SD Card file system

[toiday]

I just got an USB-C Micro SD card reader try to read files from camera and GoPro. Pixel 2 can't read the Micro SD card. It tells me to format it. So I tried with a new card and after formatting it, it works. However, it formatted as FAT32. I don't want to be restricted to the 4GB file size. Is there any way to enable Android to read ExFAT?

 

[SpookDroid]

Ummm... Android does read ExFAT. The only one it doesn't support is NTFS since that's a Microsoft proprietary system.

 

[toiday]

Ummm... Android does read ExFAT. The only one it doesn't support is NTFS since that's a Microsoft proprietary system.

That's what everyone else is saying but it's not the case for me. I'm using Pixel 2 running Android 9 with Sep 5 update.

 

[SpookDroid]

Have you tried formatting the card through a computer? Are you sure the card is being formatted as FAT32? Does your card support exFAT (highly unlikely nowadays, but gotta ask)?

 

[toiday]

Have you tried formatting the card through a computer? Are you sure the card is being formatted as FAT32? Does your card support exFAT (highly unlikely nowadays, but gotta ask)?

The card was formatted as exFAT and Pixel re-formated to FAT32. Do you actually able to use one with exFAT?

 

[SpookDroid]

I don't have a Pixel so can't test for sure, but yeah, my card is exFAT from the get go

 

[Rukbat]

Does the card reader support exFAT? I have a few large cards, but they won't read in my reader - because it's about 4 years old, and was designed for FAT32. An exFAT card looks like garbage to it - so the phone can't read anything.

 

[toiday]

Don't know for sure. I rechecked the descriptions/specs and didn't find mentioning on file system. I bought it recently and it's USB-C so it's pretty new, not dated and able to read 128G card. I don't have anything else with USB-C to test.

Does the card reader support exFAT? I have a few large cards, but they won't read in my reader - because it's about 4 years old, and was designed for FAT32. An exFAT card looks like garbage to it - so the phone can't read anything.

 

[TraderGary]

It's interesting that my recent purchase of a 128 GB SanDisk card formatted exFAT from SanDisk is readable when read from my RX100M3 camera. I wonder if the camera is doing any translation.

 

[toiday]

Further searching show that Google doesn't have support for exFAT due to Microsoft license. Ironically, FAT32 is also owned by Microsoft. Thanks everyone for your inputs.

 

[SpookDroid]

Further searching show that Google doesn't have support for exFAT due to Microsoft license. Ironically, FAT32 is also owned by Microsoft. Thanks everyone for your inputs.

Not sure where you read that, but while exFAT WAS introduced by MS and they do get royalties for it, the SD Card Association made it the 'standard' format for SD cards (SDXC and backwards-compatible), so Android DOES support exFAT (and FAT32 for that matter).
https://www.androidauthority.com/high-capacity-microsd-cards-android-gary-explains-690710/

 

[toiday]

Yes, Android support exFAT. Samsung and a few other phones support it. Not Pixel or Google phones.

Not sure where you read that, but while exFAT WAS introduced by MS and they do get royalties for it, the SD Card Association made it the 'standard' format for SD cards (SDXC and backwards-compatible), so Android DOES support exFAT (and FAT32 for that matter).
https://www.androidauthority.com/high-capacity-microsd-cards-android-gary-explains-690710/

 

[SpookDroid]

Huh, that's odd being that the SDCA calls out for exFAT to be supported, but I guess they only enforce it for actual cards then. But, from the same reports, it seems you CAN get 3rd party apps/File Explorers that will allow you to read off exFAT drives on your Pixel. Could give that a try.

 

[toiday]

No, it doesn't, period. If you don't own a Pixel, take my words for it.

Huh, that's odd being that the SDCA calls out for exFAT to be supported, but I guess they only enforce it for actual cards then. But, from the same reports, it seems you CAN get 3rd party apps/File Explorers that will allow you to read off exFAT drives on your Pixel. Could give that a try.

 

[SpookDroid]

No, it doesn't, period. If you don't own a Pixel, take my words for it.

Good, I get it (also, technically speaking, no Google device supports SD cards, so...) But just like you did, by 'reading up on it', you can find people WITH pixels getting around this with 3rd party apps. No, it won't magically let the phone use exFAT, but within those File Managers, you can. The ones I saw reported were paid apps, so there's that.