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TangoMan75
TangoMan75

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⚠️ Android : AppManager Interceptor breaks `android.intent.action.OPEN_DOCUMENT` Intent.

📦 AppManager by Muntashir Al-Islam (io.github.muntashirakon.AppManager) is a powerful, open-source Android package manager designed for advanced users, developers, and privacy enthusiasts.
Available on GitHub and F-Droid, it offers deep control over installed apps, permissions, trackers, and system components.

But one of its features - Interceptor - can unintentionally disrupt core Android functionality.

🚫 The Problem: Interceptor Hijacks OPEN_DOCUMENT Intents

By default, AppManager enables a feature called Interceptor, designed to catch and reroute app intents for inspection. While useful for debugging or privacy analysis, it can interfere with legitimate system actions - most notably the android.intent.action.OPEN_DOCUMENT intent used by Android's Storage Access Framework (SAF).

This intent is critical for apps that allow users to browse and select files from their device.

When Interceptor is active, apps that rely on this intent - like DropBox (when using "save to device" feature) or NewPipe (when downloading media) - will fail with the following error:

android.content.ActivityNotFoundException: No Activity found to handle Intent { act=android.intent.action.OPEN_DOCUMENT ... }
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This breaks file access across multiple apps, leaving users unable to save or open documents properly.

The problem is that the default Intent will be removed permanently !

Even if you Disable Interceptor in AppManager like so :

  • 1. Open AppManager
  • 2. Navigate to Settings > Appearance > Enable/disable features
  • 3. Uncheck Interceptor

Or even if AppManager is completely uninstalled from system.

🛠️ Attempted Fix: Resetting App Preferences

Some forums suggest resetting app defaults:

  1. Go to Settings > Apps
  2. Tap the three-dot menu in the top-right corner
  3. Select Reset app preferences

Unfortunately, this doesn't resolve the issue caused by Interceptor.

✅ The Workaround: Restore SAF

To restore Storage Access Framework (SAF) provider, which handles OPEN_DOCUMENT intents and repair normal file access, you will need to reinstall Android's Default File Picker.

  • Install "Files" (com.google.android.documentsui) - the official system picker (with the blue folder icon): 👉 Download from APKMirror

⚠️ Do not confuse this with "Files by Google" (com.google.android.apps.nbu.files) - a separate app focused on storage cleanup and file management.

Once installed, apps should be able to invoke the file picker correctly again.

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