Google vs. Nextcloud: File Uploads Broken, Competition in Jeopardy

Until recently, the Nextcloud Files app for Android enjoyed full read‐and‐write access to all file types on users’ devices—a capability granted back in 2011. However, users of the popular app now discovered an unpleasant surprise – they could no longer upload arbitrary files, only photos and videos.

On a related note, in a post titled “Unhappy with the recently lost file upload feature in the Nextcloud app for Android? So are we. Let us explain.” from Nextcloud share:

To make it crystal clear: All of you as users have a worse Nextcloud Files client because Google wanted that. We understand and share your frustration, but there is nothing we can do.

So, what’s happening? A routine update to the app was unexpectedly rejected from the Google Play Store. Google’s review team demanded the removal of the “all files” permission and suggested that Nextcloud adopt Android’s Storage Access Framework (SAF) or the MediaStore API instead.

However, according to Nextcloud’s devs, neither alternative met the app’s needs. The SAF is designed primarily for sharing files between apps and doesn’t support Nextcloud’s seamless sync workflow. Likewise, the MediaStore API only handles media content and cannot accommodate documents, archives, or other file types.

Consequently, the app’s functionality on Google Play now permits only photo and video uploads, sidelining documents, presentations, and miscellaneous files—thus undermining the very purpose of a full‐featured cloud storage client.

To make things even worse, despite repeated appeals to Google since mid‐2024, the company has so far refused to restore the broad permission. According to the Nextcloud team, the responses have been largely formulaic: a copy-and-paste rejection message and generic links to Android developer guidelines.

It’s important to emphasize that this restriction applies only to the Google Play distribution. Users who install Nextcloud’s APK from alternative stores, such as F-Droid, retain the full “all files” permission and experience no upload interruptions. Nevertheless, with nearly one million active installs on Play alone, F-Droid isn’t a practical workaround for most.

This episode mirrors historical precedents. In the 1990s, Microsoft famously throttled support for third-party word processors on Windows, ensuring its Office suite enjoyed priority treatment. Today, critics argue that Google wields its platform power similarly, crafting rules that conveniently hobble challengers while leaving its proprietary services unscathed.

What’s also interesting is that similar apps from big companies like Apple and Microsoft, not to mention Google’s own apps, aren’t affected by these kinds of restrictions. So, does this mean there’s a different set of rules for the tech giants compared to smaller open-source projects? In the end, that question might be more rhetorical than anything else.

In conclusion, this drama illustrates a broader pattern of platform gatekeeping by dominant tech players. In simple words, by controlling app distribution channels, Google can effectively hobble competitors’ functionality under the guise of security or policy enforcement – what exactly happens at the moment with the Nextcloud app.

We’ll monitor developments closely and, as always, inform you if anything changes.

Update: There’s been some good news in the past few hours—Nextcloud has shared an update, and it looks like everything should be back to normal now.

Good news. This morning, May 15, Google reached out to us and offered to restore the permission, which will give our users back the functionality that was lost.