Mounting/Sharing files with Andriod device

BLizgreat! · 2017-12-23 05:09:37

Abstained from this cause don't really know all that much about Android, started to get really into, lost interest for awhile and haven't resumed as of yet. Though have used enough, connected enough of the suckers and mtp never gave any trouble. Mostly was always as simple as making sure the right settings for it were clicked on the mobile device, plugging it in with usb cord, firing up x-file-manager for easy copy or cut/paste.

Provided a few packages are installed on your OS, should pop right up for you. Do know Android is ridiculous in all it can do, pretty much an app for everything in it. Including no doubt many the file server someone can setup on the phone, even if you strictly want to restrict it to opensource F-droid or whichever, am sure there's still plenty of app-age readily available. Though see no reason mtp shouldn't work out fine.

Ps, yep ... should've kept the trap shut, my gnu/Nixy goodness atm doesn't recognize either android phone ! Arghhh, oh well. May or not bother figuring it out.
PS2, ok got it, not really sure what to suggest though Sector, I was missing both gvfs-backends and gvfs-fuse too and wound up installing a bit of this and that. Phone's worked out-of-box on the Hydrogen-hybrid install but mucho was upgraded on that sucker when the dist-upgrade was done and none of these are Android v 5, not that I can see how that should matter with mtp. In any event just keep chipping at it, just too many ways for gnu/Linux and Android to play nice together, has to be plenty of good solutions for this. Alrighty ... shutting it.

Last edited by BLizgreat! (2017-12-23 07:26:01)

BLizgreat! · 2017-12-23 07:49:14

More babble, fired up the live Hydrogen thumbdrive. The latest version of Android I have 4.4.4 Kitkat phone, worked ootb but noticed a couple packages missing while poking around in live session which may be relevant (or not), one being the gvfs-backends another libmtp-runtime, part of the output of "apt-cache show libmtp-runtime" describes it as doing this

This package provides mtp-probe, a program to probe newly connected
device interfaces from userspace to determine if they are MTP devices,
used for udev rules.

Which this mtp-probe sounds possibly useful in getting that Android device to popup in thunar if it's not/won't. I also did install mtp-tools if it's not already installed on your OS, I assume it has been and part of the this/that I installed also were the following two.

ii go-mtpfs 0.0~git20150917.0.bc7c0f7-1+b2 i386 Mount MTP devices over FUSE
ii jmtpfs 0.5-2+b2 i386 FUSE based filesystem for accessing MTP devices

Forgot to check if they were installed on the Hydrogen iso or not. Well I tried hope this helps ... cause yeah, it's aggravating when someone plugs in an Android phone and the sucker doesn't automatically show up in Thunar's side pane ! Arghhh.

PS AGAIN. ... Newer version of this libmtp-runtime thing in jessie-backports (from Hydrogen live session once more.)

apt-cache policy libmtp-runtime
libmtp-runtime:
Installed: (none)
Candidate: 1.1.8-1+b1
Version table:
1.1.12-1~bpo8+1 0
100 http://ftp.debian.org/debian/ jessie-backports/main i386 Packages
1.1.8-1+b1 0
500 http://deb.debian.org/debian/ jessie/main i386 Packages

So personally if were running BL-Hydrogen and having mtp/Android issues would definitely opt for installing the sucker from there. "sudo apt-get install -t jessie-backports libmtp-runtime". Likely other relevant packages from backports too, if any upgrades are available in those repo's. Still not really seeing why something such as mtp should be overly problematic tho.

Last edited by BLizgreat! (2017-12-23 08:22:10)

Head_on_a_Stick · 2017-12-23 12:18:16

BLizgreat! wrote:

worked ootb but noticed a couple packages missing while poking around in live session which may be relevant (or not), one being the gvfs-backends another libmtp-runtime

Thanks for reporting this but I have just checked our "live" session and that does have gvfs-backends installed (but not libmtp-runtime).

To be honest, I have no idea how the stock BL H/H² system deals with Android devices so I will probably have to investigate some more...

BLizgreat! · 2017-12-23 13:36:04

Yeppers, wasn't talking about BL-Hydrogen but it ( a hybrid BL-H + Stretch OS) automagically dealt with the Android phone as mentioned, the OS (Stretch netinstall) I hadn't bothered checking if any Android devices were recognized/mounted and avail via mtp, they are now and on it I didn't have those gvfs packages mentioned. As shown for apt-cache policy output while in BL-H live session, no libmtp-runtime present on it. May help Sector if he wants to pursue simple mtp for file transfers.

Pretty much the way I've been doing it but again, being gnu/Nix and Android, probably a metric ton of ways to do it. Wouldn't even want to try to list em out. Airdroid (got some favorable mentions in other threads), a server app or whatever on the phone, bluetooth, gawds only know how many others. Mainly though wanted to try and help getting mtp working for Sector11. Seems like the runtime thing may help, don't know for sure and yeppers if this is an issue(lacking this mtp-probe thing). Perhaps evaluate including in the next BL release ? Dunno and for time being lost interest in learning about Android. Did learn enough about the topic to be blown away by all that seems possible with the platform.

Head_on_a_Stick · 2017-12-23 13:52:48

BLizgreat! wrote:

Perhaps evaluate including in the next BL release ?

^ I am looking at this right now 8)

Thanks for the suggestions!

Last edited by Head_on_a_Stick (2017-12-23 13:53:03)

BLizgreat! · 2017-12-23 14:52:16

^ Good deal and make that a correction too, the Kitkat phone did work in live session in Bl-Hydrogen. Sheesh lemme reboot and see about the hybrid-Hydrogen install. Otherwise will have to install some of these packages on it too, to go ahead and get Android/mtp working. Too lil sleep, too much caffeine, the usual.

Edit: Ok confirmed Android Kitkat (v 4.4.4)phone working in both BL-hybrid and Bl-Hydrogen live session, without either of them even having libmtp-runtime installed. Would go ahead and install it just to see, can always remove it later etc. Mentioned a couple of others. I'm confuzzled at this point fellows, arghhhh. Another random thing that occurs, though it was set default in Bl-H live session, in thunar's Edit> preferences > advanced > Volume management > Configure ... a bunch of check-boxes for mount hotplug media when inserted etc.

According to ... history |grep 'apt-get install' these are the packages I installed to get it working in a Stretch netinstall OS.

1898 sudo apt-get install mtp-tools
1916 sudo apt-get install go-mtpfs jmtpfs
1921 sudo apt-get install gvfs-fuse
1924 sudo apt-get install android-libandroidfw
1927 sudo apt-get install gvfs-backends
1929 sudo apt-get install fusefat

And no friggin libmtp-runtime anywhere to be seen. So assume it got pulled as a depend of one of those, though did confirm it's available in stock Jessie and Jessie-backports repos. Also disabled usb debugging and revoked permissions on previous pc's etc. Still mounted fine in Stretch/thunar. Could be diff in Android v 5, I don't see how or why it would be. Ok ... I give up at this point. Hopefully anything in these babblings helps get Sector squared away with Android v 5 and mtp.

Last edited by BLizgreat! (2017-12-23 15:36:26)

devnull · 2018-01-08 12:04:17

My mobile (samsung galaxy W + Cyanogenmod based on android 4.4) connects effortless with my pc, in MTP and as USB drive.

Some other options on top of my head:

For automatic syncing of some important stuff I use syncthing, available on F-Droid for android and for debian with their own repo. Works good so far.

For manual sharing of a number of files, if the cable is more than a couple of meters away from the couch where I am, I fire up a server on the mobile and browse stuff with my pc. There is also an app on F-Droid, share via http, to share single files easily.

Other option is using an usb drive. The most recent kernels (from android 4+) should have the USB OTG option enabled. Your hardware may lack the OTG support, but with a y cable (or couple of cables and some soldiering) it will work. Works for me.

If I had android 5+ I'd also use Termux, in case an easy scp will solve it all.

martix · 2018-01-08 14:34:11

Just for the record regarding iPhones:

Connect via usb, get the device number via

lsusb -v 2> /dev/null | grep -e "Apple Inc" -A 2

and use afc://devicenumber in Thunar (does not work e.g. on SpaceFM).

johnraff · 2018-01-18 08:24:44

Head_on_a_Stick wrote:

BLizgreat! wrote:
Perhaps evaluate including in the next BL release ?
^ I am looking at this right now 8)
Thanks for the suggestions!

If mtp capability would allow BL users to plug in recent android phones ("USB mass storage" access was lost from Android 5 I think) via a USB cable and transfer files OOTB, it sounds well worth including (as long as it didn't involve many megabytes of install or memory-eating daemons).

Last edited by johnraff (2018-01-19 08:35:32)

devnull · 2018-01-18 15:52:13

mtb already works ootb for BL, at least for me, am I missing something?

#21 2017-12-23 05:09:37

Re: Mounting/Sharing files with Andriod device

#22 2017-12-23 07:49:14

Re: Mounting/Sharing files with Andriod device

#23 2017-12-23 12:18:16

Re: Mounting/Sharing files with Andriod device

#24 2017-12-23 13:36:04

Re: Mounting/Sharing files with Andriod device

#25 2017-12-23 13:52:48

Re: Mounting/Sharing files with Andriod device

#26 2017-12-23 14:52:16

Re: Mounting/Sharing files with Andriod device

#27 2018-01-08 12:04:17

Re: Mounting/Sharing files with Andriod device

#28 2018-01-08 14:34:11

Re: Mounting/Sharing files with Andriod device

#29 2018-01-18 08:24:44

Re: Mounting/Sharing files with Andriod device

#30 2018-01-18 15:52:13

Re: Mounting/Sharing files with Andriod device

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