Can't import newpipe subscriptions in Android TV

[theobs3rver]

Checklist

• I am able to reproduce the bug with the latest version.
• I made sure that there are no existing issues - open or closed - which I could contribute my information to.
• I have taken the time to fill in all the required details. I understand that the bug report will be dismissed otherwise.
• This issue contains only one bug.
• I have read and understood the contribution guidelines.

Affected version

0.22.1

Steps to reproduce the bug

1. Go to Subscriptions.
2. Click on the Previous export option.

Expected behavior

File manager should open up to select the file to be imported.

Actual behavior

A notification is seen: "This feature is not supported on this device"

Screenshots/Screen recordings

No response

Logs

No response

Affected Android/Custom ROM version

Android 9

Affected device model

Sanyo XT-43A082U

Additional information

The affected device is an Android TV

[peat80]

Sounds device specific. Works just fine on ShieldTV. Probably your tvs firmware has no filepicker included.

You could try if it helps to disable saf in newpipes download options.

[moneytoo]

Basically no Android TV device (except for only Nvidia Shield devices) have the SAF file chooser. The official Android TV emulator also doesn't have SAF file chooser. https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/202985150

[peat80]

Did not know this. 🤔 So maybe newpipe should force its internal file manager for android tv devices? 🤔 Worked well on shield tv too last time i used it. 🤔
This is not possible anymore because SAF is forced on android 9 and above.

[peat80]

I just got a new bravia tv and there you can set your installed file manager to browse for the export files which works also fine. 🤔 So there is no filepicker installed on this rom but you can install one.

[opusforlife2]

Basically no Android TV device (except for only Nvidia Shield devices) have the SAF file chooser.

@Stypox so should NNFP be enforced for TVs?

[theobs3rver]

You could try if it helps to disable saf in newpipes download options.

It worked. Thanks.

[Stypox]

so should NNFP be enforced for TVs?

Uhm, I don't know. From API 29 NNFP does not even work anymore. On Fire TVs NNFP is already enabled by default, see the setting migration. It would not be too difficult to create another migration that switches to NNFP on Android TVs, but I don't know if it is a good idea.

[opusforlife2]

@moneytoo How do Android 10+ TVs handle file management if not through SAF?

[moneytoo]

@opusforlife2 Android TV apps are supposed to used MediaStore API (but it's limited to mostly media files of known mime types to the system). File managers can use the legacy file API with the MANAGE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permission to access all files on all volumes. The last option is to use the legacy file API but it's limited to media files on the internal storage only. Accessing some binary (application/octet-stream) files is limited to the application scope only (the Android/data/... folder).

On Android TV & SAF:
https://commonsware.com/blog/2017/12/27/storage-access-framework-missing-action.html
https://commonsware.com/blog/2019/12/08/more-missing-saf.html

Some device manufacturers (e.g., Xiaomi) exported activities matching the SAF Intent structure but without actually allowing the user to perform SAF actions. This passes the CTS, because the CTS skips these tests on TV devices. And so we try starting the SAF activities on these broken devices and get poor results.

[opusforlife2]

So... if I'm understanding this right... Google just broke file browsing in newer versions of Android TV?

[moneytoo]

@opusforlife2 Exactly. Because of this, apps like game emulators need MANAGE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permission, just to read .nes files for example. The irony is that large number of media players also request this permission, just to read formats like wmv or less used subtitle formats (which kind of defeats the purpose of this all).
As NewPipe is not on the Play Store, it could use this permission for the import/export.

[opusforlife2]

@Stypox ^ What say?

[Stypox]

I think this would require us to add yet another way to access storage which might not be simple. If some developer wants to do that, he can go ahead. Check out #5415 for some information.

[opusforlife2]

@moneytoo Could I implore you to open a new issue explaining what we need? (I can then slap the Android TV label on it for future contributors to stumble upon it.)