Android banking apps PDF statements location

Report · Dec 03, 2018

Where do banking apps such as Chase and Wells Fargo store PDF statements I open with Android Acrobat reader? I'm using a Samsung Galaxy Tab S4. When I open Acrobat Reader and look at "Files / On This Device", they appear under a folder "DOWNLOADS," but unlike other folders listed here, I don't have a folder "DOWNLOADS" that contains any files on my tablet. The only folder I have with that name is /android/data/com.adobe.reader/files/downloads, and it's empty. Still, I can open those files and send them to the cloud. I don't get it. Where are these files located in the file system?

Report · Dec 03, 2018

I should also mention I cannot find the listed banking statements with a search in FX File Explorer, but I can find the other files listed in that Adobe Reader Files tab, which apparently indexes all the PDFs on my device.

Report · Dec 03, 2018

If I was making a banking app, I’d make very sure other apps couldn’t get at statements and other sensitive info. Quite possibly a legal requirement.

Report · Dec 03, 2018

Well, if I were writing a banking application, I wouldn't leave files on a device accessible from a completely different app, and only accessible from that app. I was actually given the choice of opening those statements in any of the PDF readers that are installed on my tablet, and I will try one of them next time. It's like Adobe Reader has a private file system with its own unknown security protocols, and to add insult to injury, if I want to copy one of these files out of it, perhaps to save it, my only option is to upload it to their "Document Cloud," which I've never used before and know nothing about.

BTW, it's not just the banking statements that are stored in this "DOWNLOADS" folder. The Adobe Reader "Welcome" file appears with them in this folder according to the Adobe Reader "Files / On This Device" view, but like them, it doesn't appear in FX File Explorer, nor is it findable through search.

Report · Dec 03, 2018

Don't use a mobile device, then. Open the files on a regular computer and you'll be able to save them more easily.

Any PDF file that you view must be first saved a local file on the machine, doesn't matter on what kind of device, but on mobile devices the file system access can be very limited and it's possible the files are hidden from view for security reasons.

Report · Dec 03, 2018

To potential future posters: If you can answer the question that was asked, I would love to hear from you.

Report · Dec 03, 2018

The local files are stored in the app.

Report · Dec 04, 2018

"Stored in the app?"

What exactly does that mean? Is that a general Android thing? If I had chosen ReadEra, Drive PDF Viewer, OneDrive PDF Viewer, etc to open the statements, would they too have stored the files "in the app?" Let me answer that for one statement I will open into a few different apps from the Chase banking app. There's no way to select "viewing" vs "downloading;" the only choice is "Open or Save," and tapping it leads to "Open with..." with no option to "save".

1. For ReadEra, the file is downloaded into the Download folder and persists.

2. For OneDrive PDF Viewer, it's not stored anywhere, and I can't access it after I go back to the Chase app. In fact, the OneDrive PDF Viewer appears in the task switcher as the Chase app. The file doesn't seem to exist independently, and there's no persistence of the file that I can see.

3. Adobe Reader stores persistent copies internal to itself in its own private file system.

It's like a box of chocolates.

Report · Dec 11, 2018

Did you find anything on this matter?

I had the same problem, hundreds of documents that I had deleted in my file explorer but were still showing inside Acrobat app, in this "downloads" folder. Most of the files were for me too, bank statements, payment receipts, bills, business and personal files and all kinds of stuff that should not have been duplicated and stored without permission or notice. I checked the application data folder with my file explorer, it was showing empty and 0mb. But still, when I checked the app info in settings, there was about 150mb app size, 1gb data and a few mb cache. Where was this 1gb of data stored, and what exactly was contained in this data? I never found out. But as soon as I deleted the data, I opened the app and all those "downloads" files were gone (at least I hope so). So the only conclusion that makes sense is that for every file you open with Acrobat, Adobe keeps a copy inside app, or somewhere in your system, and this data remains after you think you have deleted the files from your device. Of course this is a very concerning security issue. Even if you don't care about your personal data, it's just duplicated data that can take away a lot of your storage space for no good reason. Since there is no official reply to make things clear, personally I just uninstalled and I'll make sure to keep Adobe apps away from my mobile devices.

Report · Dec 22, 2018

Sorry, I've got nothing more to add. I still have no idea where or how Acrobat is storing its persistent, private copies of these sensitive files.

Report · Dec 13, 2018

I need more info

Report · Feb 01, 2020

You can open the doc on an android by going to settings>device care>storage>Documents .

Report · Feb 01, 2020

Activation lock

Report · Apr 04, 2021

For Bank of America, I finally found my downloaded statement at:

/storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.infonow.bofa/files/statements/eStmt_2021-02-06.pdf

The steps I used to find it:

Clicked download in the Android app
Noticed downloaded file notification
Noted the filename
Searched for that filename using a file manager (I happened to have X-plore installed) - not sure if the included "My Files" will perform the search or if you need a 3rd party file manager - there are many available in Google play store for free
The Search found the file and showed the location deep within the data folder for the BofA app

Now I can navigate to that file location and move it where I want.

The procedure should be similar for other apps. The catch is the file is stored in the folder path for the banking app, not Adobe reader.

Report · May 28, 2023

Thank you very much, I had that problem too!!!!

Report · May 31, 2023

Hi @Eduardo30125989i8yw,

Thank you for letting us know that it worked.

-Souvik