How to use the external SD card on Android 5.0 or higher?

Since Android 5.0 it is mandatory to grant explicit write permission to an app to access an external SD card in the device. If you have photos or videos stored on your external SD card, PhotoSync will display them and you can transfer them from your Android device to one of the supported PhotoSync targets, but you cannot store photos in any of the albums on the external SD card or in a new location on the external SD card unless you grant PhotoSync the necessary permissions. You will also not be able to delete photos stored on an external SD card, again, write permission is required. You can recognize the missing write permissions by the error message Forbidden on a device you are using to transfer photos to the external SD card of your Android device. This message is displayed when PhotoSync has been denied access to your external SD card.

PhotoSync is able to detect if your device uses an external SD card. If this is the case, you can see the appropriate settings for the external SD card in the Expert Settings of PhotoSync settings. To give PhotoSync write permission to your external SD card simply follow these instructions:

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Open the PhotoSync settings and then Expert Settings

PhotoSync Expert settings
PhotoSync Expert settings

Tap on Write permissions for PhotoSync on external SD card

A system window opens, in which you have to select your external SD card. Tap the button with the three dashes in the upper left corner to open the sidebar and see your external SD card in the sidebar. Then tap on the external SD card in the sidebar to select it.

Opened sidebar of the Android file selection
Opened sidebar of the Android file selection

The root folder of your external SD card is now displayed in the window. Use this root folder to grant PhotoSync write access to your entire external SD card. You can of course also change to a folder located below the root folder and give PhotoSync write access only to this folder and its subfolders. Tap Select to choose the current folder as the starting point for granting write access to PhotoSync.

Starting point for granting write permissions
Starting point for granting write permissions

The selected file path on the external SD card from which the PhotoSync app is granted write permission for the external SD card is then displayed in the settings below Write permissions for PhotoSync on external SD card.

Display of the selected folder for write permissions
Display of the selected folder for write permissions

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