[neil74]

Is it possible to use the SD card as external and still have it encrypted?

This is possible on a Samsung but seems to be missing on the K1. It feels like I have been pushed to adoptable storage and I am really not a fan of it. Are there any other options?

[mbirth]

Thing is, the moment you encrypt the card, it's only usable in your phone anyways. So what's the problem with turning it into "adoptable storage"?

If you absolutely must keep it as "portable storage", you could check out the Play store for apps which might bring your desired feature.

[neil74]

I'm just not sure that SD cards are fast enough plus the whole SD card fails, phone fails scenario. I'd just rather have it be how it works on Samsung tbh.

[thurask]

Thing is, the moment you encrypt the card, it's only usable in your phone anyways. So what's the problem with turning it into "adoptable storage"?

If I remember correctly, there's no way to distinguish the (faster, more reliable) actual internal memory from the adopted SD card, no?

[neil74]

^^ This is my issue. I'd rather have key apps running on internal and photos, music etc and maybe a few less used apps on the SD.

[itsyaboy]

Wow so the KEYone does not have a way to encrypt SD cards that are used as external storage? What's up with that? I was just looking for it...

[mbirth]

Wow so the KEYone does not have a way to encrypt SD cards that are used as external storage? What's up with that? I was just looking for it...

Please explain how you'd like to use an SD card which was encrypted with a key only known to your phone as an "external" storage in another device that doesn't know anything about the encryption key.

[1122334455667788]

^^ This is my issue. I'd rather have key apps running on internal and photos, music etc and maybe a few less used apps on the SD.

Assuming nothing has changed since the PRIV, you actually do get to decide were each App is stored. The only annoyance is that new apps sometimes get installed to the SD by default, and you have to go into the settings to manually move it to internal.

[itsyaboy]

Please explain how you'd like to use an SD card which was encrypted with a key only known to your phone as an "external" storage in another device that doesn't know anything about the encryption key.

I would decrypt it before using it in another device? The reason why I would want to encrypt it is to protect the data such as when I lose the device with the SD card in it? Or more paranoid parrot, if border security demands my phone?

[ajwan]

The solution I came up with:

/blackberry-android-os-f456/hybrid-adoptable-portable-storage-android-m-n-priv-keyone-guide-1118119/

PM me and I'll walk you through. Works well, but there are some caveats.

Cheers,
Andrew

[itsyaboy]

The solution I came up with:

/blackberry-android-os-f456/hybrid-adoptable-portable-storage-android-m-n-priv-keyone-guide-1118119/

PM me and I'll walk you through. Works well, but there are some caveats.

Cheers,
Andrew

Interesting. Not really for me I think. But am I correct in stating that BlackBerry disabled encryption of external storage? I saw a guide online that said Android 7 had it. Maybe we need to hassle BlackBerry Mobile about it (so they hassle BlackBerry in turn)??

[ajwan]

Interesting. Not really for me I think. But am I correct in stating that BlackBerry disabled encryption of external storage? I saw a guide online that said Android 7 had it. Maybe we need to hassle BlackBerry Mobile about it (so they hassle BlackBerry in turn)??

Have a look at this one:

https://source.android.com/devices/storage/adoptable

"When external storage media is adopted, it’s formatted and encrypted to only work with a single Android device at a time. Because the media is strongly tied to the Android device that adopted it, it can safely store both apps and private data for all users.

When users insert new storage media (such as an SD card) in an adoptable location, Android asks them how they want to use the media. They can choose to adopt the media, which formats and encrypts it, or they can continue using it as-is for simple file storage. If they choose to adopt, the platform offers to migrate the primary shared storage contents (typically mounted at /sdcard) to the newly adopted media...."

So officially, this is Google's default position. Some device manufacturers, however, have chosen not to enable adoptive storage/encryption. Luckily, BB has enabled the whole suite of options for us.

So yes, the Keyone/Priv/DTEKs will give you an option to enable adoptable storage (internal storage + encrypted external SD storage = one single shared drive), or use it as-is for simple file storage (internal storage and non-encrypted external SD as SEPARATE drives).

Or you can use my approach and have the benefits of both!

Cheers.

[itsyaboy]

Have a look at this one:

https://source.android.com/devices/storage/adoptable

"When external storage media is adopted, it’s formatted and encrypted to only work with a single Android device at a time. Because the media is strongly tied to the Android device that adopted it, it can safely store both apps and private data for all users.

When users insert new storage media (such as an SD card) in an adoptable location, Android asks them how they want to use the media. They can choose to adopt the media, which formats and encrypts it, or they can continue using it as-is for simple file storage. If they choose to adopt, the platform offers to migrate the primary shared storage contents (typically mounted at /sdcard) to the newly adopted media...."

So officially, this is Google's default position. Some device manufacturers, however, have chosen not to enable adoptive storage/encryption. Luckily, BB has enabled the whole suite of options for us.

So yes, the Keyone/Priv/DTEKs will give you an option to enable adoptable storage (internal storage + encrypted external SD storage = one single shared drive), or use it as-is for simple file storage (internal storage and non-encrypted external SD as SEPARATE drives).

Or you can use my approach and have the benefits of both!

Cheers.

Thanks for replying! Interesting to note that BlackBerry Android uses local disk encryption then, instead of file-based encryption. I had a suspicion that was the case but now indirectly confirmed.

Yes I guess your option would work indeed. Perhaps I will go down that route eventually, but I liked the BlackBerry 10 way of handling it to be rather nice.

[jope28]

Has this issue been resolved with the KeyOne update to Oreo?

That would be a pleasant surprise for when my KeyOne finally gets Oreo.
Had been using two Sim cards on my KeyOne, but now that I'll be on vacation and won't need my work number for a little while, thought of popping in an SD card in place of my work SIM card for the trip.

The way my Passport handles encrypted external store is definitely something BlackBerry needs to bring to the KeyOne.

I couldn't go back to using unencrypted SD cards after getting used to it on BB10 lol.

Horrible to think that the data on the sd card could be accessed by any dummy if my device is lost or stolen.