F-Droid

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F-Droid is an installable catalogue of FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) applications for the Android platform. The client makes it easy to browse, install, and keep track of updates on your device.

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File manager for Android with Dual Applications (lemmy.ml)

submitted 8 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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My Android Phone allows you to run two separate copies of installed applications and a second space where you can run a different profile for apps (Think a Personal or work persona). The stock file manager clearly captures a range of personal and usage data and information for ad targeting. I'm therefore looking for an alternative open source File manager that I could use that allows me to access files in both profiles as the stock one does. Any ideas?

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

You will have to install the file manager of your choice, and then, in Shelter, pick the app from "main" list and clone it to work profile/second space. Not sure, but if you use Insular, maybe it works in similar way. You will not be able to access files in both main and work storage with same installed app, unless you have an SD card slot in phone, which provides a common space. OTG USB storage will not work like SD card for this purpose.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Ah.. I guess the Xiaomi File Manager has some elevated privileges that us mere users camt have.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Probably just that it is installed as a system app, so things are smoother with it. That said, there is a hack I invented, that does work, but is cumbersome yet reliable. You need to have RAR app for it (made by WinRAR officially).

Basically, you copy files from work to main profile by "sharing" them via share menu to RAR, minimising the "compress files" screen, and in main profile, navigating to the temp folder of RAR app (internalmem/Android/data/com.rarlab.rar-- somewhere inside) and copying file over to Downloads or any folder, before going back and cancelling the "compress files" screen in RAR app. The problem is you can only copy/share 1 file at a time, so if you want to share multiple files from work profile, ZIP them within work storage as 1 file and then share that 1 file.

Since I have the SD card, I put files in it to copy to work profile using file manager I install/clone in work profile. But if you have a model without SD card slot, maybe cloning RAR to work profile and replicating the hack in reverse way could work out.

You do not have all these problems when rooted, but many apps these days do not like a rooted device.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Sounds interesting. I saw elsewhere that the way was to configure a FTP server in the second space and then connect to it from the first space. Might have a look at that as an idea. Not sure how i feel about wandering around with that running while I connect to wifi but then I guess that would be why i put everything through my VPN right?

[–] [email protected] 0 points 8 months ago

FTP connection would be local so I do not see a problem with that.