Original topic:

#InnovationLab #42: Library Privacy...

(Topic created on: 03-30-2022 10:17 AM)
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TheMystic
Expert Level 1
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This post is about a configuration change in My Files app.

I'm not sure if this is an oversight, but showing files from hidden folders or folders with .nomedia files in the default libraries or recent files list is a bad idea.

Some of my WhatsApp friends send me files that are of a private nature. These files automatically go inside a folder called Private inside the WhatsApp media folder. 

Unfortunately, these files show up both inside the libraries as well as in the Recent files list of My Files app. This despite the setting to not show hidden files. That setting implicitly should also hide files inside hidden folders or folders with a .nomedia file in them.

Same holds true for other folders with a .nomedia file in them.

Kindly fix this.
28 Comments
mHappiee
Expert Level 5
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How do you send "Private nature" files ? 🤔
TheMystic
Expert Level 1
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This is not about the files you send, but ones you receive.

Some of my friends send me interesting messages (images, videos, documents) that can cause embarassment if they are visible in the gallery. So i change the media visibility of such chats to OFF:



You can set this for each contact separately by going to the View Contact setting.

Once done, all media files and documents they send are saved inside a folder called Private, within the media folder for each type of file. WhatsApp automatically creates the Private folder inside each media folder and also creates a .nomedia file inside each of them, so any app respecting this setting wouldn't show these files by default.

The My Files app ignores this when you access the libraries or the recent files list.Screenshot_20220330-113935_WhatsApp.jpg
mHappiee
Expert Level 5
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Nope... WhatsApp Status folder also has .nomedia ... So status gets ignored when I turn OFF "show system hidden files"
TheMystic
Expert Level 1
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See if the same thing happens for the documents folder, as well as pictures and videos folder (those inside the WhatsApp media folder).
mHappiee
Expert Level 5
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Yes... video and images are being ignored... Idk about documents... But documents should also be ignored...
TheMystic
Expert Level 1
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By the way, did you open any of those files first using the file manager? They show up in the recent files list only if you open them.
mHappiee
Expert Level 5
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Nope... It was .tmp file auto generated system file
mHappiee
Expert Level 5
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Documents are also being ignored... (Not restricted to WhatsApp folder only, the folder had .nomedia file)
TheMystic
Expert Level 1
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Then I'll consider this a bug with this version of the app. But if possible, ask someone to send you a document file after turning off the media visibility of that person's chat. And let me know too.