By on at
Android 11 is going to have a host of fancy new features that we just can’t wait for, and the latest one is a trashing feature for apps using the MediaStoreAPI that chucks files into the equivalent of a PC recycle bin so the user can still recover them.
Google rolled out Scoped Storage with Android 10 last year,which changed the way apps access external storage. It aims to resolve the issue of apps requesting access to the entirety of external storage where users save private media and files, by only allowing them access to their private data directories. However, developers were allowed to opt out of this for their apps if they wanted to. Google has since made some tweaks and is now confident in making Scoped Storage mandatory for apps targeting Android 11.
Image credit: Android Developers/ YouTube
Trashed files will be hidden by default, but can be displayed in apps with edit access, or ones that ask for user consent. The OS will automatically delete trashed files after 30 days. In a bid to keep apps access to user files in check, user consent will be required when they attempt to modify media files they don’t own.
This is clearly geared more towards developers, but will benefit users by limiting app access to files they don’t own, and ensuring users consent is needed before apps start deleting things willy nilly. [XDA Developers]
This article originally appeared on https://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2020/06/android-11-hidden-recycle-bin/
