Using SD card on Moto G6?

[TNorth2016]

Hello,

I am ready to install an SD card into my Moto g6 and came across this article: Using an SD card - moto g6

I was dismayed to read there that if I want to use the card for storage of apps, along with photos and music, it can't be accessed by any other device: "The card is not readable by other devices. (another phone, Mac, PC, digital camera)". So does that mean that I can never move the pictures stored there off of the card and onto my computer? And how do I get music onto the card - I generally download from my library music site onto my laptop and then move the music over.

This seems like a problem - I ordered a large card so that I would have room for apps to run from the SD card, and had planned to have it be the default location to save photos, but if I have to choose either "portable" - where it can't run apps, or "internal" - where it can't be accessed by another device, it seems to defeat the purpose of having the card.

I would appreciate any suggestions for how to get around this - seems there much be a way to do both - run apps from the SD card and use it for storage that can be accessed by another device. That is how my old LG always worked.

Thanks for any help!

 

[SpookDroid]

While there are hacks to make the phone believe the SD card is just an extended part of the internal partition, it is NOT recommended, and I truly (cannot stress this enough) DO NOT RECOMMEND SAVING YOUR PICTURES TO SD CARD!!!!!!! Don't believe me? Just browse the Forums for the myriad of 'I lost all my pictures in the SD card and can't recover them, help!' posts. SD cards are NOT reliable. Part of the reason the adoptable storage restrictions and why most manufacturers just opted to not include that option, period. SD card should just be used for external storage, and only if you have the files backed up elsewhere, tbh.

I know, not the answer you want, but it might be the one you need.

Now, if you don't use the SD card as adoptable storage and you still want to use that for apps/pictures (you were warned!), you still can. Depending on the camera app, you can set the default storage to SD card locations. Also, Android still allows apps to store data in SD cards,with a few restrictions. One, and most important one, the app's main file MUST reside in internal memory. Second, it's up to each app dev to decide what additional data, if any, would be allowed to move to SD cards (additional downloads, media files, etc.). Third, apps cannot freely modify data in SD cards that is not contained in folders created by the app itself.

So, while you can still use the SD card for pictures (still, not recommend it unless they've been backed up first!) and media and additional files, some apps will still allow some of its data to be moved there. Downside? Upon updating the app, most of the time, it needs to move everything back to internal memory (installations and updates can only happen there, not in external storage), so you might have to move app back to SD card every time.

 

[L0n3N1nja]

How old was your LG? This is the way android has been for like 5 years now. I think Google originally blocked installing apps on the sd card for performance and reliability reasons and later brought it back with these restrictions for security reasons.

Personally I wouldn't install apps on the sd card, it's significantly slower than the internal memory and will slow the entire phone down. I only use my sd cards for media.

I could be mistaken but I think rooting the device is the only way around the restriction.

As far as getting photos off if you set the sd card to internal it would be the same as if you didn't use an sd card. Plug the phone into a pc, wirelessly send them via an app, use an external hard drive or flash drive. Plenty of ways to move files without removing the sd card.

 

[B. Diddy]

In my opinion, the main purpose of the SD card has always been for media storage (music, videos, photos, as well as documents). It's never been good for app installation -- the old "Move to SD" feature only ever moved a small portion of an app, and the inherent unreliability of SD cards in general makes it risky to rely on them for app installation in Adoptable Storage.

 

[TNorth2016]

Thanks for the quick replies. I'll admit that I am confused by all of this. Not at all what I had in mind when I planned on using the SD card for additional storage. I have a 128 gb card, but maybe that isn't going to be at all useful if I can't store pictures and run apps from it.

In my opinion, the main purpose of the SD card has always been for media storage (music, videos, photos, as well as documents). It's never been good for app installation -- the old "Move to SD" feature only ever moved a small portion of an app, and the inherent unreliability of SD cards in general makes it risky to rely on them for app installation in Adoptable Storage.

Now, if you don't use the SD card as adoptable storage and you still want to use that for apps/pictures (you were warned!), you still can. Depending on the camera app, you can set the default storage to SD card locations. Also, Android still allows apps to store data in SD cards,with a few restrictions. One, and most important one, the app's main file MUST reside in internal memory. Second, it's up to each app dev to decide what additional data, if any, would be allowed to move to SD cards (additional downloads, media files, etc.). Third, apps cannot freely modify data in SD cards that is not contained in folders created by the app itself.

So - the SD card is probably not useful for running apps from it. And in that case - if I don't use the SD card as "adoptable storage" - what should it be?

So, while you can still use the SD card for pictures (still, not recommend it unless they've been backed up first!) and media and additional files, some apps will still allow some of its data to be moved there. Downside? Upon updating the app, most of the time, it needs to move everything back to internal memory (installations and updates can only happen there, not in external storage), so you might have to move app back to SD card every time.

So it seems that my choices are to use the card for storage for "some" apps or use it for backup up pictures - can't be both?

Sorry I am so confused - this just threw me and seems to make the SD card less than useful.

Thanks!

 

[TNorth2016]

How old was your LG? This is the way android has been for like 5 years now. I think Google originally blocked installing apps on the sd card for performance and reliability reasons and later brought it back with these restrictions for security reasons.

Personally I wouldn't install apps on the sd card, it's significantly slower than the internal memory and will slow the entire phone down. I only use my sd cards for media.

I could be mistaken but I think rooting the device is the only way around the restriction.

As far as getting photos off if you set the sd card to internal it would be the same as if you didn't use an sd card. Plug the phone into a pc, wirelessly send them via an app, use an external hard drive or flash drive. Plenty of ways to move files without removing the sd card.

My LG was about 3 years old and I could save pictures, etc and also move apps to the SD card. I was quite surprised that the Moto g6 doesn't allow that.

So setting the card to internal makes it "a part" of the internal storage, so I would still be able to access everything and transfer via my laptop?

I had ordered a new card, but maybe i should just go ahead and use the card from the LG. Will all of the pictures on it be retained and be visible on the Moto if I do that? With this information, it seems like 128 gb is overkill LOL!

 

[Javier P]

Thanks for the quick replies. I'll admit that I am confused by all of this. Not at all what I had in mind when I planned on using the SD card for additional storage. I have a 128 gb card, but maybe that isn't going to be at all useful if I can't store pictures and run apps from it.





So - the SD card is probably not useful for running apps from it. And in that case - if I don't use the SD card as "adoptable storage" - what should it be?




So it seems that my choices are to use the card for storage for "some" apps or use it for backup up pictures - can't be both?

Sorry I am so confused - this just threw me and seems to make the SD card less than useful.

Thanks!

Yeah, the new way to handle SD cards can be a bit confusing when you're used to the old way.

- Adoptable/Internal storage. Both internal and SD card storage became the same and you can't use the card in any other device. Risky and it can cause slowness and performance issues.

- Portable storage. Basically for media files and make sure you have a copy in the cloud or any other external storage.

 

[Javier P]

My LG was about 3 years old and I could save pictures, etc and also move apps to the SD card. I was quite surprised that the Moto g6 doesn't allow that.

So setting the card to internal makes it "a part" of the internal storage, so I would still be able to access everything and transfer via my laptop?

I had ordered a new card, but maybe i should just go ahead and use the card from the LG. Will all of the pictures on it be retained and be visible on the Moto if I do that? With this information, it seems like 128 gb is overkill LOL!

If you set the card as adoptable storage it will be formatted and encrypted so you'll lose all the files saved in there.

And yes, you can transfer files to your laptop after connecting it to your phone. It won't work if you take the card out.

 

[TNorth2016]

Yeah, the new way to handle SD cards can be a bit confusing when you're used to the old way.

- Adoptable/Internal storage. Both internal and SD card storage became the same and you can't use the card in any other device. Risky and it can cause slowness and performance issues.

- Portable storage. Basically for media files and make sure you have a copy in the cloud or any other external storage.

Thanks for that info. So it looks like portable is what I'll want.

But, you say for adoptable/internal storage you "can't use the card in any other device" - can it be "read" by another device? What I mean is, can I USB the phone to my laptop and access the files that way? It wouldn't technically be "in" the laptop. Semantics?

Thanks!

 

[Javier P]

Now, on a personal note and repeating what previous posters have already said. I'd wouldn't recommend you to set the card as adoptable storage for the reasons already explained.

 

[TNorth2016]

Yes - it sounds like portable is what I want, right? Adoptable means internal, correct?

Thanks again!

 

[Javier P]

Thanks for that info. So it looks like portable is what I'll want.

But, you say for adoptable/internal storage you "can't use the card in any other device" - can it be "read" by another device? What I mean is, can I USB the phone to my laptop and access the files that way? It wouldn't technically be "in" the laptop. Semantics?

Thanks!

Yes, see my previous post, we were typing at the same time

 

[Javier P]

Yes - it sounds like portable is what I want, right? Adoptable means internal, correct?

Thanks again!

Yes. Just be aware that apps can't be moved to the card.

 

[TNorth2016]

Thanks! I guess I'll have to live with that - I don't have too many apps anyway. Too bad it isn't as easy as it used to be!

 

[SpookDroid]

Thanks for that info. So it looks like portable is what I'll want.

But, you say for adoptable/internal storage you "can't use the card in any other device" - can it be "read" by another device? What I mean is, can I USB the phone to my laptop and access the files that way? It wouldn't technically be "in" the laptop. Semantics?

Thanks!

Hope this doesn't add to the confusion since you're probably set to just use the SD card as a portable, external storage location with 'normal' file access on your device. But to clear up the doubt on the quoted question, if you set up the card as 'adoptable storage', the card is then encrypted and formatted to be used solely by the specific phone. This means that if you take the card out (besides borking stuff up since whatever the phone expects to be in the card is no longer there), the contents cannot be read and the card cannot be used unless re-formatted by any other device. Now, as you asked, if the card is in your phone and you connect that via USB to something else, yes, whatever is in the SD card can be accessed via USB (since the card is in the phone, and the transfer is done by the phone itself, not another device trying to read the card directly).

 

[TNorth2016]

Hope this doesn't add to the confusion since you're probably set to just use the SD card as a portable, external storage location with 'normal' file access on your device.

Thanks! I am still pretty confused, but I think that I have it. I think that portable is probably what I want.

Now, as you asked, if the card is in your phone and you connect that via USB to something else, yes, whatever is in the SD card can be accessed via USB (since the card is in the phone, and the transfer is done by the phone itself, not another device trying to read the card directly).

So - either way - portable or internal - the data on the card can be accessed via USB??

Thanks!

 

[SpookDroid]

Correct. It's the 'outside of the device' that gets affected depending on what you choose (i.e. trying to use the card in a different phone or using a card reader on a PC).

 

[B. Diddy]

The reason why you can't use an SD card formatted as Internal Storage on another device is that it gets encrypted during that kind of formatting such that it only works on that specific phone. An important side effect of this encryption is that if a user formats the card as Internal Storage, and then does a factory reset, any data on that card becomes irretrievable, because the factory reset of the phone also wipes out that encryption key.

 

[TNorth2016]

The reason why you can't use an SD card formatted as Internal Storage on another device is that it gets encrypted during that kind of formatting such that it only works on that specific phone. An important side effect of this encryption is that if a user formats the card as Internal Storage, and then does a factory reset, any data on that card becomes irretrievable, because the factory reset of the phone also wipes out that encryption key.

Thanks! So I think I am getting it - LOL! I really wasn't planning on using the card in any other device - just as a storage in this phone for pictures, music, and I'd hoped, some apps as with my LG. If that is the case- this phone only - then I need to ask again - could I format it as internal, store pictures along with some apps, and be able move the pictures onto my laptop via USB from that card? The card would always remain in the phone - just the data would be transferred via USB. Or can't pictures be stored and moved from a card that is formatted as internal storage?

I understand the problem with factory reset - but in that case - is the data erased, or still there on the card taking up space, but not retrievable? (And yes - I do plan to make backups/move pictures onto my laptop frequently.)

If I decide to forego the new larger card, and just move the SD card from my old LG into the Moto - then it would remain as portable storage? And could I then access all of the pictures and files on it already since it would not have been reformatted? If the larger card isn't going to be useful the way I'd thought, I may just go with the original one from the LG.

Thanks to all for the help - this is surprisingly much more confusing to me than it should be!

 

[TNorth2016]

Correct. It's the 'outside of the device' that gets affected depending on what you choose (i.e. trying to use the card in a different phone or using a card reader on a PC).

Thanks. I was planning to only use the card in the Moto - nowhere else.