Question (Android 14) How to change default app for PDF?

[renano7]

In earlier versions of Android, this was a simple, straight-forward, few steps procedure:
1. Open Settings
2. Select Apps
3. Find the App that is currently opening your PDFs
4. Select "Open by default"
5. Select "Clear defaults"
6. The next time you open a PDF, it would ask what's your preferred app and stick with the new one.

On Android 14, I'm not only finding it IMPOSSIBLE to change, but they also subverted the previous procedure into something else. Now, when I follow the same steps, on the "Open by default" (4th step), it's about opening that app via links. That is, if I allow this or that link to open the app (for example: if docs.google.com opens in my app instead of my browser).

Can anyone help? Is there a new simple method to solve such a simple matter, without having to uninstall my current "default app for PDF"?

 

[VidJunky]

Welcome to Android Central forums. I'm on Android 14 and my steps are exactly as you've outlined. So why isn't it working for you, let's look into it.

What device do you have?

Are you using a third party launcher or the stock one?

Is your default PDF app, one that you installed or one that was pre-installed?

What apps are opening the PDF inside of the app? Why do you think that an external app is involved in viewing the PDF inside of another app, or is it that you're saying that the source app is opening the PDF viewer?

I just went into my PDF app to verify the steps and to see what I see. What you're not seeing is the Clear Default button which appears under the wed address option you're seeing. I also found that I don't have this option unless it is in an app that has been set as a default. It does not appear in apps that have not been set as a default. So the two things I'm thinking are either you're looking at the wrong app or the app supplying the links has an option in its settings to set the default.

Ensure you're looking at the right app.
Open a PDF, allow it to be opened by default, however it opens. access your quick switch panel. This is the panel that shows you all of your open background apps. Touch the app icon for the PDF viewer. Go to App info page and then follow your steps. Does the option to clear defaults appear on this app page?

A setting inside the source app.
If this is the case, I'm guessing when you tried the former step, the only app in your recent list was the source app and no PDF viewer. In which case go through the settings pages of the source app looking for anything about displaying PDF files and see if you can affect a change there.

Let us know what you find and we'll go from there.

In my attachments you'll see that one app has been set as the default while the other has not. The one that has been set as a default has the option to clear it from the default and the one that has not, does not.

 

[mustang7757]

Welcome to AC!

Which device?

You can get that pop-up to set as default by going to settings>apps>3 dots upper right corner tap>reset app preference

 

[renano7]

Hello. Thanks for the reply.

Welcome to AC!

Which device?

Motorola G75.

You can get that pop-up to set as default by going to settings>apps>3 dots upper right corner tap>reset app preference

Yes, that's exaclty what is not working, as I've described on my original post.

 

[renano7]

Welcome to Android Central forums. I'm on Android 14 and my steps are exactly as you've outlined. So why isn't it working for you, let's look into it.

What device do you have?

Motorola G75.

Are you using a third party launcher or the stock one?

Is your default PDF app, one that you installed or one that was pre-installed?

It's a installed one, migrated from my previous Motorola phone.

The app in question it's a bank app. It opens PDFs because of payment slips (just for context purposes: a common payment method in Brazil, where the app detects the barcode number within the PDF and processes the payment without the need for manual input.). And that's way it's a pain in the ass: I only need to open PDFs for this specific purpose in 1% of the cases.

What apps are opening the PDF inside of the app? Why do you think that an external app is involved in viewing the PDF inside of another app, or is it that you're saying that the source app is opening the PDF viewer?

The source app is opening the PDF viewer, as far as I can tell.

I just went into my PDF app to verify the steps and to see what I see. What you're not seeing is the Clear Default button which appears under the wed address option you're seeing. I also found that I don't have this option unless it is in an app that has been set as a default. It does not appear in apps that have not been set as a default. So the two things I'm thinking are either you're looking at the wrong app or the app supplying the links has an option in its settings to set the default.

Ensure you're looking at the right app.
Open a PDF, allow it to be opened by default, however it opens. access your quick switch panel. This is the panel that shows you all of your open background apps. Touch the app icon for the PDF viewer. Go to App info page and then follow your steps. Does the option to clear defaults appear on this app page?

Here’s another detail I noticed: the app is not set as the default for "open always," but it always appears as the first option in the list, which is what I’d like to remove. However, the "clear default" button doesn’t show up.

To test if the "clear default" button appears for an app set to "always," without messing up my PDF settings completely, I tried an alternative method, just to be sure not to mess up the PDF default for good. I've sent myself a text file and set a specific app to always open it. After doing this, I accessed the settings for that app through background apps > app info, as you instructed. Even so, the "clear default" button didn’t appear. Now that app is set to "always open" TXT files, and I can’t reset this setting.

A setting inside the source app.
If this is the case, I'm guessing when you tried the former step, the only app in your recent list was the source app and no PDF viewer. In which case go through the settings pages of the source app looking for anything about displaying PDF files and see if you can affect a change there.

Let us know what you find and we'll go from there.

In my attachments you'll see that one app has been set as the default while the other has not. The one that has been set as a default has the option to clear it from the default and the one that has not, does not.

This is how it shows to me:



As you can see, there is no "Clear Default" option at the end. It doesn't show for "preferred apps", nor for the "always open" app, as I've mentioned on my earlier testing procedure with TXT files.

(Thanks for your help so far. I am suspecting there is something wrong with this Motorola version for Android 14)

 

[mustang7757]

Hello. Thanks for the reply.


Motorola G75.



Yes, that's exaclty what is not working, as I've described on my original post.

Have you tried my suggestion?

 

[VidJunky]

If I'm reading your last post correctly it's not that you want to clear this app as a default but more that you don't want this app to appear first in the list.

Here’s another detail I noticed: the app is not set as the default for "open always," but it always appears as the first option in the list, which is what I’d like to remove. However, the "clear default" button doesn’t show up.

I doubt you'll be able to change the order of this list. Look at the list, is it alphabetical? If it is alphabetical your only option would likely be to uninstall the app at the top of the list. However, if it is not alphabetical it might be listed by installation date, the only two ways I can imagine them being sorted. If not alphabetical you could try uninstalling one of them and installing it again to see if the order changes. Beyond just totally uninstalling or disabling the app I know of no way to get it off the top of the list.

I'm not sure if putting the app to sleep would have any effect. The reason putting the app to sleep comes to mind is because this would allow you to keep the app on the device and have it be usable. Unlike an app that has been disabled, a sleeping app can be used by selecting it from your app drawer. Disabled apps have to be enabled by going to the Setting's App page.

Let us know what you find.

 

[renano7]

Have you tried my suggestion?

There is no such option on my Android Version. Maybe it's a Motorola personalization. On the upper corner of the apps menu there is only a search button and a help Icon. No "three dots" option available.

 

[renano7]

If I'm reading your last post correctly it's not that you want to clear this app as a default but more that you don't want this app to appear first in the list.



I doubt you'll be able to change the order of this list. Look at the list, is it alphabetical? If it is alphabetical your only option would likely be to uninstall the app at the top of the list. However, if it is not alphabetical it might be listed by installation date, the only two ways I can imagine them being sorted. If not alphabetical you could try uninstalling one of them and installing it again to see if the order changes. Beyond just totally uninstalling or disabling the app I know of no way to get it off the top of the list.

I'm not sure if putting the app to sleep would have any effect. The reason putting the app to sleep comes to mind is because this would allow you to keep the app on the device and have it be usable. Unlike an app that has been disabled, a sleeping app can be used by selecting it from your app drawer. Disabled apps have to be enabled by going to the Setting's App page.

Let us know what you find.

Still, I've tried both clearing both options. The "preferred app" and the "default open always" option. Neither of them show the "clear default" button. (I've defined Word as the default opener for TXT files).

Moreover, I did the test on a TXT file, and not on PDF, because I predicted that might happen, and then I would have messed up the PDF default for good. I'm a former developer, so I had that hunch.

And no, it's not on alphabetical order. (D)rive should come before (I)nter, if that was the case.

Don't really know where to go from here. Complain with Motorola, maybe?

 

[VidJunky]

I don't think you got the point of my last comment based on your latest reply.

First, I asked if in your comment when you said,

Here’s another detail I noticed: the app is not set as the default for "open always," but it always appears as the first option in the list, which is what I’d like to remove. However, the "clear default" button doesn’t show up.

Are you just trying to remove an option from the list of options that pop-up when you want to open a PDF, or reorder the list so that the option you don't want no longer appears as the first option?

That is why I was asking about what kind of order the list was in. If you simply want another option to be first we have to know why that option is first now. If it were alphabetical, I would assume there was nothing to be done, short of uninstalling the first undesirable app. Since you say that the list is not, then figuring out how it generates the list could help us game the system. If the list is generated based on which app was installed first, putting the app you don't like at the top, try to remember which app came first and uninstall the other app to see if the order changes.

I don't know Motos well enough to say how their lists work but with Samsung many of my lists like this are generated based on use. For example, when I press the share button on a photo or document in the app list that opens, I have to go to More to find the share by BT option, but after I've done this a handful of times BT has worked it's way up the list until now I don't have to do that any more. The system is learning my habits and putting things that I use more closer to the top of the list so it's more convenient. I just don't know if this would work in your case. Use the option you want enough times to make it top of the list.

It could also be built into the app you're using as the source of the PDFs. For example, in your web browser there is an option for which search engine to use when searches are typed into the address bar. Chrome defaults to Google, but you can change it to Bing, DuckDuckGo, or some other search engine in the settings. Is this something like that, where you have to go into the settings and change your preference to?

If you can figure out why that app is on the top of the list, then maybe you can figure out how to get it to be the other app, the one you want it to be.

If none of this works, have you considered uninstalling the offensive app or disabling it? Either one should remove it from the list, effectively not making it the first highlighted app.

 

[renano7]

I don't think you got the point of my last comment based on your latest reply.

First, I asked if in your comment when you said,



Are you just trying to remove an option from the list of options that pop-up when you want to open a PDF, or reorder the list so that the option you don't want no longer appears as the first option?

Oh, I get it now. You were not talking about the "open by default", but the "preferred app list popup": if I want to reorder the list, or i want to remove one of the option.

Answering your question: I would like the current option to continue visible (the bank one), but I would like that Google Drive would be the option at the top of the list.

That is why I was asking about what kind of order the list was in. If you simply want another option to be first we have to know why that option is first now. If it were alphabetical, I would assume there was nothing to be done, short of uninstalling the first undesirable app. Since you say that the list is not, then figuring out how it generates the list could help us game the system. If the list is generated based on which app was installed first, putting the app you don't like at the top, try to remember which app came first and uninstall the other app to see if the order changes.

I don't know Motos well enough to say how their lists work but with Samsung many of my lists like this are generated based on use. For example, when I press the share button on a photo or document in the app list that opens, I have to go to More to find the share by BT option, but after I've done this a handful of times BT has worked it's way up the list until now I don't have to do that any more. The system is learning my habits and putting things that I use more closer to the top of the list so it's more convenient. I just don't know if this would work in your case. Use the option you want enough times to make it top of the list.

Yeah, that "learning process" was definetely what would happen on Android 13 on my last Motorola (One Fusion+). Now, on my new Moto G75 with Android 14, it's "stuck" with the same option on the top, always.

It could also be built into the app you're using as the source of the PDFs. For example, in your web browser there is an option for which search engine to use when searches are typed into the address bar. Chrome defaults to Google, but you can change it to Bing, DuckDuckGo, or some other search engine in the settings. Is this something like that, where you have to go into the settings and change your preference to?

I don't think I can configure that. Couldn't find anything close to it.

If you can figure out why that app is on the top of the list, then maybe you can figure out how to get it to be the other app, the one you want it to be.

If none of this works, have you considered uninstalling the offensive app or disabling it? Either one should remove it from the list, effectively not making it the first highlighted app.

Yeah, maybe I'll have to do that. I really didn't want to, because it's not a one minute procedure where you junst uninstall and then install it back again. It's a bank app, so it involves a whole face autenthication process, and I will not be able to use the bank operations while waiting. Oh, well.

Thanks for all your help, so far!

 

[mustang7757]

There is no such option on my Android Version. Maybe it's a Motorola personalization. On the upper corner of the apps menu there is only a search button and a help Icon. No "three dots" option available.

Hmm sorry I don't have a Moto to know exactly where it is but most android it's usually there