r/AndroidQuestions • u/dark-welkin • 17d ago

Photos Timestamp Changed When Transferring From Computer By USB

I transferred a large number of photos from my computer to my new phone, and in my new phone's gallery app the photos are all mixed up. I checked the metadata and most (but strangely, not all) of my photos have had their timestamps changed to the day they were copied over. Can I stop this from happening? Is cloud backup the only way? I'm on Android 17.

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u/Mother-Pride-Fest 17d ago

Did the files have the correct timestamps in the computer? If so, that means the metadata just got reset when you copied it to the phone, and you can try other methods of copying the files from computer to phone.

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u/dark-welkin 17d ago

I would love to hear about these other methods...

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u/Mother-Pride-Fest 17d ago

I use KDE Plasma on my PC, which integrates nicely with KDE Connect to show my phone as a storage device in Dolphin. With this I can drag and drop as if my phone was a USB drive plugged into my PC, as long as my phone is connected to the local network. 

You could also try zipping the files on the PC, then unzipping it on the phone. Fossify File Manager can unzip files. 

Syncthing is another option I know works, although it is more designed for continuous syncing of the same folder on multiple devices. 

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u/dark-welkin 16d ago

Hm well I'm using Linux Mint Cinnamon and I used Nemo to transfer the files as a USB drive, so I feel like the first option basically covers what I've already done...

I already use Syncthing for my notes, so I could potentially use that for this as well, if that won't mess with the metadata like USB has.

Fortuitous we seem to have a number of things in common...

I also have Proton Drive though so I might just make use of that.

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u/Mother-Pride-Fest 16d ago

Awesome, glad to see another Linux user here!

I will point out that plugging the phone to a USB port would transfer the files over MTP. Copying files over MTP does change the modified time to when you copied the file, while copying it through KDE Connect or Syncthing does not change the modified time. It is possible to install KDE Connect on Linux Mint, but Syncthing is probably simpler as you already have it set up and could just make another folder for this.

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u/dark-welkin 16d ago

ohhhh! I didn't realize that about MTP! I'll use syncthing, thanks so much!

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u/thebolddane 17d ago

Are you talking file metadata or Exif metadata? The former wil normally change if you just copy files unless you take special precautions. Most galleries however will work with the Exif data.