Is there a Not Enough Space warning when you try to install a new app on your Android device?
You can easily transfer apps to your memory card in any version of Android to free up some storage space on your device. If your phone has a memory card, we have an easy solution to this problem. A memory card is a cheap way to increase the storage space of your phone. Instead of deleting apps on your Android device, you can transfer apps to the memory card to free up space inside your mobile phone.
How you do this depends on the Android version of the device you are using. As you can see, the subject of this article from Wironal is to explore ways to transfer apps to the memory card in Android. So if you also want to make the most of your device’s internal memory, join us at the end of this practical and useful article.
Principles of using a memory card in Android
Before starting, consider a few points. Memory cards are slower than the internal memory of a mobile phone. Therefore, it is possible that its performance for heavy and high-consumption programs will decrease slightly. When choosing a memory card, go for the fastest memory card with the highest capacity that your mobile phone can support. To do this, check the specifications of your phone to find out what it is compatible with. Also, be very careful when buying a memory card so that you do not buy counterfeit material as the original material!
Considering that you have purchased your memory card, we need to go to the more important issues such as how to transfer applications to the memory card in Android.
Use the memory card as internal storage
Android has made changes to the way memory cards work on Android phones, and these changes have been improved in newer versions of Android. You can now use microSD memory cards as the internal storage of your mobile phone. Instead of having internal and external storage space as separate spaces, Android considers the memory card as the internal memory of the mobile phone.
So no more worrying about where your apps are stored. Now we have to go to the steps of setting up a memory card as the internal memory of a mobile phone. These steps are:
1) Before doing anything, completely erase all the information on your memory card and be sure to make a backup copy of the information in it.
2) Insert the memory card into your phone.
3) When the New SD Card notification appears, tap Set Up.
2) In the next step, you must select how the mobile phone uses the memory card.
- In Android 9, you must select Phone Storage. In older versions, select Use as Internal Storage.
- You can also go to Settings> Storage. Select the card and tap the menu button. Then select Storage Settings and finally click on Format as internal.
3) On the next screen, tap Format SD Card or Erase & Format. This will clear all information on your memory card.
4) In Android 9 and newer, you will be able to transfer your content, including applications, to a memory card. You can also see how much storage space you have created. Tap Move content to complete all items.
This feature is called Adoptable Storage and requires you to keep your memory card in the phone forever. It’s also good to know that the memory card is encrypted, so you can not put it in another device to copy data. The big disadvantage of this is that Android phones are different. That’s why in some cases you have to manually transfer your applications to the memory card. In the continuation of this article, we will review all the available cases.
How to transfer applications to the memory card in Android 9 Pie and above
If your phone does not support Adoptable Storage, you can still manually transfer apps to the memory card in Android 9 and later. Just keep in mind that you can not do this for all applications, and this does not work for pre-installed applications. However, to transfer applications to the memory card in Android 9 Pie and above, you have to go through several steps in order. These steps are:
1) Go to Settings> Apps & Notifications> App info.
2) Find the application you want to transfer in the list and tap on it.
3) Now select Storage. If the application supports transfer to a memory card, you will see a button labeled Change at this point. Then tap on it.
4) Select the SD Card in the Change storage box. A confirmation page will now appear. Finally, tap Move to start.
Repeat the above steps to restore the applications to the internal memory, but in the last step, select Internal shared storage. When you want to replace or delete your memory card, you must do so so that your data is not lost.
How to transfer applications to the memory card in Android 8 Oreo
The process of transferring an application to a memory card in Android 8 is basically the same as in Android 9. The steps to do this are:
1) Go to Settings> Apps & Notifications> App info.
2) Scroll to the bottom of the page to find the application you want to transfer to the memory card. Now tap on it.
3) In this step, select Storage. If the application supports transfer to a memory card, you will see a section called Storage used. Now click the Change button.
4) Select the card to which you want to transfer applications. Then click on Move.
How to transfer applications to the memory card in Android 7 Nougat
You can transfer applications to the memory card in Android 7 Nougat through your mobile settings. However, you can not transfer all applications together. If the applications do not support the memory card, you will not see the Change button in step 3. The steps to transfer applications to the memory card in Android 7 Nougat are:
1) Go to Settings> Apps.
2) Find and tap the application you want to transfer to the memory card.
3) Go to Storage> Change and select the memory card from the box that opens.
4) Tap Move to complete the process.
Depending on the size of the application, this process may take some time. So do not touch your phone until it is finished. To restore the applications to the previous state, repeat the above steps and in step 3, select Internal shared storage.
How to transfer apps to memory card in Android 6 Marshmallow
Transferring apps to a memory card in Marshmallow is just like Nougat. The steps to do this are:
1) Go to Settings> Apps. Then tap the app of your choice.
2) Click Storage> Change. Now select the card.
3) Tap Move to complete the process.
How to transfer applications to the memory card in Android 5 Lollipop
Lollipop has more powerful memory card support than newer versions of Android, but you can still move apps through settings. It is good to know that not all programs are transferred to the memory card and only part of them are transferred. You can swipe right on the app screen to see which apps you have on your memory card. Follow these steps to transfer applications to the memory card:
1) Go to Settings> Apps and tap the application you want to transfer to the memory card.
2) Then in the Storage section, click on Move to SD Card. Do not take any action until this is completed.
3) If there is no option to transfer to a memory card, the program can not be transferred.
After completing the above steps, the Storage section will be updated to show how much of the application is now stored on the memory card and how much is still in the internal memory. The Move button is now available as Move to Phone or Move to Device Storage. Tap it to delete apps from the memory card.
How to transfer apps to memory card in Android 4.x and older versions
Memory card support was very limited on all versions of Android 4.x (including KitKat, Jelly Bean, and Ice Cream Sandwich). Android Stoke did not support the transfer of applications to an external card at all, because it seemed that Google intended to remove the memory cards completely.
However, some developers have opted to include this feature in different versions of the operating system. If your old device supports it, the process is very simple. You just need to go through the following steps:
1) Go to Settings> Apps.
2) Find and tap the application you want to transfer to the memory card.
3) Select Move to SD card. If this button is not available, you will not be able to move apps, and your phone does not actually support this.
If you are still using an Android 2.x device, you will still need to follow the steps above. Home widgets are not supported in these older versions, and if you want to use the widget, you must save an application to the internal storage. If you do not have this option on your mobile phone, you should refer to a separate application.
Conclusion
Ways to transfer apps to the memory card depending on the version of Android you are using. This is the best choice for phones that support memory cards. If your phone does not support any of the above, or if you have special requirements, you should go for the apps that will help you with this. However, this article is one of the most complete articles in the field of transferring applications to the memory card in Android.
What other ways do you know to transfer apps to a memory card in Android? Share your comments and experiences with us and other Wironal users.
- How to fix download pending error in google play store
- What is VRAM vs Ram?
- Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Review
Source: MakeUseOf
