I have the same issue. 
Using an Asus C101PA Flipbook on Version 64.0.3282.190 (Official Build) (32-bit) of ChromeOS and have found that I am extremely limited by it's inability to recognize the microSD card as adoptable storage like a phone or tablet. 

On my device the card has to click in and fits flush so there is no way to accidentally remove it. Even if I want to take it out the effort required is pretty high.

This really needs to get fixed as allowing this would mean I could use this device for a lot of stuff instead of just a tablet with keyboard. 
I want to love it but need that space for apps and files.

I own a Samsung Chromebook Pro and WE NEED the access from apps like Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video and Spotify to be able to read the micro sd as storage, I am in the stable channel but I really need this feature I bought my chromebook thinking that this was already a feature, I have been waiting for well over 6 months and still it doesn’t work, I don’t know what to do (please Google devs out there need to check this big bug it is still not solved 🙁

I'm really looking to purchase a C101PA Flipbook but if this issue isn't resolved I may need to consider other options. :(

I'm considering a Chromebook, but this is a show-stopper. Please fix.

Seriously guys, this is a MAJOR problem. Just picked up two Chromebooks and I'm already about to return both because of this issue. It is a HUGE problem! We need to be able to cache offline downloads of media from android apps like google play music, movies, netflix, amazon, etc. Without this capability, you might as well not have the SD card slot at all.

How long is going to take for this issue to be fixed? This is such a simple problem yet it isn't fixed even after 2 years. This is such an essential feature for chromebooks. Without this feature, I don't even feel like using my Google Pixelbook, since you can't access media in a non-adoptable external storage. Actually though how long does this even take to fix and why does it have onl a priority #2 it should be #1.

Sincerely,
 Issue 660189  

I actually bought a Chromebook and a 128gb flash drive thinking this would work. I am very surprised this is an issue. Hope it can ve fixed soon.

Google, is ChromeOS the future of Google laptops/convertibles/tablets? Sure seems it is with the cancellation of the Pixel tablet and the announcement of the ACER Chromebook Tab 10.

You're going to give people a seriously nasty taste in their mouth right out of the gate with ANY of your products with this current issue, but even more so with any "tablet-first" product like the ACER Chromebook Tab 10. People expect the SDCARD slot to work with Android Apps (let's face it, those are the only apps people want to run). It doesn't.

Engage your product management teams. This bug should be priority 0. Make no mistake, resolution of this immediately will play a part in ChromeOS "making it" as a mobile OS moving forward.

Apparently this feature release is extended again all the way to Chrome OS version 69. But the current Chrome OS stable version is 65. I can't believe this is getting postponed over and over again since it is not a complicated issue. I swear, if this doesn't show up when Chrome 69 comes out, I'm going to... 

Sincerely,
 Issue 660189   

It looks like it's starting to be worked on, new flags on Canary "Enable ARC USB host integration" and "Allow Android apps to use USB host feature on ChromeOS devices"


If it was a simple issue I think it would have been completed long ago, but it's low priority certainly isn't helping 

Enable ARC USB host integration has been around for a while now and I'm not encouraged by the sound of "Allow Android apps to use USB host feature on ChromeOS devices". 

No mention of mediastore API or adoptable storage, which is what we need.

Please fix this.  I cannot believe such a basic feature is not implemented.  I wouldn't have bought my Chromebook had I known.

It would be really beneficial to get some sort of timeline estimate as to when this might be resolved.  I'd even be willing to switch over to the Canary branch to test but don't want to do that until we have an ETA.

I too am totally discouraged by this.  Such that I have two devices rather than one when I travel.  I would just have a chromebook if either one it had sufficient storage at a low cost or the sd card feature worked.  In absence, I am using a tablet (ipad yes my attempt at punishment to Google got for a good deal) and a laptop (linux) for my efforts and carry two devices.   I just don't understand the fact all do not feel this a priority.  Anxiously waiting but not willing to buy anymore products till it is in stable.  

Very Respectfully

Just to add another.  This exact problem is keeping me from buying a chromebook tonight.  My tablet was recently stolen and since it seems android is not keeping up on tablets these days I thought of buying a chromebook.  Without external storage support to download multimedia to the device for offline consumption I will not be buying a chromebook.  -1 sale.

This is a very serious user experience loss situation.
Anyone using a chrome book for their own personal use will feel uncomfortable with this issue.
Please help the development team realize the seriousness of this issue and work on it quickly.

I've tried using the Enable ARC USB Host Integration and my app still can't see the external device.   using v66.  this has seriously screwed over our customers

I actually returned my Chromebook for now (as much as I really liked it).  I need access to the SD card from Android and it doesn't seem that Google is addressing this quickly (if at all).

Just bought an ASUS C302CA as a replacement for an Android tablet which I do a lot of travelling with. Being able to download to the SD card is something I  need to work. It's not just recreational App's like Netflix & Spotify it affects but also productivity Apps like Microsoft Excel & Word which can't access the SD Card.

...Please Google make this a priority.

Looks like it will appear soon in the 68 version
https://www.clintonfitch.com/2018/04/new-chrome-os-flag-bringing-usb-access-to-android-apps/

Flag #arc-usb-host already exists in the 66 version, but seems does nothing yet.

I'm on v68 in beta channel, and have #arc-usb-host enabled and I still can't see my SD Card from android apps

This needs to be fixed / added ASAP.  With such minimal storage on my Chromebook (which I reserve for apps), I should be able to offline store my massive music and movie library on my 256GB microSD card so I don't have to continuously stream everything.  

They allow it in Android phones - so what is the issue with making it work on Chromebook?

This was rumored to be in build 66, rumored again in build 67, and now rumored for a third time in build 68.  

Please make this a priority ASAP as it would really make Chromebook a force to be reckoned with.

Apparently this feature release is still extended all the way to Chrome OS version 69 on Stable not version 68. It will be released as a flag in version 68 on Canary, but release officially in version 69 on Stable alongside with Linux app support. Chrome OS 69 is currently expected to begin roll-out to Chromebooks on September 11, 2018 according to the Chromium Development Calendar. This date may change however.

Which flag in v69?  I'm on v69 now in dev and have been unsuccessful getting this to work. 

Apparently this feature release is postponed again all the way to Chrome OS version 70 on Stable not version 69.

RIP this feature release is postponed again all the way to Chrome OS version 71 on Stable not version 70.

And if history follows, then in 6 weeks it will get pushed to 72 and 6 weeks after that, pushed to 73 and so on for all eternity  :(

None of the Android media player apps, like VLC or MediaMonkey, can access the media files on the 128GB microSD card in my Chromebook 3. They can't even see the SD card. When is this major flaw in Chrome OS going to be fixed? Otherwise, Chromebook will be strangled by 16 or 32gB of internal storage and you could insert a 64-400GB microSD, to no avail. Why does my Samsung Galaxy S5 allow Android media players to access a microSD for years with no problem but Chromebook remains unable to? And for years this is not a priority? 

Please star this issue guys so that they change the priority to priority 1. Click the star next to the issue name to do so.

Sigh.... I'm on my fourth - yes, FOURTH Chromebook, and still cannot get Android Apps to see the microSD or SD cards. Never mind that they keep pushing this, I've been waiting for 2+ years for the ASUS Chromebit (yes, *bit) to get Android apps, as this page: https://www.chromium.org/chromium-os/chrome-os-systems-supporting-android-apps has been saying for that much time, "Planned"

Either made the Chromebit Google Play capable, or take it off the list already.  I am waiting for Android on the Chromebit so I can use it with a touchscreen.

I think maybe Google in all of their wizdom are thinking, "You want extra native storage on your Chromebook to download your Netflix and Google Play Movies LEGITIMATELY? Buy a Pixelbook with 128/256/512 GB on-board storage and stop complaining."

Even the Netflix Windows Store app allows for downloading movies on Win10.

The funny thing is, the Netflix Android app on Chromebook says, "Insert an SD card to change your download location..." 

Um ... There IS an SD card in there...

I have been saying this since I ditched Windows to go to Chrome OS.  However instead of building one of these most requested features that can be done on ANY Android cell phone, saving files or installing APKs to an SD card, they have opted for other projects.  First it was supposed to be build 67, then 68, now it looks like it is going to pass over on 69, most likely 70, and if we are lucky it MIGHT land on build 71.  I do not understand why or what the logic is behind not giving consumers a feature they truly want...

OK, I starred the issue. Does Google actually take notice? Better still, does Google even know how to fix this OBVIOUS FLAW in their OS?

For the heck of it, I just tried Google Video Player on my Chromebook 3. Under Directory, SD Card, it says "No SD card found." Unfortunately, it's in there. Doh!

^^^^This is a completely inappropriate comment.  Not everyone has $1000+ dollars to spend on a Pixelbook.  As much as we would love to, a majority if people no longer have that kind of money.

?? I think my comment was taken out of context.  I wasn't actually suggesting that anyone should buy a pixelbook.  I was responding to comment #52 that was joking about this (not fixing this bug) being all part of google's master plan to increase pixelbook sales.  Admittedly it is one of the factors that pushed me to buy one since I needed to be able to sync media from android apps and I can't do that with this bug still not resolved.

Long story short, relax, take a deep breath and star this issue so hopefully it gets more attention and resolved more quickly.

I just updated to 71 beta and still don't seem to be able to access my SD card from android apps.  Do I need to enable it somehow or has it been pushed back again?

Pushed back, again.  I just don't understand why they will not do this for users.  

This still shows M71. Has it been pushed back?

Just did a 14 hour flight, And biuggr another laptop just to have enough space for media. I've now spent more to work Stone this issue than I did on my Chromebook.

There probably some technical reason why this is very hard, but just finish it please. Y'all do a lot of hard things. Make this one of them. 

Well 71 has not hit the stable channel yet, maybe they still have some changes to make.  Fingers crossed.


I wish I could triple star this issue.  It's the only thing I care about whenever Chrome OS updates.


Can anyone on the development team give us an estimate of when they realistically expect this to be implemented?

Where is the flag in the changelog?

So unbelievable this issue isn't resolved. 

Based on a recent post on the Chrome OS reddit it looks like this feature is working now in 72 Canary.


https://old.reddit.com/r/chromeos/comments/a00acq/canary_m72_somewhere_this_past_week_android_can/


So if you have been waiting for this feature to hit, you may not have to wait too much longer.

Just would like my Google play Music to be able to see and download to sd card like the android mobile app. Fingers crossed.

please unsubscribe me from these emails.....

you have to unsubscribe yourself. uncheck the star at the begining of the
oiginal chrome post


On Mon, Nov 26, 2018, 10:50 PM babu.chi… via monorail <
monorail+v2.2293145604@chromium.org wrote:

Still no Netflix or Plex access to SD card.  One of main reasons I bought a Chrome OS was to use offline for movie viewing. Read about Canary m72 and gets limited access but no Netflix or Plex recognizing the card.  Doesn't make sense you can do on a phone but not on a Chromebook. 

I'm really trying to keep this chromebook, but this no sd card support is
ridiculously a part of chrome concerning Android apps. It doesn't make any
sense to me how Google play music on a Google Chromebook made by Samsung
with an SD card Samsung cannot see the move music or download music to the
SD card what are you supposed to do with only 32 gigs of storage this is
ridiculous I think I'm going to trade my Chromebook for a Android phone or
tablet that will be more capable of letting me do my music play my music
hear my music edit my music move my music van is $200 Chromebook it's just
ridiculous

On Tue, Nov 27, 2018, 10:55 PM ric.ca… via monorail <
monorail+v2.4063370001@chromium.org wrote:

Anybody interested in buying a slightly used Chromebook Samsung 3 4 gigs
Ram 32 gigs of memory with a free 64GB card included that's what my
Craigslist post is going to say I paid 200 give me 140 I'm out let me buy a
used Note 4 that will work with Google Play music better than the Samsung
Chromebook 3 manufactured in June of this year 👎

The option on the Plex and Netflix apps allow to download to a card, but they are not allowed by Chrome OS.  Makes no sense, reason I bought the chromebook was for portability, but 32 gig of storage is not portable if you want more than a movie or two, especially for long flights.

71 has come and gone, been on 72 for a while now, what's happening with this??

WRT Comment 73...

Nothing is happening with this.  They seem more interested with center-aligning the damn icons on the status bar than they are with providing much-needed functionality.

Do I "really" have to carry my HP Win10 laptop around with the Netflix MS Store app just to LEGITIMATELY download movies to watch on-the-go?

With all of the advertising Chromebooks are getting (now) you'd think Google/Chromium folks would be ALL OVER this kind of thing.  Chromebooks are extremely inexpensive and flash memory is, too, so buying a ~$200 Chromebook and ~$40 256 GB microSD cards from Amazon makes the Chromebook so much more usable, and therefore, valuable. 

Scratching my head at the lack of priority of this one...

Really misleading when you search "chrome os external storage android app" on google, and the first result is this:
https://www.androidcentral.com/chrome-os-now-allows-android-apps-use-sd-cards

Maybe I should get androidcentral to remove that article.

Yes, I've been tracking this issue for 18 months and I'm yet to see a
developer explain why it hasn't happened, or indeed why it can't happen.

I must admit I'm mystified and a little disappointed in the Chrome OS
project over their handling of this seemingly obvious bug.

On Tue, 18 Dec 2018, 18:25 szabo.mi… via monorail <
monorail+v2.515221185@chromium.org wrote:

Yea, this seems like core user experience for pushing Android onto Chromebooks.  I understood at first release why it might not work, and that figured that it would be implemented quickly, being it's basically core functionality to, you know, Android actually working on a Chromebook.

I searched all the git logs from 70, 71 and 72 that I could find, and only found a single commit referencing SD cards, and it's really basic.  So I don't see any groundwork being done on this.  The owner is currently showing "Last visit > 30 days ago", and little to no communication anywhere on this.

Honestly, with Chromebooks getting more expensive and Windows laptops getting cheaper, these types of things (similarly with the request to have a freakin' calendar interface somewhere than just got de-prioritized and pushed off a couple more releases) where basic user functionality goes unimplemented in favor of re-wickering the dock and notifications slightly for the umpteenth time is getting maddening.

But, hey, with Chrome OS v70+ we can have a full-blown Linux VM - you know, on that 32 GB ARM Chromebook...

Given the choice between a Linux VM (debian with apt is great, don't get me wrong!) and fully working Android environment on Chrome OS, I think most of us would take the latter.

The GIMP and Filezilla via apt are cool, though!  Too bad the Linux VM cannot access the external storage, either...

I tried to install the Linux VM, but was out of space...needed to delete some Podcasts from my Andoird podcast app to get enough space to install.  Got it to install, but then couldn't really install anything of decent size in Linux due to lack of space.  So I removed it.  All while I have 200GB+ free on my SD card...

Adding some members of the ARC++ team.

lol, sounds like I made a loud bang in a quiet forest and all the birds goes flying.

A thing I've noticed.  From the Android apps, seems some things like the Download folder is shared between the Android apps and the Chrome OS.
So (very cumbersome), you could copy things from the SD card to that folder, then continue from the Android app.  When done, copy the files back to the SD...

Another thing I've found, not sure if anyone tried this:
https://www.howtogeek.com/316056/how-to-get-android-apps-to-see-external-storage-on-chromebooks/
Similar to the Download folder thing, but adding another folder in there and link it to the SD card.
If this works, and if only there's a chrome os app to do the link with one click, I wouldn't mind.

Interesting how to geek article. Going to try it and see how it goes.

If it's possible to get android Central to remove the article that would he great. As it stands it's very misleading on when we can expect this to work.

Really wish I have my chromebook with me to test this as well:
https://www.reddit.com/r/chromeos/comments/9qh5ir/any_word_on_when_or_if_chromeos_will_allow/

Some suggests it is already accessible, but it's different from traditional android external sd mapping, so the app dev needs to make it support the Chrome OS's path?

They say VLC and Total Commander can see the external drive?

Don't see the SD card in VLC. However i can right click and open the file on the SD Card in VLC from the Files app.

My Total Commander app can see and write to my SD card, but my DriveSync app is unable to use the SD card. My Google Play Movies app does not let me download movies to the SD card. I have other apps that don't let me download to the SD card. This could be planned obsolescence in order to get people to buy newer and more expensive chromebooks to get the offline storage size people need (aka Pixel Slate)

^^
That's promising.
I'll try mine tonight, I mean my main use for my microsd is stuffing it full with videos to watch.  If Total Commander can bridge that to VLC or MX Player, then I won't need to investigate this further.

Other than a comment in Reddit that Android apps can access external storage in Chrome 72 canary (if you're willing to switch your OS to dev version (I am not), nothing has yet changed in stable or beta Chrome. Running an Android app through Chrome's native Files app or File Commander is an awkward and time consuming work around that requires you to access SD card storage through Chrome first and then run the file in VLC or whichever Android app you are using, one file at a time. It prevents access to the normal functionality of the Android app. This is not a solution but a bandaid. None of the Android media player apps, like VLC or MediaMonkey, can access the media files on the 128GB microSD card in my Chromebook 3. They can't even see the SD card.

^^
https://www.reddit.com/r/chromeos/comments/9jfwms/managing_external_drives_with_total_commander/

Says 70, one even says 69.
Try Total Commander.

Stable is at 71 now.

Meant Total Commander. Just gets you to the file on SD, does not allow Android app to browse or sort media. And you have to jump out of the app to choose another file to play. This is not a fix!

ok, I don't know if it's because I'm on dev channel, but here goes.
I tried Total Commander, and indeed, on the home, it shows all the different "internal" and "external" storages.
Then I noticed the path to where it is.
It was "/storage/SD Card/".
So I go back to my trusty ES File Explorer Pro, go to my Download folder, then on the top keep going up in the folders, and I've reached /storage, then to my surprised, I see SD Card, and as expected, I see all the same stuff as Total Commander.
So in summary, the Android Internal Storage was /storage/emulated/0/ and my micro SD was at /storage/SD Card/
Just that they don't pop up like it used to in Android phone, probably because the path is different, and the app doesn't treat it like an external storage.
And just like in regular Android, I could use ES File Explorer to open the videos in there, and play them on MX player like I used to.
I'm using a Acer Spin 11 running 72.0.3626.15.
I'm happy with my Chromeboook now.

I have always been able to see SD card using the native file manager and open videos in VLC.

Ideally want to be able to store Prime and Netflix videos on SD card as well.

Yes, you can use ANY file manager (including Chrome's native Files app) to see files on external storage (micro SD, USB, flash drive) on your Chromebook and you can then open them in an Android app. BUT you cannot see these files, manipulate, sort or use them in any way from within an Android app, like you can on an Android device like a smartphone. Which, unfortunately, makes Android apps basically useless with Chrome, for now.

^^
I used Android app "ES File Explorer", and was able to read and write to the SD card.
I used Android app "MX Player Pro", and it was able to read and write (delete) files on the SD card.
I'm not talking about the Chrome OS File app, and not talking about the Chrome OS VLC.
And I'm on build 72 if that makes any difference.
But I do agree, some Android apps will not be able to use the external storage as intended, because the paths are different.
But to the Chrome OS Devs...if it's just a path issue...it should really just take two seconds to fix...

Thanks for all the feedback on the sdcard issue. I’m closing this bug since this is specifically for supporting MediaStore API which will be available in M-72 Chrome OS.

To be more precise, we’ve added two features to M-72 Chrome OS:

1) MediaStore API support (the scope of this bug). Apps that use the API (e.g. Google Photos app) will be able to see contents in an external storage.
2) Direct '/storage' access support. Apps that try to access an external storage directly through '/storage/<removable-storage-volume-name>' file path (e.g. VLC app) will be able to see contents in the storage.

With these, apps that read contents from an external storage are expected to work better than before.

What’s not supported yet even in M-72 Chrome OS is ‘adoptable storage’ (https://source.android.com/devices/storage/adoptable ) that allows users to install apps to their external storage. Apps that support downloading their contents for offline use tend to require the feature too when changing the download destination to sdcard. I’m filing a separate bug for adoptable storage support since the feature is unrelated to MediaStore API.

Would adoptable storage be required for things like downloading media from
the Play Music and Play Movies and TV Android apps (for offline play)?

On Fri, Dec 21, 2018, 13:27 yusu… via monorail <
monorail+v2.2089381109@chromium.org wrote:

That is great news! When will M-72 beta be released?

Following our typical release cadence while avoiding a release over the holidays, one could expect M72 Beta in January.

This will be very helpful for emulators! I do still hope to be able to install apps directly to SD Card. Can you please link to the new bug so that we can star it?

comment #99:
It depends on apps and their versions, so it's difficult to answer offhand. In general, a) if you see your external storage in your app's download setting BUT downloading itself still fails, it's probably Chrome OS issue. Please report a bug (via crbug.com/new) with your Chrome OS version, app name, app version, etc., and b) if you don't see your external storage in your app's download setting at all, it might be because of the lack of the adoptable storage support.

comment #102:
It's crbug.com/917451.

I think the largest issue is people are trying to download tv shows/movies
from netflix to watch offline on a chromebook and the app is unable to see
the SD card.

Are you saying this is resolved?

https://bugs.chromium.org/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=917451

The mediastore API and direct access isn't fully working in Beta 72.0.3626.49. 
Apps like Kodi can see the sdcard natively and works great. Apps like Plex say they cant write to the sdcard thus they cant use it as storage. Apps like Netflix just dont even give the option to store to the sdcard. One of my podcast apps can access and store podcasts to the sdcard, so not sure why it is different across the board. 

Installed beta 72.0.3626.49 today and results are overall disappointing. At first, MediaMonkey (after a loooong search) found my music files on my microSD card. My library is over 10,000 songs, so this was not unexpected. However, after trying VLC (which could NOT see the card) and installing MX Video (which could see all of my 52 movies and played a couple of them for me), MediaMonkey reported "No media" even though the card is still listed in the MM library. Interestingly, MM sees the videos, although only offers to play them with an external media player. I think more work needs to be done before this bug is really fixed. I will copy this in crbug.com/917451.

comment #108
Thanks for the report. Could you file separate bugs for MediaMonkey and VLC with complete (if possible, reduced) reproduction steps via http://crbug.com/new and copy-and-paste the bug numbers here? We'll take a look at them. It's helpful if you could also include how video and audio files are stored/organized in your micro sdcard and what types of files they are (file extensions and/or mime types.) Thanks.

My 10,254 music files are in a folder marked "Music" and are mostly mp3s with some FLAC files. My 52 movies are a mix of mp4, avi and mkv and are in a folder called "Movies." MX Video is actually MX Player, sorry. I installed BlackPlayer and it "sees" 17,966 music files, with numerous duplicates. I think beta Chrome 72 has big problems with Android apps accessing big folders in external storage. I don't know how to do a bug report although a developer at Ventis Media (MediaMonkey) tried to walk me through it on just this issue.