Frustration: Need simpler way to transfer pictures from Samsung Galaxy S3 to Linux

[Fran Jones]

Q: What's the simplest way to transfer multiple pictures from
a Samsung Galaxy S3 to a Linux laptop?

http://www5.picturepush.com/photo/a/13140568/img/13140568.png

I'm frustrated because it just should not be this hard to transfer
a batch of pictures from a Samsung Galaxy S3 to a Linux laptop!

I'm asking here hoping that someone else has already figured out
how to transfer multiple pictures from the Samsung Galaxy S3 onto
Linux (Centos 6).

There are three datapoints that bound the problem:
a) I don't have a data plan (T-Mobile) but I'm on WiFi at home
b) The Samsung Galaxy S3 standard OS is apparently incapable of being
connected by USB cable to the computer (Google apparently removed this
capability in Ice Cream Sandwich).
c) Kies Air works - but for only one file at a time.

Googling for "Kies air won't download multiple files", I find a
bazillion others have this problem - but most answers simply say
to "install Java" on the host PC. Huh? Java is native, I think,
to the Centos 6 (icedtea?).

For example:
http://www.samsung.com/uk/support/usefulsoftware/KIESAIR/JSP
Q: I cannot send multiple files at once
A: Need to install Java – downloadable from the Java homepage
(www.java.com ) in order to transfer multiple files at once
or to upload a file over 100MB.

Using Kies Air, I can easily transfer single files, one by one,
from the Samsung Galaxy S3 to the Centos laptop; but when I select
multiple files, nothing happens. No error. No warning. No messages.
Nothing.

I'm frustrated because it just should not be this hard to transfer
a batch of pictures from a Samsung Galaxy S3 to a Linux laptop!

Q: What's the simplest way to transfer multiple pictures from
a Samsung Galaxy S3 to a Linux laptop?

[J.O. Aho]

On 24/05/13 03:50, Fran Jones wrote:
> Q: What's the simplest way to transfer multiple pictures from
> a Samsung Galaxy S3 to a Linux laptop?

Don't have a S3, but in the S4 you can choose if to use ptp or mtp,
choose ptp. Ptp is better supported in Linux but has the disadvantage
that you can't move file to the device.


--

//Aho

[Fran Jones]

On Fri, 24 May 2013 06:46:17 +0200, J.O. Aho wrote:

> Don't have a S3, but in the S4 you can choose if to use ptp or mtp,
> choose ptp. Ptp is better supported in Linux but has the disadvantage
> that you can't move file to the device.

I don't really know what MTP & PTP are, but I do know, as you intimate,
that MTP is problematic on Linux:
http://androidforums.com/computers/499522-looking-linux-file-transfer-tool-android-4-0-devices.html

It's even worse for Centos, where there are no repositories for MTP RPMs.
yum --noplugins --showduplicates --enablerepo \* --disablerepo c6-media,\*-source,\*debug\* provides "*/mtp"
REPORTS: nothing found

Searching for PTP on Centos:
yum --noplugins --showduplicates --enablerepo \* --disablerepo c6-media,\*-source,\*debug\* provides "*/ptp"
REPORTS: Lots of stuff of the format:
kernel-2.6.32-358.el6.x86_64 : The Linux kernel
Repo : base
Matched from:
Filename : /lib/modules/2.6.32-358.el6.x86_64/kernel/drivers/ptp

But none seem to be what you're suggesting.

Googling for "how to set up PTP on Samsung Galaxy S3", I see this:
"Mount Samsung Galaxy S3 in PTP Mode"
http://forums-web1.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-950820.html?sid=7e0f3c2eaf7c7cb81b422a7ec5a18491

Which I'm trying to figure out.

[tigger]

Fran Jones writted thus:

Use the app 'WiFi file transfer pro', it opens a web server that lets you
upload and download files to/from your S3 over a wireless connection.
It;s a bit slow but it works on mine over to Ubuntu...

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?
id=com.smarterdroid.wififiletransferpro&hl=en
or
http://preview.tinyurl.com/q3ggmdw


--
http://db.tt/aI6WBZ7w

[Java Jive]

It's not an ideal solution, but you asked for the simplest ...

https://www.dropbox.com/install?os=lnx
https://www.dropbox.com/mobile

You can install a Dropbox client on both your phone and on your PC,
and have the two folders automatically remain in sync.

There are other such applications, for example I think All Share is
another, but I've never investigated it.

I use Dropbox for things such as:

Shopping list, so I can check on my phone that I haven't forgotten
anything before heading home - I live a long way from the nearest
town with decent shopping, so it's important to be sure I've
remembered everything.

List of contact numbers, opening times, etc of local facilities such
as the library, health centre, etc.

Literature, so I can read something anywhere, on my phone, laptop,
desktop

Photos taken with the phone. There is one particular disadvantage to
using Dropbox for this though, which is that it changes the format of
the date and time in the names of the photos. For this reason, I have
recently stopped using it for this, and instead copy the photos
directly to a Windows PC.

However, you asked for the simplest, and Dropbox is pretty simple to
use, and effective.

On Fri, 24 May 2013 01:50:10 +0000 (UTC), Fran Jones
<Fran...@is.invalid> wrote:

> Q: What's the simplest way to transfer multiple pictures from
> a Samsung Galaxy S3 to a Linux laptop?

--
=========================================================
Please always reply to ng as the email in this post's
header does not exist. Or use a contact address at:
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[Fran Jones]

On Fri, 24 May 2013 12:25:49 +0000, tigger wrote:

> Use the app 'WiFi file transfer pro', it opens a web server that lets you
> upload and download files to/from your S3 over a wireless connection.
> It;s a bit slow but it works on mine over to Ubuntu...

Thanks for that hint. Late last night I was able to get another, similar
application, to work for multiple files - so I'm giving up on trying to
get Kies Air to transfer multiple files from the Samsung Galaxy SIII to
a Centos PC.

So others pick up where I left off, here's the summary:
~ Connecting the SG S3 by USB cable (fails every time for every Centos 6 user)
~ Connecting the SG S3 by Kies Air (Java fails for multiple files, no errors!)
~ Connecting the SG S3 by AirDroid (Works! Zips up multiple files, slow but OK)
...
~ Connecting the SG S3 by Android FTPServer (suggested, complicated setup)
~ Connecting the SG S3 by WiFi File Explorer (suggested, didnt' work on 1st test)
~ Connecting the SG S3 by WiFi File Transfer (suggested, didn't work on 1st test)
~ Connecting the SG S3 by Total Commander for Android (suggested, untested)
~ Connecting the SG S3 by WiFi file transfer pro (suggested, untested)

Deprecated approaches which would also work to transfer pictures:
~ MicroSD card (shouldn't have to buy storage just to transfer pictures)
~ Dropbox or the cloud (never put personal pictures on the net!)
~ Windows/Mac (shouldn't have to give up on your Centos operating system)
~ Wine/Emulation/Virtual OS (shouldn't have to give up on native Centos)
~ Email them to myself (shouldn't have to do that just to transfer pictures)

< Rant >
Why the Android team removed USB file transfer for Linux users is beyond me!
< /Rant >

[Fran Jones]

On Fri, 24 May 2013 15:11:36 +0100, Java Jive wrote:

> You can install a Dropbox client on both your phone and on your PC,
> and have the two folders automatically remain in sync.

I understand.

For me, transferring my pictures from the phone, to the net, and then
to my PC (which is just an inch away from the phone), is convoluted.

I do realize there are advantages & disadvantages to every method;
but all I really wanted was simple USB file transfer.

In this day and age, for it to be impossible to connect a modern
smartphone to a modern operating system by USB cable, was unthinkable
to me. It boggles my mind that we've given up on the simple answers!

Anyway, regarding the AirDroid workaround to the problem, here are
some screenshots of my tests late last night, so others benefit from
my frustration:

On single files, AirDroid seems to work exactly like Kies Air does:
http://www4.picturepush.com/photo/a/13140997/img/13140997.png

AirDroid seems to get around the multiple files restriction by
automagically creating a single zip file if you select more than
a single picture to upload from the smartphone to the PC:
http://www2.picturepush.com/photo/a/13140995/img/13140995.png

The bad news is that it's almost impossible to pick which pictures
you wish to upload, if those pictures are scattered about:
a) You'll be old & gray before you scroll thru 300 pics
b) Inexplicably, there is no shift+a block-select capability!

The good news is that you check a single box to transfer ALL
your pictures - so that's the workaround if you just need a
few pictures.
http://www3.picturepush.com/photo/a/13141006/img/13141006.png

If you only wanted select pictures, the result is that you
now have to delete the unwanted pictures on Linux; but that's
preferable to the onerous task of uploading just the pictures
you wanted.

SUMMARY:
AirDroid works; but it's not pretty if you only want select files.

[Fran Jones]

On Fri, 24 May 2013 06:46:17 +0200, J.O. Aho wrote:

> Don't have a S3, but in the S4 you can choose if to use ptp or mtp,

> choose ptp. Ptp is better supported in Linux ...

When I asked why USB was removed from the Android OS, this answer
came back, which explains why MTP is the desired protocol.

It also explains why Centos does not support MTP.

(verbatim)
"The MTP protocol switch is a "feature" of Android 4.0 and above.

Older Android phones will still mount as a file system when connected to
USB on CentOS. MTP is a workaround to the problem that USB Mass Storage
serves up a block device in a linear layout over USB. This shows up under
Linux as a raw block device. Unless you're using a disk-level filesystem
such as OCFS2, or all mounts are read-only, it's problematic to safely
have multiple filesystem drivers independently access that disk at the
same time. USB Storage requires the telephone to unmount the memory
device from the telephone so the host computer could then mount it and
transfer files back and forth. That is simply not an option for main
memory but an option for expansion cards.

MTP isn't yet ported to Centos because RHEL deliberately follows older,
more stable versions of software; by extension CentOS also follows older,
more stable versions of software. MTP is new, hence, unsupported on
CentOS"

[Fran Jones]

On Fri, 24 May 2013 15:24:08 +0000, Fran Jones wrote:

> AirDroid works; but it's not pretty if you only want select files.

I was told that AirDroid, despite the "air" in the name, would also work
over a USB cable, but it failed on me:
http://www3.picturepush.com/photo/a/13144096/img/13144096.png

On the phone, when I hooked it up to USB on the Centos laptop, I got:
http://www2.picturepush.com/photo/a/13144115/img/13144115.png

And, then when I tried to run AirDroid, it kept wanting WiFi:
http://www2.picturepush.com/photo/a/13144130/img/13144130.png

[Fran Jones]

On Fri, 24 May 2013 16:25:28 +0000, Fran Jones wrote:

> I was told that AirDroid, despite the "air" in the name, would also work
> over a USB cable, but it failed on me:

UPDATE:
Someone mentioned that the on-the-go cables (http://tinyurl.com/q3tuhov)
might work to transfer files to a full-sized (FAT-only) USB stick:
http://www4.picturepush.com/photo/a/13144222/img/13144222.png

OTG cables can't work for an NTFS USB stick, but at least they're a
potential solution to add wired transfer of pictures from the Samsung
Galaxy S3 to the Centos laptop (albeit in two steps).

Does anyone have experience with the OTG cable on the S3?

[J G Miller]

On Fri, 24 May 2013 15:54:08 +0000, Fran Jones wrote:

> Q: What's the simplest way to transfer multiple pictures from
> a Samsung Galaxy S3 to a Linux laptop?

This issue was discussed last week on the Centos Forum

<https://www.centos.ORG/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=39977&forum=57>

There is nothing preventing you from downloading the latest version of libmtp
and installing that (under /usr/local of course) on your Centos system.

<http://libmtp.sourceforge.NET/>

[J.O. Aho]

On 24/05/13 07:30, Fran Jones wrote:
> On Fri, 24 May 2013 06:46:17 +0200, J.O. Aho wrote:
>
>> Don't have a S3, but in the S4 you can choose if to use ptp or mtp,
>> choose ptp. Ptp is better supported in Linux but has the disadvantage
>> that you can't move file to the device.
>
> I don't really know what MTP & PTP are, but I do know, as you intimate,
> that MTP is problematic on Linux

On the S3 you change the mode the USB works, instead of MTP you set it
to use PTP.

> Searching for PTP on Centos:

> But none seem to be what you're suggesting.

You can use tools like gphoto or digikam to access the images, should be
just plug the phone to the computer and start the application you want
to use (KDE will list applications which can access the content like
digikam and dolphin), you don't need to install anything as it's already
there.

There seems to be an experimental packages for S3 which allows you to
share it as a usb mass storage.
http://www.android.gs/how-to-enable-usb-mass-storage-on-samsung-galaxy-s3-i9300/


--

//Aho

[Fran Jones]

On Fri, 24 May 2013 19:46:19 +0200, J.O. Aho wrote:

> There seems to be an experimental packages for S3

> http://www.android.gs/how-to-enable-usb-mass-storage-on-samsung-galaxy-s3-i9300/

This seemed like a Godsend, until I read the confusing contradictions.

In the introduction, they clearly say:
"It’s very easy to enable USB mass storage and it’s also a safe procedure,
so you will not have to root your device."

Yet, in the "update", they just as clearly say:
"This guide will work only with Samsung Galaxy S3 devices that are rooted"

Do you know if the rooting is necessary or not?
(Note: I've never rooted a device in my life.)

[Fran Jones]

On Fri, 24 May 2013 17:05:39 +0000, J G Miller wrote:

> There is nothing preventing you from downloading the latest version of libmtp
> and installing that (under /usr/local of course) on your Centos system.

If only I knew what I was doing! :)

I've rarely compiled anything successfully as my system always needs
dependencies, which themselves needs dependencies.

I just get myself into trouble when I try, although if it's as simple
as running a "make" file, I can do that.

[J.O. Aho]

On 24/05/13 20:51, Fran Jones wrote:

No clue, the S4 we have is set to use PTP and works fine for us.


--

//Aho

[J G Miller]

On Friday, May 24th, 2013, at 18:54:07h +0000, Fran Jones exclaimed:

> If only I knew what I was doing! :)

We are all beginners at some point and do not know what we are doing ;)

But if we never try, we never progress.

We should not allow the inevitable failures on the journey to
discourage us, but to regard them as new challenges to overcome.

> I've rarely compiled anything successfully as my system always needs
> dependencies, which themselves needs dependencies.

Well in order to compile software which uses libraries, one needs in
addition to the compiler and linker and basic C library development package.
the header files for those extra libraries which are almost always contained
in "development" packages which often have the name library-dev, as well
as the libraries themselves.

So one should read the README or INSTALL file looking for the names
of required libraries and install those.

The INSTALL for libmtp does indeed provide those details

QUOTE

To build libmtp you should only need development files for libusb.
(Often named libusb-devel or similar.) For working with CVS versions
you may need autoconf, automake, libtool, gettext(-devel).

To enable the optional MTPZ support using libgcrypt you need the
libgcrypt library installed as well.

UNQUOTE

On Centos is there not a graphical package manger or the command line
urpmi which will pull in all the other required dependencies if you
try to install say libusb-devel?

Having installed the above requirements, when you then run the configure
script it will check to see if everything needed is present on your system
and if not, the log file will provide details of what is missing, usually
in the form of some_lib.pc pkgconfig file not missing. So to remedy that
you just install the development package for that library.

> I just get myself into trouble when I try, although if it's as simple
> as running a "make" file, I can do that.

Should just be as simple as, provided all the dependencies are installed,
in some temporary directory

tar xvzf libmtp-1.1.6.tar.gz

cd libmpt-1.1.6

./configure

make

and then as root

make install

ldconfig

Hope that helps ...

--

"We will never give in to terrorists." -- Prime Minister Cameron

"But this war, like all wars, must end." -- President Obama

[sms]

On 5/23/2013 6:50 PM, Fran Jones wrote:

> There are three datapoints that bound the problem:
> a) I don't have a data plan (T-Mobile) but I'm on WiFi at home
> b) The Samsung Galaxy S3 standard OS is apparently incapable of being
> connected by USB cable to the computer (Google apparently removed this
> capability in Ice Cream Sandwich).

I think the feature was removed in Jelly Bean. It's still present in Ice
Cream Sandwich, at least on my tablet.

You could also try AirDroid
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sand.airdroid&hl=en>

> I'm frustrated because it just should not be this hard to transfer
> a batch of pictures from a Samsung Galaxy S3 to a Linux laptop!

The carrier and Google want you to use the cloud for everything.

Doesn't the S3 have a MicroSD card? You should just use a card reader on
the laptop.

[Danny D]

On Mon, 27 May 2013 16:52:33 -0700, sms wrote:

> You could also try AirDroid

AirDroid works great. It's a workaround though, as the goal is to transfer
files from the smartphone to the Centos laptop via the USB cable.

> The carrier and Google want you to use the cloud for everything.

Nobody should be forced to put their files on the net just to
transfer them from the smartphone two inches away from the PC.

> Doesn't the S3 have a MicroSD card?

This is another workaround. It probably would work (I don't have
a microSD card but the SGS3 has a slot for one).

BTW, I still haven't accomplished simple connection by wire, but
here's a log update of where I last left off...

$ uname -a
Linux machine 2.6.32-358.6.2.el6.x86_64 #1 SMP Thu May 16 20:59:36
UTC 2013 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux
$ sudo yum install libmtp
==> Package libmtp-1.0.1-2.el6.x86_64 already installed and
latest version
$ sudo yum remove libmtp
==> Removing:
==> libmtp x86_64 1.0.1-2.el6 @anaconda-CentOS-201112091719.x86_64/6.2 695 k
==> Removing for dependencies:
==> rhythmbox x86_64 0.12.8-1.el6 @anaconda-CentOS-201112091719.x86_64/6.2 12 M
==> vlc x86_64 1.1.13-1.el6.rf @rpmforge 60 M
==> Erasing : rhythmbox-0.12.8-1.el6.x86_64 1/3
==> Erasing : vlc-1.1.13-1.el6.rf.x86_64 2/3
==> Erasing : libmtp-1.0.1-2.el6.x86_64 3/3

$ mkdir /tmp/test; cd /tmp/test
$ wget http://home.roadrunner.com/~computertaijutsu/libmtp-1.1.6-0.el6.x86_64.rpm
==> Saving to: “libmtp-1.1.6-0.el6.x86_64.rpm”

I'm not sure what the next step is (either rpm -ivh or rpm -Uvh)
$ sudo rpm -ivh libmtp-1.1.6-0.el6.x86_64.rpm
==> Preparing... ########################################### [100%]
==> 1:libmtp ############################################## [100%]

I'm not sure how to check if it worked or not, so I'll just re-run
this and compare output:
$ sudo yum install libmtp
==> Package matching libmtp-1.0.1-2.el6.x86_64 already installed

Hmmm... I had expected a later version, and, at the same time,
I would have expected the same wording. Neither occurred.
It says it's the same version; but it uses different wording to do that.
But I don't see any errors either, so I'll move to the next step.

Hmm... What is the next step?
I guess the next step is to plug in the Samsung Galaxy S3 via USB
cable and see what happens.

Drat.
Unable to mount SAMSUNG_Android_SGH-T999
Error initializing camera: -1: Unspecified error
http://www5.picturepush.com/photo/a/13169313/640/13169313.png

$ dmesg
==> usb 3-2: new high speed USB device number 3 using xhci_hcd
==> usb 3-2: New USB device found, idVendor=04e8, idProduct=6860
==> usb 3-2: New USB device strings: Mfr=2, Product=3, SerialNumber=4
==> usb 3-2: Product: SAMSUNG_Android_SGH-T999
==> usb 3-2: Manufacturer: SAMSUNG
==> usb 3-2: SerialNumber: < I redacted this >
==> usb 3-2: configuration #1 chosen from 1 choice
==> usb 3-2: ep 0x81 - rounding interval to 32768 microframes, ep desc says 0 microframes
==> usb 3-2: ep 0x83 - rounding interval to 32768 microframes, ep desc says 0 microframes
==> usb 3-2: ep 0x2 - rounding interval to 32768 microframes, ep desc says 0 microframes
==> usb 3-2: ep 0x85 - rounding interval to 32768 microframes, ep desc says 0 microframes
==> usb 3-2: ep 0x3 - rounding interval to 32768 microframes, ep desc says 0 microframes
==> cdc_acm 3-2:1.1: This device cannot do calls on its own. It is not a modem.
==> cdc_acm 3-2:1.1: ttyACM0: USB ACM device
==> gvfs-gphoto2-vo[3575]: segfault at 3 ip 00007f886e7ac290 sp 00007fffacd22980
error 4 in ptp2.so[7f886e78c000+4f000]

I unplug the USB cable, and plug the USB cable back in:
On the desktop, a new entry called 'disk' shows up:
Places->disk
When I click it, I see what "appears" to be the phone.
Clicking again (to take a screenshot) I now see a newer entry below 'disk'
called 'SAMSUNG_Android_SGH-T999'.
http://www4.picturepush.com/photo/a/13169407/640/13169407.png

Clicking on SAMSUNG_Android_SGH-T999 in the file browser, shows what "appears"
to be the phone (except that all folders show up as empty).
http://www5.picturepush.com/photo/a/13169408/640/13169408.png

It looks like the libmtp RPM worked but I'm not sure of the use model to
access the picture data on the cellphone (or any data on the cellphone,
as all directories show as empty when I click on them in Centos).

[sms]

On 5/28/2013 1:10 AM, Danny D wrote:
> On Mon, 27 May 2013 16:52:33 -0700, sms wrote:
>
>> You could also try AirDroid
>
> AirDroid works great. It's a workaround though, as the goal is to transfer
> files from the smartphone to the Centos laptop via the USB cable.
>
>> The carrier and Google want you to use the cloud for everything.
> Nobody should be forced to put their files on the net just to
> transfer them from the smartphone two inches away from the PC.
>
>> Doesn't the S3 have a MicroSD card?
> This is another workaround. It probably would work (I don't have
> a microSD card but the SGS3 has a slot for one).
>
> BTW, I still haven't accomplished simple connection by wire, but
> here's a log update of where I last left off...

Did you see this <http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2055563>

Simple connection by wire is no longer simple.

[Fran Jones]

On Tue, 28 May 2013 07:14:50 -0700, sms wrote:

> Did you see this <http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2055563>
> Simple connection by wire is no longer simple.

Wow. And that's for *Debian based distros*.
Since Centos, which is what I'm on because of my employer, is a Redhat
based distro, it's even harder (nigh, near impossible).

At this point, I'm ready to give up as the segfault with gvfs-photo2
means that, on Centos, rebuilding and installing simple-mtpfs is the
next step.

I'm just a regular user ... so I'm in way over my head now.

[generic name]

The use of a usb cable hasn't been removed in 4.1.1 jelly bean; still
usable on my Acer Tablet; have backed up my books from the Acer to
the win7 desktop. Haven't tried it on my Samsung Tab 2 7 as it is used
only for remote control of my media hardware, so far; however, I bought
a SiiG adapter for the Tab 2 that has a micousb for charging, usb port
for usb & a slot for sd cards.

You might go to google apps & look for ftp apps; I've got the freebie
anyftp that is just a client & think that the pay version might have
"server" side also. There are many ftp apps available for the android
& think that the pay version has server capabilities; I might look into
that, one day, as I've found that the ftp client works very well & is
more convenient than dragging out the usb cable.

[Fran Jones]

On Tue, 28 May 2013 15:49:52 +0000, generic name wrote:

> The use of a usb cable hasn't been removed in 4.1.1 jelly bean; still
> usable on my Acer Tablet; have backed up my books from the Acer to
> the win7 desktop.

I didn't know any of this when I started ... but ...

From my understanding, Android moved to MTP in 4.1.1, and, luckily
for Windows users, MTP is on Windows already. It's also on Mac.
And, most Linux distributions have it also (although it's widely
seen to be problematic).

It's mainly on the Redhat variants where MTP has not been
ported yet - hence, connecting an Android phone by USB to a
computer will work for all the non-Linux users, and, for
most of the Linux users (albeit not easily).

It just won't work for me (on Centos, which is a redhat variant).
I'm extremely close to giving up, so, if you don't hear back
from me, that's why.

Thanks everyone for the help!

[sms]

On 5/28/2013 2:18 PM, Fran Jones wrote:
> On Tue, 28 May 2013 15:49:52 +0000, generic name wrote:
>
>> The use of a usb cable hasn't been removed in 4.1.1 jelly bean; still
>> usable on my Acer Tablet; have backed up my books from the Acer to
>> the win7 desktop.
>
> I didn't know any of this when I started ... but ...
>
> From my understanding, Android moved to MTP in 4.1.1, and, luckily
> for Windows users, MTP is on Windows already. It's also on Mac.
> And, most Linux distributions have it also (although it's widely
> seen to be problematic).

The difference is that while mode still exists, Mass Storage Mode
doesn't. It's inconvenient, even on Windows, to use MTP mode when you
were use to the advantages of Mass Storage Mode.

I thought that the Galaxy S3 has PTP mode.

If so, put the phone in PTP mode.

Look at the thread at <https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=671906>

[Fran Jones]

On Thu, 30 May 2013 14:04:33 -0700, sms wrote:

> I thought that the Galaxy S3 has PTP mode.
> If so, put the phone in PTP mode.

> https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=671906

The bug report doesn't show *how* to put the Samsung Galaxy S3
in "PTP" mode (which I know nothing about).

Googling "How to put samsung galaxy s3 in ptp mode", I find:
http://www.samsunggalaxys3forum.com/forum/samsung-galaxy-s3-help/1619-can-someone-tell-me-how-put-my-phone-ptp-mode.html

1. Connect the phone (to the Mac)
2. Pull down the notification bar
3. Tap on the connection
4. Select PTP mode

When I tried that on Linux:
1. Connect the phone by USB to Centos 6 (this pops up first):
http://www3.picturepush.com/photo/a/13198631/img/13198631.png
2. Pull down the notification bar (Connected as a media device):
http://www3.picturepush.com/photo/a/13199411/img/13199411.png
3. Tap on the Ongoing connection:
http://www4.picturepush.com/photo/a/13199412/640/13199412.png
4. Select PTP mode:
http://www3.picturepush.com/photo/a/13199481/img/13199481.png
5. The Samsung Galaxy S3 is now in "Connected as a camera":
http://www1.picturepush.com/photo/a/13199514/img/13199514.png

Hmmm... this pops up again, on the Desktop:
http://www3.picturepush.com/photo/a/13198631/img/13198631.png

But, wait! This then shows up in the menus in a few seconds:
http://www5.picturepush.com/photo/a/13199313/img/13199313.png

And, for the first time, the folders are no longer zero size:
http://www5.picturepush.com/photo/a/13199358/img/13199358.png

Pensively, I click on the DCIM folder, hoilding my breath:
http://www1.picturepush.com/photo/a/13199374/img/13199374.png

Voila! You're a genius, and a Godsend for all Android users!

PS: I'm not sure if there is a graceful way to disconnect;
and, I'm not sure if I should leave it in PTP mode; but, the
good news is that single and multiple photo transfer by USB
wire now works, in PTP mode, on the Samsung Galaxy S3!

PS: Are you the same guy as the pool genius on a.h.r?

[sms]

On 5/31/2013 9:54 AM, Fran Jones wrote:

<snip>

> Voila! You're a genius, and a Godsend for all Android users!
>
> PS: I'm not sure if there is a graceful way to disconnect;
> and, I'm not sure if I should leave it in PTP mode; but, the
> good news is that single and multiple photo transfer by USB
> wire now works, in PTP mode, on the Samsung Galaxy S3!
>
> PS: Are you the same guy as the pool genius on a.h.r?

Yes.

Knowing everything about everything is an awesome burden but I humbly
accept that burden in service of my fellow man.

[Fran Jones]

On Fri, 31 May 2013 10:34:44 -0700, sms wrote:

> Knowing everything about everything is an awesome burden
> but I humbly accept that burden in service of my fellow man.

And, you do it well!

Thanks.

In the end, the PTP solution was so elegantly simple!

The phone shows up like a camera would, once connected:
http://www2.picturepush.com/photo/a/13200920/img/13200920.gif

With your advice, the solution was as simple as your a.h.r
suggestion to buy HASA liquid chlorine in eight-for-four bulk
with a perennial coupon that only you knew existed!

Thanks! From one Silicon Valley resident, to another:
I'm impressed. And indebted.

[Fran Jones]

On Fri, 31 May 2013 18:39:46 +0000, Fran Jones wrote:

> In the end, the PTP solution was so elegantly simple!

Well, maybe not as simple as it would at first appear.

In order to be thorough, I wanted to write up a summary to
help others; so, to see if it was the updated libmtp that
made the difference, I ran the following:

$ sudo yum remove libmtp (this removed the updated libmtp)
$ sudo yum install rhythmbox (this installed the old libmtp)
(& replaced the missing rhythmbox)
$ sudo yum --enablerepo rpmforge install vlc (this replaced VLC)

Then, I plugged in the Samsung Galaxy S3 by USB cable
(with the media mode set to PTP camera mode).

Drat!
Nothing happened.

Lesson learned: The solution requires more steps, which may be
(at the very least)
a) Update libmtp on Centos
b) Switch the Android 4.0.4 phone from MTP to PTP (camera mode).
c) ? unknown other steps ?

Luckily, I documented all the steps performed in the past few
weeks so I simply repeated the successful ones.

Namely, I removed the old libmtp again (see previous posts in this
thread for details) and re-installed the new libmtp, but, nothing
showed up when I plugged in the phone by USB cable.

Hmmm... So I rebooted the Centos laptop to see if that made a
difference.

OK, I rebooted, and PTP mode is working again.

So, this seems to be the sequence for the next person to
follow in our footsteps on Centos 6 with an Android 4.0.4 phone:
1. Remove the original libmtp
NOTE: This will remove rhythmbox and vlc & any other program
with dependencies on libmtp)
2. Update libmtp with Scott's libmtp
3. Reboot the Centos6 PC <== this is an important step!
4. Switch the Android 4.x phone from MTP to PTP mode (if not already)
5. Connect the Android phone by USB cable

The one problem I'm having now is that I can't re-install
rhythmbox & vlc.

This failed after the newer libmtp was installed:
$ sudo yum install rhymthbox
==> Error: Package: rhythmbox-0.12.8-1.el6.x86_64 (base)
==> Requires: libmtp.so.8()(64bit)
==> Available: libmtp-1.0.1-2.el6.x86_64 (base) libmtp.so.8()(64bit)
==> Installed: libmtp-1.1.6-0.el6.x86_64 (installed) Not found
==> You could try using --skip-broken to work around the problem
==> You could try running: rpm -Va --nofiles --nodigest

Not knowing how to proceed, I vainly tried the suggested
"--skip-broken" option, but it simply skipped the install
altogether:
sudo yum install rhythmbox --skip-broken
==> Processing Dependency: libmtp.so.8()
==> (64bit) for package: rhythmbox-0.12.8-1.el6.x86_64
==> Packages skipped because of dependency problems:
==> rhythmbox-0.12.8-1.el6.x86_64 from base

So, I guess the question is:
Q: How do I install rhythmbox & vlc with the newer libmtp?

[Fran Jones]

On Fri, 31 May 2013 20:51:11 +0000, Fran Jones wrote:

> So, I guess the question is:
> Q: How do I install rhythmbox & vlc with the newer libmtp?

Funny thing. Why should libmtp be required for PTP anyway?

[Fran Jones]

On Fri, 24 May 2013 01:50:10 +0000, Fran Jones wrote:

> Q: What's the simplest way to transfer multiple pictures from

> a Samsung Galaxy S3 by USB cable to a Linux laptop?

Here's a summary that I *think* is correct.

0. The real solution is to have libmtp updated by the Redhat
developer community so that MTP (media) mode works; until then,
the PTP (camera) mode setup is an effective workaround - if you
know the tricks described below.

1. You apparently need to connect the phone at least once in order
to even *see* the GUI for switching from MTP mode to PTP mode; so
after you switch from MTP mode to PTP mode, make sure you reboot the
Centos PC with the phone disconnected from it.

2. You apparently do *not* need the updated libmtp RPM to
use PTP mode; so your rhythmbox and vlc programs should be
unaffected by this MTP->PTP workaround

3. You apparently *must* unlock your phone before connecting
it to the Centos PC; and if you connect without unlocking, you
may have to start all over with a Centos PC reboot (why this is
the case is beyond me but don't fight it; just reboot the PC and
remember to unlock the phone before connecting it to the PC).

4. Once the phone is permanently in PTP mode, and the Centos
PC has been rebooted without the phone being connected, you
can *unlock* the phone, and then connect it to the Centos PC;
and the result should be your file system on the phone
being accessible on the Centos PC.

In my test just now, there was no error message whatsoever!
The workaround sounds so easy, in retrospect! :)

[Fran Jones]

On Sat, 01 Jun 2013 15:22:03 -0400, Scott Robbins wrote:

> marcofalchi.blogspot.com/2012/02/android-ics-usb-storage-on-fedora-16.html
> downloaded the tarball from the link on the page, ran .configure && make &&
> sudo make install.
> As for libmtp, rpm -qi shows that I'm using the standard CentOS one.

The good news is that it appears there are now two decent solutions:
1. PTP (camera) mode, enabled on the smartphone to work with Centos 6
2. MTP (media) mode, enabled by adding mtpfs to Centos to work with the phone
.. neither of which appears to need the newer libmtp (which is a good thing).

[Ian Targer]

On 05/23/2013 08:50 PM, Fran Jones wrote:
> Q: What's the simplest way to transfer multiple pictures from

> a Samsung Galaxy S3 to a Linux laptop?
>

If you get desperate (like I did), you can go to your nearest Walmart
(or order online) a card reader. Mine was US$11.00. The brand is a
Vivitar. I plugged it into the USB port and viola! the directories
showed up in Konqueror.

I am sure there are better solutions that do not include purchasing
extra hardware, but for me, the eleven dollars was worth it. Please
post back if you find a software only solution.

Ian

[grinch]

On 29/06/13 01:10, Ian Targer wrote:

I have a galaxy S2 so this may not work with your S3 and I use KDE4.10
OpenSuse12.3 out of the box install.

Follow this path on the phone

Settings,more settings,usb utilities, usb mass storage,

Press connect storage to PC

Connect micro usb cable between computer and phone

The press "Turn on usb storage" wait until connected.

In KDE 4.10 anyway the phone is now a usb disk ,it works even when the
screen lock is on

[J.O. Aho]

On 29/06/13 11:45, grinch wrote:
> On 29/06/13 01:10, Ian Targer wrote:
>
> I have a galaxy S2 so this may not work with your S3 and I use KDE4.10
> OpenSuse12.3 out of the box install.
>
> Follow this path on the phone
>
> Settings,more settings,usb utilities, usb mass storage,

Issues is that the S3/4 do not have usb mass storage support, there is a
3rd party application which can give this functionality but do not work
for everyone. The S4 there is no real solution to mount it as UMS.

In the USB settings you can switch to PTP mode, which will work like
many cameras and in Linux you will be able to access the content out of
the box, but PTP do not support storing data on the device, just fetch
from it.

--

//Aho

[Angel A.]

On Sat, 29 Jun 2013 17:21:42 +0200, J.O. Aho wrote:

>> Settings,more settings,usb utilities, usb mass storage,
>
> Issues is that the S3/4 do not have usb mass storage support

Exactly!

[Fran Jones]

On Sat, 29 Jun 2013 17:21:42 +0200, J.O. Aho wrote:

> PTP does not support storing data on the device, just fetch
> from it.

I had not realized that.

So the PTP workaround is only half a workaround to the problem.

[kar...@gmail.com]

Currently copying pictures and videos from S3 to Acer Aspire laptop.

- Created Pics and Vids folder on Desktop
- Connected USB cable from S3 to laptop.
- Opened: Computer/SGH-1747M/Phone/DCIM Clicked on Camera file then Copy. Clicked on Pics and Vids Folder on Desktop. Clicked Paste. Progress Box said, " Estimated Time: 1Hr : 30 Mins." It completed in under 10 Minutes. Presently viewing copies of several hundred pics transferred successfully. Next stop, Videos. Gonna clear some space on S3. :) Note: I used Copy mode rather than Cut mode just in case.