Saving Apps to MicroSD Card

[Rockdog97]

I read in a recent review of the new ScanDisc 16GB card the following:

"Unlike earlier versions of the Android OS, you can?t choose to install apps to the microSDHC card on the Galaxy S3."

Since the S III uses ICS, does that mean us that have updated from GB to ICS can no longer choose to install apps to the MicroSD card?

If not, how do we install apps to the SD card if we have ICS?

 

[fetterjohn]

I read in a recent review of the new ScanDisc 16GB card the following:

"Unlike earlier versions of the Android OS, you can?t choose to install apps to the microSDHC card on the Galaxy S3."

Since the S III uses ICS, does that mean us that have updated from GB to ICS can no longer choose to install apps to the MicroSD card?

If not, how do we install apps to the SD card if we have ICS?

You can...go into settings>applications>choose the application you want to move and press "move to sd card". Some applications still cannot be moved to the SD card, so don't be upset if some don't provide that option.

It's that simple.

 

[Cobravision]

Yes, but it just moves it to the internal "SD Card" memory and not the external SD card. This only helps if you're running out of room on the 2GB app partition (a remnant from the GB days). If you were on a native ICS device, it wouldn't even have that option.

 

[fetterjohn]

Yes, but it just moves it to the internal "SD Card" memory and not the external SD card. This only helps if you're running out of room on the 2GB app partition (a remnant from the GB days). If you were on a native ICS device, it wouldn't even have that option.

Really?? I guess I never noticed that. What is the point of calling the internal HD an "SD Card" when an SD card is a specific product that is specifically not built in HD space?

I'm baffled

 

[Cobravision]

As Gerry explained on the podcast, the designation, "SD Card" is a mount point and because of legacy compatibility with apps, they still call the on board storage memory "SD Card".

 

[fetterjohn]

As Gerry explained on the podcast, the designation, "SD Card" is a mount point and because of legacy compatibility with apps, they still call the on board storage memory "SD Card".

Thank you, I guess the idea now is to move all apps to the "SD Card" and make sure that all pictures, movies and other stuff remains on the "external SD Card".

Not-so-smart guys like me don't understand that designation...so I hope my confusion within this post helps the others in the long run.

 

[Rockdog97]

thay explains why all my apps, photos etc that were on my "SD Card" were deleted when i did a factory reset to try and improve my battery life. That sucks.

 

[Rockdog97]

under "Storage" how do you know what is on the external Sd card?

 

[Rockdog97]

Thank you, I guess the idea now is to move all apps to the "SD Card" and make sure that all pictures, movies and other stuff remains on the "external SD Card".

Not-so-smart guys like me don't understand that designation...so I hope my confusion within this post helps the others in the long run.

im with you on that!

 

[vidroid]

Android noob here... I just got an external microSDHC card and I was hoping I could move apps onto the external HD card. But looking at this thread it seems this is not possible. Can someone confirm this? Or explain how to move an app to the external HD? Thanks!

 

[Rockdog97]

I moved several apps to the SD Card.. from the Applications menu under Settings. I then shut the phone off, removed the SD card then turned the phone back on... all the apps that I moved to the "SD Card" did not show up on the phone, thus they really were on the "SD Card". There is no option to select "external SD Card" when moving apps...

However... when I open My Files, I can't seem to locate the apps that I moved to the SD Card.. I open the "external_sd" folder but they are not in there..

This is confusing....

 

[Rockdog97]

As Gerry explained on the podcast, the designation, "SD Card" is a mount point and because of legacy compatibility with apps, they still call the on board storage memory "SD Card".

what is usbStorage then?

 

[Cobravision]

Usb storage is on board storage. It will get wiped if you perform a factory reset.

Make sure all your files are in the external_sd folder before performing a factory reset. That's the mount point for the external sd card.

 

[88cavalierz24]

ive installed numerous apps to my external card from the apps manager, remember we have 2gb dedicated to apps, where as the sgs3 has the full 12gb(16gb version). Their storage isnt partitioned for storage and apps its all just one.

 

[Rockdog97]

I checked my Applications and under "On SD card" it lists the apps that are on the SD card. However, this does not make sense as the listed capacity of the "sd card" shows 15MB used with 11GB free...
My SD card (er, um.. my "external" sd card) is only 2 GB!! so what is showing up under Applications/on SD card doesn't seem to be what's actually ON my SD CARD...but maybe what's on the PHONES SD CARD -!!!

 

[fetterjohn]

Yes, but it just moves it to the internal "SD Card" memory and not the external SD card. This only helps if you're running out of room on the 2GB app partition (a remnant from the GB days). If you were on a native ICS device, it wouldn't even have that option.

OK...now I have another question for the smart guys.

Go into Settings / Applications / On SD Card (phone storage)...

When you check an individual app...it gives an option to "Move to SD card"...click that, it says "moving"...once that is done the button then changes to "Move to phone".

So this is telling me that we can move the apps to the external SD card...

...or am I wrong??

 

[KillBillCDP2]

You are not wrong

Sent from my Inspire 4G using Tapatalk 2

 

[bculp83]

Download the app "app and backup restore".

 

[vidroid]

fetterjohn and KillBillCDP2 -
I can see the option "Move to SD card", but I believe it does not move the app to the external SD card. It only moves it to the SD Card mount point (/sdcard), which is actually within the phone's storage. That's why my question was, how to actually move the app to the external SD card, which on my phone is /sdcard/external_sd/

At least on my E4GT, when I do the above procedure
Settings->Applications->Manage Application->pick app->Move to SD card
the app now shows up under the "On SD card" tab with a green check mark making it look like it's on the external SD card, but in reality it gets grayed out in my apps and is no longer available to use. If I look in the external SD card (/sdcard/external_sd/) using My Files, the app is not there!

 

[KillBillCDP2]

I don't really know much about your model you might try apps2sd from market or link2sd but I believe both require your SD to be partitioned

Sent from my Inspire 4G using Tapatalk 2