Secure folder: applications within cannot access files (with One UI 8.0)

[Members_B7eDkb7]

After a recent upgrade to One UI 8.0, programs within Secure Folder cannot access files also within Secure Folder. 

In particular, the Secure Folder versions of Snapseed (photo editing), Protonmail, and Discord cannot find secured files.  Google photos, and Samsung Gallery seem unaffected.

Any help?

[bawaji]

Got a response to my issue report.

"This issue need to check to Google documentsUI. So I registered this issue to Google issue tracker. We'll update it after check by Google"

Hope Google helps fix the issue soon.

[lion032]

A temporary solution was found!

It worked for me.

https://www.reddit.com/r/oneui/comments/1nvwurz/comment/nj8o7oe/

[mcnooge]

same issue, it's crazy they haven't responded. any app within secure folder that has a file picker, does not access the secure file system but instead the non secure file system.

[Members_prtGMVg]

Hey yall!!!

I magically got it working somehow. It got fixed once I degraded the Files app in settings from version 16 to 15. Both inside and outside the Secret Folder. 

I also installed files by Google in my secure folder.

I also installed an apk called "documentsUI 14" from apkpure into the secure folder.

Then I cleared cache and data for all apps that were having problems, and finally from the secure folder itself.

Then I restarted my phone and it all works - So I'm not sure what's the specific reason it got fixed... But I'm able to access files as usual now.

[DangerMouse25]

Hi, I suspect it's due to you swapping out to the documentsUI 14 apk.

Samsung have identified the issue is here. Though personally I'm not sure I'd want to trust a side-loaded APK running in my Secure Folder. 

[Neo112]

Yes the documentsui 14 people are using is a modified apk. They modified the version identifiers so it can install on top of any files(documentsui) ap. It uses old api calls to get around the permission issues present in android 16 files. I don't trust it so I haven't installed it yet. I fear some malicious codes in there somewhere especially if apk pure and other sources are passing the file around as a "genuine" google apk.

I've attached the virus total results of the file. It was considered "clean" by virus total, but its (hash I'm guessing) matches with several distributed file names. Some of those matches have names that acknowledge the files is hacked or modified.

[bawaji]

Like you, I don't believe it is worth the risk to side load apks from unofficial sites into the Secure folder. I plan to wait for Google/Samsung to fix the issue with an official update.

[the_dude_himself]

Why did you not do it one by one and check after each step? 😉

[bawaji]

@lion032, @Members_prtGMVg, Glad you got it working for you!

[Chorm]

I'm also still having this issue, just like everyone else.

I use Clip Studio Paint within the secure folder to illustrate, and I need to import reference images into the app so I can view them- only now I can't do this anymore. Clip Studio Paint is able to select "open from secure folder," via the import option, but upon doing so, the Samsung file viewer only opens files accessible OUTSIDE of the secure folder instead. Meaning, I'll have to transfer my reference images OUTSIDE of the secure folder (which, no longer makes them secure...) and then import them to Clip Studio Paint INSIDE of the secure folder, which can then access the NON-secured photos, because they can't otherwise.

For the love of all that is holy in this world: please at least address and provide a fix for this issue. Your Tab S9 is already unfriendly enough when it comes to the S-Pen versatility and functionality, so f*cking up with files in addition to having a funky S-Pen "handwriting mode" that doesn't even work in this notorious illustration app, just feels like I'm trying to brute-force drawing on something that isn't meant to be easily drawn on. It's a headache.