Google Play store requirements has led to the rejection of Nextcloud’s Android Files app.
Ironically, this is because Google is cracking down on apps with permissions that require access to all files on the device.
European software vendor Nextcloud has accused Google of deliberately crippling its Android Files application, which it says has more than 800,000 users.
The problem lies with the “All files access” permission, where broad access to files on a device is required. While most applications can make do with Google’s more privacy-friendly storage access tools, such as Storage Access Framework (SAF) or the MediaStore API, others require more permissions – hence the “All files access” privilege.
Nextcloud’s Android Files app is a file synchronization tool that, according to the company, has long had permission to read and write all file types. “Nextcloud has had this feature since its inception in 2016,” it said, “and we never heard about any security concerns from Google about it.”
That changed in 2024, when someone or something at Google’s Play Store decided to revoke the permission, effectively crippling the application. Nextcloud was instructed to use “a more privacy-aware replacement.”
While the intention appears noble at first, the Storage Access Framework of MediaStore API cannot work with the file synchronization seen in Nextcloud’s Android Files app. Nextcloud claims that this requirement was actually meant to minimize competition from other cloud storage and sync providers.
According to Nextcloud, “SAF cannot be used, as it is for sharing/exposing our files to other apps … MediaStore API cannot be used as it does not allow access to other files, but only media files.”
Attempts to raise the issue with Google resulted in little more than copy-and-pasted sections of the developer guide. “Despite multiple appeals from our side and sharing additional background, Google is not considering reinstating upload for all files,” Nextcloud said.
The issue seems to stem from the Play Store. While a fully functional version is available on F-Droid, the Play Store edition is subject to Google’s imposed limitations. Regarding the All files access permission, Google’s developer documentation states: “If you target Android 11 and declare All files access, it can affect your ability to publish and update your app on Google Play.”
Do you think Nextcloud should retain “All file access” permissions? Or is Google really weaponizing increased privacy requirements to destroy competing cloud storage providers?