PC can't access Moto G files

[truelitistnot]

Regarding the SD card after Android 6 update;

I have found that the phone now treats the SD card in one of two ways after the Android 6 update;

1) If you setup the SD card to be 'Internal' the phone will treat the internal memory and SD card as one large block and not two separate blocks of memory.
2) If you setup the SD card for 'Storage' the phone will treat the SD card as external storage for photos, music and movies.


If you want to install apps to the SD card you have to setup as 'Internal'. Once you do this the SD card will not show up under Windows as a separate storage location. Instead You will only see the phone in windows and the everything on the phone and SD card will appear under the phone as one large storage device.

You also have to make sure that the phone is setup as MTP for USB.

I personally do not like the way Android 6 handles SD cards. It is weird and confusing.

If you want a particular app on your phone to sit on the SD card you have to go to settings/apps/'app name' and change the storage location (either 'phone' or SD card').

Anyway, Android 6 has some weird way of viewing the SD card as an extension of the internal memory and it is very annoying and confusing.

I have also noticed that Android 6 also periodically can't access the SD card for whatever reason which requires rebooting the phone. This is also annoying. This is especially true if your phone suffers from the Android 6 excessive battery drain and running hot issues.

To be honest, I haven't seen any benefit to Android 6 over 5.x.x. I actually prefer Lollipop to Marshmallow as Lollipop was super stable on my Moto G (2015) and the Android 6 update is not.

 

[hisense]

When you plugin the usb cable to connect to the computer open your notification menu. You will see a usb option menu. Select option to transfer files.

This will make internal and external sd card appear so you can move files, add or delete filex.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[David Alfredo]

To be honest, I haven't seen any benefit to Android 6 over 5.x.x. I actually prefer Lollipop to Marshmallow as Lollipop was super stable on my Moto G (2015) and the Android 6 update is not.

same here, no benefits than can outweigh all the troubles, bugs and shortcomings, 5.1.1 is still new and apps are being optimized for it, 6.0 ? maybe in 12 months, Motorola designed Moto G 2015 with 5.1.1 in mind and it clearly shows, their 6.0 update is rushed and buggy. I would suggest "regular" users to NOT upgrade to M, there's a high chance of facing bugs and losing features (SD card not easily accessible from computer, SD card can't be used to install the less used apps, most apps won't recognize SD card to download data such as Google Play Music, this is a travesty....), honestly I've been down that road and it's not worth it in the slightest.

 

[rlridgeway]

I had an issue with my Chromebook not recognizing my Moto G 2015.The issue was resolved when the Chromebook's OS updated to version 48.

 

[acejavelin]

same here, no benefits than can outweigh all the troubles, bugs and shortcomings, 5.1.1 is still new and apps are being optimized for it, 6.0 ? maybe in 12 months, Motorola designed Moto G 2015 with 5.1.1 in mind and it clearly shows, their 6.0 update is rushed and buggy. I would suggest "regular" users to NOT upgrade to M, there's a high chance of facing bugs and losing features (SD card not easily accessible from computer, SD card can't be used to install the less used apps, most apps won't recognize SD card to download data such as Google Play Music, this is a travesty....), honestly I've been down that road and it's not worth it in the slightest.

This post doesn't make sense... there is no difference in optimizing apps for lollipop or marshmallow, both use the ART runtime, that is all you really need to optimize for. There are no significant bugs in Marshmallow for the Moto G, and the SD card issues you referencing are mostly due to lack of knowledge, not real problems.

It is true there is a Google Play Music bug, but I fully expect that to be resolved soon, it just reared it's head as Marshmallow got released on devices with SD cards, because Nexus devices didn't have this problem (they don't have SD cards).

For most users, the bugs in Marshmallow are less significant than the constant update nagging from Motorola.

 

[David Alfredo]

This post doesn't make sense... there is no difference in optimizing apps for lollipop or marshmallow, both use the ART runtime, that is all you really need to optimize for. There are no significant bugs in Marshmallow for the Moto G, and the SD card issues you referencing are mostly due to lack of knowledge, not real problems.

It is true there is a Google Play Music bug, but I fully expect that to be resolved soon, it just reared it's head as Marshmallow got released on devices with SD cards, because Nexus devices didn't have this problem (they don't have SD cards).

For most users, the bugs in Marshmallow are less significant than the constant update nagging from Motorola.

by "optimizing for M" I mean using the new APIs for app integration. Also SD access via computer is a real problem, it's buggy and random compared to 5.1.1 and this is a fact, you can "fix" it by deleting cache/data of some system apps, but you refer to that fix as "knowledge"... I wonder how the average Joe who does not participate in forums like this one would fix that, not to mention the fix is not even definitive. That is unacceptable, my post makes a lot of sense for the general users, your post might make it for the super-dedicated-tech-savvy-geek, you really can't compare, apart from that, you know, opinions and all that.

also, a top moderator here stated that GP Music was not "bugged" and that not downloading to SD card is a "feature", so if that's the case (which I refuse to believe) then 5.1.1 is much more convenient when it comes to have a lot of music in your device without wasting internal storage.

And please, do respect people here having issues with Marshmallow and SD Cards that have nothing to do with "knowledge", you can find them in the Marshmallow section of this forum, Marshmallow acting up with SD Cards both in Portable and Adoptable mode, it seems you're lucky enough everything is running OK on your end, good for you, but that does not make the rest of us having problems less knowledgeable than you.

Also, please answer how will the average consumer react (the average Joe) when, after upgrading to Marshmallow, suddenly their SD card goes crazy and Marshmallow won't download music to it anymore and other issues discussed in these forums such as apps disappearing after rebooting and other serious bugs, tell me, do we blame them because their "lack of knowledge" or do we blame Marshmallow ? is it you who is going to put the features, performance and usability they lost after "upgrading" to Marshmallow back to their devices ? or are you just going to sit here and blame poor average Joes and their lack of Android knowledge ?

 

[Srujan Gangur]

Worked on the Moto G 2nd Gen too ( got the update yesterday ). Thanks!

 

[elmpark68]

I had same issue after system update yesterday and the fix for me was v simple

Plugged in USB cable and then swipe down to show status bar and it seems to default back to charge only

so updated to file transfer and now can see files in explorer

 

[jyoti ranjan Sahoo]

Thanks,

It's working

 

[acejavelin]

I had same issue after system update yesterday and the fix for me was v simple

Plugged in USB cable and then swipe down to show status bar and it seems to default back to charge only

so updated to file transfer and now can see files in explorer

Every time you connect you have to change it, you can't set a default anymore, this is a Marshmallow security "upgrade".

 

[DaniGold1]

Will I lose any of my photos or videos if I do this?

 

[claptonfan]

Many many thanks!!!! Excellent!!!!

 

[rdenney53]

One solution is Settings > Developer Options > Select USB Config works, BUT a) you have to first get the phone into developer mode, which is a pain (although done just once), then b) it seems you have to do it each and every time you connect the cable, i.e. it doesn't seem to want to remember the setting. Very annoying.

The "Plug in USB cable and then swipe down to show status bar" is a simpler solution (still have to do it each and every time, but easier) .. thanks.

 

[Blakeyg]

Finally got nagged today to upgrade to Marshmallow on my Moto G 2nd gen and had this very issue. Your instructions resolved the problem, thanks Ace - superstar.

 

[Reuben McCartney]

Just wondering as I'm experiencing the same problem of files not showing up on the PC.
Will clearing data and cache on Media Storage and External Storage apps delete files (such as music, photos etc.)?
Thanks

 

[acejavelin]

Just wondering as I'm experiencing the same problem of files not showing up on the PC.
Will clearing data and cache on Media Storage and External Storage apps delete files (such as music, photos etc.)?
Thanks

No, it doesn't delete any of your data... it deletes the databases files used by the system apps `Media Storage` and `External Storage`, which are then automatically rebuilt when you reboot by reading your media files and the files contained on your SD card.

 

[Reuben McCartney]

No, it doesn't delete any of your data... it deletes the databases files used by the system apps `Media Storage` and `External Storage`, which are then automatically rebuilt when you reboot by reading your media files and the files contained on your SD card.

Thanks! The fix worked awesomely. Got freaked out for a moment when it was loading everything back together and seemed like it was all gone.
Only problem now is that Gmail isn't using my default notification sound when I get an email, instead it's playing some random song which is really annoying...

 

[Maz231]

I found this thread very useful. Particularly the bit that told me I had to be a developer,ie ...

Settings/About Phone/ Tap Build Number (all the way on the bottom) 5 times. Developer options will be second from the bottom in settings. Turn on Developer options, under 'Select USB Configuration', select the one you want.

I did this, but found the moto G was already in the right USB mode but I pressed the highlighted button anyway, and then my PC could see Moto files. However, only my 32 bit PC could see into the moto G. My 64 bit machine still gets just a white screen of nothingness.Any ideas?

And why don't Android test their upgrades properly? Upgrades are meant to be an improvement aren't they?

 

[Rick Jarvis]

Attempted solution proposed by "acejavelin 01-07-2016."
I can go to settings, Apps, but cannot find -Show system Apps or External storage and Media storage.
If I were to find them and "clear data and cache on each one and reboot" as suggested, then would I loose data on SD?
I am afraid that I do not understand - MTP, PTP. (I am a humble phone user, not an app developer!)
Should I revert to Lollipop?
Cheers

 

[riggerman]

After going to settings-apps, press the three dot menu button and you will see the option for show system. Select that option then you'll see the apps you'll need to clear data on. And no, it won't erase any user data, just the data and cache for that app.