How to combine phone memory and a memory card - a blog about information technology: software, hardware, Internet, services, tips. How to install applications on an SD memory card in Android

Technologies for the production of gadgets are developing rapidly, but in the middle price segment, little attention is paid to internal storage, the size of which usually varies from 8 to 16 GB. Considering that most of the volume is occupied by built-in programs, there is almost no space left for games and additional information, and it becomes necessary to install applications on the Android SD card directly.

When purchasing a phone or tablet, you must immediately purchase a memory card. By default, all information is downloaded directly to the internal drive, but through the settings you can easily arrange automatic saving of photos, videos and music to an external card, the permissible volume of which largely depends on the resolution of the operating programs of the gadget itself.

Not all devices are designed to accommodate storage larger than 128 GB, so you should carefully read the phone's instructions before making a purchase. In this case, the internal storage will be open for applications, but its volume may not be enough for a large number of desirable games that become “heavier” as manufacturers improve them, and necessary utilities that make work and life easier.

Much depends on the modification of the gadget; sometimes such a simple method is available on highly equipped devices. First of all, you need to check whether you can get by with simple steps:

In new versions of the operating system, it is impossible to install the application on the Android SD card by default. To do this, you need to know some tricks and download special programs.

Actions for Android versions 5.0 inclusive

In older versions of the system, it is quite easy to understand the sequence of actions and free up internal memory, improving the speed of the gadget. To do this, just enter the main settings and go to the application tab, and then select the “transfer to SD storage” option. The program itself will transfer the information.

Additional data storage, such as “gallery”, “music” and applications for reading e-books, after saving to external media, will automatically upload information to the SD card without additional settings. Thus, the internal storage will be freer, which will improve the speed of the device as a whole.

It is worth considering that the features of certain games and programs sometimes make it impossible to transfer them to an external drive. That's why the manufacturer's built-in programs are not installed on the SD, and their forced transfer can disrupt the processes inside the gadget. The operating system always warns about this possibility, so you should not be afraid of making a mistake.

Saving applications to an Android memory card from 4.2 to 5 inclusive is quite simple if you follow the following algorithm:

1. Go to the “applications” tab and select the “downloads” section, where all previously installed software is located.
2. Select the program to transfer from the list and click on it.
3. Check data access and required amount of memory.
4. Click the “record to SD” section, if provided.

The further process will take place independently. Active gamers should not forget that any game in which speed of interaction is important will work better when located in the internal memory.

Combining external and internal

Installing an application on an Android memory card from the fifth version and higher will require additional steps, since the system itself is designed differently than in older versions, but there is a new utility - Adoptable Storage, which allows you to combine internal and external drives into a single database.

When this function is activated, the gadget system itself will calculate the total amount of memory based on the storage parameters and display it on the display. In order to use the utility, you need to do the following:

After such formatting, the external drive cannot be removed and placed in another gadget; this may damage access to the recorded information and it will no longer be possible to configure it again.

Sometimes you urgently need to free up RAM and reset all applications, videos, music, photos to a removable disk. This is done in a few simple steps:

This method is not suitable for transferring pre-installed software.

Reliable outside helpers

If the above options cannot be implemented, then the device itself does not have enough functions. However, there are two ways to bypass these restrictions and download additional software and install games on an Android SD card of any modification without any problems:

• using a computer;
• downloading third-party programs.

The long way - computer

If you use a laptop computer, you will have to be patient, but this process will take place without the risk that always accompanies obtaining Root rights. First of all, you need to go to the Play market website via your PC, find the application to download and copy the link to it from the browser line. Then do the following step by step:

Sometimes you can do this using a flash drive. If difficulties arise, you will have to use synchronization software, for example, the well-proven Phone Explorer program. You can download it from the Play Store or from the website of the same name and install it first on your tablet or phone, and then on your PC. To transfer data you will need:

• open the application on your computer and gadget simultaneously;
• select the type of connection, for example, Wi-Fi or bluetooth;
• find the downloaded application in the PC memory;
• transfer it to the gadget’s external storage device.

Proven utilities

Despite the fact that many users go through the procedure of obtaining root rights without any problems, there are many difficulties if the attempt is unsuccessful. It is not recommended to do this on a newly purchased phone whose warranty period has not expired, since after installing root rights the warranty will not be valid and any breakdown or stress in operation will be corrected at the expense of the owner.

Manufacturers know that very often when you try to install root access yourself, the device starts to slow down or loses many functions, and therefore they limit the warranty against such cases. It’s better not to take risks and use proven software, with which you can either get what you want without such access, or be sure that even root rights in combination with it will not harm:

Forced expansion

This method can be used by a person familiar with the basics of programming, since when changing the default location for installing software, you will have to make changes to the phone via a computer. On your PC you need to download the Android Debug Bridge (ADB Run) program and check for a USB connection on your smartphone. Pre-obtained root rights will make it easier to carry out the following actions.

Do you want to install applications on a MicroSD flash drive? Then you will need to format it as internal memory.

Unfortunately, some manufacturers, such as Sony, LG or Samsung, do not do this in the factory. But if you have a smartphone with Android Marshmallow or higher operating system, the command line will help you.

Android updates and Nougat issues when using this method

Some readers have reported difficulties installing system updates. Updating the operating system to Android 7.0 Nougat is not possible when formatting a flash drive using the method described below. Devices that are already updated to Android 7.0 Nougat do not even respond to console commands.

Since there is no documentation available online, we can only recommend reversing the steps below before performing a system update. Don't forget to back up your photos or music on your computer or cloud drive and free up as much space as possible on your SD card and your smartphone's internal memory. Uninstall unnecessary apps, then transfer your data back to internal storage. After that, format the MicroSD card as removable storage. Only after this can you safely begin updating the system.

There were no problems with Android 6.0 Marshmallow

If we format MicroSD as internal memory, we can install any applications on the card. This means that if you download 2 gigabytes of applications, they will take up exactly 2 gigabytes on the card. If we format MicroSD as backup memory, the situation will change somewhat.

In Android Marshmallow, it is theoretically possible to use a MicroSD card as internal storage. The operating system allows you to transfer applications and data from these applications to the card. In fact, the memory of a smartphone can be expanded. Unfortunately, some smartphone manufacturers have removed the option to format cards as internal memory from the menu in the Android Marshmallow version.

Use only fast MicroSD cards, otherwise expanding the memory will be accompanied by a decrease in performance.

No such option

The fact that the menu does not have the option to format the memory of a flash drive as internal does not mean that this option does not work. Advanced users reported using the command line to format MicroSD cards as internal storage in the Galaxy S7 smartphone. We successfully tested this option on Samsung Galaxy S7, Sony Xperia Z5 and LG G4 with Android Marshmallow.

All smartphones had the Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system (either by default or after an update), and all models also had a memory card slot. As we already mentioned, the option to format as internal memory in the phone menu was missing. Only the One A9 from HTC and all Motorola Moto smartphones retain this option.

Come to the dark side, expand your memory. I still don't understand why Samsung, LG and Sony removed this option from the menu. I connected all three smartphones with an inserted MicroSD card to the computer.

After that, in ADB tools I typed the necessary commands on the command line. Once you have opened the command line and connected your smartphone, you can enter the first command:

adb shell

Now the command line can execute system commands for the smartphone. We need to format the memory card or part of it as internal memory. Even without such an opportunity in the graphical interface of Sony, Samsung and LG phones, we can send commands to the smartphone via the console.

First, however, we need to find out the card ID. This information can be found using the following command:

sm list-disks

In my case the disk is called 179.64. You may have some other name. Remember the exact card ID. With the next command we will format the MicroSD card partition. All data will be deleted. Be sure to save important information on another card, computer, or somewhere else. If you are not going to remove the memory card from the phone at all, you can divide the entire memory of the card. To do this, enter the following command into the console:

sm partition disk: 179.64 private

The command will take a few seconds or minutes to complete, depending on the size and speed of the card. If you want to give access to part of the card's memory to other devices, you need to exclude this part from the hidden section. Dividing the map into two sections would look like this:

sm partition disk: 179.64 mixed 50

But this is not the end of the work. Now if you want to use the memory card as internal phone memory, you need to transfer all applications and data. You can do this through the Android menu. Select an option SD Card, find the menu item Move Data. If you haven't divided the card, then you won't succeed.

Move the data after partitioning the SD card memory. Now all downloaded applications will be written to the MicroSD. Only system applications and updates will be located in the internal memory of the smartphone. This means you will no longer have to deal with low memory issues when downloading or updating apps.

The Sony Xperia Z5 displays the total memory a little strangely. The first thing you need to pay attention to is the SD card memory.

What's the catch?

MicroSD data transfer speed is an order of magnitude lower when compared with built-in memory. Therefore, do not spare money on a memory card with high data reception and transmission speeds. The Sandisk Extreme Pro and Extreme Plus MicroSD are the best we've seen so far. At 74 megabytes per second, you shouldn't experience any lag.

Interestingly, only the LG G4 phone correctly read the information from the card. Samsung showed an unnaturally high level of occupied memory, and the values ​​​​on Sony were completely negative. However, we didn't have any problems and even when connected to a computer we were able to access all the data, although we only saw the shared partition, which is accessible to other devices as well. Problems appeared only when installing system updates.

Memory expansion: success!

We conducted a performance test of the extended memory. We installed Final Fantasy IX on all devices. The game takes up 1.8 GB. After installation, you can see exactly where the game data is located. In all cases, after installation, the SD card shows 1.8 GB less free space. When formatting the card as removable memory, this will not be achieved, since it will not be possible to transfer the data completely.

Compare the internal memory and card memory in the screenshot.

What will happen...

Of course, it would be logical to ask what would happen if we pulled out a card. In fact, this is a big problem for applications, because in this case they will not have access to the data they need to work. Since all system data is in the internal memory, the application icons were replaced by the standard system icon, but everything returned to its place when we inserted the card again.

If you lose or damage your SD card, all data will be lost. It will not be possible to restore them, since they are encrypted as internal memory. Therefore, do not forget to make regular backups. That's it, now you can enjoy an inexpensive way to expand the internal memory of your Android Marshmallow phone.

Safely remove an SD card formatted as internal memory

To safely remove the card from your smartphone, you must follow all steps in reverse order. Since internal memory is usually not enough, you will have to transfer photos and other data to another physical or cloud storage device and delete all applications. After that, return to the settings item Memory and USB and press Transfer data at point Internal memory on the menu. After that, format the SD card as removable storage. Be sure to make a backup so as not to lose data.

Did it work? What card are you using? Write in the comments.

If your device has a small amount of internal memory and you are constantly faced with the need to delete applications, photos and videos to free up more space for installing large applications, then you need to read this article.

In this article, we will explain in detail how to install or move Android apps to an SD card on a smartphone or tablet and how to get apps installed on an Android memory card.

How to transfer apps to SD card?

Currently, there are two ways to solve this problem:

• Storing photos, videos and music in cloud storage
• Using a microSD memory card

If your Android phone or tablet allows you to install an SD card, then be sure to install an SD card. In this case, the external memory will be intended for storing photos, videos and music, and the internal memory will be for applications.

However, there are situations when the owner needs applications to be saved to the SD memory card. So the question arises, how to install or transfer any suitable application to a microSD card?

So, below we will describe in detail how to make applications installed on the Android memory card by default. As a result of such manipulations, the internal memory will be significantly freed up, which will have a positive effect on the operation of the Android system.

Instructions for devices up to Android 6.0

The instructions below may vary slightly from phone to phone. On some phones there may just be a button "Move to SD". So you need to pay attention to every word associated with "Move", "SD" etc.

If your device needs to free up internal storage, move any number of apps, photos, or videos to the SD card. Also, open the app "Camera" and go to settings and set save to SD card. Instructions on how to move apps to Android memory card:

• First, open the notification shade and click on the gear-shaped settings button. You can also login "Settings" through the application panel.
• Open the tab "Device", go to the tab "Applications" and then "Application Manager". On some devices "Application Manager" has a name "All applications".
• Then go to your apps list, find the app you want to move. We will be moving the APL app to the SD card.
• Once you find the application, click on it, then click on the button "Change" as shown below. Select “Memory card” (Click on the picture to enlarge).

It is worth noting that any game or application in which speed is important is best left on the internal memory, since the data transfer speed is much faster on the internal memory of the smartphone than on an SD memory card.

Instructions for devices version Android Marshmallow 6.0 and higher

In older versions of Android, the SD memory card worked as portable and removable storage. On devices running Android 6.0 Marshmallow and higher, a feature called Adoptable Storage has been added. So, when you insert an SD card into the device, the system will automatically sum up the internal memory and SD memory card capacity and display the total memory.

The advantage is that all applications are automatically installed on the SD card. As a result, there will be no need to move applications manually.

• Insert the SD card, open the notification shade and tap "Tune". You can use the SD card as portable storage or as internal storage. If you select the function, the system will format the SD card and then integrate with the device.
• After this, all data on the smartphone will be installed on the memory card by default.

However, using such a feature will completely integrate the SD card with the internal memory and will now not work with other devices. This means you can't just pull it out and plug it into your computer to download music, photos, or videos from your computer.

Be sure to back up any data or information on your computer before selecting a feature "Use as internal storage", since Android will completely format the SD memory card.

It's worth noting that at any time, you can go to settings according to our instructions above and move apps from the SD card back to the internal storage.

Android 5.0 Lollipop and higher

If you are using a smartphone or tablet running Android 5.0 Lollipop or higher. Your device will use the SD memory card as portable and removable storage. This means you can remove the SD memory card and download photos or music from your computer, and then install the SD memory card back into your Android device.

In the event that you need to move applications to an SD memory card, use the instructions below:

• Open the menu, select "Settings" and then "Applications" and move any app to SD card. To do this, simply click on the application and click on the button "Move to SD card".

However, remember that applications that come with pre-installed software cannot be transferred to the SD memory card. Typically, applications installed from the Play Market can be transferred.

Other methods (apps to transfer to SD memory card)

There are many third-party applications in the Play Market that allow you to transfer applications to an SD memory card. Most of the applications, of course, require root access. But, there are several applications that allow you to transfer applications without root access.

AppMgr III (App 2 SD)

The most popular application that allows you to transfer almost any application to an SD memory card. It is worth noting that the application does not require root access, which is especially important for inexperienced users.

Moreover, AppMgr III is feature-rich and provides many other useful features.

• Download the AppMgr III application, wait for the automatic installation (takes 2 to 5 minutes).

• Now open the AppMgr III application and wait for the list of installed applications on your phone to load. After that, click on the application that you want to move, select "Move", and then in standard Android functionality, move the application to the SD card.

Many smartphone users sooner or later face the problem of low memory. This is especially true for budget phones. 16 GB is not much. Moreover, if the ROM is even smaller - 8 GB (yes, there are such models).

Buying a microSD only partially solves this problem. We advise owners of Android phones to use the Adoptable Storage function, which allows you to combine the ROM and memory card into a single logical partition.

Unfortunately, the Adoptable Storage feature only appeared in the latest versions of Android (starting with Android 6). We will show you how to correctly combine memory and microSD in Android 7 (in other versions of Android this procedure is similar).

Before merging, you have two memories: the phone's internal memory (ROM) and external memory (microSD). Even if you set the memory card to be the default write drive, some data will still be written to ROM. And the smartphone’s memory will fill up over time (even if there is a lot of free space on the memory card). You'll have to clean it up.

But after merging, you will get a single memory. Its volume will be equal to ROM + microSD.

Step 1
Turn off the smartphone, insert a memory card (microSD). The phone must be charged at least 15-20% (do not let it discharge during the setup and pairing procedure!).

Step 2
We turn on the phone. If the memory card is clean, an SD card detection message will appear and you will be prompted to set it up.
In my case, information arose that the SanDisk SD card is not supported. That's how it should be. The fact is that it was previously used on another phone and was already combined. During this operation, all information is encrypted and the data will not be visible on another phone.

Step 3
You will be prompted to configure the card as Portable media(standard use), or as Internal memory. Choose the latter.

Step 4
Please note that once setup is complete, this card will only work on that phone. All information that was previously on the card will be destroyed.

- After formatting, the memory card will be encrypted. Access to data will only be possible from this smartphone. After a factory reset, you will also lose access to your data.
- If the memory card fails, you will lose data, so take care to set up a backup (especially since Google already advises doing so).

Step 5
After formatting was completed, a message was displayed stating that the SD card is slow, which can cause problems and reduce data transfer speed. You can ignore this message, but try to use high-speed Class 10 cards.

Step 6
Transfer the proposed part of the data from the internal memory to the memory card.