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ES File Explorer Search Missing

P

persistentone

Well-Known Member
I have an older version of Android and I have used ES File Explorer on that for many years. Recently, I noticed that the search feature simply disappeared. If I choose Internal Storage and get a list of folders, the menu I can bring up has these options:

New
Refresh
View
Windows
File Analyzer
History

There is no Search, nor is there an icon for search anywhere to be found on any screen. Can someone help me understand what might have happened?

I understand ES File Explorer was removed from Play Store. Is this decision permanent? Is there any application that fully implements the feature set I could use as a replacement? This situation is made very frustrating by the fact that dozens of applications are using sleazy copies of the ES File Explorer logo and name, to deliberately confuse people into believing that they are the true ES File Explorer. Most of those applications are real garbage.
 
Dannydet said:
Including ES file explorer.... It's pure garbage and relays your info to china
Click to expand...

Okay, so let's focus on naming some quality replacement products. I am willing to pay something for it. Ideally I would like to find a product that works on releases as old as Android 4.
 
Years ago ES File Explorer was a really popular file manager app that received plenty of good reviews. But it was bought out from the original developer and at that point then devolved into a data-mining privacy mess. It sadly continued to get recommendations from numerous and clueless media sources so it's legacy held on for quite a while.
But in your situation, you really should just go into your Settings >> Apps menu, find and open the ES File Explorer app entry, top on Force stop, find and tap on Clear data, and then tap on Uninstall. Remove the app completely from your device, you really don't want or need to have it. There are plenty of viable alternatives. If you have a Samsung device, there's a default file manager app already installed, look in your Apps menu for the My Files app. It's basic in functionality but adequate for most users. A nice option if you have a Motorola device is Motorola's Moto File Manager app, It's default interface is clean and simple, and if you need to do more advanced tasks there's a tabbed window interface. It's free with no ads.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lenovo.FileBrowser2
Just some more random suggestions:
-- Solid Explorer app, it has a very extensive feature set with lots of options. It has ads, but it's only $3 and worth the price.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=pl.solidexplorer2
-- MiXplorer Silver is another feature-rich file manager app. Like Solid, there's a lot of integral, local network tools (i.e. Samba, WebDAV, etc.)
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mixplorer.silver
-- Simple Mobile Tools makes a number of very dependable apps. Its Simple File Manager app has no ads but costs $1. Their apps are Open Source with no ties to any corporate oversight (an issue to consider with the Files by Google app) nor any business interests (an issue that eventually nullified ES)
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.simplemobiletools.filemanager&hl=en_US&gl=US
There are plenty of other file manager apps in the Play Store, read through their feature listings and take a look at their screen captures. Basically, they all do the same thing (some do include more advanced functionality) but the major differences are their different user interfaces.
 
svim said:
-- Solid Explorer app, it has a very extensive feature set with lots of options. It has ads, but it's only $3 and worth the price.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=pl.solidexplorer2
-- MiXplorer Silver is another feature-rich file manager app. Like Solid, there's a lot of integral, local network tools (i.e. Samba, WebDAV, etc.)
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mixplorer.silver
Click to expand...

MiXplorer Silver has a 4.8 rating, but only 10K downloads. Solid Explorer has a lower 4.4 rating, but 5.5M downloads. So it is less likely that Solid had its reviews rigged by paid users. Comparing the two, do you feel Solid is a better app, or about the same?
 
persistentone said:
MiXplorer Silver has a 4.8 rating, but only 10K downloads. Solid Explorer has a lower 4.4 rating, but 5.5M downloads. So it is less likely that Solid had its reviews rigged by paid users. Comparing the two, do you feel Solid is a better app, or about the same?
Click to expand...
what are you looking for in a file explorer? are you looking to see system apps? moving files to and from?

you can try these:
https://www.androidcentral.com/best-android-file-managers
 
persistentone said:
MiXplorer Silver has a 4.8 rating, but only 10K downloads. Solid Explorer has a lower 4.4 rating, but 5.5M downloads. So it is less likely that Solid had its reviews rigged by paid users. Comparing the two, do you feel Solid is a better app, or about the same?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't say one is all that much better than the other but that's mostly speculation based on on the details in the Play Store pages, I've only used one of the two. But instead of my opinion or others, I'd again suggest you read through the feature lists of both or even other file manager apps and compare them to what you want and/or need from a file manager. Look at the screen captures too, Get a rough idea on how each app has its own look and feel appearance-wise and then pick which app you'd be the most comfortable using. We all have different skill levels and use our phones differently so what works for me isn't necessarily going to work out as well for you, and vice-versa. You might even need to go through one or two more to find the right one.
 
persistentone said:
MiXplorer Silver has a 4.8 rating, but only 10K downloads. Solid Explorer has a lower 4.4 rating, but 5.5M downloads. So it is less likely that Solid had its reviews rigged by paid users. Comparing the two, do you feel Solid is a better app, or about the same?
Click to expand...

Reviews are like @$$h*/€s.
They stink and are full of.. well, stuff.
I would never trust them.

I used to review tons of apps on Google PlayStore, and many were deleted and even more were ignored.

You can still find some of them if you look hard enough, same avatar as here and name as well (puppykicker).

But any that were critical of Google apps, those are most likely gone.
 
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