[root] Updating shows error : "failed to read the configuration"

[KAGEYAM4]

maintainer note from @researchxxl if you really need a version of this app including root support you may use a debug build from https://github.com/researchxxl/syncthing-android/pull/107/checks at your own risk while the code is being refactored by volunteering members of our community

original issue

Description of the issue

i updated to v2.0.12.1 from v2.0.11.3, After uodate syncthing showing error in notification as can be seen in photos. It looks like config got erased. i had a backup of the app so i uninstalled the v2.0.12.1 and installed backup version v2.0.11.3 and after that everything worked until i again updated to v2.0.12.1

Steps to reproduce

Update the app from v2.0.11.3 to v2.0.12.1

android.log

App version

v2.0.12.1

App install source - see wiki for details on release channels

GitHub or F-Droid release build

Android version

Adndroid 14

ROM vendor

AP1A.240505.005.B1 PixelOS_RMX1851-14.0-20240621-0541

Device manufacturer

Realme

Device model

RMX1851

Device platform info (optional)

~ $ getprop | grep ro.product
[ro.product.board]: [sdm710]
[ro.product.brand]: [realme]
[ro.product.cpu.abi]: [arm64-v8a]
[ro.product.cpu.abilist]: [arm64-v8a,armeabi-v7a,armeabi]
[ro.product.cpu.abilist32]: [armeabi-v7a,armeabi]
[ro.product.cpu.abilist64]: [arm64-v8a]
[ro.product.cpu.pagesize.max]: [4096]
[ro.product.device]: [RMX1851]
[ro.product.first_api_level]: [28]
[ro.product.locale]: [en-US]
[ro.product.manufacturer]: [realme]
[ro.product.model]: [RMX1851]
[ro.product.name]: [RMX1851]
[ro.product.odm.brand]: [realme]
[ro.product.odm.device]: [RMX1851]
[ro.product.odm.manufacturer]: [realme]
[ro.product.odm.model]: [RMX1851]
[ro.product.odm.name]: [RMX1851]
[ro.product.system.brand]: [realme]
[ro.product.system.device]: [RMX1851]
[ro.product.system.manufacturer]: [realme]
[ro.product.system.model]: [RMX1851]
[ro.product.system.name]: [RMX1851]
[ro.product.system_ext.brand]: [realme]
[ro.product.system_ext.device]: [RMX1851]
[ro.product.system_ext.manufacturer]: [realme]
[ro.product.system_ext.model]: [RMX1851]
[ro.product.system_ext.name]: [RMX1851]
[ro.product.vendor.brand]: [realme]
[ro.product.vendor.device]: [RMX1851]
[ro.product.vendor.manufacturer]: [realme]
[ro.product.vendor.model]: [RMX1851]
[ro.product.vendor.name]: [RMX1851]
[ro.product.vendor_dlkm.brand]: [realme]
[ro.product.vendor_dlkm.device]: [RMX1851]
[ro.product.vendor_dlkm.manufacturer]: [realme]
[ro.product.vendor_dlkm.model]: [RMX1851]
[ro.product.vendor_dlkm.name]: [RMX1851]
[ro.product.vndk.version]: [35]

Android log (logcat)

Logcat would be only useful on the first run after updating app as after that next run, syncthing starts as if it is installed fresh.

Let me know if you need it.

[iyesin]

Can confirm exact same problem:: update to v2.0.12.1 from v2.0.11.3 causing failed to read the configuration error. Rolling back to v2.0.11.3 fixing the problem.

[researchxxl]

did you use root mode before the update??

[KAGEYAM4]

did you use root mode before the update??

Yes i was using root in previous version in order to read the whole internal directory, i.e /storage/emulated/0

[researchxxl]

root support was removed in the recent release pls see #48 (comment) so i guess the config read failure is caused by the root perms within the apps internal directory.. unfortunately i could not test root myself so failed to catch this my apologies!! my expectation was syncthing would say folder marker missing and stop single folders that are in android restricted areas

[KAGEYAM4]

root support was removed in the recent release pls see #48 (comment) so i guess the config read failure is caused by the root perms within the apps internal directory.. unfortunately i could not test root myself so failed to catch this my apologies!! my expectation was syncthing would say folder marker missing and stop single folders that are in android restricted areas

So that means we can no longer backup /storage/emulated/0 ?

Whats your backup workflow? For me i find that there are like 6 or 7 diretories inside /storage/emulated/0 that needs to be backed up and adding them seprately into syncthing feels redundant specially when they all share the same backup rule and all.

[researchxxl]

/storage/emulated/0 can be accessed without root.. in case you get errors because android locks down some subdirs that is another story

[researchxxl]

a second option to get legit access to other apps private data is to ask their developers to add export or alternate storage location support to their app.. syncthing fork is a file sync app imo not a system core service or the like and should run in user space as the platform suggests and over years got to enforce it.. i would totally agree with you that root needs to be supported if this would be a bare linux box

[KAGEYAM4]

I get this error when accessing the /storage/emulated/0 can be seen in the photo below.

Can syncthing not ask permission to "Acess all storage" like file managers do ?

[KAGEYAM4]

Like this :

[KAGEYAM4]

Ok it seems that directly accessing web-gui and adding location "/storage/emulated/0" through that works. Weird. Dont have laptop right now to test this works or not but syncthing-fork is reading the location and showing it read x gb.

One last thing, how to migrate from v2.0.11.3, to v2.0.12.1 ? Do i remove permission of root from magisk and syncthing-fork settings ?

[researchxxl]

@KAGEYAM4
syncthing-fork already asks for all files access during the welcome wizard
some phones show cannot access this folder but directly enter the path may help or not to circumvent this depending on your android version
for migration please try to disable the root option in settings, click behaviour and export your settings then
this might work depending on permissions modified by the root process which ran before or not if selinux steps in denying read on config

[satarsa]

On my old Samsung S3 Tablet (Android 9) syncthing is not allowed to write into the external SD card root (and internal is 32 Mb only). I could not figure a way around and I got root on this device only for syncthing to do what I needed. Now syncthing cannot even start. This device will never be upgraded and I think that root code you removed should have stayed as is.

[researchxxl]

@satarsa write to sdcard is supported since android 11 when the os got the all files access permission
until then you can also try this workaround from https://github.com/researchxxl/syncthing-android/blob/main/wiki/known-bug-workarounds/All-files-access_SD-card-write-access.md