Re: Additions to the iOS/Android Features Document

Frank Slootweg wrote on 17 May 2024 19:34:44 GMT :

My Android phones are all free from T-Mobile and they all have the aux
jack, the FM radio, and the all important portable-storage sd slot.
 
Most iPhone users think the portable storage slot is only for extending the
internal memory - but it's also portable storage - which they can't do.
(Apple wants them to pay for the iCloud so they can save pictures & video.)

 
  I know you like to tout the SD card 'slot' on Android phones, but IMO
using them for *portable* storage, while possible, is not very
convenient.

Thank you for understanding that I _love_ that more than half of all
Android phones in use today still have the SD slot, the aux jack and the FM
radio (if not the removable battery - which I loved just as much as those).

  Much too much fiddling to get the MicroSD card out of a miniscule
'slot' or 'tray' (your Samsung Galaxy A53 probably has a 'tray' (my A51
has)) and insert it in the miniscule 'slot' or 'tray' of the destination
device.

While that is true, what I do is use the PC to set the volume label of the
sd card to "0000-0001" for _all_ my sdcards on _all_ my phones, which is
genius when you realize what that simple act of reformatting allows us.

Notice that EVERY sd card looks alike to Android, so I can pop my sd card
out of my phone and pop it into another phone, and the apps all look at the
same data (which makes migration to a new phone super easy, especially as I
had to return my Samsung Galaxy A32-5G three times to T-Mobile under
warranty because I was rough on the phone - and because I use adb on it).
Do you see the genius in that, Frank>?
1. I use my last known good version of Nova to save my homescreen
2. I use Aurora to automatically save every app I ever installed
3. And I keep everything of value that I can in a sub folder of the
   sd card in all cases, which is /storage/0000-0001/0001/{folders}.

At some point I screwed up the USB-C port (by sleeping on the phone with
the cord plugged in) and T-Mobile replaced it for free (waiving the $20
store replacement procedure by crediting $20 to my bill).

It was trivial to reload the phone exactly as it was prior, with all the
exact apps and their exact versions and their exact locations. The only
thing that had problems were some of the shortcuts, which I never did debug
since it was easy enough to make shortcuts to activities inside apps.

Then I used adb too aggressively (or, I don't know, something else) but the
phone was bricked at one point, so T-Mobile checked it at the store, and by
now it was a $25 warranty fee which T-Mobile also credited my bill for.

This time everything came over perfectly and all the map data, for example,
and pictures, and encrypted database, and the webdav servers, etc., worked
just fine because the phone was using the sd card and all my sd cards are
formatted with the volume label of "0000-0001" so they look alike to the
phone and more importantly (since the phone doesn't care what the volume
label is) they look exactly alike to the apps that use the sd card.

  For portable storage, it's much easier to plug a (compatible)
memory-stick into the USB or Lightning port. There are many such
memory-sticks, most with dual plugs of different types (USB-A, USB-C,
Micro-USB, Lightning).

I understand what you're saying but that's not necessarily portable
storage, at least the way I'm using the word portable for sd cards.

What I mean by portable sd card storage is I can crush my phone to bits,
but as long as the sd card is intact, I can reload another phone with the
same apps (using the nova backup/restore) and when I plug the sd card into
that brand new Android phone, everythign works *exactly* as it did prior!
 Note: Everything stored on the sd card, which is as much as I can
       put on it given it's multiple times the default storage size.

For example, all the map apps which have map data on the sd card in
the /storage/0000-0001/0001/map/osmand/{data} location, still work.

The camera still sees all the old photos. The webdav servers sill see the
same WebDAVWWW root directory. The files apps see the same folders. etc.

That's damn portable, don't you think?

Yes, more expensive than a MicroSD card, but
much, much more convenient.

Heh heh heh... I can do that for free Frank, with my iPad.
It's trivial to turn an iPad into a portable read/write memory stick.

You just have to know how, which probably one in a million people know, but
I wrote multiple tutorials on how to do that Frank. You just forgot.

Please remember, I'm of at least average intelligence and I'm well
educated, which means I find solutions that one out of million can.

  But I understand *why* you are touting the SD card slot on Android
phones, because only Android phones have them, while the memory-stick
approach also works on iDevices, so that ruins your troll! :-)

No. You're wrong on that. Very wrong. You ascribe the wrong motive to me.
That's because your motives aren't as honorable as mine are Frank.

I will always say when the iPhone is better, Frank, if it's better.

For example, in this thread alone I've said the iPhone is more private when
using Google Voice than is Android - did I not? I simply tell the truth.

What you don't remember is I wrote detailed tutorials to make the entire
iPad into a read/write USB stick, Frank - which is a far better as it's
free, and at the same time it doesn't destroy the utility of the iPad.

Never forget that I am not stupid, Frank, and that I'm of at least average
intelligence, and that I find solutions to almost all problems I face.

Probably one out of a million people can do what I can do, Frank.

You don't have to believe it - but I bet you don't know how to turn any
iPad into a read/write USB stick either - so just take that on faith Frank.

Better yet, I'll prove I can do what one out of a million know how to do.
 <https://i.postimg.cc/s2x0f9Js/files14.jpg> Simultaneous linux, win10 & iOS
 <https://i.postimg.cc/g269S8rT/files13.jpg> How does macOS work with iOS?
 <https://i.postimg.cc/pVJf72fN/files12.jpg> iOS hacks very often will fail
 <https://i.postimg.cc/cChf8mx1/files11.jpg> iOS requires hacks just to copy
 <https://i.postimg.cc/9MGdc2s7/files10.jpg> Android is 2-way fast over USB
 <https://i.postimg.cc/mDx3xkp4/files09.jpg> iOS only DCIM & only 1-way copy
 <https://i.postimg.cc/3xcCBngd/files08.jpg> iOS is just a dumb brick on Win
 <https://i.postimg.cc/KjK4nHwf/files07.jpg> Ubuntu is two-way, everything
 <https://i.postimg.cc/Jhmy9KH7/files06.jpg> Ubuntu uses iFuse for its magic
 <https://i.postimg.cc/qqg61Rh8/files05.jpg> Ubuntu, movies _to_ iOS on USB
 <https://i.postimg.cc/QMk7tvZW/files04.jpg> Ubuntu is two way, everything
 <https://i.postimg.cc/d3SGkdgr/files03.jpg> Android is two way, everything
 <https://i.postimg.cc/L8b18Zmx/files02.jpg> iOS "Files" does nothing useful
 <https://i.postimg.cc/NFkXsJ0X/files01.jpg> iOS/Win is 1-way & DCIM only

In summary, I appreciate your help, where I aim to solve (or work around)
any problem that I run into - but first I have to understand how it works.