How to set custom path for Custom Raster Layer in Android 13+ ?

Symptoms / Triggers
-------------------

You may observe one or more of the following issues:

Cache files are not created in the expected directory
Error such as FolderAccessDenied when setting raster cache path
Custom path works on older Android versions but fails on Android 11/12/13+
Raster tiles are not persisted or cache is not reused
* App cannot access /Download or other shared directories

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Answer (Resolution)
-------------------

On Android 10+ (including Android 13), storage access is restricted due to Scoped Storage.

You cannot reliably use direct filesystem paths like /Download or /storage//...

👉Instead, you must use app-specific storage directories when setting the raster cache path.

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Recommended Solution
--------------------

### 1. Use an app-specific directory (recommended approach)

Use a directory provided by Android for your app:

File rasterCacheDir = new File(context.getExternalFilesDir(null), "raster_cache");

String path = rasterCacheDir.getAbsolutePath();

Benefits:

Works on Android 10+ without additional permissions
Fully compatible with Scoped Storage
* No manual UUID or path construction required

### 2. Configure raster cache using HERE SDK

private RasterDataSource createRasterDataSource(String dataSourceName, String path) {

String templateUrl = "[https://stamen-tiles.a.ssl.fastly.net/toner](https://stamen-tiles.a.ssl.fastly.net/toner/){z}/{x}/{y}.png";

List storageLevels = Arrays.asList(2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10,

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16);

RasterDataSourceConfiguration.Provider rasterProviderConfig =

new RasterDataSourceConfiguration.Provider(

TilingScheme.QUAD_TREE_MERCATOR,

storageLevels,

TileUrlProviderFactory.fromXyzUrlTemplate(templateUrl)

);

rasterProviderConfig.hasAlphaChannel = false;

long maxDiskSizeInBytes = 1024 \* 1024 \* 128; // 128 MB

RasterDataSourceConfiguration.Cache cacheConfig =

new RasterDataSourceConfiguration.Cache(path, maxDiskSizeInBytes);

return new RasterDataSource(

mapView.getMapContext(),

new RasterDataSourceConfiguration(dataSourceName, rasterProviderConfig, cacheConfig)

);

}

### 3. Verify cache location

Build and run the application
Inspect the app-specific storage directory on device/emulator
Raster tiles should be stored under:

<br />/Android/data//files/raster_cache/<br />

Summary
-------

Custom raster cache paths may fail on Android 13+ due to storage restrictions.

Use app-specific directories instead of direct filesystem paths
Configure the path using RasterDataSourceConfiguration.Cache
Avoid deprecated storage APIs and hardcoded paths

References:

HERE Documentation – Custom Map Styles (Raster Layers)

HERE SDK - Custom Raster Layers example