Android KitKat totally crippled my S5's SD Card

[Relgoshan]

I used to be a great fan of Android, and I have been using it since the first phones came out with it.
I used to love the extra freedom it used to give me, compared to iPhone.

My newest phone is a Samsung Galaxy S5 (bought today). And I just found out that the recent versions of Android have totally crippled the access to the SD card. I cannot even backup my phone pictures that are stored the SD card!!! I am fuming with anger about this. It is not a security feature as Google would like us to believe because the Internal Phone Memory is still accessible by all apps.

So, from now on very useful apps like btsync and dscloud have become just as useless as they are on the apple products.

Could anyone convince me why I should not stop using the, what has become now a choking experience, crippled android and switch to iPhone?

"4 Posts"

"Complaining about stricter SD access and considering switch to phone with NO SD and its own application data segregation schema"

"Complaining about a device with nearly universal sharing and backup (when carefully set up the right way - once), wants to switch to device with brand-locked and generally crippled sharing"

Also, may I ask for more information about the specific MicroSD and where it came from? Some brands and especially the counterfeits will give eccentric behavior...if the card is genuine you may want to reformat in the phone SD menu and see if anything changes.

NOT all apps that use SD have yet been updated for 4.4, which is why for my 4.4 phone I chose a model with 24GB usable internal space (32GB phone) and no SD card to bother with. Hoping next gen of same has a 64GB model.

 

[axllebeer]

As a user of multiple platforms, BlackBerry 10 does all of this SD card handling perfectly without a hitch.

I have been using Android since the HTC dream, and always loved it. Kitkat took all the fun out of it. It now feels as if some kind of evil S.Jobs clone sticks his arms out of the screen to choke me every time I turn on the device. I could understand if Android restricts this behavior on the internal phone memory. But the SD card access should be all mine and not forcing me to use a google affiliate cloud service.

The time has come for me to find an alternative to Android. Perhaps Tizen will give me back my freedom?

 

[Hans2004]

"Complaining about stricter SD access and considering switch to phone with NO SD and its own application data segregation schema"

But that's almost like buying an iPad.

"Complaining about a device with nearly universal sharing and backup (when carefully set up the right way - once), wants to switch to device with brand-locked and generally crippled sharing"

"Nearly universal sharing and backup" does not work anymore, by design.

Also, may I ask for more information about the specific MicroSD and where it came from? Some brands and especially the counterfeits will give eccentric behavior...if the card is genuine you may want to reformat in the phone SD menu and see if anything changes.

The type of MicroSD has nothing to do with this problem whatsoever. Even the makers of btSync, and the makers of the Synology NAS are complaining that they have absolutely no way to fix this.

NOT all apps that use SD have yet been updated for 4.4, which is why for my 4.4 phone I chose a model with 24GB usable internal space (32GB phone) and no SD card to bother with. Hoping next gen of same has a 64GB model.

Apps cannot be updated to get the functionality back for 4.4 because it is an intentional crippling of the OS. There are some app makers that have found a temporary workaround due to a security bug in the official Google Gallery app. But we can be sure that Google will "fix" that bug in the near future.

Also, my S5 keeps nagging me if I want to backup my pictures to the Picasa cloud. I don't want this!!! But in the S5 the option to disable this "feature" has been removed. So I have to deny this request every time I open the Gallery.

The future Google sees for us now is like Apple's: All our data is stored in the cloud. PC's will be minimalistic because software is run from the cloud, for a monthly fee of course if you want some necessary extra features. Because we will all be forced to buy ChromeBooks/Android tablets/iPads, all with intentionally crippled data access, we will be unable to run open source software locally anymore.

 

[Titusk]

I think it's weird that I have to use my laptop now to move files from storage to SD card, but when I plug my phone into my chromebook, nothing happens because it doesn't support mtp............

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[Relgoshan]

But that's almost like buying an iPad.


"Nearly universal sharing and backup" does not work anymore, by design.


*didn't answer question*


*snip*

Also, my S5 keeps nagging me if I want to backup my pictures to the Picasa cloud. I don't want this!!! But in the S5 the option to disable this "feature" has been removed. So I have to deny this request every time I open the Gallery.

*snip*

.......what? SD is still SD and you can still do a lot with it.

It still works, for sharing and for backup. Certain features were changed and can be patched in. Certain features probably cannot be patched in. It's not the end of the world or otherwise completely crippling.

Please actually answer the question tho. Not all of your described problems are native to 4.4 in and of itself.

.Net should have taught everyone: NEVER make a feature depend on a security flaw. We are up to .Net what...5 now? Because each earlier version needs to keep security holes open to allow programs to work, you can end up with four or more distinct versions installed. Google should ram that hole shut just to force them to go through normal channels. Bad code never excuses MORE bad code.

S5 issue heeh....have you factory reset after the update to see if this preference gets unbroken? Sammy seems to have some especial issues after update. Another commonly broken setting after 4.4 - this one across brands - is "power button ends call" option being stuck and no longer responding to its menu option.

The first and surest sign of this being base paranoia is that Google's TERRIBLE with android backups. The second is their less than stellar record on the Chromebooks. The third is that the death of open source has been predicted consistently for decades, and it is just not about to happen. It is also not likely to explode in popularity either, as also predicted for decades. Put the tinfoil away until you really need it.

I think it's weird that I have to use my laptop now to move files from storage to SD card, but when I plug my phone into my chromebook, nothing happens because it doesn't support mtp............

Posted via Android Central App

Your first mistake was owning a Chromebook at any time, for any reason. As time goes on I become ever more convinced of this: Chromebooks were never a good idea...

 

[1Coopgt]

I think it's weird that I have to use my laptop now to move files from storage to SD card, but when I plug my phone into my chromebook, nothing happens because it doesn't support mtp............

Posted via Android Central App

You can use my files to do this on your phone with no problems. I move files to my SD card all the time .

 

[Relgoshan]

You can use my files to do this on your phone with no problems. I move files to my SD card all the time .

That reminds me, thanks. The M8 forum actually has a *reason* to complain about this because HTC in its infinite wisdom did not include a file manager. Phones that shipped with a file manager have had minimal fuss from Kit Kat, phones without one were thrown to the mercies of the marketplace.

 

[1Coopgt]

That reminds me, thanks. The M8 forum actually has a *reason* to complain about this because HTC in its infinite wisdom did not include a file manager. Phones that shipped with a file manager have had minimal fuss from Kit Kat, phones without one were thrown to the mercies of the marketplace.

ROFL ya one of the guys at work bought an M8 last week and we discovered the same thing Tuesday . The M8 does have a my Downloads folder though . But not having a File Manager is messed up.

 

[James E1]

That reminds me, thanks. The M8 forum actually has a *reason* to complain about this because HTC in its infinite wisdom did not include a file manager. Phones that shipped with a file manager have had minimal fuss from Kit Kat, phones without one were thrown to the mercies of the marketplace.

That was a carrier thing not an HTC thing.

 

[Relgoshan]

That was a carrier thing not an HTC thing.

Seems like a very mean and harmful approach for any carrier to take though. Something similar on my G Flex, minor stuff like brightness slider in notification drawer and whether QSlide includes a web browser microapp. Can't say I miss either of those. Before it launched, there had been rumors that not every carrier was going to get UHD video recording but I think they all did in the end.

T Mobile is the one that usually gets the smaller batteries right?

 

[slackerjack]

As a user of multiple platforms, BlackBerry 10 does all of this SD card handling perfectly without a hitch.

Ewwe...then I'd have to have a blackberry in my house. Why I don't just start using asbestos as insulation again?

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