Question about file transfer to Android device

[Jack Haverty]

You might check out Syncthing as a solution ( see syncthing.net ) It's FOSS.

I have syncthing installed on Android phones, Ubuntu desktops, various 
Macs, Windows, NASes, and several tablets.  It runs on all sorts of 
platforms.   The core function is to take folders and automatically 
synchronize them across whatever set of machines you like, so that 
changes made on any device will appear on the others.   You can also 
restrict specific devices to be read-only or write-only.

One of the uses I've set up is for photos and videos, which is 
configured to transfer image files from phones/tablets one-way to my NAS 
as well as Ubuntu desktop.   NAS is on all the time, desktop is not.  So 
there's always a place for a photo/video to "sync" to. When my desktop 
boots up, it can get the new folder contents from the NAS.

When any of our phones or tablets takes a picture or video, syncthing 
transfers all the files to a folder, configured in Syncthing to be 
write-only, on my Ubuntu desktop.    I've set it up to only "sync" when 
on my home LAN, but there are ways to sync across the Internet as 
well.   We post-process the photos from there to put them into our 
Digikam archive.

Works very well and automatically.  New files just appear in my 
"PhotosIncoming" folder as soon as the photo device joins my home LAN.

We also similarly "sync" lots of other files, selectively to/from the 
particular machines where they are used.

No cables involved, no modes to switch, it just works.

/Jack

On 9/22/25 15:17, Charles M wrote:
> Hi Bret, what do you need to transfer - is it images and video, or documents?
>
> If it's just images and video you need, I wonder if
> rapid-photo-downloader (sudo apt install rapid-photo-downloader) would
> see and download from the tablet without extra nonsense? I find it
> handy with phones.
>
> On Android Phones I find I typically have to change the mode on the
> phone from Charging to File Transfer (pulling down from the top,
> selecting the charging, and switching it to a transfer mode)... also
> some cables are charge only.
>
> I haven't tried it yet, but I also see there's apparently an Android
> version of Warpinator. It might be simpler to go that route with
> warpinator on both devices?https://github.com/linuxmint/warpinator
>
> On Mon, 22 Sept 2025 at 09:42, Bret Busby<bret at busby.net> wrote:
>> Hello.
>>
>> I am running Linux Mint Mate 21.3, which is based on, and, uses the
>> repositories of, Ubuntu 22.04 .
>>
>> Whilst I have been using, as my primary file manager, PCManFM, that does
>> not provide file visibility on my Android based cellphones (I have one
>> that has been disabled as a cellphone, by the malignant Australian
>> telecommunications cellphone network operators, in their sabotaging of
>> telecommunications in Australia, and, one that still works).
>>
>> The cellphone that still works as a cellphone, shows as running Android
>> v12 .
>>
>> However, I have been able to use the Mate suite file manager, caja, to
>> transfer files to and from the cellphones.
>>
>> I have a tablet PC, that runs Android v14, and, I want to copy some
>> image files to that tablet PC. The tablet PC shows the Android version
>> number (variant of Android v14) as BigdroidOS 3.0.1.01.011800 .
>>
>> If I connect the tablet PC to the computer, via the USB cable, the
>> tablet PC is automatically mounted, and the model number is displayed,
>> in each of caja and PCManFM.
>>
>> But, that is with the settings in the tablet PC, showing as "no data
>> transfer", so, no files or directory structure, are shown for the device.
>>
>> If I set, on the tablet PC, "USB Preferences" -> "Use USB for" to "File
>> transfer", the device becomes unmounted, and, cannot be mounted, using
>> the Linux file managers.
>>
>> As, with accessing the file system in my cellphones, does not work with
>> PCManFM, but, works with caja, I searched in Synaptic for, and,
>> downloaded and installed, about half a dozen extra file managers,
>> including Nautilus, Dolphin, Thunar, Midnight Commander, and others.
>> But, they do not see the tablet PC.
>>
>> So, is a GUI file manager that runs on Ubuntu 22.04.x , capable of
>> accessing the file hierarchy on an Android v14 device, and, if so, which
>> one, and, how to I get it to work with the Android v14 file hierarchy?
>>
>> Thank you in anticipation.
>>
>> ..
>> Bret Busby
>> Armadale
>> West Australia
>> (UTC+0800)
>> ..............
>>
>>
>> --
>> ubuntu-users mailing list
>> ubuntu-users at lists.ubuntu.com
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>
>

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