Location of my photos from private space when I connect the phone to PC?

anna_sci

When I connect the phone to my PC with USB cable, where do I need to go in order to see my photos I take with gcam in my private space? I just want to copy them to my PC and I can't find the location

userofgos

anna_sci I believe this is a current limitation of Private Space. You also can't insert a USB Drive into your phone and access/copy files from it to Private Space.

Developer-Dude

userofgos You also can't insert a USB Drive into your phone and access/copy files from it to Private Space.

Yes you can. Insert the flash drive while the private space is unlocked. Don't remember the steps exactly, but I do it all the time when I back up my phone. I can check later how I did it. But you can definitely access the private space when somethings plugged in. I'll have to check after work this evening

userofgos

anna_sci I didn't get it.
I want to copy files FROM the phone to my PC via USB.

My apologies I got confused about which direction you're trying to transfer files.

Developer-Dude But you can transfer files from the private space to a USB drive OR another connected phone.

Correction: you still can not transfer files to/from the Private Space to/from a USB drive or connected PC/phone natively (which is what OP was asking for and I'm sure most of us here desire)

There should be no need to download/install third party apps to make this possible. So as it stands it's still a current limitation of Private Space as I said earlier ( userofgos )

anna_sci

WHAT?!

How do I copy them then?
I don't want to send them over the internet, obviously

userofgos

anna_sci you could compress the files/photos, copy them to USB, insert the USB to your Phone, copy the Zip to Owner files and then open App Drawer > Scroll to Private Space > Press the + Add Files button > Select Zip

Alternatively you could use LocalSend which will transfer the files over your local network: https://github.com/localsend/localsend

anna_sci

I didn't get it.
I want to copy files FROM the phone to my PC via USB. Can you please give me direct instructions how to do so?

Drue3

anna_sci Install Localsend on PC and in your private space. Make sure both are in same wifi without vpn. Select files from your phone via localsend and send to your PC.

Murcielago

anna_sci

I didn't get it.
I want to copy files FROM the phone to my PC via USB. Can you please give me direct instructions how to do so?

Copying files to Private Space is straight forward, see:

Starting in Android 16 QPR2, users can move or copy files from outside private space to the private space. This feature provides a secure and straightforward way for users to keep sensitive documents, photos, and other files within their sandboxed private profile.

The process is initiated through a new Add files shortcut of the Add button available in the private space launcher container. When a user selects this option, they can browse and select files from outside their private space using the system file picker. After selecting the files, they can choose to either copy them, leaving the originals in place, or move them, which deletes the original files after a successful transfer.

The file transfer is managed by a new system component that runs as a foreground service only within the private profile, ensuring the process is secure and reliable. The files are saved to the Downloads folder of the private space.

source: https://source.android.com/docs/security/features/private-space#moving-content

Unfortunately, copying files out of Private Space isn't as straightforward: AFAIK currently there is no way to copy files from Private Space directly to a drive or a connected computer via USB.

There exist feature requests for this, see:

https://github.com/GrapheneOS/os-issue-tracker/issues/4256
https://github.com/GrapheneOS/os-issue-tracker/issues/5185

There are several workarounds to copy photos and files from Private Space; I've tried the following:

InterProfileSharing, an Android app that lets users share files, text, and clipboard content between different user profiles. It works locally on device by creating a temporary connection over localhost (127.0.0.1), without using cloud services or the internet. The app integrates into Android’s normal share menu and can optionally encrypt transfers with a shared password.
install cloud storage of your choice (f.e. Proton Drive and Tresorit are often recommended here) in Private Space and on your PC and use it to copy files and photos.
LocalSend, as Drue3 already mentioned, is another way to transfer photos and files.
Syncthing also can sync files directly between devices and works across major platforms.

Of these, i personally like InterProfileSharing best.

There seem to be other workarounds I haven't tried yet, using third party file managers like Fossify File Manager or Material File Manager, see:

https://discuss.grapheneos.org/d/33274-found-a-new-way-to-transfer-stuff-from-private-space
https://discuss.grapheneos.org/d/33787-neat-trick-to-move-files-to-and-from-private-space

Developer-Dude

Yes you can. Insert the flash drive while the private space is unlocked. Don't remember the steps exactly, but I do it all the time when I back up my phone. I can check later how I did it. But you can definitely access the private space when somethings plugged in. I'll have to check after work this evening

That would be awesome - never could figure it out! I'd really appreciate it if you could look into it and post the workflow here.

Developer-Dude

Murcielago That would be awesome - never could figure it out! I'd really appreciate it if you could look into it and post the workflow here.

Yeah I will for sure when I get home. I've done it, so I know its possible. I'll look into it later for sure

Developer-Dude

Developer-Dude Yeah I will for sure when I get home. I've done it, so I know its possible. I'll look into it later for sure

OK. So plugging my phone into my computer to transfer files from the private space does NOT work (answering OP's question). But you can transfer files from the private space to a USB drive OR another connected phone. Here's how;
Unlock the private space

Plug in a flash drive or connect a phone

Go to the file you want to move in your private space

Press and hold, Share

Make sure you have this app installed. From the Share menu, choose 'Personal' 'Save on Device'. It'll open Files

Go to the menu. You should see the USB drive or connected phone. Select it.

You can now save the file here from the private space. Here's a video

Murcielago

Developer-Dude

I was hoping it would work natively by now without needing an additional app. Thanks anyway for checking it and your detailed explanation.

Developer-Dude

userofgos Correction: you still can not transfer files to/from the Private Space to/from a USB drive or connected PC/phone natively (which is what OP was asking for and I'm sure most of us here desire)

There should be no need to download/install third party apps to make this possible. So as it stands it's still a current limitation of Private Space as I said earlier

Yeah exactly. I kinda like the Save app anyway and use it often, so I didn't think about it much. So yes. If you install the Save app, it is possible to move files between devices/USB drives. But otherwise natively it is not. I wish it was. So, for OP's use case, the only way to access private space files on a computer is to transfer them to the owner (regular) files app and view them on the computer. Maybe one day we'll get lucky and be able to access private space files from a computer.

Developer-Dude

Murcielago yes I wish it could be done natively too. But this is the way I currently back up my phone to a flash drive to access files in the private space

anna_sci

I'm so confused right now. How is it not available natively, this is so bizarre.
I will never use internet to transfer my personal files and installing third party tools is always a concern at minimum because how can I trust the developer I don't know and besides it adds new code that can threaten the whole security idea of using Graphene OS' private space!
This is such a basic feature and I didn't even think this wouldn't exist.

Developer-Dude

anna_sci Bluetooth works