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Kwiq File Manager

A complete file manager with list/grid/gallery navigation, file operations, media player, folder customization and FTP/WebDAV support.

Table of Contents
  1. Access and Navigation
  2. View Modes
  3. Sorting
  4. File Operations
  5. Text and Markdown Editing
  6. Gallery and Media Player
  7. Metadata (EXIF / ID3)
  8. Folder Customization
  9. Hidden Files
  10. Remote Storage (FTP / WebDAV)
  11. ROM Patcher
  12. Desktop and Self-Hosted Integration

Access and Navigation

The File Manager can be accessed in several ways:

  • From the Kwiq Launcher: swipe left on the home screen to open the built-in File Manager.
  • As a standalone activity: use the kwiq_files shortcut in the app drawer to open the File Manager as a separate app, even without Kwiq as the default launcher.
  • From universal search: type / followed by the file or folder name to search directly.
  • In Desktop Mode: open a File Manager window from the taskbar or Start menu.

Navigation uses shortcuts for common folders (Downloads, Documents, Pictures, Music, Videos, etc.) and a breadcrumb for hierarchical navigation.

View Modes

The File Manager offers 4 view modes to adapt to what you are doing:

List

Displays files in vertical rows with icon, name, size, and date. Ideal for quick, detailed browsing.

Grid

Displays files as a grid of thumbnails. The number of columns adjusts automatically to the screen width.

Gallery

Recursively scans for images and videos, displaying them in a gallery with horizontal paging. Perfect for photos.

Media Player

Recursively scans for audio and video files, displaying a player interface with playback controls.

Sorting

Files can be sorted by:

  • Name — alphabetical order
  • Modified — last change date (default)
  • Created — creation date
  • Type — grouped by extension

In every mode, directories always appear first, before files, regardless of the chosen sort order.

File Operations

Select one or more files/folders to perform the following operations:

Copy / Cut

Copies or moves items to the internal clipboard, with the option to paste in another directory.

Rename

Changes the name of individual files or folders.

Delete

Permanently removes files or folders (with confirmation).

Share

Sends files via Bluetooth, email, WhatsApp, etc.

Create Folder

Creates a new folder in the current directory.

Create Note

Creates a new text (.txt) or Markdown (.md) file.

Compress ZIP

Compresses the selected items into a ZIP file.

Extract ZIP / 7Z

Extracts compressed files in ZIP and 7Z formats (via Apache Commons Compress).

Multi-select: press and hold an item to enter selection mode, then tap other items to add them to the selection.

Text and Markdown Editing

The File Manager has a built-in text editor that supports:

  • .txt files: simple reading and editing (512 KB limit).
  • .md files: Markdown reading and editing with a formatted preview.
  • Save: changes are saved directly to the file.

Markdown notes created here can also be used as paste templates in the Kwiq Keyboard IME (see the Keyboard documentation).

Gallery and Media Player

The File Manager includes complete media features:

Image Gallery

  • Full-screen view with a HorizontalPager (swipe between images).
  • Pinch-to-zoom gestures.
  • Support for common formats (JPEG, PNG, WebP, GIF, etc.).

Video Player

  • Playback via VideoView with play/pause/seek controls.
  • Full screen and support for multiple formats.

Audio Player

  • Playback queue: add multiple tracks to the queue.
  • Controls: play/pause, skip track, seek (slider), shuffle.
  • Progress: progress bar updated every 250ms.
  • Playlist: playlist management in the Media Player dialog.

In Gallery mode, the File Manager recursively scans folders for images and videos. Hidden folders (starting with .) or ones containing a .nomedia file are ignored.

Metadata (EXIF / ID3)

Kwiq lets you view and edit metadata for image and audio files:

  • Images (EXIF): reads and writes EXIF metadata via ExifInterface. Data such as date, camera, GPS, resolution, etc.
  • MP3 audio (ID3): reads and writes ID3v2.4 tags via mp3agic. Includes track name, artist, album, track number, genre, year, and album art.
  • Check: the supportsMetadata(file) method indicates whether the selected file supports metadata.

Folder Customization

Make your folders easier to identify with:

  • Accent color: choose a color for the folder to stand out in the list/grid.
  • Badge (icon): assign a badge icon to the folder to quickly identify it.

To customize a folder, open the context menu (long press) and select "Customize". Settings are saved per folder, identified by the full path.

Hidden Files

Kwiq follows the Unix convention for hidden files:

  1. Files and folders starting with . (dot) are considered hidden.
  2. By default, the File Manager does not show hidden files.
  3. To show/hide hidden files, use the toggle button in the File Manager header (eye icon).
  4. To hide a file or folder, use the "Hide" option in the context menu — this adds a dot to the start of the name.
  5. To reveal it, use the "Reveal" option, which removes the dot from the start of the name.
  6. The gallery always ignores hidden paths and folders containing a .nomedia file.
Note this feature is useful for hiding photos, documents, or configuration folders you do not want to see day-to-day.

Remote Storage (FTP / WebDAV)

Kwiq lets you connect to remote servers directly from the File Manager:

FTP

Connection via Apache Commons Net. Supports listing, download, upload, folder creation, deletion, and renaming.

WebDAV

Connection via the Sardine library. Same operations as FTP, ideal for Nextcloud, ownCloud, and similar servers.

How to set it up

  1. Open the File Manager and tap the "Remote Storage" icon (cloud) in the header.
  2. Tap "Add Server".
  3. Choose the protocol (FTP or WebDAV).
  4. Fill in the details: server address, port, username, and password.
  5. Save the profile for future use.

Once connected, you can browse, transfer files between the device and the server, rename, delete, and create remote folders. Multiple profiles can be saved to quickly switch between servers.

ROM Patcher

Kwiq includes a ROM patch applier for retro gaming enthusiasts. It lets you apply patches to ROM files directly on the device.

Supported formats

IPS / EBP

Classic patch format for Nintendo emulators.

UPS

Universal Patch System, supports N64 and GBA.

APS

Patch application for N64 and GBA.

BPS

Binary Patch System, modern and efficient.

RUP

Patch for ROMs across multiple systems.

PPF

Playstation Patch Format.

BSDIFF

Binary diff format used in updates.

PMSR / VCDIFF

Diff formats for binary files.

How to use it

  1. Open RomPatcherActivity from the File Manager menu on a patch file.
  2. Select the patch file (usually .ips, .ups, .bps, etc.).
  3. Choose the original ROM that will receive the patch.
  4. Set the destination where the patched ROM will be saved.
  5. Optional: enable checksum validation (CRC32, MD5, SHA1) to verify integrity.
  6. Apply the patch. The engine processes it and saves the new ROM.
Tip Use the ROM Patcher together with Gaming Mode to organize your ROM library. Apply translations, hacks, and mods directly on your phone.

Desktop and Self-Hosted

The File Manager integrates with other Kwiq features:

  • Desktop Mode: the device internal storage appears directly in the File Manager window, with no special folder or extra setup.
  • Self-Hosted Server: when the HTTP server is active, the File Manager shows its status (running/stopped), displays the URL and QR code, and lets you open the server settings directly.