I'm posting with a new toy, a Lenovo Tab K10 that's so far been
updated to Android 12. It has an unusual problem. The built in device
Files app doesn't show up in the all-files screen and thus can't be
put on a regular screen. However it does show up in the Settings All
Apps list. I can use it from there but that's a royal PITA. The
Google Files app came installed of course and works as it's supposed
to and I can use it but still the device's Files app's apparent bug
bugs me...
AJL <noemail@none.com> wrote:
I'm posting with a new toy, a Lenovo Tab K10 that's so far been
updated to Android 12. It has an unusual problem. The built in device
Files app doesn't show up in the all-files screen and thus can't be
put on a regular screen. However it does show up in the Settings All
Apps list. I can use it from there but that's a royal PITA. The
Google Files app came installed of course and works as it's supposed
to and I can use it but still the device's Files app's apparent bug
bugs me...
Maybe it got hidden. Different brands of phones have different
settings. On my Samsung A36, I go to:
Settings -> Home screen -> Hide apps on Home and Apps screens
Else, you can go into settings and search on "hide".
There are listed the apps which I can select will not show on the Home
or Apps screens. There are bundled apps that cannot be uninstalled
(except possibly using ADB to uninstall packages), but can be disabled
(not all of them since Samsung commands some will remain enabled). I
disable their notifications, and anything I can about them, and then can
hide them.
While My Files may not be in the app drawer, a workaround to get it
added to a home screen is to add it in a group. When you drag one home >shortcut atop another, a group gets created. When you open the group,
there is a "+" icon to let you add more shortcuts within the group
(another way is to drag into the group). After tapping "+", a list of
apps appear that you can add. My Files should be listed, so select it
to add. You can either leave the My Files shortcut in the group, like
one titled Tools, or drag it out of the group onto a home screen.
AJL wrote:
The built in device Files app doesn't show up in the all-files
screen
You mean the App Drawer?
and thus can't be put on a regular screen. However it does
show up in the Settings All Apps list. I can use it from there but
that's a royal PITA.
Don't suppose the Files App provides a 1x1 widget? if it does, adding
that to the home screen would get the effect you want ...
On 1/26/26 11:28 AM, Andy Burns wrote:
AJL wrote:
The built in device Files app doesn't show up in the all-files
screen
You mean the App Drawer?
Yup. I forgot what it was called.
AJL wrote:
I don't see anything about widgets in the Apps/All Apps/Files folder.
Long press an empty part of the Home screen
My problem is that there is no local Files icon anywhere to work with. And
since I forgot how I got that choice notification of which files app to use
I now can't get the local Files app to activate at all.
Further I'm starting to smell a rat. Upon checking my other Topsand N8
tablet toy (Android 14) it does the exact same thing. I had not
noticed it before. Since they were both Googleized when I got them I
think I know who the rat is...
It's no biggie since the Google Files app works just fine. It just
bugs me. The local Files app is there in all respects except it won't
open.
AJL <noemail@none.com> wrote:
On 1/26/26 11:28 AM, Andy Burns wrote:
AJL wrote:
The built in device Files app doesn't show up in the all-files
screen
You mean the App Drawer?
Yup. I forgot what it was called.
Don't worry about it, just yet another non-standard thing! :-(
Samsung calls them the 'Home screen' and 'Apps screen' (both with
multiple sub-screens). On Samsung, a Settings search on 'drawer' comes
up empty.
[...]
AJL wrote:
I'm posting with a new toy, a Lenovo Tab K10 that's so far been updated to >> Android 12. It has an unusual problem. The built in device Files app
doesn't show up in the all-files screen and thus can't be put on a regular >> screen. However it does show up in the Settings All Apps list. I can use it >> from there but that's a royal PITA. The Google Files app came installed of >> course and works as it's supposed to and I can use it but still the
device's Files app's apparent bug bugs me...
Hi AJL,
I am confused by that description, so I'm simply gonna assume (for now, >unless corrected) that you think you have a package installed, and yet
there is no icon for you to launch that package, which is very common.
I have over a thousand packages installed, for example, on my 64GB Galaxy >but, oh, I don't know, only half of that (or fewer) have homescreen icons.
I had tested all the free "app drawer" apps years ago and found every one >lacking so the way I'd go is I'd use Muntashirakon App Manager to find it.
If it's installed in the system or user space, Muntashirakon should see it.
1. Once Muntashirakon sees it, it can launch it.
2. Once Muntashirakon sees it, it can create a homescreen shortcut to it.
If you don't want to install Muntashirakon, adb should be able to see it.
adb shell pm list packages | findstr /i files
If Muntashirakon and/or adb doesn't see it, then it's not there.
AJL <noemail@none.com> wrote:
My problem is that there is no local Files icon anywhere to work with. And >> since I forgot how I got that choice notification of which files app to use >> I now can't get the local Files app to activate at all.
But you can still open the Google Files app? If you selected it as the >default, go into settings to see which apps are designated as the
default for each category.
When I look at my default apps, [My] Files is not listed nor a category
for file management (no such category); however, in installing Google
Files and making it the default, maybe a new category got added to the >default apps list.
You said you installed Google Files. You can't use that?
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.nbu.files
I've not installed nor used it, so I have no experience if it is better
than the file manager bundled on the phone by Samsung (my phone) or
Lenovo (your Android platform).
Further I'm starting to smell a rat. Upon checking my other Topsand N8
tablet toy (Android 14) it does the exact same thing. I had not
noticed it before. Since they were both Googleized when I got them I
think I know who the rat is...
It's no biggie since the Google Files app works just fine. It just
bugs me. The local Files app is there in all respects except it won't
open.
You sure there was a bundled file manager on the Android device when you
got it new?
https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/glossary/file-manager/
There was not a link to download their file manager app. The Lenovo Tab
K10 was discontinued, so I couldn't find a link for support that might
have a download. Eventually I found:
https://pcsupport.lenovo.com/us/en/products/tablets/k-series/tab-k10/downloads?linkTrack=Caps%3ABody_SearchProduct&searchType=0&keyWordSearch=
but no downloads for apps, drivers, or other software. Just an update
link. You might check at their forums at:
https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/Lenovo-Android-based-Tablets-and-Phablets/bd-p/lt02_en
Could be Lenovo dumped their file manager, and opted to distribute the
one from Google.
I'm posting with a new toy, a Lenovo Tab K10 that's so far been updated to Android 12. It has an unusual problem. The built in device Files app
doesn't show up in the all-files screen and thus can't be put on a regular screen. However it does show up in the Settings All Apps list. The Google Files app came installed of course and works as it's supposed to and I
can use it but still the device's Files app's apparent bug bugs me...
Apparently the 'problem' has been around for quite awhile. My 6 year old
Samsung Galaxy S10+ phone does the same thing. The LOCAL Files app is shown
in settings as "installed" but is NOT in the App Drawer and I see no way to
put it there or to open it. However The "Google Files" app AND the Samsung
"My Files" app are in the drawer so guess the designers probably figured I
didn't need 3 Files apps.
Give your stuff a check and see what you find...
AJL <noemail@none.com> wrote:
[...]
Apparently the 'problem' has been around for quite awhile. My 6 year old
Samsung Galaxy S10+ phone does the same thing. The LOCAL Files app is shown >> in settings as "installed" but is NOT in the App Drawer and I see no way to >> put it there or to open it. However The "Google Files" app AND the Samsung >> "My Files" app are in the drawer so guess the designers probably figured I >> didn't need 3 Files apps.
Give your stuff a check and see what you find...
Indeed, on my Samsung Galaxy A56 (Android) there is indeed a 'Files'
app in the (Settings ->) 'Apps' list. (And I of course have the Samsung
'My Files' app. I do not have the 'Google Files' app.)
BTW, contrary to your other post, I do not have to "Toggle Show system
apps to ON" to see the mystery 'Files' app. I already saw it, before I >toggled the switch to ON.
Mystery solved.
On 1/27/26 8:37 AM, Frank Slootweg wrote:
AJL <noemail@none.com> wrote:
[...]
Apparently the 'problem' has been around for quite awhile. My 6 year old >> Samsung Galaxy S10+ phone does the same thing. The LOCAL Files app is shown
in settings as "installed" but is NOT in the App Drawer and I see no way to
put it there or to open it. However The "Google Files" app AND the Samsung
"My Files" app are in the drawer so guess the designers probably figured I
didn't need 3 Files apps.
Give your stuff a check and see what you find...
Indeed, on my Samsung Galaxy A56 (Android) there is indeed a 'Files'
app in the (Settings ->) 'Apps' list. (And I of course have the Samsung
'My Files' app. I do not have the 'Google Files' app.)
BTW, contrary to your other post, I do not have to "Toggle Show system
apps to ON" to see the mystery 'Files' app. I already saw it, before I >toggled the switch to ON.
Yup, me too. My Files app on this Lenovo tablet is listed in plain sight in
the all apps list. That 'toggle system apps on' was just one cut and paste
solution I found for a particular device as an example of the very common
'bug' I didn't know existed.
Mystery solved.
Not for me cause I actually got my Files app to open on this tablet. And it
worked. I just can't remember how. Somehow I tapped something and got the
popup 'Open in Files, Open in Google Files, Always use this app. I picked
Files and it worked fine. So the mystery is what did I push to open that
choice. And if I had picked Always use this app would the local Files start
working? Lotsa mystery left...
On January 27, AJL <noemail@none.com> wrote:
On 1/27/26 8:37 AM, Frank Slootweg wrote:
AJL <noemail@none.com> wrote: [...]
Apparently the 'problem' has been around for quite awhile. My
6 year old Samsung Galaxy S10+ phone does the same thing. The
LOCAL Files app is shown in settings as "installed" but is NOT
in the App Drawer and I see no way to put it there or to open
it. However The "Google Files" app AND the Samsung "My Files"
app are in the drawer so guess the designers probably figured I
didn't need 3 Files apps.
Give your stuff a check and see what you find...
Indeed, on my Samsung Galaxy A56 (Android) there is indeed a
'Files' app in the (Settings ->) 'Apps' list. (And I of course
have the Samsung 'My Files' app. I do not have the 'Google
Files' app.)
BTW, contrary to your other post, I do not have to "Toggle Show
system apps to ON" to see the mystery 'Files' app. I already saw
it, before I toggled the switch to ON.
Yup, me too. My Files app on this Lenovo tablet is listed in plain
sight in the all apps list. That 'toggle system apps on' was just
one cut and paste solution I found for a particular device as an
example of the very common 'bug' I didn't know existed.
Mystery solved.
Not for me cause I actually got my Files app to open on this
tablet. And it worked. I just can't remember how. Somehow I tapped
something and got the popup 'Open in Files, Open in Google Files,
Always use this app. I picked Files and it worked fine. So the
mystery is what did I push to open that choice. And if I had
picked Always use this app would the local Files start working?
Lotsa mystery left...
I happened to get the 'hidden' 'Files' app to open, not with an icon
'shortcut' in the 'app drawer', but still.
I'll describe what I did, so that might lead to a clue to what you
did and hopefully to some method to open the 'Files' app in some
easier way.
I was in the (Google) 'Drive' app and wanted to download a file to my
phone, so I tapped the <three_vertical_dots> icon to the right of the
file name and tapped on 'Download'. Then I got a popup that a
notification would appear [1]. In the notification area there was a notification "<Drive_icon> Downloaded 1 file
<my_Google_Account_name>". Opened ('\/' down-caret on the right) the notification, which now also said 'Locate file'. Tapped on that and
lo and behold, I got a popup:
"Complete action using (i)
<Files_icon> <My Files icon>
Files My Files
Just once Always"
By tapping 'Files' and the 'Just once', the 'Files' app opened and I
could use it.
Sadly, I did not find a way to attach it to a icon/shortcut for the
'app drawer'.
I hope this helps (a bit).
[1] "1 item will be downloaded. See notification for details."
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