Testing the next release of MIT App Inventor (nb187)

[Anke]

If → DefaultFileScope is not set to → Legacy in the Designer

this also happens on Android versions between 4.4 and 9
(Android ≥ 4.4 [KitKat, API 19] and ≤ 9 [Pie, API 28]),
because the maxSdkVersion for READ / WRITE is 18.

<uses-permission android:maxSdkVersion="18" android:name="android.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE"/>
<uses-permission android:maxSdkVersion="18" android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE"/>

See also here:

File component - save (all types of) files in the Private dir (→ internal storage)

It is currently not possible to request READ or WRITE permissions, because the File component (incorrectly) no longer declares these permissions in Manifest. But it should do it like this: <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE"/> <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" android:maxSdkVersion="28" /> I checked it on Android 9 after declaring the permissions in the Manifest.

EDIT: If you set → DefaultFileScope to → Legacy in the Designer:

READ / WRITE permission are declared this way:

<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE"/>
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE"/>

and it seems to work (also on Android 11).