Re: where are incoming text photographs stored?

On 28/06/2024 20:25, Andrew wrote:

Jeff Layman wrote on Fri, 28 Jun 2024 19:19:15 +0100 :
 

I used your favourite app manager to get information about where Google
puts its messages and any "attachments". It told me the messaging app
was com.google.android.apps.messaging, and the data directory was:
/data/user/0/com.google.android.apps.messaging
>
I tried accessing that with Total Commander, but it was not possible.
Total Commander referred me to
<https://www.ghisler.com/androidspecialfolders.htm>. This states:
>
"Accessing the special folders Android/data and Android/obb
>
Google has recently restricted access to the folders Android/data and
Android/obb to the following two methods:
>
      The built-in "Files" app
      A connected PC or Mac (via USB)
>
Access for other apps like Total Commander has been blocked. This was
done by an update of the "Files" app via Play Store.
>
On Android 13 and older, you can get back access to these folders by
uninstalling all updates of the "Files" app. On Android 14, the newer,
restricted version of the "Files" app is built into the operating system
and cannot be uninstalled.
>
To uninstall the updates of the "Files" app, follow these steps:
>
      Click OK in the Total Commander dialog which warned you about the
blocked access to launch the "Files" app
      Open the list of all running apps (task manager, e.g. by slowly
sweeping up from the bottom of the screen)
      Click on the icon above the "Files" app
      Choose "Info" or "App-Info" or click on the "i" icon (depends on
Android version)
      In the app information, click on the 3 dots in the top right corner
      Click on "Uninstall updates"
>
Android will automatically update the "Files" app again, but you will
not lose access to folders after granting it once."
>
I'm on Android 13 (MIUI 14.0.5), but I'm not going to do the updates
uninstall or use the USB to PC connection. Micky can try it if he wants.

 Hi Jeff,
 We've met before and you've taught me good stuff, which I appreciate.
Everything you said I (think I) fully understand, so please don't think I'm
chastising you - I'm just explaining what you did was right but your
conclusion wasn't correct - as far as I know anyway.
 Andy & Arno (among others) will know this stuff better than I do, but to
help you understand why that data directory did not work for you, please
look at these composite images I just made for you by way of example:
  <https://i.postimg.cc/bvWQHZLx/pulsesms06.jpg>
  <https://i.postimg.cc/rpQ1dhRP/pulsesms07.jpg>
  <https://i.postimg.cc/QtDM3sML/pulsesms08.jpg>
 However, I appreciate you are smart enough to use the Muntashirakon App
Manager to find the location that the app stores its "data". I'm not quite
sure if that's the same thing as where the app stores its messages though.
I think they're different.
 However, I'm not chastising you as I commend you for LOOKING where your
messenger app stores "stuff". I think there may be different kinds of data.
 a. Data specific to the app (e.g., app settings data)
b. Data that is commonly shared with others (e.g., incoming saved media)
 To test that hypothesis, I used the Muntashirakon App Manager to look at
what it says for data for PulseSMS xyz.klinker.messenger Version 5.4.6.2816
(2816) - which is a version before Maple Media bought the open-source app.
 Muntashirakon App Manager said the PulseSMS directories are the following:
  Data Directory: /data/user/0/xyz.klinker.messenger
  Device-protected Data Directory: /data/user_de/0/xyz.klinker.messenger
 Notice that this is NOT the directory where Pulse stores its MMS media:
   /storage/emulated/0/Pictures/Pulse/.
 What this tells me is that if an app has "all files" access, it can store
the data anywhere it wants to (that you give it permission for).
 Notice also that some file managers can't even see /data/user/0/ so that's
why you see a plethora of the best file managers on my Android (as I've
tested all the free file managers long ago and settled on those few).
 ZArchiver for sure can see /data/user/0 but it can't go deeper on my
unrootable Android phone (and likely it's the same on your phone also).
  <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ru.zdevs.zarchiver>
 This alone explains all the results you found, but not your conclusions.
 Hope you take this in a good (constructive) light as I want to some trouble
to document (which takes longer than anything else) the statements I made.

No problem! You've gone into quite some detail and the screenshots make it clear what you've done. I should say, though, that I thought I hadn't come to any conclusion - I'd simply reported what Muntashirakon App Manager (I'll now refer to this as MAM) and Total Commander had found.
I've tried to do a bit more investigating, and despite perhaps not knowing exactly what's going on (no surprise there - android can be pretty opaque at times) I've a few comments.
Firstly, there might be some differences in using PulseSMS and using the built-in Google message app, simply because the first is a downloaded app and the second is a system app. The directories used and access limitations seem to be the same, though (see next paragraph). There might also be differences in how "stock" android and the Xiaomi version behave. The "Files" app mentioned in the Ghisler Total Commander webpage is the Google one, but MAM informs me that "Files" on my phone is a Xiaomi app. However, when Total Commander tells me it can't access the /data/user/0/ directory, it offers access via the Files app. If I allow that, the Files app (I assume the Xiaomi one) says there is nothing in that directory! I guess this accords with your comment about PulseSMS using /storage/emulated/0/Pictures/Pulse/. Unfortunately, if I look at /storage/emulated/0/Pictures/Messages/ it is empty, and I know that at least one picture sent with a message some time ago should be there if that's where Messages stores its "attached" pictures. I still haven't found where that picture is stored.
I must say that I get very confused about message apps storage. MAM informs me there are two apps with "message" in the name. The first is simply called "Messages" (com.google.android.apps.messaging). The Data Directory and Device-protected Data Directory are as you found above - /data/user/0/ and /data/user-de/0/. The second is Phone and Messaging Storage (com.android.providers.telephony). This uses the same Data Directory and Device-protected Data Directory as mentioned above. According to MAM, Data usage for both of these apps is 0B! Yet I have quite a few messages stored, one with a picture. So why is the data usage 0B? It's even more confusing because "Settings" | Message App info tells me that Storage is 0B, but data usage for the Message app is 27.7MB! For the Phone and Messaging Storage app both Storage and Data usage are 0B.
Both "Messages" and "Phone and Messaging Storage" have a permission set for "SMS", so are both used when SMS are sent/received?
Just one final point. MAM finds no app with "sms" in the name, but searching for "mms" it finds MmsService (com.android.mms.service). This app also shows as having 0B for Storage and Data usage, and the only permission allowed is SMS. I thought that an attached picture would use MMS. Is that not correct?
Hope this reply makes some sense... :-)
--
Jeff