Select a non-own (non)media file from anywhere on Android 11+ and get full access without SAF or MANAGE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE

Without storage permissions? I don't think so.
(Tested on Android 16 with the APK.)

Tested android 15 ok.

Tested also on Android 13. Same result, you must grant storage permissions. Please test with the APK.

The first time you copy a file, it asks for permissions; the next time, it doesn't.
When you copy a file (.jpg, .mp3, ) whose filename contains spaces, they are filled with %20. To avoid this, I've inserted a replacement with _ in this block.

Yes, and that's generally the case that a granted permission will not be requested again.

However, of course, no permissions should be requested at all on Android 11+, especially not READ_MEDIA_IMAGES, which

  1. makes no sense at all for non-media files,
  2. has not been permitted by Google since May 2025, and
  3. is fundamentally unnecessary.

It should also be noted that all three READ_MEDIA_... permissions are requested and must be granted on Android 13+, which makes it even more absurd.

I've enhanced the extension a bit so that after selecting any file, it is copied to /Documents and from there moved to /Download/myFolder/. After restarting the app, you then have direct access to the source file (in my case, they are always picked from the root directory of the external storage) and can copy this file again to the destination folder without having to pick the file again.

This can be necessary, for example, if the source file was later modified by the user and you want/need to have full access to this updated file again. In my test app, text files or images are then displayed immediately. No permissions at all are required.

Blocks