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Can't move apps to external SD card

A

AC Question

Hello there. I need help because I'm going crazy with this.
I have Jelly Bean 4.2.2
on my AKTB-703MZ

1 GB of standard space isn't enough for the apps I need, truly, and I have issues with my SD card too. I can't move the apps to my SD card because every time I try they stop working.
What can I do? I seriously need help.
I tried to search everywhere but I can't find a clue

Thanks in advance
 

itguyjax8430

Retired Moderator
Mar 15, 2013
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We bought two of them off EBay (Thanks, Mr. Anonymous!) and I had to drive two hours both ways to get them at 1am. Fun times.

It was a good thing we did it that way, though, because we don't live in a 3G area and they wouldn't have been sold at local stores.

Welcome to Android Central!

Have you tried formatting your SD card? It could be that the SD card read / write speeds are not fast enough. What type of card is it?
 

Semiramis

New member
Jun 21, 2015
2
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I don't have a SD card reader and I can't get one at the moment, unfortunately...
Micro SD - HC Class 4 - 8GB
 

itguyjax8430

Retired Moderator
Mar 15, 2013
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You can format the card with the phone. Just go to settings, storage, towards the bottom you should see format SD card. Class 4 is ok but get a class 10 if you can.
 

Semiramis

New member
Jun 21, 2015
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The issue is still there, I can't move the apps to my SD card even after formatting it. If I do, they stop working and I have to download them again.
Also I sometimes receive this error: "Damaged External Storage".
I am able to fix the issue. I can write data on the card like music, images... but I can't run apps. If I try to move apps on the card or I plug the device to my PC the error appears again and the apps are nowhere to be found
 

itguyjax8430

Retired Moderator
Mar 15, 2013
6,822
0
0
The issue is still there, I can't move the apps to my SD card even after formatting it. If I do, they stop working and I have to download them again.
Also I sometimes receive this error: "Damaged External Storage".
I am able to fix the issue. I can write data on the card like music, images... but I can't run apps. If I try to move apps on the card or I plug the device to my PC the error appears again and the apps are nowhere to be found

It sounds like the card is just not fast enough maybe. If you can get your hands on a class 10 to test it that would tell you.
 

Rukbat

Retired Moderator
Feb 12, 2012
44,533
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Android apps are written in pieces, many of which the developers just use from a ton of pieces (called libraries) that are available. Some libraries won't run from the SD card. A developer who actually writes code, and reads the comments in the libraries he uses, will catch that and make his app not movable to the SD card. (Those are the apps you want to move, but the button is grayed out.)

People who just drag controls to a template don't know what libraries were used to write the template, and even if the template says "if you use this template to do X, it won't run from the SD card", they don't bother reading it, so they leave the app moveable - but it won't work.

(I doubt the card can be too slow - I can run apps on a Class 4 card on a Note 3, and I doubt that many people have any cards that slow any more, or phones much faster.)

IOW, not ll apps can be moved, and not all apps that can be will work if they are. That's just how Android works. (If the card is larger than the internal sdcard, you can use External 2 Internal SD to mount them the other way around, so your external card is mounted as sdcard, the internal card, and the internal storage is mounted as extSdCard, the external card. You can't add both internal and external space to get 32GB if you have 16GB internal and a 16GB card.)