KitKat

[MarcVI]

Upgraded to Android KitKat on my Samsung S4.

It is not possible to download OsmAnd files to SD card any more.

Known issue in KitKat.

Is there a workaround without having to root my Phone?

Is there an update of OsmAnd solving this issue coming?

[Zsolt Bertalan]

There was a workaround applied a few days ago in the nightly build version. I couldn't test it yet myself. Do you use 1.6.5 or the nightly build?

[Brian D. Ropers-Huilman]

On Thu, Mar 6, 2014 at 6:24 AM, Zsolt Bertalan <herrb...@gmail.com> wrote:

There was a workaround applied a few days ago in the nightly build version. I couldn't test it yet myself. Do you use 1.6.5 or the nightly build?

Ahh! Thanks Zsolt. I also just recently upgraded my GS4 to KitKat (v 4.4.2) and only just discovered OsmAnd. I'm on a plane to Vienna, Austria this Saturday, staying for the next four months, and was really hoping to use OsmAnd's locally cached maps and navigation while there. Like Marc, I was unable to figure out how to get OsmAnd to properly point at the external SD card in my phone. I tried all sorts of things, like moving the folder it created in the device to the external card. Nothing worked. It's good to know it's a real bug and not just me or my phone.

For what it's worth, I'm running OsmAnd v 1.6.5 beta, which is what was available on the Play Store a couple of days ago. I'm sure there's a clear explanation somewhere here in the forum that will instruct me on how to point to a daily build, so I can give that a try. Any hints as to how to do this as a response to this message would be much appreciated, though.

Thanks!

--
Brian D. Ropers-Huilman
612.234.7778 (m)

[MarcVI]

It took me a Google-while to find the nightly build. Installed it and the maps are now downloaded on my internal SD card.

You'll understand that this is not what we want: maps would eat away most of the poor free 6GB of a Samsung S4.

Any possibility to have them on the external SD?

Will then certainly invest in OsmAmd+ as I'm still on the free version to test it out.

[Harry van der Wolf]

You can specifiy in the settings where you want Osmand to store the maps.

Normally it will do this automatically to your SD-card, but I assume this automatic action is not yet functional in the kitkat version.

Harry

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[Zsolt Bertalan]

You can download them from the main OsmAnd website (osmand.net) under Resources/OsmAnd nightly builds. You will need to allow unknown sources in your phone settings.

[Zsolt Bertalan]

On KitKat only the system apps can write to the external SD card. I'm afraid that was intentional by Google, but there is a temporary workaround already applied in the nightlies.

[MarcVI]

Can you please explain what the workaround is?
To install the maps, I can only select out of a list with 2 folders on the internal SD card and /mnt/media_rw/extSdCard which is refused because it does not exist.
Thanks in advance for helping us out of the mess that Google (and Samsung) made with this decision.

[Brian D. Ropers-Huilman]

On Fri, Mar 7, 2014 at 3:07 AM, MarcVI <marc.v...@gmail.com> wrote:

To install the maps, I can only select out of a list with 2 folders on the internal SD card and /mnt/media_rw/extSdCard which is refused because it does not exist.
Thanks in advance for helping us out of the mess that Google (and Samsung) made with this decision.

I have faced the exact same thing as Marc, so very much hope there's a solution. Thanks!

[Zsolt Bertalan]

I'm not sure why it doesn't work. I cannot test it in the absence of a KitKat device. I just realized that OsmAnd doesn't even require the workaround. The files will simply moved to the standard location under Android/data/package name, which is still accessible even in KitKat.

[Max]

Since KitKat applications (without special permissions, like system applications), are not able to write arbitrary to "secondary external storage" (SD card) anymore.
Normal applications are only allowed to write to "secondary external storage" (SD card) to special location:
Android/data/<packagename>

So for OsmAnd:
Android/data/net.osmand

Respectively for OsmAnd+:
Android/data/net.osmand.plus

If you wan't to use "secondary external storage" (SD card) with OsmAnd, currently you have to move your current osmand folder on your "secondary external storage" (SD card) to the mentioned location by hand or create a new folder (with your system file manager, because it has full write access to "secondary external storage" (SD card)).
After that you have to set the full(!) path (without "osmand") to the folder, where your osmand folder is or will be (if you don't copy/move old osmand folder):
Settings -> General -> Storage directory -> Other

For example for Samsung KiiKat devices, full path should be:
/storage/extSdCard/Android/data/net.osmand.plus

By the way, CyanogenMod grants full access to "secondary external storage" (SD card), so you don't have to do anything in this case.

Regards,
Max

[Mats Jonasson]

I'm running Osmand Plus.. Stock Android 4.4.2 on my Galaxy S4 and can't get this to work. I created the directory "/storage/extSdCard/Android/

data/net.osmand.plus" from my file manager on the PC (connected via Kies) and i tested to write (from the PC) a junk file to that directory with success but when i set the path in Osmand settings it tells me it can't store to that location :(

Doing something wrong? Please help..

[MarcVI]

You have to use the standard (installed app upon purchase) phone file manager to create the folder.

[MarcVI]

Just to share a follow-up:

Just purchased the plus edition of Osmand as I have nothing but good experiences with this well designed app.

I was unable to use the folder I created with the free version on my external SD card. Even after renaming it to net.osmand.plus. No write access. Had to create a new folder with that name by means of the stock file manager... And now everything works as a charm.
Simple as that.

(English is not my mother tongue. Sorry for any weird sentence constructions.)

[Andreas Müller]

I have exactly the same problem as Mats Jonasson with osmand+ on my Galaxy S4 with Android 4.4.2.
The folder net.osmand.plus was created in /storage/extSdCard/Android/data with the standard file manager.
I set this folder (/storage/extSdCard/Android/data/net.osmand.plus) in Settings -> General -> Storage directory -> Other,
but when I click on OK, I get an I/O error and that's it.

I would really appreciate if the bug is fixed in the next version, because osmand+ isn't usable for me any more.

[Max]

There is a possible fix now.
Please test latest night build and tell us, if it works.

Regards,
Max

[Max]

Warning:

Since Android 4.4 (KitKat) Android deletes all OsmAnd files (maps, tracks, ...), if they are on external SD card at the new special location (.../Android/data/net.osmand...) and you uninstall OsmAnd or clear OsmAnd app data.

Regards,
Max

[Brian D. Ropers-Huilman]

On Wed, Apr 2, 2014 at 12:33 PM, Max <openstre...@nurfuerspam.de> wrote:

There is a possible fix now.
Please test latest night build and tell us, if it works.

Max, what is the version of that nightly build and how quickly will it roll to beta? I'm a registered beta user and have 1.7.3 from 1 April and I still can't seem to get a folder set right on the SD card that OsmAnd can use. I'm on a stock Samsung Galaxy S4 (U.S. version on Sprint -- SPH-L720) with Android 4.4.2. Thanks!

[Max]

Max, what is the version of that nightly build and how quickly will it roll to beta? I'm a registered beta user and have 1.7.3 from 1 April and I still can't seem to get a folder set right on the SD card that OsmAnd can use. I'm on a stock Samsung Galaxy S4 (U.S. version on Sprint -- SPH-L720) with Android 4.4.2. Thanks!

1.7.3 and current beta are to old, this patch is currently only available in latest night builds, for example:
http://download.osmand.net/latest-night-build/OsmAnd-nightly.apk
http://download.osmand.net/latest-night-build/OsmAnd-default.apk

I don't know, if there will be a beta or if testing night builds is sufficient before release.

Regards,
Max