When copying files from a dodgy MTP device, sometimes the counting files in ... stage takes too long and the connection is interrupted, is there a way I can copy files from MTP devices without getting a count first?
or by creating a button that temporarily bypasses this behavior?
currently i resort to explorer to do these operations.
You could set Preferences / File Operations / Progress Indicators / Count files in folders before copying for to Local drives only or turn it off entirely.
With some phones you may also get better results by setting Preferences / Miscellaneous / Advanced [Troubleshooting]: mtp_enable to False. (But if not, it's best to leave it set to the default True value.)