day" (or so.)

Additional infos;
-MT Manager can be sideloaded from a site mentioned a few posts further down (#46) (I didn't find it on apkmirror),
-"easily" in the first post means "navigate to Android/data, tap "Property/Modify" and tick the two missing options".
-If, in the Play Store, you have Automatic Updates activated, the app Files (which you can search for by that name in MT Manager in other System languages as well), will be re-updated quickly - don't know if that would create a problem.)