Please check this post; I briefly explain the issue.
The mentioned issue has apparently been fixed by @Catfriend1
If you could take a look at this code and pull it into your next release. (Catfriend1 added lots of cool features to his forked version of Syncthing; it would be great if you could consider that for the release branch. Thank you.)
As explained on GitHub, the Android app is in maintenance mode, which means that non-critical fixes aren’t likely to happen unless someone steps in and voluntarily comes up with a pull request.
unless someone steps in and voluntarily comes up with a pull request.
Fair.
But I still think it shouldn’t fall under non-critical fixes. Not being able to sync on external devices is critical, I would say.
Hi, @Catfriend1, I saw your fix. Could you please make a pull request to the og repo?
Side note: The nerd inside me went a little further and tried to replicate what you did. I attempted to make the pull request myself, but I’m not completely sure what other code needs to be fixed to make it work with external storage devices.
Comparing main…LLCodeWiz-patch-1 · LLCodeWiz/syncthing-android · GitHub
There can be different definitions, but in this case, “critical” is basically something that either prevents the app from working at all, issues that could lead to data loss, or adjustments required by Google to keep the app on the Play Store.
Update:
I tried the latest Syncthing-Fork v1.26.1.0 APK from Releases · Catfriend1/syncthing-android (github.com). However, I’m still facing the external devices issue.
I fail to understand why you bump the minimum android version from KitKat+ to 11+ to let the code run. It would run in both cases on Android 11+.
What is the exact problem now? Android’s read only restriction on your device regarding external storage?
If all files access does not help, you can only contact the device ROM vendor (theoretically)
First of all, sorry for any confusion caused by me.
Since my initial research on why it’s not supported on my Android 11 TV, I came across various claims from people stating that on their Android 11 TVs, they can work with external drives with Syncthing just fine.
so upon serching I landed on this thread on github
Based on the above thread, I initially thought the external file picker is not picked up by Syncthing because it was targeted to KitKat. What I got from this comment is that if you just change the Android version, it could work, so it clearly seems it was my mistake.
What is the exact problem now? Android’s read only restriction on your device regarding external storage?
So, coming back to the original question, my exact problem is that with any third-party file manager,
For eg, I used this Material Files | F-Droid - Free and Open Source Android App Repository
I can read and write with my external drive. It means, on my OS level, it is achievable. However, unfortunately, I can’t do the same with Syncthing.
On the Syncthing Android app, using the WEB GUI, I am finally able to sync using an External USB drive. For the solution, please refer to this post.