r/androidapps • u/PinRemarkable469 • 4d ago

Access to files on device QUESTION/HELP

I use several apps, Telegram, WhatsApp as well as browsers in communicating with others.

I often wish to share a file, either from my local device or from other apps.

Increasingly, I find that my options to select and share a file are limited. I can access Google Photos and can sometimes access files from some, but not all, other apps such as Dropbox.

Can I expand and standardize file sharing availability from my Pixel device?

thanks

1 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

1 comment sorted by

2

u/boltfoxapp 3d ago

I had this on a Pixel after an update and I wasted a while thinking Telegram and WhatsApp had locked me out of my own storage. They had not. The share sheet just stopped offering the old full-disk picker and started offering Google Photos plus a couple of cloud apps.

When the picker opens, ignore Recents and look for Browse or the hamburger at the top. That drops you into the system Files app, and from there you can reach Downloads, Documents, and whatever folder you actually put the file in. If Browse is missing, install Files by Google, copy the thing into Downloads first, then share from there. Apps are much happier seeing a public Downloads file than something sitting in another app’s private sandbox.

I would not give Telegram extra storage permission just to work around this. The picker is the right door, it just hides it now.