No Files or Folders Listed on Galaxy S9+ (Android 10 / One UI 2.5)

[TheDreDay1000]

Bug Report: No Files or Folders Listed on Galaxy S9+ (Android 10 / One UI 2.5)

App Version: v0.4.1-beta
Device: Samsung Galaxy S9+ (SM-G965F/U)
Android Version: Android 10 (API 29)
One UI Version: One UI 2.5
Form factor: Phone (non-DeX, standard touch)

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Description

The app launches and displays its UI correctly, but no files or folders are listed in the file browser. Internal storage is detected (its properties such as total/available space appear to be read), but the directory contents are completely empty. The SD card is not detected at all as a storage location.

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Steps to Reproduce

1. Install Continuum_Explorer-v0.4.1-beta_app-release.apk on a Galaxy S9+ running Android 10 / One UI 2.5
2. Launch the app
3. Grant any storage permission prompts if shown
4. Navigate to Internal Storage
5. Observe: storage root is visible but no files or folders are listed inside it
6. Observe: SD card does not appear as a storage location at all

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Expected Behavior

• Files and folders should be listed when browsing Internal Storage
• SD card should appear as a separate storage location

Actual Behavior

• Internal Storage root is detected (metadata visible) but directory contents are empty
• SD card is not listed as a storage location
• No crash occurs

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Suspected Root Cause (from APK analysis)

After decompiling the APK, I found the following in the bytecode that may explain this:

1. MANAGE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE / isExternalStorageManager() on API 29: The app declares android.permission.MANAGE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE and references Environment.isExternalStorageManager() in the bytecode. Both of these are Android 11 (API 30+) only. On Android 10, this permission is unrecognized and isExternalStorageManager() does not exist. If the API 29 fallback to READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE + File.listFiles() isn't properly implemented, the file list will silently remain empty.

2. SAF volume access for SD card: The app uses the Storage Access Framework (DocumentFile, takePersistableUriPermission, com.android.externalstorage.documents) for secondary volume access. On Android 10, this requires the user to explicitly grant access via an SAF picker dialog for each volume. If that picker isn't triggered for Android 10 devices, the SD card will never appear.

Android 10 (API 29) is the version where scoped storage was introduced but not yet enforced — it sits in a transition zone where apps that rely heavily on the API 30+ full storage model can silently fail without crashing.

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Suggested Fix Direction

• Ensure the READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE path is used as a proper fallback on Build.VERSION.SDK_INT < Build.VERSION_CODES.R (API < 30)
• Confirm File.listFiles() or direct path access is used for Android 10, rather than relying solely on SAF or isExternalStorageManager()
• Trigger the SAF volume picker for SD card access on API 29 devices