I'm on Android 12 and the Shizuku method worked for me but I had to reinstall both games and only open BG2 and do the import method to create the folders and rename the original files to make another one. However as soon as I made a character in BG1 I got locked out again. Funny enough I can still access BG2 folders and actually access my BG1 saves to import my character now. All these hoops to jump through wow
Yeah, Android file permissions are such a mess lately. I had to do something similar — reinstall, open BG2 first, let it create the folders, then rename and move stuff manually. It's wild that BG2 can still access BG1 saves even after BG1 locks you out again. At least importing works now, but seriously, the hoops we have to jump through just to play properly... unreal 😅
I have an idea for a potential workaround, but am too lazy to try (I still have an Android 6 tablet, so I will fall back to that to play BGEE). But I have tried this workaround on another Android app that was suffering similar problems due to scoping changes introduced in Android 11, and it did work there. Basically, you need to obtain the APK for BGEE, and modify the manifest file inside the APK to add the MANAGE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permission. Beamdog COULD do that themselves, BUT they probably chose not to, because Google has been banning apps from Play market that have this permission set in the manifest. Look for the free tool APK Studio Editor, this tool allows you to decompile, edit, recompile APKs.....this is all you need to edit the manifest file. After modifying the APK as I have described, simply install BGEE from your recompiled APK. If this doesn't work, the other thing you could do until Beamdog fixes the problem is install the game on BlueStacks or Nox, which I believe is still using Android 6 or 7 for emulation.
I tried that. Modified the app. It didn't change its behaviour, sadly. My manifest for the 3.1.3.1 PSTEE Android version is:
Yeah, Android file permissions are such a mess lately. I had to do something similar — reinstall, open BG2 first, let it create the folders, then rename and move stuff manually. It's wild that BG2 can still access BG1 saves even after BG1 locks you out again. At least importing works now, but seriously, the hoops we have to jump through just to play properly... unreal 😅
Unfortunately, not even this method is working for me now. I'm not sure what changed, but now I can't even copy the files in.
Any time I view the folder even after clearing cache/data- still shows blank. I've even gone as far as to delete the whole folder, paste one in, then let the game make what it needs to. When I do this, it'll just ignore any of the files I've added.
Also I noticed if I have the files in the right place; When I attempt to create a new character and export, (just to force the game to write a file) the game will crash.
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I even installed Shizuku and let FV File Explorer to access all files. Still the game file in the Android folder appears as empty.
I tried that. Modified the app. It didn't change its behaviour, sadly. My manifest for the 3.1.3.1 PSTEE Android version is:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android" android:compileSdkVersion="34" android:compileSdkVersionCodename="14" package="com.beamdog.pstee" platformBuildVersionCode="34" platformBuildVersionName="14"> <uses-feature android:glEsVersion="0x00030000"/> <queries> <package android:name="com.beamdog.baldursgateenhancededition"/> <package android:name="com.beamdog.siegeofdragonspear"/> <intent> <action android:name="android.intent.action.VIEW"/> <category android:name="android.intent.category.BROWSABLE"/> <data android:scheme="https"/> </intent> <intent> <action android:name="com.android.vending.billing.InAppBillingService.BIND"/> </intent> </queries> <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE"/> <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE"/> <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.MANAGE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE"/> <uses-permission android:maxSdkVersion="32" android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE"/> <uses-permission android:maxSdkVersion="32" android:name="android.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE"/> <uses-permission android:maxSdkVersion="32" android:name="android.permission.MANAGE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE"/> <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.INTERNET"/> <uses-permission android:name="com.android.vending.CHECK_LICENSE"/> <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WAKE_LOCK"/> <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE"/> <supports-screens android:largeScreens="true" android:normalScreens="true" android:smallScreens="false" android:xlargeScreens="true"/> <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.POST_NOTIFICATIONS"/> <uses-permission android:name="com.android.vending.BILLING"/> <permission android:name="com.beamdog.pstee.DYNAMIC_RECEIVER_NOT_EXPORTED_PERMISSION" android:protectionLevel="signature"/> <uses-permission android:name="com.beamdog.pstee.DYNAMIC_RECEIVER_NOT_EXPORTED_PERMISSION"/> <application android:allowBackup="true" android:appComponentFactory="androidx.core.app.CoreComponentFactory" android:extractNativeLibs="true" android:icon="@drawable/icon" android:label="@string/app_name" android:name="androidx.multidex.MultiDexApplication" android:requestLegacyExternalStorage="true" android:supportsRtl="true" android:theme="@android:style/Theme.NoTitleBar.Fullscreen"> <activity android:configChanges="keyboard|keyboardHidden|orientation|screenLayout|screenSize|smallestScreenSize" android:exported="true" android:label="@string/app_name" android:name="com.beamdog.pstee.PSTEE" android:screenOrientation="sensorLandscape"> <intent-filter> <action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN"/> <category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER"/> </intent-filter> <intent-filter> <action android:name="android.intent.action.SEND"/> <action android:name="android.intent.action.VIEW"/> <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT"/> </intent-filter> </activity> <service android:name="com.beamdog.infinity.BGDownloaderService"/> <receiver android:name="com.beamdog.infinity.BGAlarmReceiver"/> <provider android:authorities="com.beamdog.pstee.EHZipUriProviderPSTEE" android:exported="false" android:multiprocess="true" android:name="com.beamdog.pstee.EHZipUriProviderPSTEE"/> <provider android:authorities="com.beamdog.pstee" android:exported="false" android:grantUriPermissions="true" android:name="androidx.core.content.FileProvider"> <meta-data android:name="android.support.FILE_PROVIDER_PATHS" android:resource="@xml/provider_paths"/> </provider> <meta-data android:name="com.google.android.gms.version" android:value="@integer/google_play_services_version"/> <meta-data android:name="com.google.android.gms.appstate.APP_ID" android:value="@string/app_id"/> <meta-data android:name="com.google.android.gms.games.APP_ID" android:value="@string/app_id"/> <uses-library android:name="org.apache.http.legacy" android:required="false"/> <activity android:excludeFromRecents="true" android:exported="false" android:name="com.google.android.gms.auth.api.signin.internal.SignInHubActivity" android:theme="@android:style/Theme.Translucent.NoTitleBar"/> <service android:exported="true" android:name="com.google.android.gms.auth.api.signin.RevocationBoundService" android:permission="com.google.android.gms.auth.api.signin.permission.REVOCATION_NOTIFICATION" android:visibleToInstantApps="true"/> <activity android:exported="false" android:name="com.google.android.gms.common.api.GoogleApiActivity" android:theme="@android:style/Theme.Translucent.NoTitleBar"/> <meta-data android:name="com.google.android.play.billingclient.version" android:value="6.0.1"/> <activity android:configChanges="keyboard|keyboardHidden|orientation|screenLayout|screenSize" android:exported="false" android:name="com.android.billingclient.api.ProxyBillingActivity" android:theme="@android:style/Theme.Translucent.NoTitleBar"/> <provider android:authorities="com.beamdog.pstee.androidx-startup" android:exported="false" android:name="androidx.startup.InitializationProvider"> <meta-data android:name="androidx.emoji2.text.EmojiCompatInitializer" android:value="androidx.startup"/> <meta-data android:name="androidx.lifecycle.ProcessLifecycleInitializer" android:value="androidx.startup"/> <meta-data android:name="androidx.profileinstaller.ProfileInstallerInitializer" android:value="androidx.startup"/> </provider> <receiver android:directBootAware="false" android:enabled="true" android:exported="true" android:name="androidx.profileinstaller.ProfileInstallReceiver" android:permission="android.permission.DUMP"> <intent-filter> <action android:name="androidx.profileinstaller.action.INSTALL_PROFILE"/> </intent-filter> <intent-filter> <action android:name="androidx.profileinstaller.action.SKIP_FILE"/> </intent-filter> <intent-filter> <action android:name="androidx.profileinstaller.action.SAVE_PROFILE"/> </intent-filter> <intent-filter> <action android:name="androidx.profileinstaller.action.BENCHMARK_OPERATION"/> </intent-filter> </receiver> <service android:exported="false" android:name="com.google.android.datatransport.runtime.backends.TransportBackendDiscovery"> <meta-data android:name="backend:com.google.android.datatransport.cct.CctBackendFactory" android:value="cct"/> </service> <service android:exported="false" android:name="com.google.android.datatransport.runtime.scheduling.jobscheduling.JobInfoSchedulerService" android:permission="android.permission.BIND_JOB_SERVICE"/> <receiver android:exported="false" android:name="com.google.android.datatransport.runtime.scheduling.jobscheduling.AlarmManagerSchedulerBroadcastReceiver"/> </application> </manifest>Unfortunately, not even this method is working for me now. I'm not sure what changed, but now I can't even copy the files in.
Any time I view the folder even after clearing cache/data- still shows blank. I've even gone as far as to delete the whole folder, paste one in, then let the game make what it needs to. When I do this, it'll just ignore any of the files I've added.
Also I noticed if I have the files in the right place; When I attempt to create a new character and export, (just to force the game to write a file) the game will crash.