Storage space (Issues/questions/concerns)

[Android Central Question]

Long story short I want to download apps and such but they automatically get saved on my device storage instead of my SanDisk SD card which is still maximized. I have used up 3.65 of 3.80 GB on my phone storage and can't really do anything. I heard that earlier android editions didn't allow the feature of selecting where to store what but I'm pretty sure my phone does not fall under that category. I have also heard that if I use my SD card as internal storage it may solve this problem as my phone didn't come with much space to begin with. If this is true then what should I be concerned about because apparently I can't transfer it or something. Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

[Laura Knotek]

Welcome to Android Central.

You might want to check out this article. Everything you need to know about your SD card and Adoptable storage https://www.androidcentral.com/adoptable-storage

 

[Earl Haig]

I am not sure I understand that article entirely. I have tried to move applications but the feature is not available. Btw its Android 6.0

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! First, we need to know which phone you have. Adoptable Storage requires Marshmallow, but not all phone manufacturers decided to implement the feature (most notably, Samsung and LG). Be aware that SD cards are inherently less reliable than onboard memory, and is more prone to corruption or failure -- this can cause significant problems if you're relying on it as the main storage for your apps. This is one of the reasons why some phone companies decided not to offer it. And if you search the forums for Adoptable Storage problems, you'll find quite a few -- look at the Moto forums to get an idea.

You can tell if your phone supports Adoptable Storage because when you first insert a blank SD card, the phone should ask you if you want to format it as Portable Storage or Internal Storage.

If the phone doesn't support Adoptable Storage, then the only other option is the "Move to SD" feature, which only moves a portion of an app to the SD card. Not all phones support this either, and even for those that do, not all apps are designed to be moved. You can look for the Move to SD button in Settings>Apps, and then selecting an app. If you don't see the button, then you can't move it.

In general, it's much better to get a device that has as much internal storage that you can comfortably afford. 8 GB is no longer feasible if you want to install more than a few apps, and 16 GB can still get filled up quickly.