[Q] Cannot move apps to SD card - Galaxy Tab S Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I have the wifi only US version of the tab s 8.4 inch, and I cannot move apps to SD card for some reason. I'm not rooted anything, and running Android 4.4. I tried doing it through the built in application manager, but I just get a "unable to move app to SD card" message. I also tried using an app called app2sd, and it didn't work either. App2sd worked just fine on my note edge running lollipop though. Could it be that I need lollipop on my tablet for it to work? I just bought a 64 gb micro SD card for my tablet because I was running out of space, but as you can see I have be3n unable to use it. Any ideas?

I know third party apps cannot write to the external microsd in 4.4 , in 5.0 it is fixed, but you would think the built in system apps would let you do it.
John.
darkleafar said:
I have the wifi only US version of the tab s 8.4 inch, and I cannot move apps to SD card for some reason. I'm not rooted anything, and running Android 4.4. I tried doing it through the built in application manager, but I just get a "unable to move app to SD card" message. I also tried using an app called app2sd, and it didn't work either. App2sd worked just fine on my note edge running lollipop though. Could it be that I need lollipop on my tablet for it to work? I just bought a 64 gb micro SD card for my tablet because I was running out of space, but as you can see I have be3n unable to use it. Any ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Tinderbox (UK) said:
I know third party apps cannot write to the external microsd in 4.4 , in 5.0 it is fixed, but you would think the built in system apps would let you do it.
John.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thing is, all app2sd card does is automate the process. It's like a batch file that automatically opens the information page on each app (using built in application manager) where you can click "move to SD card" . So it's really no different than doing it manually with no third party app, so I don't think what you mentioned is the problem

I downloaded app2sd and i moved a few apps from my internal flash memory to microsd without any problems, I have an non-rooted v4.4.2 10.5" T800 , below is the app i used.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ljmobile.move.app&hl=en
John.

Tinderbox (UK) said:
I downloaded app2sd and i moved a few apps from my internal flash memory to microsd without any problems, I have an non-rooted v4.4.2 10.5" T800 , below is the app i used.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ljmobile.move.app&hl=en
John.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This does not even let me try to use it . It just says "no need to move, SD card shares the same disk with OS". I also reformatted the SD card, still no luck. I can't be the only one with this issue. Anyone ?

Remove you microsd and do a factory data reset, make sure you backup the data you need to keep first, very strange that your tab thinks your ,microsd is just a directory on your system flash memory, might be worth formatting your microsd in your notebook if you have an adaptor, just in case you tab is putting system files on you microsd, then put it back in your reset tab and do a format on it, if the tab does not do it for you.
It would be nice if some other forum members could help you, maybe you need to get a mod to change your thread title, to something like "help: my android tablet thinks my microsd is system memory and will not let me move my apps to it"
Or something like that might get your thread more attention.
Or try posting on more than one android forum, I use the one below, but there are lots more.
http://www.androidtablets.net/
John.

Tinderbox (UK) said:
Remove you microsd and do a factory data reset, make sure you backup the data you need to keep first, very strange that your tab thinks your ,microsd is just a directory on your system flash memory, might be worth formatting your microsd in your notebook if you have an adaptor, just in case you tab is putting system files on you microsd, then put it back in your reset tab and do a format on it, if the tab does not do it for you.
It would be nice if some other forum members could help you, maybe you need to get a mod to change your thread title, to something like "help: my android tablet thinks my microsd is system memory and will not let me move my apps to it"
Or something like that might get your thread more attention.
Or try posting on more than one android forum, I use the one below, but there are lots more.
http://www.androidtablets.net/
John.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Turned out to be defective micro SD card. Lesson learned : stick with San disk, death to Sony
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N915A using Tapatalk

It also very highly depends on your defin4of moving an app to your SDcard. Most apps of various sizes only move a very very very small portion of their data to the sdcard. Like a 1GB app moving 56MB or a 24MB app moving 16KB. Some apps are smart and can move their obb files but there are quite a lot of apps that are not programed well and move only a little bit of data or none at all.
But as for this specific tablet samsung was kind enough to include app2sd as part of its system files (along with all the bloatware), so you do not need on a stock rom (kitkat or lollipop) to install any other app moving program.

acdbrn2000 said:
It also very highly depends on your defin4of moving an app to your SDcard. Most apps of various sizes only move a very very very small portion of their data to the sdcard. Like a 1GB app moving 56MB or a 24MB app moving 16KB. Some apps are smart and can move their obb files but there are quite a lot of apps that are not programed well and move only a little bit of data or none at all.
But as for this specific tablet samsung was kind enough to include app2sd as part of its system files (along with all the bloatware), so you do not need on a stock rom (kitkat or lollipop) to install any other app moving program.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the input. But it was a defective micro SD card as stated above. Good to know though
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N915A using Tapatalk

Related

[Q] Newbie ?:Have a nice 64GB SD Card - How to use?

Another Newbie Question here.
So AT&T only provides the 16MB Note 2, so of course we add a nice juicy 64GB SD card. But it seems that the stock phone does not really use it for much (that I can tell) to store anything.
First question: On the stock ROM, what apps can be told to use the SD card as default, and how do you change the app settings?
Second Question, for the future: Assuming one Root's the Note 2, what can be safely moved to the SD and how? Or is another ROM required?
Humbly yours - thanks in advance!
Flame Red said:
Another Newbie Question here.
So AT&T only provides the 16MB Note 2, so of course we add a nice juicy 64GB SD card. But it seems that the stock phone does not really use it for much (that I can tell) to store anything.
First question: On the stock ROM, what apps can be told to use the SD card as default, and how do you change the app settings?
Second Question, for the future: Assuming one Root's the Note 2, what can be safely moved to the SD and how? Or is another ROM required?
Humbly yours - thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also have a 64gb card. I put all of my Titanium backups and Nandroids on the external SD (right now TWRP doesn't work with the exfat formatting of my card, so if I want to restore I'll have to move it from ext to int SD).
I also have Spotify set to store any offline music on the external SD. You can do this by installing an old version of Spotify, pointing it to external SD, then updating the app. A quick Google search will find this if it's something you want to do.
It's hard to tell you what to move to the external card without knowing what apps you use. You can get an app called Directory Bind that will point any internal SD location to your external SD. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1889550
SD card setup/directory optimization
Really like Android and the Note 2 so far.
Thanks for the directory bind guide link...interesting. Maybe my answer is somewhere in there, so I will take a look either way.
New to external SD use on Android as well (or any phone, that is). I have a 64GB sandisk as well, and It was pre-formatted for Android apparently with some s/w on it. Which is fine, if that is the way I should go.
Just playing around with it at first and copied a music album over, in similar format to my iTunes directory structure -I figured, why not. Perhaps there is a better way to structure my directories though? More general way for all apps to recognize? Moot point?
I assume different apps might require different directory structures...to be efficient, or to be able to work with those dirs/files. I'd rather have the most optimal structure now, before I start messing with creating more directories, etc down the road.
The general questions are, should I format this as something else? What is best to use? (Still looking into different file manager/transfer apps for now, and MAY root and keep stock ROM in the future, but acclimating myself with Android OS has been more than enough for now...I do enough Linux at work, so not in any rush )
Since I went there, I don't know if the OP's question was fully answered...so again, here's a quick (newbie) question for those who root but keep the stock ROM: can apps be moved to the SD card in that case? Or do I need to break out of stock ROM to do that?
Thanks in advance!
Wanted to report back that I tried a simple case of using Directory Bind for something non-critical as a test. Used it to remount Titaniumn Backup to the external SD. Yes, I know you can just point it there. Just wanted to test Directory Bind.
It seemed to work until I rebooted the phone. Then it lost all the binding even tough I had checked off to save it for reboot and saved the binds to a file. So just beware that if you were using Directory Bind for something critical - you might have to recover the phone! I removed the package for now.
dponte said:
Really like Android and the Note 2 so far.
Thanks for the directory bind guide link...interesting. Maybe my answer is somewhere in there, so I will take a look either way.
New to external SD use on Android as well (or any phone, that is). I have a 64GB sandisk as well, and It was pre-formatted for Android apparently with some s/w on it. Which is fine, if that is the way I should go.
Just playing around with it at first and copied a music album over, in similar format to my iTunes directory structure -I figured, why not. Perhaps there is a better way to structure my directories though? More general way for all apps to recognize? Moot point?
I assume different apps might require different directory structures...to be efficient, or to be able to work with those dirs/files. I'd rather have the most optimal structure now, before I start messing with creating more directories, etc down the road.
The general questions are, should I format this as something else? What is best to use? (Still looking into different file manager/transfer apps for now, and MAY root and keep stock ROM in the future, but acclimating myself with Android OS has been more than enough for now...I do enough Linux at work, so not in any rush )
Since I went there, I don't know if the OP's question was fully answered...so again, here's a quick (newbie) question for those who root but keep the stock ROM: can apps be moved to the SD card in that case? Or do I need to break out of stock ROM to do that?
Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If your'e just talking about music, you can put it in any folder and any structure you'd like. The Android Media Server process scans your entire SD card for media (including music) except for folders with a ".nomedia" file in them. It will use the tags to identify the artist, song, and album, then sort them based on that information.
Flame Red said:
Wanted to report back that I tried a simple case of using Directory Bind for something non-critical as a test. Used it to remount Titaniumn Backup to the external SD. Yes, I know you can just point it there. Just wanted to test Directory Bind.
It seemed to work until I rebooted the phone. Then it lost all the binding even tough I had checked off to save it for reboot and saved the binds to a file. So just beware that if you were using Directory Bind for something critical - you might have to recover the phone! I removed the package for now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
bummer
don't bother moving any apps to the external sd, since you have TONS OF ROOM in your internal memory on this phone..On the original note, I had over 300 apps installed on the internal, and still had over 5 gigs of room left..
just keep your music, movies, pictures, and other space hogs on it..trust me, leaving apps alone will never be a problem when you have a phone with this much storage space!
wase4711 said:
don't bother moving any apps to the external sd, since you have TONS OF ROOM in your internal memory on this phone..On the original note, I had over 300 apps installed on the internal, and still had over 5 gigs of room left..
just keep your music, movies, pictures, and other space hogs on it..trust me, leaving apps alone will never be a problem when you have a phone with this much storage space!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
11GB is a lot (available to start with on the ATT model) if you use the external for media (and app cache) and leave the internal for apps mainly...agreed.
Most apps are small in size...however, one app like NOVA3 is 2GB and that is a big bite of your 11GB available, so that is a little concerning
I haven't had the device or android long enough to know, but, are app databases and cache allowed to reside on the external card --in lue of the ability to move apps to the SD being taken away since Jelly Bean (was it at that update)? Can someone point to a good thread on the reason and discussion about that? Thanks.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1994046
App2SD change external to internal.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using xda premium
You can make your external your main storage device by using this root technique. But some people don't advise it saying it slows down your processing on apps.
wase4711 said:
don't bother moving any apps to the external sd, since you have TONS OF ROOM in your internal memory on this phone..On the original note, I had over 300 apps installed on the internal, and still had over 5 gigs of room left..
just keep your music, movies, pictures, and other space hogs on it..trust me, leaving apps alone will never be a problem when you have a phone with this much storage space!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Note II is a Unified Storage device. It has 11gb available for both user content (pictures, movie, music etc) and apps. I lost 2gb of space moving from my S2 to the N2.
S2 is not a Unified storage device, so it has 11gb of storage available for user content and a separate Apps partition of 2gb.

[Q] is it possible to move apps to sd card?

is there a way that i can move my apps to sd card. I tried using app2sd programs but they did not let me move my apps. please help my 16gb internal storage is getting smaller.
thanks
jonneepuh said:
is there a way that i can move my apps to sd card. I tried using app2sd programs but they did not let me move my apps. please help my 16gb internal storage is getting smaller.
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure if this is present in stock images, but if you go into System -> Apps and select an app, there should be a "Move to SD card" option in there. (This has, AFAICR, been present in stock Android as of ICS.)
jonneepuh said:
is there a way that i can move my apps to sd card. I tried using app2sd programs but they did not let me move my apps. please help my 16gb internal storage is getting smaller.
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you cannot really move apps to sd cards but there is an app called "gl to sd" it will move gameloft games to the sd card because they can be fairly big in size and also you have to be rooted to use the app
i am on cm10 official.
i heard google and samsung were taking away the feature to move apps to sd card.
any work around with using cm10?
jonneepuh said:
is there a way that i can move my apps to sd card. I tried using app2sd programs but they did not let me move my apps. please help my 16gb internal storage is getting smaller.
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
jonneepuh said:
i am on cm10 official.
i heard google and samsung were taking away the feature to move apps to sd card.
any work around with using cm10?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Allow me to preface this by stating that a simple search would have yielded your answer in all likelihood. Please do learn to fish, lest you starve.
There is a method of swapping the internal storage with an SD card via a script, provided you have init.d support. I've tried a variety of ROMs from stock onward and never found an issue with init.d, so it shouldn't realistically matter. Depending upon the ROM, the mounts tend to vary but the script I took and modified accounts for said variations. It's really a rather simple deal, given that you are on CM10 my current iteration should work for you without modification or issue. Be advised that my alterations stem from a script that came from this thread and all credit for the original concept is not due to me, I only modified the script in order to make it compatible with other ROMs and to mitigate the differing mount points. It also goes without saying that I am not responsible for your device melting down or your cat bursting into fire. If you're interested in the modifications I have made to the script let me know and I'll be happy to build a CWM flashable zip and give you further instruction, otherwise see the post previously referenced.
Do also note that the script WILL NOT enable you to move apps to the SD via Settings/Applications, it will basically cause the device to see the SD card as internal storage and the original internal storage as the SD, but only while the device is not in recovery. If you boot into recovery you must remain aware of the fact that your data will be on the external SD as they behave in a flip-flop manner. You must also be aware that you should not remove your SD card while using this modification if the device is on and not in recovery mode, bad things will happen (possibly the end of the world) I realize this was probably more information than you sought but it's better to have too much than not enough in my opinion.
jonneepuh said:
i am on cm10 official.
i heard google and samsung were taking away the feature to move apps to sd card.
any work around with using cm10?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well i think phones that are running ics do not have the ability to move apps to an sd card without some sort of modification
y0yerrj0sh said:
well i think phones that are running ics do not have the ability to move apps to an sd card without some sort of modification
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, due to the nature of the way that the S3 handles internal storage, whereby the "SD card" is actually just a mount that's bound to /data/media and not a physically separate storage medium, moving apps to the SD card has never and will not be implemented in the foreseeable future. To attempt to circumvent the fact that the standard method of moving apps from internal to external storage ("Move to SD") is rather misguided as you would gain nothing from having done so since the intent is to conserve space on the internal storage and given that the internal storage and "SD card" reside on the same physical device, you gain nothing. That is why the method I described in my previous post was originally conceived, so that S3 users might have some semblance of moving apps to an external SD and thus freeing up space on the internal storage.

Partition Sizes

Curious if anyone has modified the partition table on the device? With the System taking up 4 some gigs... seems silly not to shrink it down a bit for more app usage. Any thoughts on this one or am I just thinking silly on it?
I think the same but i found nothing. I flashed a debloated rom for the 10.1 and now have 1.2GB free on system parts. I used titanium backup to transfer some app from data to system but it's boring. But it's nothing compared to my MicroSD card memory
eowindel said:
I think the same but i found nothing. I flashed a debloated rom for the 10.1 and now have 1.2GB free on system parts. I used titanium backup to transfer some app from data to system but it's boring. But it's nothing compared to my MicroSD card memory
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did transfer some apps over as well, or in reality can remove them because they sit on the SD partition because of updates (really wish it would just update to system by default). I know moving some updates over just screws it up, let alone just moving screws up the icons on the desktop portion.
I don't have a de-bloated rom right now. The way I see it, its being used or wasted at this point. Apps don't seem to be slowing it down, though im sure a few are running in the background, but nothing that has hampered battery life like my previous Nexus 7 (2013). This seems to do much better at not wasting power. Guess im not being as picky as I use to with random apps chewing up space.
I would of jumped all over a 32GB edition from the get go. Paired with a 64GB SD card, its win win. Even now it is, just can't install everything I want to in 1 go since most apps still are stored locally on the main internal SD Partition and can't be transferred over. I can live with it, and im sure someone will figure it out. I know I use to do it with an old phone that had, next to no internal memory (a loong time ago). PITA to update, but well worth being able to use the phone.
You can use FolderMount [ROOT] to create a symbolic link between internal SD card and external to move your application.
For example if you want your google offline music on sdcard you can mount /sdcard/android/data/com.google.android.music on external sdcard.
It is possible to do it for every folder so it solves the problem :highfive:
eowindel said:
You can use FolderMount [ROOT] to create a symbolic link between internal SD card and external to move your application.
For example if you want your google offline music on sdcard you can mount /sdcard/android/data/com.google.android.music on external sdcard.
It is possible to do it for every folder so it solves the problem :highfive:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah just read into that. Thanks for the link so it reminds me.
Course, internal storage is always faster But for music/movies obviously SD Card just works fine with that.

SD card corruption when moving apps

Every time I move apps from my device to my SD card, my card is corrupted and can't be read, either by my Note or a pc. I have to reforemat and then all is good again (except for the stuff I lost). It seems that truly, the only thing the SD card is good for, is media.
Has anyone else had this issue? Is it just me?
I'm using a SanDisk 32g card in an unrooted Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 edition running 4.4.2
Thanks
cindylee60 said:
Every time I move apps from my device to my SD card, my card is corrupted and can't be read, either by my Note or a pc. I have to reforemat and then all is good again (except for the stuff I lost). It seems that truly, the only thing the SD card is good for, is media.
Has anyone else had this issue? Is it just me?
I'm using a SanDisk 32g card in an unrooted Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 edition running 4.4.2
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im pretty sure you cant move apps to sd card anymore cause google changed a whole bunch of things with kit kat and they want you to use cloud storage. If you were rooted there are apps that you can use to do that. I have 128gb card with all my apps and data on cause im rooted and use a app called folder mount.. you can search around but im pretty sure im right.
mikep2323 said:
Im pretty sure you cant move apps to sd card anymore cause google changed a whole bunch of things with kit kat and they want you to use cloud storage. If you were rooted there are apps that you can use to do that. I have 128gb card with all my apps and data on cause im rooted and use a app called folder mount.. you can search around but im pretty sure im right.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was just using the "move to SD" function in the native Application Manager....?
cindylee60 said:
I was just using the "move to SD" function in the native Application Manager....?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I still think that with kit kat they changed permissions but here are my opinions. Maybe SD card is corrupted . Does the SD card work on anything else? Maybe try to reformat it. Did you buy on internet? It could be fake. I had bought a original SanDisk on ebay but it was a bootleg one and it worked fine for a while then I kinda had same problem as you are having. After getting one from best buy no problem since.
---------- Post added at 02:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:43 PM ----------
Here is just something i found real quick on internet.Its located here http://www.makeuseof.com/answers/can-free-space-phone-running-android-kitkat/
There are many different things that you can try to do in order to reduce wasted space, but the limitations are great, especially after 4.0.4. Most, if not all, Android phones are not allowed to move apps to an external SD card, or in some cases, even the internal SD storage that may be partitioned off for user storage (separate from phone storage usage used by the system and apps). This is a major issue on phones that have a small amount of internal storage space, such as 4 or even 8GB. There is a way to enable the movement of apps to the SD card, but the phone must be rooted, the SD card must have two primary partitions, and apps like Apps2SD III or Links2SD should be used (unless you are comfortable i
The Move to SD in the app manager is actually still moving to a sectioned off portion of space within your internal memory.
It sounds like this might not be properly mounted.

[Q] Change the default storage?

Hi,
I would like to swap the default storage to the SD card. I have T800 and find the 16gb not enough for all my staff.
Is there any way to swap the default storage? I have found link2sd but I never used it and maybe there is a better solution. I am rooted and running Ironrom .
shadow78 said:
Hi,
I would like to swap the default storage to the SD card. I have T800 and find the 16gb not enough for all my staff.
Is there any way to swap the default storage? I have found link2sd but I never used it and maybe there is a better solution. I am rooted and running Ironrom .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This has helped me before
Apps2sd
Here is a playstore link
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.IQBS.android.app2sd&hl=en
does kitkat allow it?
pdolton2000 said:
This has helped me before
Apps2sd
Here is a playstore link
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.IQBS.android.app2sd&hl=en
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your reply. The app just allows to move the movable apps to the SD but this is already built in and I can do this from the app manager.
I wanted to swap the actual default storage from the internal storage to SD. Some of the smartphones do have this option. (I have a Honor 6 phone and I am able to change the default storage from internal to external. Even without root.)
Unfortunately you can't do that with any Samsung device, they just didn't fix it because of the SD card liability and how they construct their folders. I've been wanting that to make it easy.
Sent from my SM-T805
That's why i am nostalgic to Jelly Bean . I even get lost of my Windows 8 laptop for the changes i don't like,happy now with Windows 7 and Microsoft knows it , the start menu is back in Windows 10.
And for Android,i stay far away from Lollipop. KitKat is bad enouf for me
when there's a will there's a way
No default to sd card but you can move the installed apps via settings in the apps manager. Also you could try foldermount to link these large files to the sd card

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