Yeah, this change (scoped storage) is annoying. You need adb, root or system level apps to bypass the requirement. File access is also slow. That’s the reason image loading and image deletion is slow in Google Photos app compared to the native gallery app of my smartphone.

Anyway, the trend is clear. More security for the end user. You can root, flash a custom rom, or use a linux based smartphone if you do not like the restrictions. It’s more friction but that’s not going to change for the better.