SD Card formatted as internal, but is not functioning as internal

[Ca7cher]

I have a Motorola Moto G Gen2 that is running Android Marshmallow 6.0.
I have 32gb SanDisk SD card that I have formatted as internal storage.

However, it does not seem to be working. I can only move very small section of the apps and not nearly all of them! Most of my "heavy" apps such as Spotify, Skype, Audible and so do not have the option to move to SD card available. Everything is like it was in Lollipop and quite frankly it sucks.

Android itself if taking 2.5GB, apps 2GB and who knows where rest has gone as my storage space is dangerously low.
Is this a "feature", or am I missing something_

 

[SpookDroid]

Not sure you'd have the option to Move to SD card anymore unless the phone isn't really supporting Adoptable Storage (if that was the case, the SD Card would simply be part of the storage and things would go there by default).

Here's a little reading on how it should work IF your phone supports Adoptable Storage (many manufacturers have opted to keep SD card functionality as before, even with their Marshmallow updates since Adoptable Storage is still complicated and implies the SD card to be re-formatted and not usable anywhere else).
Inside Marshmallow: Adoptable storage | Android Central

 

[Rukbat]

You don't have the option. The phone will install to either the card or what used to be called internal storage at its choice, not yours. There's no "moving" apps to "adoptable storage". (There's really no reason to use the card as adoptable storage [for apps] - an 8GB phone isn't meant to replace a laptop in 2016. And remember, when the card goes bad [and even the best ones will, especially with all the writing you'll be doing to it - because apps normally write to where they're installed], you lose ALL the apps installed to it, and ALL the data from those apps. Adoptable storage is a band aid until you can buy a phone large enough to hold all the apps you're likely to use in the next 2-3 years.)

 

[Ca7cher]

Thank you for the fast replies.
I know very well the dangers of card going bad and I am not looking to replace a laptop. I also "can" buy a larger phone, but as I am not using the phone for much more than music and audiobooks (hence Audible and Spotify) and occasional texts/calls, that does not make much sense. I'm looking for help for this situation, not a lecture about keeping my data safe or what kind of device you think I should use. If you don't know, then fair enough.

I have also checked from Mototola's website and the device should be supporting using SD card as internal.
I 100% have the option to move apps to SD card under storage. Also under SD card settings I have the option to "format as portable" which should mean it is formatted as internal now ... right?

I suppose I will try to change it to portable and then back.

 

[SpookDroid]

Hi there,

Sorry, but nope. Formatting as Portable doesn't mean you can format it as internal storage (I don't really know what that could mean other than formatting the card to the phone's file system, which is compatible with a lot of computers out there). The main 'tell' that your card isn't taken as internal storage is precisely that: You HAVE the option to move some apps to SD Card. If the phone supported adoptable storage, you wouldn't have that option at all and your overall memory report would include your phone's internal memory and the SD card, no distinction between the two. The system then takes the SD Card as default storage for new apps and like Rukbat says, it 'decides' where to allocate data from that point forward.

In your case (and in most phones' case, even if they support Marshmallow), the manufacturer decided to keep the SD card functionality as it was in KitKat and Lollipop: you may use the SD card as media storage, only some apps will be able to move (and it's up to each dev to decide which parts, if any, can be moved) and all apps' main files MUST reside in internal memory.

If you're using the phone mostly for music, you can tell Spotify to store offline music on the SD card directly. Not sure if Audible has a similar feature but don't see why it wouldn't.

 

[Dark Penguin]

You don't have the option. The phone will install to either the card or what used to be called internal storage at its choice, not yours. There's no "moving" apps to "adoptable storage". (There's really no reason to use the card as adoptable storage [for apps] - an 8GB phone isn't meant to replace a laptop in 2016. And remember, when the card goes bad [and even the best ones will, especially with all the writing you'll be doing to it - because apps normally write to where they're installed], you lose ALL the apps installed to it, and ALL the data from those apps. Adoptable storage is a band aid until you can buy a phone large enough to hold all the apps you're likely to use in the next 2-3 years.)

Apps can be replaced, and data can be restored if you back it up regularly; we all know that external SD cards can and do fail. That said, I've been using the 32Gb card I have now for several years and in at least two devices--I don't remember if I was still on my very first Android device, at which time the external card was even more important to me than it is now. If true that makes it three devices I've used this card in. And my SD card is still ticking. I know this because it still works fine in other devices that I own. It may fail tomorrow, but at least I've gotten three or four years' use out of it. It wouldn't put me out to have to spend forty or fifty bucks on a replacement, but it most certainly does put me out to learn that, as of three days ago I seem to own the wrong kind of phone--one that cannot do more than a fraction of what it was once capable of. I feel true sympathy for those who spent their hard earned money on 64Gb cards last year and now find them to be unusable. Like me, they carelessly accepted the Marshmallow update under the mistaken impression that a software version upgrade was supposed to represent an improved experience. Taking away the ability to use an SD card is something so crassly arrogant and dismissive of their customer base that it never crossed my mind that such a thing could happen.

 

[philsim]

Hi SpookDroid, I have exactly the same problem as Ca7cher and the same phone. Before the Marshmallow upgrade I could move downloaded apps to my sd card with no problem, since the upgrade there is no option on any of my apps, including the ones I have downloaded since the upgrade to move them to sd card. I also have ES file explorer installed and when I look at my device memory in this it just shows up of one bank with currently 29 gig free. (32 gig sd card and 8 gig system memory)
Although I have formatted the sd card as internal memory Google Play store will not load apps above the 8 gig system memory and I get the dreaded not enough memory message when I try.
Is there any solution to this or is it just my phone operating system that is not handling this internal memory properly? Hope someone has an answer it is so frustrating.

 

[mrGorion]

exactly same problem

Portable card formatted as internal storage, after 2 months now I get info that there is no more free space. Memory section is showing internal storage AND external card, I can format the card as external (!) and moving data from "internal to external memory" causes.... move from SD card to internal (lol)
So everything is mixed up. Also when I connect phone to PC I can see only 1 stroage as if it was merged. So only Android is experiencing some kind of schozofrenia..

 

[darryl hoover]

exactly same problem

Portable card formatted as internal storage, after 2 months now I get info that there is no more free space. Memory section is showing internal storage AND external card, I can format the card as external (!) and moving data from "internal to external memory" causes.... move from SD card to internal (lol)
So everything is mixed up. Also when I connect phone to PC I can see only 1 stroage as if it was merged. So only Android is experiencing some kind of schozofrenia..

I have figured it out finally. You have to uninstall the apps and reinstall them. They will then go to the SD portion. I have just tested and confirmed this on at least 15 apps. My internal storage kept going down and my SD continued to go up. It's annoying for some of the major apps that require lots of setup or your browser app that has all of your history and passwords etc. I know this is old but hopefully it helps someone!

 

[KPGee9]

Hi everyone (please note that since I've just joined I haven't read ALL the replys yet but joined specifically for this discussion because...) I too am running Android 6.0.1 aka-Marshmallow and you ARE supposed to be able to use an SD card as internal storage. Even in an article from www.androidpit.com where I believe the input is from developers and beta testers, an article listing all the key features of the version says, "While this means you won’t be able to simply pull your microSD card out and pop it in another phone, it does mean you have system-level support for external storage. In Android Marshmallow, apps and the data they use can now be seamlessly stored on an external microSD card without having to be explicitly put there by the user..." but I too have been unsuccessful at having my phone recognize my 32GB SD Card as internal storage also & yes I've formatted it and followed all the steps as prompted. Alas, still only .88mb left of phone storage and 29.99gb left on SD card. Funny thing is I have it set to automatically put new dwnlds to card but...NO, try accessing and moving stuff to/from card... NO & forget about trying to delete or open anything on the card, lol just says "error: function not available" so now that I've put my .02¢ in I'm going to go back and read the added comments that showed up after I joined. I'm sure I'll have more to say later as I usually do, lol it's just something I gotta do! OK TTFN<ta-ta for now for those of you who don't know your Tigger talk (you know...Whinny the Pooh's one of a kind friend?!? The bouncy one! LOL sorry my imagination takes control sometimes but) TTFN cause I gotta read!

 

[CloudMaven]

Hi just wanted to confirm that ZTE is down for the program. The 16 gig SD card I formatted as internal refuses to carry it's own weight. Storage is reported as one. And it still offers to reformat as portable. What a mess! Im glad I jumped on the bandwagon after a solution had been found. Off to try reinstalling apps. I'll be back if I have to be!

 

[SEYIBABS]

Hi just wanted to confirm that ZTE is down for the program. The 16 gig SD card I formatted as internal refuses to carry its own weight. Storage is reported as one. And it still offers to reformat as portable. What a mess! I'm glad I jumped on the bandwagon after a solution had been found. Off to try reinstalling apps. I'll be back if I have to be!

Literally me:''''(