The normal approach is for apps to open the system file manager and have the user choose files/directories.
The interface you're showing is for authorizing an app to be a full file manager. Apps can't directly request it through a dialog, but users still want that capability.
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By all files it means all the files within that profile's home directory. Apps can never access the files of other apps. Ideally they would give up on supporting alternate file managers and drop support for requesting bulk access to indexed media. There would be immense pushback.
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Requesting bulk generic file access to the profile's home directory has been removed. Apps have to use the system that has existed since Android 4.4 for case-by-case opening/storing files with user control via the system file manager UI, which was extended to directories in 5.0.
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Is the message in the screenshot just misleading then? It states that all files on the device and attached storage would be accessible.
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It means all files in the current profile's home directory and external drives that are attached while using the profile. There is no system to grant apps access to system data or the files of other apps. It's not supported, and never has been.
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This is a menu in the Settings app for authorizing an app to be a file manager. It's not a normal permission that an app can request with a dialog. It works in a similar way as enabling an accessibility service or granting an app access to app usage statistics via Settings app.
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This isn't how apps request access to files/directories but unfortunately having support for alternate file managers means that apps can abuse it for other purposes. It should likely be removed, but there would genuinely be extreme pushback as there has been for doing far less.
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They've already forced apps to use the system file manager UI for case-by-case storing of files and loading files/directories. You've no doubt used that a lot whether or not you realize it. The permission for bulk access to profile's home directory was reduced to indexed media.
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It's unfortunate there's still a way to request bulk access to indexed media or subsets of it like Photos. It's going to be a painful process with a lot of people getting quite upset about it and misrepresenting what's being removed. That's how scoped storage has gone so far.
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They didn't want to completely wipe out alternate file managers so they added a new system for authorizing them, shown above. If you permit users to authorize something, apps can refuse to work without it to coerce their users. If it's widely abused, users get used to this abuse.
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The alternative to having this option in the Settings app entirely wipes out file managers as a class of apps. There will be massive outrage and pushback including legal action. This was NOT initially going to be a thing anymore but outrage caused it to be added as a new option.
Developers and users of those apps are much louder than people who want the option to grant extremely dangerous special access to apps via Settings removed: accessibility services, draw over other apps (more and more restricted + always visible when active now), this and others.
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Consider accessibility services. Scariest thing you can grant to an app. It's needed to support 3rd party accessibility apps. Play Store has cracked down on tons of apps abusing it for non-accessibility purposes, including a lot of things users wanted. Should they remove it?
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