Btsync Can No Longer Sync To Ext Sd Card On Note 3, After Update Android 4.4.2.

[PeterXu]

Btsync can no longer sync (write) to folders on the Ext SD card with Note 3 after Android 4.4.2. update. 

Syncing to the files on internal SD is still OK.

Reading via WiFi from the Ext SD card is OK.

Read/Write to the Ext SD card via USB cable is OK 

I tried with a new Ext SD card. Same problem. Everything OK, except No writing to the Ext SD card through WiFi.

So, the problem seems to be with Android 4.4.2.

 

On my old Galaxy S II, syncing to both internal and external SD are OK.

 

After some research, some blogs seem to indicate that this is a new feature of Android 4.4.2, where applications need to ask for permission to write to the external SD card. So an update from Google/Samsung may never come, and the app developers may have to make the necessary modifications to get permissions to write to the external SD card. Some people suggest a modification to the platform.xml file (for rooted devices) to achieve this.

 

I hope that this information is helpful today. If someone else has a solution to this problem, I would appreciate to know about it.

 

Rolf

 

[Tarpaha]

Have same error on Samsung S4 with 4.4.2

Syncing of existing folders stoped, also I cannot add sync folder from SD card.

[DesignMongrel]

+1 for me on this issue. Deleted sync folder and re-added a new folder that was located on my SD card and it gives me a permissions issue to change anything on that folder.

[Tarpaha]

http://www.androidpolice.com/2014/02/17/external-blues-google-has-brought-big-changes-to-sd-cards-in-kitkat-and-even-samsung-may-be-implementing-them/

 

“Starting in Android 4.4, the owner, group and modes of files on external storage devices are now synthesized based on directory structure. This enables apps to manage their package-specific directories on external storage without requiring they hold the broad WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permission. For example, the app with package name com.example.foo can now freely access Android/data/com.example.foo/ on external storage devices with no permissions. These synthesized permissions are accomplished by wrapping raw storage devices in a FUSE daemon.”

 

So it is possible to sync folders under the Android/data/<btsync_package>/

Need only to know btsync package.

 

Update:

I found package name - com.bittorrent.sync

But btsync still throws error when I try to sync folder under /Android/data/com.bittorrent.sync

Edited March 3, 2014 by Tarpaha

[DesignMongrel]

http://www.androidpolice.com/2014/02/17/external-blues-google-has-brought-big-changes-to-sd-cards-in-kitkat-and-even-samsung-may-be-implementing-them/

 

“Starting in Android 4.4, the owner, group and modes of files on external storage devices are now synthesized based on directory structure. This enables apps to manage their package-specific directories on external storage without requiring they hold the broad WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permission. For example, the app with package name com.example.foo can now freely access Android/data/com.example.foo/ on external storage devices with no permissions. These synthesized permissions are accomplished by wrapping raw storage devices in a FUSE daemon.”

 

So it is possible to sync folders under the Android/data/<btsync_package>/

Need only to know btsync package.

 

Update:

I found package name - com.bittorrent.sync

But btsync still throws error when I try to sync folder under /Android/data/com.bittorrent.sync

 

Thanks, maybe we can get some more support in here for a solution, S4/Note community is huge so I'm sure this is a bigger issue than we think.

[Tarpaha]

I realized that many other my applications need access to SD Card so I fix it once and for all.

 

1) get root access.

2) modify /system/etc/permissions/platform.xml so android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE and android.permission.WRITE_MEDIA_STORAGE sections will look like:

<permission name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" >    <group gid="sdcard_r" />    <group gid="sdcard_rw" />    <group gid="media_rw" /></permission><permission name="android.permission.WRITE_MEDIA_STORAGE" >    <group gid="media_rw" />    <group gid="sdcard_rw" /></permission>

3) restart phone

 

This fixed my Samsung S4 (but I lost guarantee due to rooting)

[RomanZ]

Hi all,

 

This is a known issue with KitKat. The fix will be available in the upcoming 1.3 release.

[jeffton]

http://www.androidpolice.com/2014/02/17/external-blues-google-has-brought-big-changes-to-sd-cards-in-kitkat-and-even-samsung-may-be-implementing-them/

 

“Starting in Android 4.4, the owner, group and modes of files on external storage devices are now synthesized based on directory structure. This enables apps to manage their package-specific directories on external storage without requiring they hold the broad WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permission. For example, the app with package name com.example.foo can now freely access Android/data/com.example.foo/ on external storage devices with no permissions. These synthesized permissions are accomplished by wrapping raw storage devices in a FUSE daemon.”

 

So it is possible to sync folders under the Android/data/<btsync_package>/

Need only to know btsync package.

 

Update:

I found package name - com.bittorrent.sync

But btsync still throws error when I try to sync folder under /Android/data/com.bittorrent.sync

 

It worked for me on an S4 with KitKat, syncing to /storage/extSdCard/Android/data/com.bittorrent.sync/docs, where 'docs' is a name I chose.

[mvonweis]

Hi all,

 

This is a known issue with KitKat. The fix will be available in the upcoming 1.3 release.

 

Hi,

 

As the fix seems to be very simple, could you please consider rushing it out as 1.2.x?

 

I am syncing several large folders with my S4 and they won't fit in internal memory. After the KitKat upgrade BTSync is pretty much useless on my phone, and I'm just waiting for a fix.

 

Best regards,

--Martin

[RomanZ]

Martin,

 

As the 1.3 release is really close (1.5 weeks), we do not plan making any additional 1.2 releases.

[RomanZ]

All,

 

Due to Android OS limitations only next path would be possible to sync on External SD card:

 

<path_to_sdcard>/Android/data/com.bittorrent.sync

[JimmyTheSaint]

Have same error on Samsung S4 with 4.4.2

Syncing of existing folders stoped, also I cannot add sync folder from SD card.

The March 11 nightly of CyanogenMod 11 for S4 (i9500) is reported to have fixed the storage problem for 4.4.2. I like CM on my Note 2, and I've been waiting for quite a while to get 4.4 on my S4 with CM 11. I won't be flashing it for several days, but if anyone can report on how it works with BitTorrent Sync on your S4, please post.

[benjou]

Hi Romanz,

 

Will it still be possible to sync, say, the DCIM folder? Namely, btsync won't write in it but the pictures the camera app takes would be automatically backed up.

 

Thanks!

P.S. Google is acting like microsoft in the nineties, confiscating control from users. Their end is near! In the mean time I'll move all my sync folders to Android/data/com.bittorrent.sync

[DesignMongrel]

This folder everyone seems to be finding as the fix is located on my device and not on my sdcard... Am I missing something here?

[Firon]

Hi Romanz,

 

Will it still be possible to sync, say, the DCIM folder? Namely, btsync won't write in it but the pictures the camera app takes would be automatically backed up.

 

Thanks!

P.S. Google is acting like microsoft in the nineties, confiscating control from users. Their end is near! In the mean time I'll move all my sync folders to Android/data/com.bittorrent.sync

 

By default, DCIM is located on the internal SD. Internal SD is not restricted in this way, only the external SD.

 

I believe the plan is to allow for read-only (backup) syncing from other folders on the SD, since apps DO have the ability to read any folder on the external SD. But this will come in a future update.

[RomanZ]

benjou,

Will it still be possible to sync, say, the DCIM folder? Namely, btsync won't write in it but the pictures the camera app takes would be automatically backed up.

 

No, it is not possible in current design. When syncing some folder, BTSync always writes a file in it, containing folder ID. As Firon says, it might be changed in future.

 

This folder everyone seems to be finding as the fix is located on my device and not on my sdcard... Am I missing something here?

Yes. But if you make the same folder on ExtSD, Android should let BTSync to write there (and, therefore, create sync folders).

[Hgt3345]

This is still an issue, any updates regarding a fix ?

 

KitKat - 4.4.2

BitTorrent - 1.3.19.0

 

App doesnt have permissions to do anything in the extSDCard under /storage

Edited April 6, 2014 by Hgt3345

[RomanZ]

Hgt3345,

 

For now it is only possible to write to BTSync's "home" directory on the SD card: "/Android/data/com.bittorrent.sync". We are looking for ways to provide ability to back up other folders on SD card.

[HUNTERB0T]

The easiest way to fix it - install this app - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nextapp.sdfix

 

But you need root.

[goggle-eyed]

The best way IMHO: CyanogenMod.

 

I installed Kitkat 4.4 (CM 11 snapshot) on my Samsung S (GT-9000)! and it is working very fine with BTSync

 

I'm very pleased with 4.4,  feels like a new phone, and much smoother/faster then 2.3.x, and normal SD-card R/W-access!

[MarcWinter]

For those who are experiencing problems when trying to sync to "/Android/data/com.bittorrent.sync", I'd like to share the solution that fixed this for me:

 

I had a folder "eMagazines" on my SD-Card I used to sync to my PC before installing KitKat. After the installation it didn't work anymore. So I moved the folder to "/Android/data/com.bittorrent.sync/eMagazines", selected it as sync-target in BTSync, but still got an error about no being able to write (I used ES-Explorer to move the folder). This happened despite having the Tablet rooted and having installed SD-Fix.

 

I moved my magazines-Folder back to were it was before and used the "New Folder"-Function in BTSync to create a new folder "eMagazines" inside "/Android/data/com.bittorrent.sync" resulting in the exact same path as above, but working fine. I then moved the contents of my old eMagazines-Folder to the newly created one and it works like a charm.

 

I strongly suspect that the insufficient rights for the folder are somehow moved along with it, preventing the folder to be write-accessible for BTSync despite being in the right location if you move an existing folder.

 

This should also work on non-rooted devices without SD-Fix. In that case, I'd suggest to create the new folder as described and then connect the SD-Card to a PC to move the files from the old folder if you don't have an Android filemanager that has full access rights.

[neyfrota]

Correct me if im wrong please

Instead root my device and open write system wide...

...why not btsync ask the correct permission to write at api level? (And i accept when install/update)

[RomanZ]

@neyfrota

We are working on it . Stay tuned for updates.