Environment.getExternalStoragePublicDirectory gives internal storage

Question

I'm saving a picture like so:

File dcimDir = Environment.getExternalStoragePublicDirectory(Environment.DIRECTORY_DCIM);
File picsDir = new File(dcimDir, "MyPics");
picsDir.mkdirs(); //make if not exist
File newFile = new File(picsDir, "image.png"));
OutputStream os;
try {
    os = new FileOutputStream(newFile);

    target.compress(CompressFormat.PNG, 100, os);

    os.flush();
    os.close();
    b.recycle();
} catch (FileNotFoundException e) {
    e.printStackTrace();
} catch (IOException e) {
    e.printStackTrace();
}

However, when I look for the image through windows it is in the internal memory, the gallery confirms this:

This last one is confusing, it says internal memory, but then also has sdcard0 in file path.

So when does external not mean external? Is it a device set up thing, or an I miss-using/miss-understanding getExternalStoragePublicDirectory?

Answer 1

The MTP engine sometimes reports getExternalStorageDirectory() as "Internal Storage", which is why it shows up under that name when you mount the device as a volume on Windows, Linux, etc.

External storage has always meant the storage that the user can access by means of a USB cable. The "Internal Storage" label is probably used on devices where external storage is part of the on-board ("internal") flash.