Allow vault access by other apps through Document Provider

[j-xella]

It would be great to expose cryptomator API to third party apps, like dropbox does, for example. So that third party apps could read/write files to cryptomator.

[tobihagemann]

Is #25 what you had in mind?

[j-xella]

I am not sure.... I am not an android developer, but when you share the file with an app, you just pass it a file, but then it is the receiver app that decides what exactly to do with it, like in which folder to save and so on. What I meant is more control for 3rd part apps, like ability for other apps to query the contents of the vaults as well as specifying where exactly file is to be saved.

For example, when cryptomator integrates with dropbox, you don't just "share" encrypted files with dropbox, right? I was thinking of cryptomator providing similar functionality.

[overheadhunter]

If a third party application wants to utilize Cryptomator's encryption routines, we have a android-compatible library for that.

[markuskreusch]

I think what @j-xella has in mind is a Cryptomator document provider. In general this is possible but some things like unlocking and authentication will have to be figured out.

[nicdnb]

I just purchased the app, hoping for this feature as well.
I would like to be able to open md files with Markor. They have support for dropbox style providers.
See gsantner/markor#197

[SailReal]

We're still focusing on other features but it is on our roadmap and we also consider it as an existential feature.

Please stay tuned.

[dan-v]

@SailReal any update on this issue? Would be great to have this functionality.

[technodrome]

I do appreciate solid FOSS projects and very much admire people who put experience and energy into them. However, it is not all about code - it requires also solid communication, especially when money is involved. Saying on one hand this thing is totally free while asking users for 15 € per desktop app if I want dark mode and ~9 € for mobile app where I cannot save my passwords in Keepass is just not customer-friendly. On top of that, it is very much not true:

You can use Cryptomator for Windows, Mac and Linux free of charge without any restrictions.

There are restrictions. Please change that sentence to actually reflect the truth.

So what exactly is the purpose of the overpriced mobile app, just RO access? I don't need an encryption solution for photos, most people store passwords and sensitive data they need to mutate, not just look at them. How is that exactly useful or new feature-wise if I cannot pass that document handle to another app to mutate and auto-upload? We've all already seen examples of apps which just popped up with bold statements about their functionality, totally disregarded critical usability requirements - this one being a prime example of such case - and disappeared into oblivion because of such indifferent attitude towards the end user.

I really don't want to sound rude or condescending because - and I want to stress this - I do like the potential of this project very much (love the WebDAV integration right off the bat) but when I see a ticket with a critital feature laying open for almost 4 years and no comment on the progress for almost a year, I know the thing is very much a beta and should be priced as such (free) as it is at most a technological preview, not a finalized solution.

When communication is improved, the untrue statements on the webpage are fixed and finally this issue is implemented, then I'll be donating. Until then, this is just an MVP.

[tobihagemann]

And yet, you sound rude and condescending. I guess we should just work many years on a software and give it away for free because it's an MVP by your definition. Congratulations, that's how a project definitely disappears into oblivion.

But you're right that our communication could be better as a whole because we're working on a lot of things simultaneously as a small company. It's extremely challenging because we're blasted with issues, support tickets, community posts etc. that require our attention as well. The irony is that communicating everything requires even more time that isn't spent on development. We're aware of this feature request and we're trying to prioritize everything (not just the Android app) as best as we can.

Back to topic: No, we do not have an update on the Document Provider feature and we'll absolutely give an update if there is an update.

[technodrome]

And yet, you sound rude and condescending. I guess we should just work many years on a software and give it away for free because it's an MVP by your definition.

No, I just said something you know is true, but rubs you up the wrong way.

We all have to deal with Jira tickets, stakeholder requests, conflicting managerial requirements. Free apps deserve a big leeway. Yours is not, hence users are customers. I did not criticize your desktop app - it works brilliantly.
But people will not be kind with their reviews just because you feel you're right and others are rude and condescending. Help them help you. Like others, I would buy your app, if it has features I need.

I guess we should just work many years on a software and give it away for free because it's an MVP by your definition. Congratulations, that's how a project definitely disappears into oblivion.
Right. Like Debian, Arch, git and other cummunity-driven projects? You claim you want to open-source the app - then do it: community will take care of most of your problems.

That all doesn't mean you're not doing good work: on the contrary. You are. But imagine yourself in the shoes of your customers. If you forget them, they'll forget you. Very quickly.

[akvadrako]

I just moved from iOS, where Cryptomator acts as a "document provider", to Android, and find I can't live without this feature. The browsing interface of Cryptomator is just not enough.

I would definitely purchase the Android version if this was implemented. :) Keep up the good work guys.

[SailReal]

As mentioned in our roadmap, we are currently working on publishing the source code for the Android app, which will be completed in the next few days. After that, we will start developing this feature but it's a bigger task, so we can't give an ETA.

[ghost]

I just bought the Android app and found out this is not supported. I am quite disappointed. This is basically deal-breaker. I cannot use Cryptomator without this.

Use-case: I need to encrypt shared data (over Syncthing) at rest (notes, contacts, todos, calendards,...).

Is there any update about delivering this feature @SailReal? If it has some ETA I am willing to wait, but otherwise I have to find another solution. Thanks!

[SailReal]

Unfortunately still no ETA, however, we are in the middle of development:

[fancsali]

I reckon Cryptomator is decently awesome as it is, but this would make it my go-to solution for 99% of secure storage needs.

[overheadhunter]

Yes, Document Provider is still planned.

No, "are we there yet?" isn't going to speed things up.

Some things need to be done before we can fully focus on Document Provider. We'll write a blog post informing you about the state of this feature, shortly.

[SailReal]

Here you can find the link to the mentioned blog post about the state of this feature: https://cryptomator.org/blog/2021/07/22/android-document-provider/

[JaniruTEC]

A short update since there are regular requests for one:

We have been doing active development work on the Documents Provider between August and late October of last year (see: here), but the project has been put on hold again, unlikely to be picked up before June.
We understand that this is not what you were hoping to hear.
Cryptomator is developed by a small team with very limited time and resources, that need to be divided between the different projects in some way or the other. The Documents Provider was initially shelved in October because we needed to first refactor our database management on android as the old system wouldn't have been up to the task (see: #506) - this is mostly done now, which is honestly good news.
But before we can return to the Documents Provider we sadly have some other stuff to do that can't wait. We really want the Documents Provider to happen and we are sorry for delaying it again, but it will come, we promise!

A final note for all android developers reading along: Skymatic (the company behind Cryptomator) is hiring and outside of that we are always happy about any Pull Requests.
Cheers