Blog

Why Can’t I Pick Google Slides in Slideator’s Android App? A Deep Dive into File Formats and Cloud Storage

At Slideator, we’re committed to making your presentation upload experience as smooth as possible, whether you’re using our web app or our Android app. Recently, some Android users noticed that when they use the “Browse/Open” button to pick a file from Google Drive, Google Slides files appear grayed out and unselectable—unlike PPTX or PDF files, which work just fine. Meanwhile, PowerPoint files from OneDrive are selectable without a hitch. What’s going on here? Why does this happen, and how does it affect your workflow?

Let’s break it down technically and explain why we ask you to export Google Slides to PPTX or PDF—and why that’s a practical solution for now.

Why Google Slides Are Disabled in SAF

In our Android app, the “Browse/Open” button uses Android’s Storage Access Framework (SAF) to let you pick files from local storage, external drives, or cloud providers like Google Drive and OneDrive. SAF is Android’s universal file picker, designed to give apps secure access to files without needing broad storage permissions. It works beautifully for most files—except Google Slides. Here’s why:

Google Slides Isn’t a Traditional File: Unlike a PPTX or PDF, which you can download and open anywhere, Google Slides is stored in a cloud-native format called .gslides. This isn’t a single file sitting on a disk—it’s a bundle of data (slides, text, images) managed entirely within Google Drive’s ecosystem. You can edit it in the Google Slides app or web interface, but you can’t download it as-is without converting it first.
SAF Needs Downloadable Files: SAF expects a file it can open as a stream—like a PPTX or PDF. When you browse Google Drive via SAF, the Google Drive app decides what files to expose. Since .gslides isn’t a downloadable file (it’s a virtual entity), Google Drive marks it as unselectable, leaving it grayed out in the picker.
No Automatic Export: In our web app, we use the Google Drive Picker and Drive API to pick Google Slides and export them to PPTX on the server. SAF, however, doesn’t have this export capability built in—it relies on Google Drive to provide a file directly, which doesn’t happen for .gslides.

Simply put, Google Slides’ cloud-native nature clashes with SAF’s need for a tangible file, making it inaccessible without an extra step.

Why Asking Users to Export Works for Slideator

So, why do we ask you to export Google Slides to PPTX or PDF before uploading in the Android app? It’s all about keeping things simple and leveraging what already works:

Practical Fix: Exporting a Google Slides file to PPTX or PDF (via Google Drive’s “Download” option) creates a standard file that SAF can pick without any issues. Once exported, it shows up as a selectable file in the picker, and our app uploads it to the server seamlessly.
Server Compatibility: Our server is already designed to handle PPTX and PDF files—whether they come from the web app or Android app. In the web version, we export Google Slides to PPTX behind the scenes; in Android, asking you to export upfront fits the same workflow without requiring complex app changes.
User Familiarity: Many of you already export files for other tools or workflows. It’s a quick step: open Google Drive, select your Slides file, go to File > Download > Microsoft PowerPoint (.pptx) or PDF, and you’re ready to upload.

To make this clear, we’ve added a friendly hint in the app: “For Google Slides, export to PPTX or PDF in Google Drive first.” It’s not as seamless as the web app, but it gets the job done without overcomplicating your experience.

Google Slides: Cloud-Native Format

Let’s zoom in on Google Slides to understand its unique behavior:

What It Is: Google Slides is part of Google Workspace, built for cloud-first collaboration. Its .gslides format is a proprietary, web-based structure—not a file you’d find on your hard drive. It’s optimized for real-time editing and syncing across devices.
How It’s Stored: In Google Drive, a .gslides file is more like a database entry than a traditional file. It only becomes a PPTX or PDF when you export it, which converts the cloud data into a downloadable format.
Impact on SAF: Because SAF can’t open a cloud-native entity like .gslides as a file stream, Google Drive disables it in the picker. You need to export it first to bridge that gap.

This design makes Google Slides powerful for collaboration but tricky for apps like ours that rely on standard file formats.

OneDrive: Traditional File Storage

Contrast this with OneDrive, Microsoft’s cloud storage service:

What It Is: OneDrive stores files in their original formats, like .pptx for PowerPoint presentations. If you create a presentation in PowerPoint (desktop or online) and save it to OneDrive, it stays a .pptx file—no proprietary cloud format involved.
How It’s Stored: OneDrive acts as a sync and storage platform, not a cloud-native editor with its own format. Even presentations made in PowerPoint Online are saved as .pptx files, ready to download or edit anywhere.
Impact on SAF: When you browse OneDrive via SAF, PPTX files are fully selectable because they’re already in a standard, downloadable format. OneDrive provides a Uri to the actual .pptx file, and SAF handles it without fuss.

This traditional approach means OneDrive files don’t face the same hurdle as Google Slides in our Android app.

Key Differences and Implications

Here’s how Google Slides and OneDrive stack up, and what it means for you:

File Nature:
- Google Slides: A cloud-native .gslides format, requiring export to PPTX or PDF.
- OneDrive: A standard .pptx file, stored as-is and ready to use.
SAF Experience:
- Google Drive: Google Slides are grayed out; export to PPTX/PDF to pick them.
- OneDrive: PPTX files are selectable immediately—no export needed.
Slideator Workflow:
- Google Drive: Export adds a step, but our server handles the resulting PPTX/PDF seamlessly.
- OneDrive: Uploads work out of the box, aligning with our PPTX-focused processing.

The implication? If you use Google Drive, exporting Google Slides is a small but necessary step. If you use OneDrive, your PowerPoint files are good to go without extra effort.

What’s Next for Slideator?

For now, asking Google Drive users to export Google Slides keeps our Android app simple and consistent with our server’s capabilities. We’re exploring ways to make this smoother—potentially integrating the Google Drive API natively to export files within the app, like our web version does. But for today, this workaround ensures you can upload any presentation, whether it’s from Google Drive, OneDrive, or your device, with minimal hassle.

Latest Posts

The Art of the Transition: Why Slide Effects Matter in Your Video Presentations

Beyond the Slide: Level Up Your Presentations with These Powerful Tools

Unleash Your Inner Presenter: Slideator Video Presentation Recorder is Now on Google Play!

Importance of Video Presentation Recording Tools

Beyond the Bullet Points: Reclaiming PowerPoint for Meaningful Presentations with Slideator

PowerPoint Isn’t Dead—It Just Needs a Human Voice: How Slideator Bridges the Gap

Crafting Compelling Presentations: Your Foundation for Slideator Success

Seamless Presentation Uploads: Powering Your Video Presentations with Slideator

To Install or Not to Install? Unpacking Slideator’s Web and Android Apps

Why Can’t I Pick Google Slides in Slideator’s Android App? A Deep Dive into File Formats and Cloud Storage