TC keeps forgetting plugins

[MacBo]

Hi,

Don't know if the issue is connected to the latest version of TC from the Play Store (3.50) or if it's something else in my phone's firmware. But lately I noticed that after a restart of my phone (Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra with the latest Android 13 and all available updates) Total Commander keeps "loosing" all his plugins. I have a number of plugins installed, e.g. FTP, LAN, SFTP, TotalDrip, WebDAV, Paragon USB OTG. After the last two reboots the list of plugins at the bottom of TC's main screen was empty. But when I visited the Play Store, the store told me the plugin I needed was already installed. I had to uninstall the desired plugin and reinstall it again to make it show up. It then worked again but I had to repeat its setup and configuration, like credentials for TotalDrip etc. because apparently they were lost when I uninstalled it.

I just tried another reboot. Very strange! The reboot took hardly a minute (previous two ones took a lot longer, up to 5 minutes or so). Now suddenly ALL plugins are back, including the ones I did NOT "reinstall" after I saw them NOT show up in the list before and immediately before this latest reboot. I saw something similar with a different app (Keepass) that suddenly told me, one of its plugins (ykDroid) was missing even though the store said it was installed. Has something changed in Android 13 with the way app plugins are handled, and maybe the apps have to deal with that differently?

Regards,
Mac

[petermad]

I have experienced the same some weeks ago (I don't restart my phone: Samsung Galaxy S20 with Android 13, that often).

Last time it happened I deleted and reinstalled TC (3.50). First I reinstalled the plugins, and they turned up, but after a restart they were gone again, so then I reinstalled TC - and the plugins did survive the first restart after that.

Today, I just now restarted my phone to test it - and it happened again - all the plugins (Google Drive, FTP, LAN, TotalDrip, WiFI-transfer and Windows Onedrive) were missing in TC!!!

This time (today) I then did a second restart, without doing anything else - and now the plugins are back in TC - just as MacBo experienced - most peculiar - maybe a problem with startups that takes a long time (repeating a restart is usually faster than a restart after a long on-period).

[MacBo]

I usually don't restart that often either. Only when there's a problem, like battery drain or some other strange behaviour. That's why the first reboot (after which I noticed the plugins being gone) probably took so long. It was only now that I repeatedly restarted a little more often when it went faster. Yes, it seems like the "fast" startups don't cause the plugin issue, the "slow" ones do.

[speedygonzales]

I have exactly the same problem with my Samsung S23 with Android 14.
For whatever reason, TC sometimes forgets the plugins.

The plugins are installed but deactivated.

I then have to activate the plugins again (i.e. not reinstall them) then it works again.
Why ALL plugins are deactivated is a mystery to me.

[MacBo]

I then have to activate the plugins again (i.e. not reinstall them) then it works again.

How can I activate them (instead of reinstall)?

[speedygonzales]

@MacBo

Hello, if the plugins are deactivated and you go to the Playstore, “deactivated” appears there then simply click on activate.

[MacBo]

@MacBo

Hello, if the plugins are deactivated and you go to the Playstore, “deactivated” appears there then simply click on activate.

Thanks. I'll give it a try next time. Or maybe the issue will be fixed by then.

[ghisler(Author)]

Total Commander does not contain any code to deactivate apps. It's possible that Android deactivates them if you don't use them for a while. Since they are plugins, you normally don't launch them yourself from the Android launcher, so Android may incorrectly assume that you don't use them. I have never experienced this myself, so it may be a misfeature of a newer Android version or of a vendor-specific modification. I know that Android will take away app permissions when you don't use them for a while. This can be disabled in the app settings. Maybe there is a similar option on your phone for disabling the entire app?

[petermad]

I know that Android will take away app permissions when you don't use them for a while. This can be disabled in the app settings.

On my Samsung Galaxy phones (Android 13 & 14) it is only for Total Commander itself, the LAN plugin, the WiFi transfer plugin and the Multi-APK installer that this setting can be changed (and I have set them all to disabled). For the other plugins the option is disabled and cannot be changed.

I will check if it happens again that I cannot see the plugins, whether my phone should have put them to sleep or deep sleep.

[MacBo]

It's possible that Android deactivates them if you don't use them for a while.

That won't really explain why the plugins are gone from TC's main screen ONLY after a reboot, and also not why they are all back after yet a subsequent one. Yes, I also believe that it's not TC who makes them disappear, but something in the Android system or rather in the plugin that makes the current Android handle them differently at times. As far as I know validation of apps' permissions is not triggered by a restart of the device but basically any time according to a cron job or something.
As I said, I have at least one more app using plugins from the Play Store (KeePass). And its plugins show exactly the same behaviour when TC does. So some change within Android is very likely the culprit, specially since I'm not the only one dealing with this issue.

[petermad]

That won't really explain why the plugins are gone from TC's main screen ONLY after a reboot, and also not why they are all back after yet a subsequent one

I agree.

[ghisler(Author)]

That won't really explain why the plugins are gone from TC's main screen ONLY after a reboot

That doesn't me any sense to me either.

For the other plugins the option is disabled and cannot be changed.

That's because the other plugins do not use any special permissions which can be revoked.

[speedygonzales]

On my Samsung Galaxy phones (Android 13 & 14) it is only for Total Commander itself, the LAN plugin, the WiFi transfer plugin and the Multi-APK installer that this setting can be changed (and I have set them all to disabled). For the other plugins the option is disabled and cannot be changed.

It is no problem to turn off the function for deactivating the permissions of the TC plugins in a Samsung device with Android 14.
I just checked again.

You have to go to the app menu, then "Search Applications" then simply enter "Total", it then appears in the selection TC and the plugins (for me LAN and WLAN). Then simply select the Plugin and deactivate the function.

Of course I can't say if the original problem from Thread has been solved.

sorry for the bad English, I hope you understand me

[petermad]

It is no problem to turn off the function for deactivating the permissions of the TC plugins in a Samsung device with Android 14.
I just checked again

In my case the permissions were NOT deactivated (I always turn that auto-deactivation of permissions off for all apps).

[ghisler(Author)]

It was just an example of how this could be happening. Another example is that from time to time i get a warning that a background app is using a lot of battery, and whether I want to hibernate that app. This didn't happen with any of my plugins, though. It's possible that your phone is automatically freezing apps which haven't been used for a while. Maybe it does that optimization also at boot time. It's all just speculation, but I would try to look in that direction in settings (e.g. under battery or apps).