How to add APPS to an SD card in Android 8.1.0

[FrMIke]

I just purchased an LG Stylo 4, 16GB internal memory, upgradable to 1TB SD, running Android 8.1.0. Installed a 200GB SanDisc SD card, find that apps cannot be moved to the SD (after Marshmellow)! HOW do I move apps to the SD?
Thanks, in advance.

 

[SpookDroid]

It depends on the app... After whatever version they decided to change SD Card security, apps can no longer be fully moved to SD cards (unless hacked or if your phone supports adoptable storage...which, for many hassles, most phones don't).

First things first: ALL apps' main files will always reside in internal memory. ALWAYS. Then, it's up to each app dev to decide what they will allow to be moved to SD card (if anything at all); this includes media, downloads, extra assets, game saves, etc. But again, the main app files will still 'live' in internal memory. What's more, depending on how the app was coded, if you update it after some of it has been moved to SD Card, it might have to move everything back to internal memory (because app installations and updates happen in internal memory only).

 

[FrMIke]

Thanks. But how do I make the phone (LG Stylo 4) recognize the SD as an internal memory? Or do I have to root it. If I'm unable to move the apps, the phone (and the Android 8.1.0) is worthless and less than a paperweight.

 

[Rukbat]

You don't. LG and Samsung wisely removed that "capability" (it's more like "abortion") from their phones. For, as SpookDroid said, has many hassles, one of which, in my opinion, is turning a card that should last until 200GB of storage is a joke into a useless card in months. (I still have perfectly working 32MB cards. Who wants one card with 1/30th of a GB on it?)

If the part of the app that saves its current state gets moved to the card, it can be writing to the card a few hundred times a minute. SD card lives are measured in write cycles (which is a huge number, but nowhere near infinite), so writing to it a few million times a day can kill the card quickly. (eMMC storage, what's inside the phone, doesn't have that problem as much - the phone will be useless before the storage is.)

Also - if the card goes bad and you have apps installed on, or moved to, it, you've lost the use of the app. But you can't install it again, because, as far as the system is concerned, it's already installed. The normal solution is to just uninstall it first. But you can't do that because it's not there to uninstall. So you do a total backup on whatever is still working on the phone, then do a factory reset, then restore everything you backed up. Every time an SD card goes bad.

There are more reasons, but that should be enough to show you why putting apps on the SD card, moving or using the card as internal storage, is one.of.the.bad.ideas.of.the.century.

Buy a phone with enough internal (eMMC) storage for as long as you plan to keep it. Use SD cards to store data (pictures, documents, music, videos, etc.)

 

[SpookDroid]

But if you MUST (not recommended), yes, you'd have to root and apply a hack to trick the phone into thinking the card is part of its memory, with all the risks mentioned above.

 

[FrMIke]

Thanks. For what I use the phone for....now a total waste. Oh, well, should have stayed Marshmellow and earlier. I use the phone for the apps/tablet-like use, rarely make calls. Again, Oh well.

 

[Rukbat]

See if you can flash a stock Mashmallow ROM to it. (You'll have to back everything up, though - flashing a ROM gives you one without any of your apps or data.)

 

[ManiacJoe]

I know it is not the answer you are looking for, but some apps that use large amounts of data storage (camera, maps, GPS navigation, games) will let you move their data to the SD card. Check the settings in the individual apps to see if they have this option.

 

[TheVHunter]

what about the forced external application feature in developer mode?
what is the function and how to use it?
Thank you for the help

 

[Rukbat]

There's no "forced external application feature" in stock Android (I just checked all of it), so that must be something the manufacturer of your phone added. And if it's in developer mode, it might mean "forced external debug application", so you can use an external debugger on the phone to debug a problem.

 

[Catalin Iosef]

But if you MUST (not recommended), yes, you'd have to root and apply a hack to trick the phone into thinking the card is part of its memory, with all the risks mentioned above.

What about the people that are on a budget and are willing to sacrifice 10 - 20% of performance for space? I believe until now I have not heard anyone say "I have to much space/memory on my phone and I don't know what to do with it" an oppose to the 90% that say "My phones runs like crap, Android keeps updating and is eating out the whole memory of my phone"
I just think that they've fixed something, that was not broken in the first place, if you ask me!
There is several apps that you can run from the sd card, that are not that "memory hungry" or that they are not used on a daily basis.
Plus, If the Android doesn't why should the phone manufacturer? Unless they want you to run out of space, get frustrated and buy a newer phone with a larger memory. I wounder !!!!!!

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! There certainly are devices for people on a budget, but just like any other piece of technology (or really, any other good or service you might purchase), the more you pay, the more features and/or quality you get. If you buy a $100 phone, you can't expect the capacity, power, and features of a $900 phone, or even a $400 phone.