7 ms·
Ever since the iphone apple has been trying to make you believe files aren't a thing.
by creaturemachine 11mo ago
Ever since the iphone apple has been trying to make you believe files aren't a thing.
- sussmannbaka 11mo agoIm not sure if Android has caught up but the iOS file explorer app is excellent.
- bigyabai 11mo agoI'm pretty sure that iOS only has a file explorer app because Android supported it. There was almost a whole decade there where Apple pretended that the feature just didn't need to exist.
- kevin_thibedeau 11mo agoTo be fair, Android lacked a stock file browser for much of its existence.
- stavros 11mo agoThe difference is that iOS still doesn't show you the files on your device. It only shows you files in a small area.
- wkat4242 11mo agoI love Android but Android does that too. Apps have their internal storage area which you can't access unfortunately (not without root anyway). Nor system files.
- stavros 11mo agoWhen I had an iPhone (a few months ago), there was no way for apps to see files in the filesystem. I wanted to play some music and I had to copy it over to each of the music player apps separately. Is that not the case any more?
- sussmannbaka 11mo agoThat’s entirely up to the app developer. Of course apps can see files if they’re developed to do that.
- badc0ffee 11mo agoVLC for iOS uses the filesystem. You can add files with Finder (newer macOS), iTunes (older macOS), or the Files app on the phone. You are correct that each app can only see a specific part of the filesystem, unless the apps are by the same developer and part of an App Group.
- TheGoddessInari 11mo agoThere's a difference between "can't see 'special' folders" & "can't access anything but the app-specific storage". iOS loves the latter, while Android lets you organize files mostly normally even if doing highly stupid/discouraging things for power users & some app developers making questionable non-default choices.
- sussmannbaka 11mo agoWhile I bet there’s some technicality I’ll get gotcha’d on, iOS apps do the exact same nowadays.
- bigyabai 11mo agoiOS apps didn't, for the majority of the iPhone's lifespan. I explained this "technicality" upthread: > There was almost a whole decade there where Apple pretended that the feature just didn't need to exist.
- sussmannbaka 11mo agoThe history lesson is appreciated but how does this relate to the current state of the stock file explorer that ships with the OS? I’m using my phone now and not ten years ago. edit: oh, I think I get it. My original post wasn't intended to be read "iOS invented the file explorer, has Android also a file explorer app" (which would be silly, of course) but "when Files app released, the AOSP file explorer that commonly ships as the default was lacking, has this improved (caught up to Files app)"
- Paradigm2020 11mo agoMaybe include the word "default file manager" next time :)). Android is possibility/ (overdose of) options Apple is polished (and late). Different strokes for different folks
- creaturemachine 11mo agoRemember folks, the iphone was released in 2007, and the files app in 2017. Cut & paste? Apple didn't give ios a clipboard until 2021.
- joshstrange 11mo ago> Apple didn't give ios a clipboard until 2021. Apple added copy/paste in iOS 3.0 in 2009
- sussmannbaka 11mo agoAm I supposed to be mad about them not supporting a feature during a time when I didn’t use iOS or is this somehow supposed to impact my current day use of Files app?
- Paradigm2020 11mo ago"Im not sure if Android has caught up but the iOS file explorer app is excellent." ~ you several posts up.
- rcMgD2BwE72F 11mo agoTry connecting to a WebDAV server on File. It's possible but it's shitty. And try using Syncthing on iOS to keep your files synced across devices without having them uploaded to servers you don't control. Also, on Android, you can choose any file explorer. You're stuck with Files and it sucks (but it looks nice).
- sussmannbaka 11mo agoI don’t have one of those! I do have an SMB share mounted that I’m currently playing music from, though, and it’s working perfectly fine.
- raw_anon_1111 11mo agoThe difference is that the Files app works with third party cloud storage providers.
- namtab00 11mo agoNext time you give Android a try, you might like Solid Explorer https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=pl.solidexplorer2 https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=pl.solidexplor...
- raw_anon_1111 11mo agoThe one major issue is that it doesn’t work inside other apps. If I save something in Word, it pops up the standard File dialog and every storage provider available for my iOS device - Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, iCloud Drive, local storage, network drives, and locally connected mass storage devices are available.
- stavros 11mo agoSaying "I'm not sure if Android has caught up" when Android is decades ahead of Apple in that regard is some kind of... something.
- sussmannbaka 11mo agoCertainly wasn’t ahead with the stock file manager that came with my last Android phone.
- stavros 11mo agoWhat about after you spent the two seconds to install a different file manager?
- sussmannbaka 11mo agoGhost Commander was better but I think I still prefer the iOS Files app.
- DANmode 11mo agoYour Samsung or whatever manufacturer bloated trash ≠ Android.
- sussmannbaka 11mo agoI used the AOSP app I think? I’d usually agree with you but in this case I really wanted some more bloat because that one was dire :)
- esseph 11mo agoThat also could have been from the phone manufacturer OR from the carrier. This is why I've avoided non Pixel phones since the Pixel5 came out. None of that 2 or 3 apps for the same thing so everybody can get their ad cut payout.
- BoredPositron 11mo agoStill no smb/webdav/sftp somehow...
- esseph 11mo agoWas the list time you had an Android pre-2017? It was around that time it (Files app) got a major refresh.
- Yizahi 11mo agoWhenever I'm forced to help with iPhones, I'm baffled how hard everything is. And I had my own iPhones previously. Download a file, unpack it and open in an app is an exercise is frustration, and that's just hoping that I will find the file due it being newest. Working with directories and old files properly, like on Android, I'm not sure if its even possible on iOS. And all that with a crappy keyboard with hidden numbers and special symbols, making searching even harder.
- Angostura 11mo agoBecause Apple realised that phone users are interested in photos, videos, contacts, documents, appointments etc. not files
- Gud 11mo agoAnd files…
- babypuncher 11mo agoA file system and its files are a very simple abstraction that lets us organize these exact things. I understand that some people get confused and overwhelmed by a directory structure, but I see that as an education problem, not a UX problem. I was taught all of this in elementary and middle school computer classes in the '90s and early '00s. Having this knowledge early on made me less afraid of my computer, made it feel less like a magical black box, and gave me the confidence to learn more complex topics on my own. Computers become way more capable when the people using them understand fundamentals like directory structures and command line usage. I don't think either of these things are as difficult to learn as reading, writing, and arithmetic (especially if you already have a base level education in those three things). If more "everyday people" just had a little bit more knowledge about these things, they would be able to do way more with their computers with less of a reliance on proprietary solutions that funnel them down whatever path makes someone else the most money.
- 8note 11mo agoits a UX probpem insofar as service providers will decide that since they give you a view over the file system, thats enough. i want file system access, but as a power tool. the 50 clicks through different folders is irrelevant to my most common 5 patterns of use. those should be a single click, or 0 clicks
- brokenmachine 11mo agoI tried out zoxide and fzf ctrl-r history on linux (zsh) recently. Game changers. Where is zoxide for my phone? Why is there so little innovation? Trillion dollar companies can't come up with a single new thing. Or rather, won't come up with a single new thing because they're just useless rent seekers. It's absolutely pathetic.
- rpdillon 11mo agoThe file system is the ultimate API, and it gives the user an enormous amount of control to take data, copy it, back it up, transform it, encrypt it, send it places, restore it, etc. Apple likes to have far more control than that.
- raw_anon_1111 11mo agoYou realize that you can copy files gl and from other providers like Google Drive, Dropbox etc from the files app on iOS just like you do on any GUI and you can also copy files from the iPhone by just plugging in a USB C mass storage device?
- rpdillon 11mo agoNever owned an iPhone, but I have familiarity. Here's Apple's instructions for "exporting" your photos from iPhone. Note: it does not say plug the iphone in and drag the photos from the "Photo" folder to your external device. It says this: > Export photos and videos to an external storage device > You can export photos and videos you took on your iPhone directly to an external drive, a memory card, or other storage device. > Note: For photos and videos that have been edited, the unmodified original version will be exported. > Connect your iPhone to the storage device using the Lightning or USB-C connector, or connect the device directly to your iPhone. > Go to the Photos app on your iPhone. > Select the photos and videos you want to export. > Tap the Share button, then tap Export Unmodified Original. > Tap your storage device (below Locations), then tap Save. Note that you have to request permission from Apple's app before you can actually export the data. The filesystem doesn't gate you this way. https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/import-and-export-photos-and-videos-iph480caa1f3/ios https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/import-and-export-pho... So here's a question: can you export modified versions of photos that have been edited? Well, that seems to be tough. Searching around, you find wild discussions like this: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8567773?sortBy=rank https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8567773?sortBy=rank This is the kind of shenanigans I'm referring to. No access to just copy data from the app. Android has a similar issue with apps, but at least the filesystem is a first class citizen on Android. That is, I can simply copy any photos directly off my phone like it's USB mass storage.
- MangoToupe 11mo agoIos has an app called "Files". Now "bluetooth" I could buy (and I do not miss at all).
- crooked-v 11mo agoThey did a pretty hard reverse on that. There's now a full Files app with integration with other apps (cloud storage, asset managers like Adobe, terminals for SSH transfers, etc). Unfortunately a lot of apps have never caught up and will only save stuff in the pre-Files sandboxes and not the shared local or cloud containers.
- raw_anon_1111 11mo agoWhich apps?
- nosrepa 11mo agoWhat's a computer?
- Gigachad 11mo agoThey have rolled it back over the years. Theres a full files app now, USBs can be easily plugged in to the iPhone, every app that allows exporting allows saving to the files section, etc.
- recursive 11mo agoIt goes farther than that. It dates back to at least iPod and iTunes library synchronizing.
- raw_anon_1111 11mo agoYes - it’s not like they have had a literal app called “Files” since 2017 and if you install apps like Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive etc they all show up in the Files app and are choosable destinations from any app that uses the Files dialog…