Using data from context providers or requesting Google Photos read permission?

Question

My app allows users to import their photos and videos from other apps. Now that Google replaced Google+ Photos with Google Photos, couple of things broke for me. One of these things is re-using imported files after app restart. I have a feeling they've tightened up the permissions given out when Google Photos returns the intent with the image URI, so after my app gets killed it no longer has the permission to access the uploaded file. I'm getting the Security expection:

java.lang.SecurityException: Permission Denial: opening provider com.google.android.apps.photos.contentprovider.MediaContentProvider from ProcessRecord{2c17ab9e 2124:com.myapp.myapp/u0a436} (pid=2124, uid=10436) that is not exported from uid 10427

EDIT:

I'm also getting the same problem with reusing files provided by com.google.android.apps.docs.sync.filemanager.FileProvider

Any suggestions/workaround? I know I can read the file before I lost permission so in theory I could copy it but I can't say I like this very much..

Answer 1

Yep, this is by design, as described on Android Developer site.

For security reasons, the permissions are temporary, so once the client app's task stack is finished, the file is no longer accessible. You must get the file data when you receive the intent answer, in the onActivityResult method. Store a copy of the file data, because the file won't be available anymore when onActivityResult returns.