Question How to Use FAT32 on USB External Storage With Android Tablet

[pone]

On Android 15 running on an A9+ tablet, I format a 256GB SD card as FAT32 under Windows. I mount that on Android via the USB-C port. The "My Files" folder manager sees the file system and has no problems accessing anything on it. My problem is that I cannot get any application to work with external storage. When I go to many applications, they have an "Included Folders" option, and when I navigate to "USB Device," the screen blinks, and I continue to see Internal Device as my selection. Android appears to be blocking application access to the USB.

I don't find any Apps permissions to grant access to external storage. I searched for "USB" under storage, and this only finds tethering. I don't see any global settings regarding external storage access. At the very least, the way Android handles this is extremely unfriendly. There are no clear error messages. If there are policy prohibitions, Android is doing a horrible job of revealing them.

How do I give applications access to external storage?

 

[spARTacus]

I think this was an issue earlier (native file manager app as the only one that could access a connected USB stick), but I thought it got sorted out. Maybe it never was and is by design. For example, I'm not sure if I've ever successfully had Ghost Commander (an alternate file manager) access a connected USB drive. Others will probably chime in before I will get the chance to double check, but have you checked what you might be able to set via the Permission Manager settings?

 

[pone]

I think this was an issue earlier (native file manager app as the only one that could access a connected USB stick), but I thought it got sorted out. Maybe it never was and is by design. For example, I'm not sure if I've ever successfully had Ghost Commander (an alternate file manager) access a connected USB drive. Others will probably chime in before I will get the chance to double check, but have you checked what you might be able to set via the Permission Manager settings?

In the Apps section of Settings, under Permissions, I don't find anything related to external storage.

 

[spARTacus]

In the Apps section of Settings, under Permissions, I don't find anything related to external storage.

No I don't see external storage either as a permission, just Files or All Files. You should be able to also cross reference against what permissions the built in file manager has. I'm not saying that will solve it since there is a chance most apps may not ever be able to access connected USB storage anymore (depending on where Android earlier went with it). However, more pieces of the puzzle.

 

[pone]

No I don't see external storage either as a permission, just Files or All Files. You should be able to also cross reference against what permissions the built in file manager has. I'm not saying that will solve it since there is a chance most apps may not ever be able to access connected USB storage anymore (depending on where Android earlier went with it). However, more pieces of the puzzle.

I don't see a "Files vs All Files" Permission.

This is completely nuts that they don't make such a trivial file-sharing action so difficult.

 

[spARTacus]

I just did a quick check and for me I can access an external USB stick via Ghost Commander and VLC (as two sample apps), easy peasy quite trivially with no issues.

Under Permission Manager in settings, there is a 'Files" permission (I think I earlier miss spoke when saying also "All Files").

Interestingly, for me neither VLC or Ghost Commander seem to have anything special set for permissions, or for the "Files" permission. So, I'm not really sure what might control it.

 

[pone]

I just did a quick check and for me I can access an external USB stick via Ghost Commander and VLC (as two sample apps), easy peasy quite trivially with no issues.

Under Permission Manager in settings, there is a 'Files" permission (I think I earlier miss spoke when saying also "All Files").

Interestingly, for me neither VLC or Ghost Commander seem to have anything special set for permissions, or for the "Files" permission. So, I'm not really sure what might control it.

Under Permission Manager, I have Files & Media. Under that, it says No Apps Allow and No Allows Not Allow, and there is no user interface to add any app.

Then there is a link at the bottom to see "Other Apps" with access to all files. LOTS of apps appear under that, including the two I want to have access to the USB.

This all behaves like a bad prototype. None of these features appears to actually work.

 

[spARTacus]

For me from my device's main settings:
> Security and Privacy
> More Privacy Settings
> Permission Manager
> Additional Permissions
> Files
> See more apps that can access all files

That then gives me a list of various apps that are either toggled or not, and for my situation VLC and Ghost Commander are toggled.

That probably explains it for my situation. I am not sure if for your situation there could be other conflicting permissionsm set or not set for your apps in question.

I agree that it's kind of odd how some of the settings seem almost buried in weird places, and in some cases what would appear to be contradictory indications in other places.

Now knowing about "all files access" as a phrase (seems I earlier wasn't entirely crazy), when I search for that from settings search it seems there are a few different ways to get to that place in settings.

 

[pone]

For me from my device's main settings:
> Security and Privacy
> More Privacy Settings
> Permission Manager
> Additional Permissions
> Files
> See more apps that can access all files

That then gives me a list of various apps that are either toggled or not, and for my situation VLC and Ghost Commander are toggled.

That probably explains it for my situation. I am not sure if for your situation there could be other conflicting permissionsm set or not set for your apps in question.

I agree that it's kind of odd how some of the settings seem almost buried in weird places, and in some cases what would appear to be contradictory indications in other places.

Now knowing about "all files access" as a phrase (seems I earlier wasn't entirely crazy), when I search for that from settings search it seems there are a few different ways to get to that place in settings.

But it doesn't explain anything for me. The two apps that cannot access the USB are both enabled for access to all files and always were from the start. The feature just doesn't work.

 

[spARTacus]

But it doesn't explain anything for me. The two apps that cannot access the USB are both enabled for access to all files and always were from the start. The feature just doesn't work.

Maybe All Files isn't the only permission that needs to be set.

 

[pone]

Maybe All Files isn't the only permission that needs to be set.

Okay, but the purpose of my topic is to discover the other required settings. And - SHAME ON GOOGLE - for making such a basic file-sharing method so incredibly difficult and obscure.