Selectable offline folder path?

[jbenson2 2,147]

I completely agree with you Gaz.  After encountering the same mobile space problem on my brand new Android, I uninstalled Evernote and limit the program to just my desktop client.
 

With all the new features and demands for extra features (outlines, in-note sorting, photo editing, UI improvements, etc.) the only direction Evernote can go is larger and larger. It sure would be nice if they would tap into the vast empty storage area available on the SD card.

 

I am not as philosophical as you however.
They released the Android Evernote 4 years ago.

The mobile space problem might be resolved sometime, [or in Evernote jargon: "soon"].
 

[gazumped 11,665]

is that "soon" as in "later than tomorrow but not as late as 100 years?"

[D. J. Park 0]

Apparently Evernote team believes that anything at /sdcard/* is on SD card judging from their kind reply that was painstakingly prepared to answer the detail of files stored. It used to be correct but not any more.

 

On S3 or newer Android, /sdcard and /mnt/sdcard are symlink to /storage/sdcard0 which is Internal storage. The real SD card is /storage/extSdCard and symlink /mnt/extSdCard.

 

I thought just creating a folder in /storage/extSdCard and symlink to /storage/sdcard/...evernote will solve the problem but it doesn't because /sdcard is formatted as VFAT and symlink can't be made.

 

The solution I found is using an app 'FolderMount'. It creates a folder on extSdCard amd mount it on a assigned folder on sdcard. So the folder on extSdCard and files in it appear as if they are on sdcard. It also copies the contents of the sdcard fodler to extSdCard. How convenient.

 

I am not paid by the app developer, but I just wished to share the (one of possibly many) solution that works for me.

[gazumped 11,665]

Sadly FolderMount requires that you root your pride and joy, and for reasons too boring to mention I can't do that.

[jbenson2 2,147]

Sadly FolderMount requires that you root your pride and joy, and for reasons too boring to mention I can't do that.

 

 

Rooting is definitely not an option for many users - for many reasons, including legal reasons.

[Marc de Oliveira 0]

I am also an unhappy premium user that do not understand why this issue is still not resolved. I could not believe it when I found that Evernote cannot store offline folders on the external memory card. This is an absolute must if the program is supposed to be the best solution for storing your notes. 

[BlueKnight 1]

Please remember that Android is an offshoot of LINUX which means no matter where the storage is to the operating system (Android) the save location is only a path. If you have an SD card it will be mounted in to the operating system.

 

On Samsung devices in fact internal storage is treated as an SD card and so is external storage and it is mounted accordingly by the operating system.

 

So from that perspective there is no restrictions of where you write, it is simply the decision of the developer on how to handle the writing to the OS. In fact you can see that clearly if you are a developer and have the phone connected to your laptop, everything is a mount point from root.

[a.fischer 2]

On Android KitKat (4.4.2) on Samsung devices (and also others) every app with correct rights/permissions can write datas to the folder /Android/data/<app-package-name>.

So Evernote could save the offline notebooks to the folder /Android/data/com.evernote on the /storage/extSdCard (on Samsung S4).

On Android 4.3 the app could save/write everywhere on the SD-card with the correct permissions. But for compatibility with KitKat the folder should be like written above.

 

Other apps like Navigation, MusicPlayers, Podcast-Players ... use the same concept.

[Marc de Oliveira 0]

Is anybody from Evernote reading this? It would add huge value to the product if we could have the offline folder on an external memory card.

[jefito 5,589]

Is anybody from Evernote reading this? It would add huge value to the product if we could have the offline folder on an external memory card.

Evernote staff members read every post, but don't always reply. In the case of this topic, one did, though not recently.

[Marc de Oliveira 0]

So, there really is no excuse why they are not fixing this.

[jefito 5,589]

So, there really is no excuse why they are not fixing this.

Ummmm... Evernote hates Android users? They have lazy developers?

 

Or maybe they don't acknowledge it as a real problem, or at least one that they deem is a high enough priority to address.

 

You choose... *shrug*

[jordibabra 1]

Without this feature (possibility to storage offline notes and attachments) to the Sd card, my premium subscription doesn't worth to renew.

 

 

[Live-Round 2]

I dropped my premium Account. I think the only way to get them to acknowledge that this is an issue is to vote with your feet. Anyone else voted?

[Marc de Oliveira 0]

I have now cancelled my premium account, too. I left a link to this thread with my reason for cancelling the account.

[sttrebo 4]

much as i hate to, i am thinking the same action when i'm due for renewal.

[gazumped 11,665]

Sorry to lose any users,  but 1) it won't make Evernote fix this issue any sooner,  2) you won't have the opportunity to persuade EN to bring this feature in and in fact 3) you're reducing the pressure on them to do so,  because the people who want it won't be around to lobby for it...

[Marc de Oliveira 0]

I do not agree. Why would it not make evernote fix the problem sooner? They have to prioritize and this is a clear signal that their users find it important. Also, I will not be going away. I am a huge fan of evernote and will probably keep using the software forever - even if it is just the free version (except if someone offers a better product). Finally, even after cancelling my subscription I still have my premium account for a few months. In this time I have the same service as allways. For now the only difference is that evernote will no longer be guaranteed my money at the end of the cycle.

[a.fischer 2]

 

So, there really is no excuse why they are not fixing this.

Ummmm... Evernote hates Android users? They have lazy developers?

 

Or maybe they don't acknowledge it as a real problem, or at least one that they deem is a high enough priority to address.

 

You choose... *shrug*

 

Hello,

 

what can we do for escalating this problem? Of course we can use the official support (I tried it without quick success), but do we have other options?

The problem in my point of view is, that offline notebooks can become very big (I have over 600MB today and growing).

 

If there exists any technical reason against an easy(?) solution, can anyone name it? I think, the usage of official Android API is not so big problem. The developers can look into opensource apps like OSMAnd and their logic for writing to SD-card.

[gazumped 11,665]

 

 

So, there really is no excuse why they are not fixing this.

Ummmm... Evernote hates Android users? They have lazy developers?

 

Or maybe they don't acknowledge it as a real problem, or at least one that they deem is a high enough priority to address.

 

You choose... *shrug*

 

Hello,

 

what can we do for escalating this problem? Of course we can use the official support (I tried it without quick success), but do we have other options?

The problem in my point of view is, that offline notebooks can become very big (I have over 600MB today and growing).

 

If there exists any technical reason against an easy(?) solution, can anyone name it? I think, the usage of official Android API is not so big problem. The developers can look into opensource apps like OSMAnd and their logic for writing to SD-card.

 

 

I don't mean to be unsympathetic - my offline folder is a GB plus,  and I started a thread in favour of SD storage ages ago.  But what makes you think the problem is that Evernote couldn't solve this issue?  They may have done so already,  but have chosen so far not to implement the solution.  Or not.  There's no way to "force" the company to devote resources to solving an issue even if it is a problem for some percentage of their user base.  I tend to think it's a bit like steering an oil tanker - you need to plan ahead a lot before you make any changes to the route...

 

Feel free to lobby for a change,  but beware of becoming a troll in the process..

[a.fischer 2]

 

 

 

So, there really is no excuse why they are not fixing this.

Ummmm... Evernote hates Android users? They have lazy developers?

 

Or maybe they don't acknowledge it as a real problem, or at least one that they deem is a high enough priority to address.

 

You choose... *shrug*

 

Hello,

 

what can we do for escalating this problem? Of course we can use the official support (I tried it without quick success), but do we have other options?

The problem in my point of view is, that offline notebooks can become very big (I have over 600MB today and growing).

 

If there exists any technical reason against an easy(?) solution, can anyone name it? I think, the usage of official Android API is not so big problem. The developers can look into opensource apps like OSMAnd and their logic for writing to SD-card.

 

 

I don't mean to be unsympathetic - my offline folder is a GB plus,  and I started a thread in favour of SD storage ages ago.  But what makes you think the problem is that Evernote couldn't solve this issue?  They may have done so already,  but have chosen so far not to implement the solution.  Or not.  There's no way to "force" the company to devote resources to solving an issue even if it is a problem for some percentage of their user base.  I tend to think it's a bit like steering an oil tanker - you need to plan ahead a lot before you make any changes to the route...

 

Feel free to lobby for a change,  but beware of becoming a troll in the process..

 

Ok, this are good words. But why is Evernote ignoring(?) the discussion and not solving it with an easy fix? So they would have a new feature for the android variant and some more enthusiasts for their solution. I will use the existing tool so long until my internal storage is filled or I can not extend it for evernote. Then I will look for other solutions from competitors and completly switch over. I understand, the discussion in this forum will not accelerate any solution.

[gazumped 11,665]

Well,  the 'easy fix' description possibly applies to a lot of the other requests flying around here and in other forums for a wide variety of bug fixes,  tweaks,  upgrades and features - most of them raised by their initial posters as the 'one thing' stopping them from becoming a premium user,  and a sure-fire attraction for thousands of users.  But Evernote is quite a big application now,  used by a million people - you really don't want to make a change that will upset more people than you please,  especially if it goes wrong and affects more than just the usability of that feature by slowing or preventing sync (forinstance).  A resposible company is going to have a lot of checks and balances built in to make sure that changes only happen when they're completely,  totally and absolutely necessary.  If it's working - don't mess with it!

 

Plus there may be other developments in the pipeline that we don't know about which mean introducing one change or another would be wasted,  discussions with Google about the development of Android in the future...  the point is that we don't know what Evernote is having to deal with,  so its pointless - once you've raised an issue - to make a campaign of it.  Evernote know what we'd like - up to them whether they deliver*.

 

Meantime I use a notebook for my meetings and events plus a "show reel" of past work.  Once I've been to the event the note moves back to the default notebook,  so the meetings notes plus extras are constanty rolling over at about the 1.5GB - which is as much as I can afford on my current phone.

 

( * if another note-taking app happened along which did allow SD card data files I think Evernote might reconsider...) 

[jefito 5,589]

The usual rule of thumb probably applies: if it were easy, they'd have done it already. Developers often like to go after low-hanging fruit. My intuition tells me that it's probably not as easy as it may seem.

[dojha 0]

Been there,  done that;  got a t-shirt (and a similarly empty SD card).  An Evernote dev did tell me there's "no way" to save the database into 'external' SD storage. 

 

Heather hinted a while ago that if you're willing to root your phone some alternatives may be available.. but I don't want to root my phone and I couldn't find any fixes -even for rooted phones- anyway so I gave up...

How is it possible on a rooted android. i have rooted it but still there is no way to point evernote to save database and note files on sd card instead of app memory, which lead me to uninstall it from android, now only windows desktop version is operational. if you know how i can shift notes on micro sd, do tell me so that i can use it again on android

[gazumped 11,665]

You saw the bit where I said "but I don't want to root my phone and I couldn't find any fixes -even for rooted phones- anyway so I gave up...",  right?

 

Don't know if this is possible,  advisable or feasible,  but a little while ago I did find http://digialtipsntricks.blogspot.com/2014/09/how-to-install-and-move-android-apps-to.html

 

Haven't gotten around to testing or trying it out,  so if you do so,  it is entirely at your own risk of life,  limb and a seriously bricked device.

 

Let us know how you get on...

[a.fischer 2]

Hello,

 

if you want to write to SD-card from a non-system app to any folder (not only Android/data/<package-name>), you need root and a modification on a file "platform.xml". There are Android-apps for patching this file.

 

For all other users (like me) with non-rooted devices under KitKat normal (non-system) Android-apps can write only to the allowed folder (see above) on the SD-card.

 

For Evernote it is in my point ov view no problem. The program could store all needed cache-files under the named folder, which will be deleted on uninstallation.

 

The installation of Evernote on the SD-card does not help and will break the background functionality.

[glenn59 5]

What about "Memento"? Settings allows the choice of database to SD card (yes, the external one). It contains text, pictures, and other user configurable data. Even worse, I've got it on an Android V2.3 HTC phone. Works great!

[Marc de Oliveira 0]

I just noticed that the Audible app (on Android 5.0) also allows you to choose where the audio books get stored. This should not be a big deal for Evernote to implement.

[gazumped 11,665]

I heard the next version of Android (5.x?) opens out storage on external cards again.  Maybe Evernote can have another look at this in anticipation of a reasonable number of devices being updated...

[glenn59 5]

Guess not..

[Live-Round 2]

Hard to believe that after 5 years they haven't even bothered to address the issue, either by fixing the problem,  providing a reason why they cannot, or giving a time frame to a solution..  just silence. ,.  

Apart from 1 comment many years ago from a staff member.  

The problem still exists,  and premium customers have left, it looks like Evernote team do not see this forum as an opportunity to improve their product, rather a cheap way to get existing users to provide free support for their product.

I loved Evernote when I was a a premium user, and find it a shame that they have ignored valid customer requests.

 

Garry.

 

 

[gazumped 11,665]

38 minutes ago, Live-Round said:

they have ignored valid customer requests.

It's well-documented that Evernote rarely comment on what may or may not be in development.  Their silence is just business as usual,  not some corporate decision to ignore users.  The rumour that I quoted over a year ago about SD cards being 'unlocked' for general storage proved not to be true - I'm up to Android 6.0.1 now,  and don't see external storage cards being any more available than they ever have been. 

If and when Evernote are in a position to do anything about this,  and it fits in with their work schedule,  I'm sure they will.  Meantime the folks who want hundreds of other changes to the app delivered yesterday continue to complain that their favored feature hasn't been addressed yet either...

[jfouellette 1]

I am still a Premium user but seeing the prices raised recentltly and the bad decisions they took over the years develloping gadgets with no future I hope their new CEO makes some good changes because God forbid some good competitors would show up on the market.  Evernote might get a severe blow on their user base.

The Window app is still slow as hell and you cant even print from the Web app.  Instead of working on stupid Evernote Food they should have used ressources to make the essentials work well.

 

[DTLow 5,736]

31 minutes ago, jfouellette said:

I am still a Premium user ...

Is your post specific to  Selectable offline folder path?

I also am still a Premium user - Evernote provide me features that make it worth the price

There are features that I don't use, but I just ignore them; they don't cause me such anguish and distress