Why does Android make it so hard to do anything?

[ImpulsE69]

Seriously getting fed up with what seems like Android going to much more locked down format in the "oh it's easier because people are dumb" reasoning.

All I want to do is easily move game save files back and forth between a phone and a tablet. Cloud saves are not an option on everything. So far, w/o rooting everything I cannot do this. The files are 'hidden' to Windows, and you have no way to transfer them. I've tried multiple explorer programs. I've even tried simply copying the files into download and picking them up there, but mysteriously they won't show up there either on my phone. The tablet is rooted, and it does show up there.

There currently is not a root for my model of LG3 (at least there wasn't as of a month ago) and I do not want to root it anyway. I shouldn't even need to in order to do something this simple.

Rant out of the way, anyone know a way that actually works? I've tried many and they all turn out to be flukes.

I did manage to get smartbeam to send the file, but you are only given the "open" option on the destination. No copy, no folder path. Where does it actually send these files?

 

[lxskllr]

What does a save file look like? Does it start with a ".", eg .MyGameSave? if so, it'll be hidden, and you need an explorer that'll show hidden files. Dunno if that requires root. I wouldn't use a machine I didn't have root on.

You can try GhostCommander. It shines with root, but is still better than everything else, even if you're rootless.
https://f-droid.org/repository/browse/?fdfilter=ghost+commander&fdid=com.ghostsq.commander

 

[ImpulsE69]

They are .bin files but do not start with "." I can see hidden files with explorer on the phone, that isn't the issue, but they are hidden when looking at the directories in Windows (and apparently you can't 'turn on' hidden files/folders on a phone anymore (if ever).

The idea being copy file to Windows and then to another device (and vice versa). Should be easy, but it isn't.

Like I said, I was able to use the internal transfer tool to get the file across, but it provides no ability to move a file around once it is there (and I have no clue where it actually puts the file). I ran a search and it didn't come up.

 

[sweenish]

Use helium.

"So hard."

 

[ImpulsE69]

Helium seems to only work [to do this] if you are root (contrary to what I read), but I'm not the only one with the issue, which again goes back to the wtf is this something I need an app for? Let's keep in mind that prior to 4.x this was not a requirement.

more sarcasm needed. Funny enough, that type of response are the majority of 'non-helpful' responses pretty much everywhere.

 

[sweenish]

Helium does not require root. RTFM.

EDIT: Just used helium w/o root today to go back to 5.1.1 from M preview.

 

[ImpulsE69]

Helium does not require root. RTFM.

EDIT: Just used helium w/o root today to go back to 5.1.1 from M preview.

I didn't say it required root. However, I did find the issue, so I will say thanks, because what you said got me to looking at something else when I looked through Helium.

 

[JeffMD]

Does your phone not come with a file manager that came pre loaded? Both my lg volt and lg flex do. This file manager is special in that it has mostly root privileges and should be able to handle copying these files around.

 

[DigDog]

bumpity

 

[ImpulsE69]

Does your phone not come with a file manager that came pre loaded? Both my lg volt and lg flex do. This file manager is special in that it has mostly root privileges and should be able to handle copying these files around.

Maybe a really basic one? Pretty sure it didn't have any at all (neither the LG3 or Gpad), because I loaded AndExplorer on the phone and Root Explorer on the tablet back when I got them. I can see the files fine on those though, that was never the issue.

However, either I was confused or something changed.. While going back and looking through Helium I realized on the phone USB debug wasn't enabled. When I enabled that I could see the hidden files in Windows fine.

On the tablet, which is rooted and usb debug is on, I cannot (I could have swore it was the other way around). Either way though I managed to get what I needed.

Really the moral remains that this was not a problem on my old ancient phone with 1.6 on it. Many of the changes they have made really have made it much more cumbersome and less user (tech)friendly than it was. This was just one example of many complaints I have. From what I've seen it is only going to get worse.

 

[Red Storm]

Why bring a third device into the picture? Why not just use Google Drive or Dropbox to upload/download the saves? That's what I did with Icewind Dale. After I was done playing on my phone I would upload my save to Drive, so the next time I wanted to play be it on a tablet or even my PC I just pulled the save down from Drive and resumed where I left off.

 

[ImpulsE69]

Why bring a third device into the picture? Why not just use Google Drive or Dropbox to upload/download the saves? That's what I did with Icewind Dale. After I was done playing on my phone I would upload my save to Drive, so the next time I wanted to play be it on a tablet or even my PC I just pulled the save down from Drive and resumed where I left off.

I see your point, and I'll try that.

 

[JeffMD]

impulse, 1.6 would also be the equiv of running windows 98. No security at all. You seem to not understand the reason behind not letting 3rd party programs mess with other programs. It can lead to very bad things happening.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Many of the changes they have made really have made it much more cumbersome and less user (tech)friendly than it was.

Meh, we can do more stuff without root now and we have good printing capability built in.

You think this is bad? Try an iPhone for a week, or even Windows Mobile. You will beg to get ES File Explorer back.

 

[ImpulsE69]

impulse, 1.6 would also be the equiv of running windows 98. No security at all. You seem to not understand the reason behind not letting 3rd party programs mess with other programs. It can lead to very bad things happening.

Nothing bad ever happened. Now, I get that these days things have changed in regards to phones and their use case, but seriously...

Meh, we can do more stuff without root now and we have good printing capability built in.

You think this is bad? Try an iPhone for a week, or even Windows Mobile. You will beg to get ES File Explorer back.

I have a 6 for work. I do some pretty cool things with it work related, but I've never even bothered trying to dive any further into it.

 

[sm625]

I would try setting up dropsync on each device, to sync that folder to dropbox. Once it they are both synced to dropbox, they should auto update. That's what I do to get podcasts into the custom podcasts folder so that Pocketcasts can find them.

 

[shabby]

All I want to do is easily move game save files back and forth between a phone and a tablet. Cloud saves are not an option on everything.

Is it easier on ios or windows phone?

 

[QueBert]

Meh, we can do more stuff without root now and we have good printing capability built in.

You think this is bad? Try an iPhone for a week, or even Windows Mobile. You will beg to get ES File Explorer back.

At worst iFile is as good as ES File Explorer.

 

[poofyhairguy]

At worst iFile is as good as ES File Explorer.

ES File Explorer blows iFile away for accessing network shares. I miss it every time I am on my iPad.

Plus its not a fair comparison, as ES can be installed on any Android device while iOS needs a jailbreak to get iFile on there.

 

[ControlD]

ES File Explorer blows iFile away for accessing network shares. I miss it every time I am on my iPad.

Plus its not a fair comparison, as ES can be installed on any Android device while iOS needs a jailbreak to get iFile on there.

Agree with this.

I have found recently that I prefer the CM file manager to just about anything else I have used though. It is really made with a touch interface in mind and makes manipulating large numbers of files a simple exercise.

 

[QueBert]

ES File Explorer blows iFile away for accessing network shares. I miss it every time I am on my iPad.

Plus its not a fair comparison, as ES can be installed on any Android device while iOS needs a jailbreak to get iFile on there.

You don't need to be jailbroken to install iFile, maybe from a legal standpoint.

 

[JeffMD]

Ifile does have a app store counterpart, but you are still restricted to non administration access of files. There is a more capable version available on cydia

And yea apple is so much more restrictive in your access to the file system.. I mean clearly they are better now (Before they didn't allow any apps that opened up access to the directory tree), but android is better.

With the revised permissions in lolipop, the majority of people should have no issues with android. 3rd party apps messing with other apps will always be a no no though.

 

[sweenish]

Helium seems to only work [to do this] if you are root (contrary to what I read),

I didn't say it required root.

Huh.