[Android 4.4]External SD card errors

[Joe]

If you are using android 4.4 you will find that spotify can't access an external SD card and you will get the error message "We found no place to store our data, please check that you have a working SD card and free space".

This is due to restrictions introduced in android 4.4 which prevent apps from accessing a second SD card so, if you are unlucky enough to have a device such as a Samsung which already has an internal SD card, you will get this error.

Spotify is aware of the issue and, for the moment, you can continue enjoying spotify by removing the external SD card and reinstalling spotify. Please be sure to launch spotify to fix the cache on the internal SD card, before reinserting your external card.

[Liam]

Doesn't Spotify save to the internal SD card?

Why wont it save to the internal one if there's an external one present?

Liam

[Joe]

From what I've seen so far, a fresh install will try to create the cache on an external SD card if it detects one but then can't write to it and throws the error message. Removing the external card temporarily should get around this. No doubt things will be clearer once android 4.4 starts rolling out to more users (Samsung Galaxy S4 next?).

[Liam]

That would make sense, although the error message is a bit strange 😕

I've no idea whats next, although Samsung seem to be on the ball with the releases - never seen such a quick update release...

Liam

[Peter__]

My S4 only just got to 4.3 yesterday so guessing I will have to wait a little longer! I do wonder why Google are making these changes.

[Liam]

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@Peter wrote:

My S4 only just got to 4.3 yesterday so guessing I will have to wait a little longer! I do wonder why Google are making these changes.

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Google don't like external SD cards, as it ruins the ecosystem of the Android filesystem, and creates two external storage directories...

Liam

[Joe]

It's part of their plans for world domination as the only other devices which don't have internal SD storage (Moto X and G) will soon be owned by them. I also saw something recently about a proposal to force manufacturers to launch new devices with a version of android not older that 9 months which could kill the market for the cheap Chinese tablets incorporating older chipsets.

[Peter__]

Wouldn't that only apply to androids "approved" by Google though, for access to Google Play (which some cheap tablets don't have anyways)? 

Interestingly, I saw yesterday HTC announced new devices will get all android updates for 2 years:

http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/htc-vows-to-update-android-on-a...

[Joe]

Seems my guess about the S4 may have been right.

http://www.androidpolice.com/2014/02/13/android-4-4-update-is-rolling-out-to-the-sprint-samsung-gala...

[Liam]

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@jwylot wrote:

It's part of their plans for world domination as the only other devices which don't have internal SD storage (Moto X and G) will soon be owned by them. I also saw something recently about a proposal to force manufacturers to launch new devices with a version of android not older that 9 months which could kill the market for the cheap Chinese tablets incorporating older chipsets.

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Google don't own Motorola anymore, they sold it at a major loss...

Liam