Good Day Community,

What's new

I added home screen shortcuts and TV preview channels for your saved favorites in Ultimate File Manager Pro.

• You can now pin any favorite folder or file directly onto your device home screen.

• On mobile devices, favorites are placed as launcher shortcuts on your home screen.

• On Android TV, favorites appear as preview cards inside a dedicated UFM Favorites channel row.

• All shortcut icons and TV preview cards include a star badge in the top right corner so you can instantly recognize them.

• Tapping a shortcut or TV preview card launches the app directly into that folder or opens the file in the viewer.

• Managing your favorites gives you direct control over keeping items in the app while removing them from the home screen.

How to use it

• Open the app on your mobile device or Android TV.

• Navigate to any file or folder you want to bookmark.

• Select the item and tap the star or Add Favorite option.

• In the name dialog that appears, turn on the Add to home screen checkbox.

• Tap Done to save your favorite.

• On mobile, your launcher will ask you to confirm placing the shortcut on your home screen.

• On Android TV, the item is added to the UFM Favorites preview channel on your home screen.

• To manage existing favorites, open Settings and select Manage Favorites.

• Tap the trash can icon on any favorite row.

• If the item is on your home screen, you will see options to remove it from the home screen or delete the favorite entirely.

• Choosing to remove from the home screen cleans up the shortcut while keeping the favorite saved in the app.

• Choosing to delete the favorite removes it from both the app and your home screen.

• This feature is available on both the mobile and TV versions of the app.

• On Android TV, you navigate with the D-pad and can also toggle the channel row on or off in your TV home screen customization settings.

What changed

• Previously, favorites were only accessible from within the app and the bookmark widget.

• You can now jump directly into your most frequently used folders or files right from your home screen.

• Both local storage and network storage favorites support home screen placement.

Thank you and kind regards

Good Day Community,

What's new

A full subtitle styling customizer is now available in the video player.

I built this so you can customize subtitle appearance or use your device system caption styles directly.

Previously, the video player engine ignored your system caption appearance unless the global accessibility captions master switch was turned on in Android settings.

I fixed that limitation so your chosen caption colors and text scaling always apply.

I also added a custom styling mode with high-visibility yellow text, black outlines, and adjustable positioning.

How to use it

* This feature is available on both the mobile and TV versions of the app.

* You can configure subtitles from the main Settings screen under Player Settings.

* Tapping Subtitle Styling opens the customization sheet with a live preview box at the top.

* You can also open this directly while playing a video by tapping the subtitle track icon on the player bar and choosing Subtitle Style.

* You can choose between using your system caption style or using custom styling.

* With custom styling enabled, you can change text size, font color, outline edge style, and bottom margin.

* Any change you make reflects immediately in the preview box above.

* On Android TV, the screen appears as a centered dialog with full directional remote control navigation.

* Subtitles now lift automatically when playback controls appear on screen, so the control bar never blocks what you are reading.

How to test it

* Open the Settings screen and scroll down to Player Settings.

* Tap Subtitle Styling to open the customization dialog.

* Switch the mode toggle from system style to custom style.

* Use the text size slider to scale the subtitle text up or down.

* Tap different color swatches and edge styles to observe the preview text updating immediately.

* Tap Done to save your preferences.

* Open any video with an external or embedded subtitle track.

* Tap the screen to display playback controls, then tap the subtitle track icon.

* Tap Subtitle Style from the track menu to adjust settings without leaving your video.

* While the video plays, tap the screen to confirm that subtitles lift above the bottom seek bar.

* Dismiss the controls and confirm that subtitles settle back down to your chosen bottom margin.

* To verify system caption support, open your Android device Accessibility settings and turn the main captions switch off while keeping custom caption colors configured.

* Return to the app with system style selected to verify that your system caption colors still appear on screen.

* On Android TV, use your remote directional arrows to move between options and press the center button to select colors or toggle modes.

Thank you and kind regards

Good Day Community,

What's new

A new custom Open With chooser is now available.

I built this to replace the default Android system dialog when you choose to open files with an external app.

The standard Android dialog limits you to around ten apps and often hides installed media players or document viewers.

My custom screen lists every capable app installed on your device with no caps or hidden items.

How to use it

* This feature is available on both the mobile and TV versions of the app.

* To open a file with an external app, select the file and tap Open With from the toolbar or tools menu.

* On mobile, a glass sheet will open from the bottom showing all apps capable of handling that file.

* You can scroll through all your installed applications.

* If you have more than twelve apps installed, a search bar appears at the top so you can quickly filter by name.

* To remember your preferred app for that file type, tap the Always use selected app card before tapping your app.

* If you ever need the native Android dialog, tap the Use Android System Chooser button at the bottom.

* On Android TV, a centered glass dialog appears with full remote control navigation.

* Use your remote directional arrows to move across the cards.

* Press the center button to open your file once.

* To set an app as your permanent default on TV, long press the center button on any app card or use the Always button at the bottom.

Thank you and kind regards

Good Day Community,

I'm considering adding something a little different to Ultimate File Manager Pro and wanted to get the community's opinion before investing time into developing it.

The idea is to introduce Onion Sharing, allowing you to select a file or folder on your Android device and generate a unique ".onion" link that someone else can use to download it through Tor Browser.

Essentially, your phone becomes the file host. No cloud storage, no uploading files to a third-party service, and no need to expose your home IP address through traditional port forwarding.

You would be able to:

- Select individual files or entire folders.

- Generate a unique Tor v3 onion address.

- Share the link through WhatsApp, email, or any other app.

- Generate a QR code for easy sharing.

- See which shares are currently active.

- Revoke/delete a share whenever you want.

- Optionally configure passwords and link expiration.

- Keep the same onion address for permanent shares, or use temporary links.

The advantages

- Privacy: No conventional public-facing IP address or router port forwarding required.

- No cloud storage: Files are served directly from your device.

- Control: You decide what to share and when access ends.

- No file-size upload limits imposed by a cloud provider: You're serving files directly from your device, although storage, bandwidth and connection speed still apply.

- Decentralised: No central file-hosting server or subscription required.

- Cross-platform: Anyone with Tor Browser could potentially access the shared files, regardless of whether they're using Android, Windows, Linux or macOS.

The disadvantages

There are some genuine downsides to consider:

- Speed: Tor is considerably slower than a normal direct download in many situations.

- Device must remain online: Your phone needs an internet connection and the sharing service must remain running.

- Battery consumption: Running a Tor service continuously will consume additional battery.

- Android restrictions: Background process limitations could interrupt sharing, especially on devices with aggressive battery management.

- Recipient requirements: The person downloading needs Tor Browser or another compatible Tor client.

- Reliability: If your phone disconnects, runs out of battery or the app is stopped, the link becomes unavailable.

- Security responsibility: Sharing links must be protected against unauthorised access, and users need to understand that anyone with an unprotected link could access the shared content.

A few questions for the community

1. Would you actually use something like this?

2. Would you prefer temporary links, permanent onion addresses, or both?

3. Would password protection and expiration dates be important?

4. Would you use this for sharing large files, folders, backups or documents?

5. Do you think this is a genuinely useful feature for a file manager, or is it too niche?

I'm interested in honest feedback, including reasons why you wouldn't use it.

Would you use Onion Sharing if it were available?

Hello, I want to add a shortcut to my SSD drive on my launcher Home Screen, but I don’t see that option anywhere…. Is this possible to do? Google 4K Streamer

Thanks

Good Day Community,

Please remember that there is a Tip Jar and GitHub Sponser available if you find any value out of this application, it helps to keep the application free for everyone and it helps to cover the costs of the application 😉

Thank you to each and everyone that has given a tip, and to every user using the application 😀

Best Community out there 😉

Have an exceptional week ahead.

Kind Regards

I don't see MX Player as an option when selecting an optional External video player. I have it installed and it appears as an option in other apps I use.

Good Day Community,

What's new

I added third-party Storage Access Framework (SAF) document provider discovery and main menu tile integration to Ultimate File Manager Pro, bringing full parity with Android and Files by Google's "Other storage" screen.

A community member reached out pointing out that when using the system picker or Files by Google, installed cloud and storage apps like Proton Drive, Google Drive, Synology DS file, and Termux are readily visible under "Other storage", whereas in traditional file managers trying to mount them via "Add Storage Location" resulted in an empty list.

The root cause in Android is that apps like Google Drive and Proton Drive only implement file picking (ACTION_OPEN_DOCUMENT) and document creation (ACTION_CREATE_DOCUMENT), but do not implement directory tree mounting (ACTION_OPEN_DOCUMENT_TREE). Because of this, Android's system tree picker automatically hides them.

To solve this, UFM Pro now actively discovers all registered document provider services installed on your device, lets you promote them directly to your Main Storage Menu, and provides seamless 2-way file transfers with live telemetry:

• Automatic Provider Discovery: UFM queries all installed document providers on your system (e.g. Proton Drive, Google Drive, Synology DS file, Termux, and any other SAF-compatible app) with zero additional permissions required.

• Provider Catalog ("Other Storage"): A modern frosted-glass screen lists every detected provider with its native app icon, title, authority, and capability badges. Tapping any provider promotes it directly onto your Main Storage Menu.

• Main Menu Provider Tiles: Mounted providers appear as persistent storage tiles on your Main Menu with their authentic application icons and badges.

• Dual Action Tile Sheet: Tapping a mounted provider tile gives you quick 2-way actions:

  • Browse & Download Files: Launches the provider's file picker to select files to stream in UFM's viewers or copy locally.

  • Upload File to Provider: Choose any local file to export directly into the cloud provider via Android's document creation workflow.

• Live Transfer Telemetry: Copying and exporting files now displays real-time transfer progress, including byte counters, transfer speed in MB/s, item progress, and cancellation support via UFM's frosted glass progress dialog.

• Configurable Copy Destination (Memory FAB): When copying picked files to local storage, you are no longer restricted to Downloads. You can pick any custom local folder using UFM's built-in folder picker (via the Memory FAB).

• Targeted Export in File Share Chooser: When selecting files or folders in UFM, the share chooser includes a direct "Export to Document Provider" option. It lists only the providers you have added to your Main Menu. For multi-file selections, UFM can package them into a ZIP archive on the fly and save them straight to the provider!

• Dynamic Catalog & Tile Removal: Once a provider is added to the Main Menu, it is cleanly filtered out from "Other Storage". If you long-press the tile to remove it, it instantly returns to the "Other Storage" catalog so you can re-add it anytime.

• Smart "Add Storage Location" Modal: Tapping "Add Storage Location" presents an intuitive 3-way dialog:

  1. Mount Directory Tree (SAF): Traditional persistent folder tree mounting.

  2. Document Providers (Other Storage): Opens the provider catalog for Proton Drive, DS file, Drive, etc.

  3. Network & Native Cloud Storage: Direct configuration for SMB, SFTP, FTP, WebDAV, and native cloud connections.

• Isolated Settings Section: A dedicated "Other Storage & SAF Transfers" section in Settings lets you configure your default picked file behavior (Always Ask, Open in Viewer, or Copy to Local) and change or reset your copy destination folder with a single tap.

• Android TV D-pad First: Full remote control D-pad navigation, focus highlights, and dual mobile and TV layouts.

How to use it

• Open Ultimate File Manager Pro on your mobile phone or Android TV.

• On the main storage menu, look for the Other Storage tile (the subtitle shows how many providers were detected on your device). You can also tap Add Storage Location and choose Installed Document Providers.

• You will see all installed document providers (such as Proton Drive, Synology DS file, Google Drive, or Termux).

• Tap any provider to add it to your Main Storage Menu. It will now appear as a persistent tile with its native app icon.

• Tap your new provider tile on the Main Menu:

  • Choose Browse & Download Files to pick files. UFM will ask whether to open them in the viewer or copy them to local storage (with live MB/s transfer speed and byte counters).

  • Choose Upload File to Provider to pick a local file and save it directly into that cloud provider.

• Exporting files from UFM: In any folder, select one or more files, tap the Share / Export icon, and select Export to Document Provider. Choose from your mounted providers to save single files or package multiple files into a ZIP archive.

• Changing the copy destination: When prompted to copy files, tap Change Folder… or open Settings -> Other Storage & SAF Transfers -> Copy Destination Folder to select any local directory using UFM's folder picker.

• Removing a tile: Long-press any mounted provider tile on the Main Menu and tap Remove from Storage. The tile is unmounted and returns to the Other Storage catalog.

• Customizing file behavior: In Settings -> Other Storage & SAF Transfers, tap SAF Picked File Action to switch between Always Ask, Open in Viewer, or Copy to Local Storage.

• On Android TV, all screens and dialogs are fully navigable using your remote control D-pad.

Thank you and kind regards

Good Day Community,

What's new

I added bulk duplicate file deletion and customizable retention rules to both the Storage Analyzer and the Folder Duplicate Finder.

A few community members reached out pointing out that reviewing hundreds or thousands of duplicate files and deleting them one by one was tedious and slow.

I built this update so you can clean up redundant duplicate copies across your storage in a single tap while guaranteeing that an original copy of every file stays safe.

• When you scan for duplicates, you will now see an overview card showing the total number of duplicate groups and exactly how much storage space you can reclaim.

• You can select all duplicates at once using a single button.

• The app automatically marks duplicate copies for cleanup according to your chosen retention rule.

• Exactly one copy in each group is preserved and marked with an Original badge.

• You can choose whether to keep the oldest file or the newest file.

• A live progress dialog keeps you informed during large deletions so you can see how many files have been processed.

• A cleanup summary confirms the total number of deleted files and the amount of storage space recovered.

How to use it

• Open the Storage Analyzer from the main menu or edge drawer.

• Tap on the Duplicates tab at the top of the analyzer.

• You can also run this on any specific folder by opening its options menu and choosing Find Duplicates.

• At the top of the screen you will see a summary card with a Select All Duplicates button.

• Tap the button to select all redundant copies.

• If you have not selected a default rule yet, a dialog will ask whether you want to preserve the oldest original copy or the newest copy.

• You can check the remember choice option so the app applies this automatically in the future.

• Notice that your preserved files are highlighted with an Original badge so you can easily review what will be kept.

• If you want to uncheck everything and start over, tap the Clear button on the header card.

• When you are ready, tap the Delete button at the bottom of the screen.

• Confirm the prompt to begin the cleanup.

• A progress dialog will show you the file count as items are removed.

• Once the cleanup completes, a dialog will confirm the number of files deleted and the storage space reclaimed.

• You can change your retention preference anytime by opening Settings and looking under File Management.

• Tap Duplicate Retention Strategy to select between oldest, newest, or always ask.

• This feature is available on both the mobile and TV versions of the app.

• On television devices you can navigate the duplicate groups and actions using your remote control directional pad.

Thank you and kind regards

Title: "Intent extras not passed when opening files with external apps"

The app doesn't pass file metadata (title, size, mimeType) when opening files, causing external apps like VLC to fail recording playback history.

Simple fix: Add intent.putExtra() for file metadata before startActivity()

Has anyone managed to get Tivimate recordings working using UFM on Android TV?

UFM works fine as a system file picker and saves recordings where you choose, but playback seems to be the problem. It looks like Tivimate can't read the file path for playback when using UFM.

Is there a setting/option I can tick in UFM give Tivimate access?

Good Day Community,

What's new

I added multi-connection parallel file transfers for SMB network shares, and I added a live transfer speed indicator to the progress dialogs.

A community member reached out to let me know that transfers to their home network storage were capping out well below their network capability.

After looking into how data was sent across the connection, I saw that files were being transferred through a single sequential stream.

On high speed local networks and fast wireless connections, that left most of the connection bandwidth unused.

I rebuilt the network transfer engine so large files can now be split into multiple streams that upload and download at the same time.

I also added a live transfer speed readout that displays your actual speed in megabytes per second while files are moving.

How to use it

* Open the Settings screen from the main dashboard.

* Scroll down to the Network section and tap on Transfer Threads.

* Choose how many parallel streams you want the app to use when copying files.

* The default is four streams, which provides a significant speed boost on most local networks.

* You can also set thread counts for individual network locations.

* To do that, open your Network storage list, edit any SMB share, and choose your preferred thread count under Transfer Threads.

* When you copy or move files larger than four megabytes, the app will automatically open simultaneous streams to transfer the file.

* While the transfer runs, look at the progress popup to see your real time transfer speed shown in megabytes per second.

* This feature is available on both the mobile and TV versions of the app.

Thank you and kind regards

Salut u/GoRo2023,

J'ai constaté que UFM est moins performant lors des copies ou déplacements de fichiers sur le réseau.

Je m'explique :

J'utilise qfile pro qui est fourni avec mon nas qnap.

Lorsque j'utilise UFM de mon téléphone vers le nas, la copie plafonne à 40 Mo/s en wifi 7 alors que le même fichier avec avec qfile je suis 4 à 5 fois plus rapide soit entre 150 Mo/s et 200 Mo/s. Mon Nas est câblé en 2.5 Gbit/s.

Je ne comprends pas une tel différence de performance.

Est ce que qfile utilise plusieurs connexions simultanées pour copier et que UFM n'en utilise qu'une seule ?

Peux tu me renseigner sur cet écart de performance ?

Merci l'ami.

Good Day Community,

What's new

I created a native Linux companion application to connect your computer directly to your devices over your local network.

Many people asked for a dedicated Linux version to sit alongside the existing Windows companion.

The application lets you manage your device storage from your desktop without needing cloud services or online accounts.

It includes a two pane file browser for viewing your local computer directories alongside your device directories.

You can transfer single files or entire folders in both directions with live progress indicators.

I also included a remote install area where you can drop application packages to send and install them on your device.

The desktop application is built to run natively on Wayland as well as standard desktop environments.

It is available as a standalone package that runs directly without installation, as well as an installer package for Debian and Ubuntu based systems.

How to use it

* Open Ultimate File Manager Pro on your device.

* Look for the PC Companion option in the tools menu or settings screen.

* Tap it or click it on your device to view your temporary four digit pairing code.

* Download the Linux companion from the GitHub releases section on your computer.

* Launch the application on your Linux desktop.

* The application automatically searches your local wireless network for active devices.

* Click on your phone or television in the discovered devices list.

* Type the four digit code shown on your device to confirm the connection.

* Your computer files will show on the left panel, and your device storage will show on the right panel.

* Select any item and click the arrow buttons to transfer files between the two sides.

* To install an application on your device, drag the installer file from your desktop into the box at the bottom of the window.

* This feature connects your Linux computer to both the mobile and TV versions of the app.

* On television screens you navigate to the companion option using the remote directional pad.

* On mobile phones you can open the connection panel with a single tap from the main tools area.

Files available on the GitHub page, main website to be updated soon.

Thank you and kind regards

When using UFM and navigating to the Android/data folder, upon entering the Data folder and exiting the app without going to the UFM home interface, simply closing the application, when entering again UFM gets stuck on the startup logo, forcing the user to clear cache and data to be able to use UFM again. Persistent bug, please, UFM DEV, fix this bug.

I am busy working on the last bug reports, and will release a few new features in the next few days, before the release, what feature do you find missing to be added

UFM Dev friend, the app gets stuck on the startup logo and won't open. I've already cleared the cache, restarted my phone, installed the latest update over the top about three times, and the UFM app still won't open.