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When using many different Android apps, a native file chooser is displayed to allow the user to select a file to process.

For example, in the well-regarded Privacy Browser web browser, visiting the VirusTotal website and then pressing the Choose file button on that site will invoke this file chooser GUI.

I noticed, on Samsung Android Nougat devices, many of the files listed in the Downloads folder were deleted over a year ago, but are still being presented as current options by the file chooser.

How can one clear the history of this native file chooser?

When clearing it, are there any undesirable side-effects?

End Anti-Semitic Hate
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  • If you press the "choose file" button on my system the app chooser opens and if I select the "Files" app it starts with the recently used files history. Is that what you are talking about? – Robert Nov 13 '20 at 09:32
  • @Robert I think so. Except I don't get any app chooser... it goes directly to the file chooser. The file chooser has no About menuitem, or any indication if it is from Google or Samsung. Carefully going through all apps in Settings > Apps (with system apps shown) does not immediately reveal what is actually providing that file chooser GUI. – End Anti-Semitic Hate Nov 13 '20 at 09:40
  • @Robert Also, going to Settings > Apps > Default Apps > Set as Default (with Show system apps enabled) shows nothing that I find relevant, which is odd. – End Anti-Semitic Hate Nov 13 '20 at 09:42
  • How to remove file from “Recent Files” on android 10? – Irfan Latif Nov 13 '20 at 09:43
  • @IrfanLatif I just finished reading your linked answer. Thanks. I tried clearing the cache for com.android.documentsui, but doing so (unsurprisingly) had no effect. I'm thinking of clearing its data next. Will doing so result in any data loss of stored files? – End Anti-Semitic Hate Nov 13 '20 at 09:50
  • @IrfanLatif I went ahead and took a chance and cleared data for com.android.documentsui. It had no effect either. Perhaps a reboot after doing that will make a difference. – End Anti-Semitic Hate Nov 13 '20 at 09:56
  • @RockPaperLz-MaskitorCasket As Irfan wrote in the linked answer the recent files list is not populated by the com.android.documentsui app itself, instead it is the system-wide Media Provider. – Robert Nov 13 '20 at 09:58
  • Thanks. I drilled down to several linked answers within the linked answer, and lost sight of that important fact. That Android media scanner/provider has been problematic since the early days of Android. When you clear its cache and data, is any data on the device lost? – End Anti-Semitic Hate Nov 13 '20 at 10:04
  • No data is deleted but index database is cleared. See the heading *Solution* in my answer: https://android.stackexchange.com/a/209119/218526 – Irfan Latif Nov 13 '20 at 11:03
  • @IrfanLatif Thank you. Why does a media scanner app need to be run afterwards? Won't the database get recreated automatically after a few hours? (Also the media scanner linked in the Solutions section hasn't been updated since KitKat... is it still a good choice?) – End Anti-Semitic Hate Nov 13 '20 at 19:42
  • com.android.providers.media.MediaScannerService hasn't been changed since KitKat. So the app should work on new releases too. The same service is called on every boot by com.android.providers.media.MediaScannerReceiver. Details in the same answer. – Irfan Latif Nov 13 '20 at 20:16
  • @IrfanLatif Thank you Irfan. Interestingly, I tried deleting the cache and data for com.android.providers.downloads and com.android.providers.downloads.ui before doing anything with the media scanner, and it resolved the issue. I'm surprised it worked, as I didn't touch the media scanner. – End Anti-Semitic Hate Nov 13 '20 at 20:24

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