Installing games on a memory card. Installing or transferring programs to a memory card on different versions of Android OS

Many people face the problem that they cannot or simply do not know how to move applications and other multimedia data to a memory card. You can solve this kind of problem by changing the standard Android settings or by using third-party applications.

Danger of the problem

Tablets and phones can be equipped with built-in memory of 2, 4, 8 or even 16 gigabytes. But many people lack even this volume. A large amount of music, photos, videos and applications will quickly fill up the system memory. Because of this, Android will not allow you to install new programs, since .

Removing unnecessary applications and clearing the cache are just temporary solutions to the problem. You can transfer some of them to the built-in memory, but it’s not rubber either. The best option would be to buy an SD card. Having inserted it directly into your phone or tablet, you will certainly have a question about how to install downloaded applications onto a memory card. Transferring is possible, but the methods depend on the version of your operating system.

The method for solving the problem is different for certain OS versions. As you know, at the moment most devices run on Android 4.0, 4.1.x, 4.2.x, 4.4, 5.x and 6 versions, so here you first need to find out which one is installed directly on your gadget.

It's very easy to do. Follow these steps:

Now let's move directly to the solution.

Solution for Android versions 2.2 - 4.2.2

If you have an operating system up to version 4.2.2, then you are in luck, as you can configure saving applications to a memory card without Root rights. To do this, follow these steps:

Now, when you install any application from the Google Play store or download other data, the memory card will be used as the default storage location. However, this is an incomplete transfer. All subsequent programs will indeed be installed on the memory card, but the previous ones must either be deleted and then installed again, or moved manually.

To do this you should:

Go to the “Settings” menu.
Select “Applications” and indicate one of the downloaded ones.
Find the “Move to SD” button and press it.

Please note that not every application or music on a memory card can be saved in this way. Some system and some downloaded applications cannot be rewritten to a memory card. Then transferring files is possible only if you have Root rights. This also applies to devices with firmware from Android 4.4.

Using Third Party Applications

A special application, AppMgr Pro III, will help speed up the transfer process. You can download it for free in the official Play Store application store. This program has wide functionality, while allowing you to perform various manipulations with programs, as well as clear the application cache.

In the program itself, you will see three main sections: “roamable”, “on SD card” and “on phone”. If you have applications in the “movable” block, this means that moving these programs is possible.

To carry out the transfer, you must:

The program interface also includes a “transfer all” function. So in a couple of clicks you will transfer all possible programs. After these steps, all shortcuts of the moved applications will appear in the second section - “on the SD card”.

An alternative program (in particular for devices with OS version 4.4 or higher) can be Link2SD. Its main feature is that it can move programs not only completely, but also partially. This means that you can install individual libraries on the memory card. However, for it to work fully you will need superuser rights. The program is installed in one file, there are no copies, and there is no need to install anything.

Link2SD has more than ten million downloads, as well as an overall user rating above 4 points.

To use this application, you need to follow the steps of the following instructions sequentially:

Be careful, since with its help you can even transfer some system applications, the memory card becomes an integral part of the memory of your gadget. Saving key data during updating, as well as loading will be carried out from the SD card. Extraction can lead to the most unfavorable consequences, ranging from partial failure of some programs to inoperability of the entire Android system.

The phone does not see the memory card

One of the most frequently asked questions among owners of Android devices is why the phone does not see the memory card. If the smartphone does not detect it, then all the methods described above are useless. In this case, you need to solve the problem with the card itself.

Let's look at the reasons why the phone does not see the SD card:

Contacts have been sent. This is a common occurrence, and the solution is very simple - remove and insert the card into the gadget. Now he must see her.
The phone does not see the memory card due to bad sectors. Then try checking it for errors and then simply formatting it.
The phone may not recognize the memory card due to a lock. The password can be removed in a specialized service.
The hardware of the smartphone is damaged. If no memory card is detected, then you need to take the smartphone to a service center.
Incompatible card. It is possible that the mobile simply does not support the memory card format. Modern Android phones and tablets use MicroSD.

As soon as the gadget can detect your SD card, feel free to try the methods presented. Try to move all possible programs to SD. Most system applications (especially Google services) are becoming “heavier”. This leaves less and less consolidated space in system memory. A memory card will help unload it.

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The built-in memory of an Android device often runs out quickly, so users have to store large amounts of information on microSD. But what to do if Android does not save downloaded content to the memory card - applications, photos, music, and other files?

This article is suitable for all brands that produce phones on Android 9/8/7/6: Samsung, HTC, Lenovo, LG, Sony, ZTE, Huawei, Meizu, Fly, Alcatel, Xiaomi, Nokia and others. We are not responsible for your actions.

Problems with the memory card

First of all, you need to make sure that the memory card is working and ready to accept files. What to do:

The memory card may be incompatible with the smartphone - for example, it may exceed the capacity allowed for a particular phone model. If the flash drive is larger than a certain size of gigabytes (32, 64, 128, etc.), then it simply does not recognize it, because not programmed for such volume. In this case, the only way out is to use another microSD storage device with a smaller capacity.

If no card is detected, it makes sense to contact the service center. There may be hardware problems with the phone that prevent it from working with external drives.

Wrong folder in browser

If problems with saving occur while downloading files in the browser, you should check the destination folder. It may be specified incorrectly, which is why the browser does not understand how to save photos, music, videos and other content. Let's look at the example of UC Browser:

Open the "Downloads" section in the main menu.
Click Settings.
In the "Download Path" field, specify the folder on the memory card.

Increase

After such a short setup, files in the browser will be downloaded only to the specified directory on the card, without filling up the internal memory.

Files cannot be transferred to a memory card

This most often applies to built-in Android applications. In the phone they can only be stored on the internal storage, otherwise the smartphone will not work. At the same time, any application from a third-party developer can be moved to the microSD.

Open Android settings, go to the “Applications” section.
Find the program you want to transfer to the memory card along with all the files.
Click "Move to SD".

Increase

If the button is inactive, then the application cannot be moved. If it says “Move to phone” instead of “Move to SD,” this means that the program files are already stored on the memory card.

The settings for transferring files to the memory card have gone wrong

In Android settings, you can manually specify which memory is used by default - internal or external. Depending on the selected value, files will be downloaded to your phone or microSD card. After updating the system, the settings may be lost, so it’s worth checking them.

Not every model or manufacturer has such a setting. Check it out for yourself.

Open Android settings.
Go to the "Memory" section.
In the "Installation location" or "Default memory" field, select "SD".

Increase

When there is no setting

If it is not possible to set the default location for saving files, then the applications themselves will come to the rescue. In the same Samsung Internet browser, it is possible to set the storage location:

Increase

Look in your application where you are going to save files from, if there is an option in the settings to select a save location. If this is not the case, you will have to manually move files from the internal memory to the microSD card.

Lack of space on the internal storage of devices running Android has recently become a very pressing problem. The capabilities of operating memory are developing at a rapid pace, so most programs and games have begun to place significantly higher demands on free resources, as well as on the amount of device memory.

This is the reason for the demand for removable SD cards. However, it is not always possible to install applications from Android-based devices onto a memory card.

General installation information

The Android operating system does not provide automatic installation to a memory card. But it is possible to set your parameters in the settings. This process will not take much time and effort. It is simple and convenient. You can also install data on a memory card in other ways.

The process of loading applications onto a memory card

Before you begin solving the installation problem, it is worth considering downloading content to removable media. As for Android devices, installing applications on them is directly related to downloading distributions. As you know, they also have quite large volumes. Each version of the operating system of mobile devices supports downloading content to removable media. Even flashing the firmware does not affect the ability to complete this process. To specify the storage location for files, you need to enter the advanced settings via an Internet browser and specify the removable storage device there. You can do the same when creating photographs. In this case, you will need to apply application settings to configure it.

There is another option, which is distinguished by its simplicity. You will need to download the object using a computer, and then copy it to a memory card.

Methods for installing and relocating applications to removable media

To use installed or existing data from removable media, you need to follow simple steps. First, you will need to find out whether your device supports such capabilities. It happens that transferring and installing applications to a memory card is unavailable due to blocking by the manufacturer of the mobile device. In this situation, there are several ways to complete the installation. For example, install it in the traditional way on an internal drive, and then move it to the required location. This is the memory card. To install to an SD card, you can also use special programs.

Applying system settings

If it is necessary to install on internal media, first of all you should take into account some nuances. First you need to visit the “Settings” section and select “Applications”. After this, you need to go to the settings for applications. They provide a special line where it will be written: “Move to SD card.” A few minutes are enough to complete the transfer. However, this is only possible if the device and application support this feature. After completing a simple procedure, the “Move to phone” button is activated.

It is known that the Android operating system is capable of launching applications upon completion of their transfer exclusively from the memory card. However, some devices are not equipped with such a function. You may also need root rights and the use of “superuser” mode, which already creates problems.

The best utilities Currently, there are enough programs designed to install or transfer applications to a memory card. Most of them are offered to users free of charge. Some utilities are easy to use, others are intended for professional use.

It is worth paying attention to the following programs:

AppMgr Pro;
Link2SD;
Mobogenie;
My Phone Explorer.

The list of the most primitive programs includes AppMgr Pro. These packages analyze data automatically and then produce results presented in the form of a sorted list. It separately identifies applications for Android devices that are available for transfer to removable media. When the required data has been selected, you need to confirm your actions. Subsequently, they will be transferred to the memory card automatically.

A widely popular program is Link2SD. True, it takes time to deal with it. During the work process, you will have to split the card into sections from the computer in which portable or installed applications will be stored. The mobile device can also be connected to a laptop via a USB interface. To install applications on removable media, you must first install the program on both devices. After connecting and synchronizing, installation is possible directly from the utility window on your computer.

As mentioned above, today there are many programs that perform similar functions. I would especially like to mention Mobogenie, as well as My Phone Explorer. The latter supports not only devices running Android, but also other operating systems. Working with these utilities is quite easy. You just need to select the installation file and determine the installation location. It is worth recalling that this is possible if the program and device support such actions.

Forced installation of applications on removable media

If all of the above methods are quite problematic, you can use another option. It provides for the forced installation of applications on the memory card. The process is based on downloading the ADB RUN program onto your computer. If connected via a USB port, the smartphone must have appropriate debugging enabled. After the launch takes place, you must enter the following commands:

Su – should only be used if you have root rights;
pm getInstallLocation – specified “0” by default;
pm getInstallLocation – set to 1;
pm getInstallLocation – specified as 2;
pm getInstallLocation – set to 0.

Of course, there are a small number of these commands, but the method is still not very convenient. True, in some cases it has to be used, and it gives good results.

Possible performance problems After installing the application or transferring it, it needs to be launched and tested. But it happens that the first process is not carried out. In this case, all steps to install the application will have to be repeated. The problem may lie in both the program and the memory card.

The article discusses the main methods of installing and transferring applications to removable media. Each program has separate features. Different versions of Android devices are also equipped with individual characteristics. But in many cases one method helps. Each user will choose the most convenient one for themselves, based on personal requirements.

The memory card in phones based on the Android operating system plays a very important role. It stores what is better not to be stored in the phone’s memory: videos, music, photos, some applications and other files. Therefore, we will look at how to download various types of information to a memory card on Android in different ways.

Why is it needed?

In fact, the answer to this question is very simple: to have more space. And although smartphones with 16 GB of internal memory are now being produced, there are still too many gadgets in use that do not have enough of this memory. For example, if an Android device has 1 gigabyte of memory, of which 400 MB is occupied by the operating system itself, then there is not much of it left. It would seem that 600 MB is quite enough. However, it’s worth installing a dozen or one and a half necessary applications and games, which will constantly leave behind cache and account information, and this place will no longer exist. Not to mention the fact that you need to save the rest of your multimedia files somewhere. Don't forget about simple push-button phones that have no internal memory at all.

Useful thing

This is precisely why you need to have additional data storage and know how to download to a memory card on Android. Before purchasing an SD card, you need to find out what maximum capacity a particular gadget can support. You can find out about this in the device’s passport, as well as on many websites, including online stores. Since the card will always be in the device, you can take one that is not of the highest class. By acquiring additional data storage, you can save various data to a memory card. The main thing is to leave some space for applications that can be moved to a flash drive.

How to download to a memory card on Android?

To do this, you will need a phone with a flash drive and a USB cable to the device (preferably a native one, because some strangers may not be suitable). We connect the gadget to the computer via USB, select a memory card (or something like that) on the touch screen. Open “My Computer”, find the flash drive that appears and open it. As you can see, it already contains several files and folders that were created by the Android OS. For greater convenience, we create thematic folders (music, video, etc.).

Before downloading data to a memory card on Android, do the following: select the desired file or several files and simply copy them to the desired location on the flash drive. This completes the data transfer.

If there is no USB cable or it does not work and the information will be reset from the laptop, you can use the adapter that comes with the SD card. If this is a regular PC, then you cannot do without a special adapter that connects to the USB port. In general, there are plenty of ways to download files to an Android memory card. However, there are a couple more ways.

Cloud storage

It has long been no secret that there are some that are a good solution for how to download the necessary data to a memory card on Android. This is a space on the Internet where you can upload any information. Something like a hard drive on the Internet. This disk space is located on a remote server owned by a specific company.

These disks come in two types: search engine disks (Yandex Disk, Cloud mail.ru, Google Drive) and stand-alone disks (DropBox, Mega, etc.). They immediately have some free disk space from 2 GB to 100 GB. It doesn’t matter what kind of storage will be used, but since almost everyone has a mailbox on Google and mail.ru, you can use them.

Open your email and log into the cloud. We upload there the files necessary for transfer (most often this is done by dragging and dropping). Before downloading data to a memory card on Android, you need to install the application of this disk from the play market on the gadget. We install, launch the application, log in, download the file, having previously chosen where to save it. It is worth considering that it is best to install the application and download data by connecting to Wi-Fi, since the files can weigh a lot.

Create an FTP server

There is a rather interesting application on the play market called FTP-server. What’s interesting about it is that it turns a mobile device into an FTP server, by connecting to which you can exchange information and files. The only condition: the phone must be connected via Wi-Fi to the same network as the computer, in other words, to the same router.

If all this is there, install this application for yourself and launch it. Click the big red icon in the middle of the screen. It should turn green and the IP address will appear below it (for example, ftp://192.168.1.200:2221). This address is needed to enter the file system of the smartphone. Open My Computer and enter this address in the address bar. It looks the same as in the browser, only it displays the path to files and folders instead of the website address. Press Enter. Now you can see how the gadget’s file system has opened. This utility also gives complete control over the data, i.e. can be created, copied, deleted, etc. Therefore, you need to be careful before downloading directly to an Android memory card, since through negligence you can lose a couple of necessary files or folders, which will be quite difficult to restore.

Transferring utilities

There is nothing easier than how to download to Android without a memory card. However, Android from the very beginning provided a function for transferring applications and games to an SD card to save space. And you save a lot, since there are utilities and toys that weigh several tens of megabytes. And the saved 100, 200, 500 megabytes will never be superfluous. Therefore, it would be a sin not to use such a function.

This can be done as easily as possible. Go to settings, look for the “Applications” section and go into it. Here you can see several tabs, among which we will need “Installed”.

For greater convenience, it is better to sort them by size. This way you can see in descending order which program weighs how much. But before saving applications to the Android memory card, it is worth determining which ones will remain in the phone’s memory. These include the most necessary utilities that may be needed when the flash drive is removed. These are social networks and email clients, electronic wallets and banking programs, browser, etc. The rest that are not needed urgently can be safely transferred. Open any application and click “Move to SD card”. In addition, in this window you can see how much the cache and temporary ones weigh and, if there is nothing important in it, you can clear the garbage. This can be done before saving applications to the Android memory card, and after that.

APK files

APK is a file format for any application or game on a computer. It is like an installer with .exe format on a computer. From the play market we immediately install the required utility in the background. But if for some reason the Google store does not have the required program or it is simply faulty, you can do this in another way by downloading the APK and saving it to a file. Doing this couldn’t be easier, since there are several ways to download programs to an Android memory card.

Download from the browser

Every device must have a browser. Even if no one installed it (which in itself is unlikely), it is built-in. We go into it and in the search we write “Application such and such apk download.” Now you need to find a good site for downloading (usually this will not take much time). Click “download” and, before downloading applications to the Android memory card, select where exactly to save the required installer.

Next, go to the directory where the APK was saved and click on it. At this stage, a security notification should appear in which you need to select settings and check the “Unknown sources” item, allowing the installation of programs from unknown sources, after which we install the utility. It is also worth understanding that a program will be installed from an unknown source, which may contain viruses, spyware, or To avoid running into such gifts, you need to read the description of the utility and comments before downloading applications to the Android memory card. If there are any problems with it, then dissatisfied users will definitely indicate this.

Computer to help

Few people know, but you can install games on a mobile device through a computer. You can go two ways:

download the application from the play market website;
install it from APK file.

In both cases, before downloading the game to your Android memory card, you will need to connect your mobile device to your PC via a USB cable and enable USB debugging on it. This is done as follows. You need to open “Settings”, find the “Developer Features” item and go into it. In it, in the first place there will be “USB Debugging”, which must be checked. Now let's move on to installing games.

Via google play

Open a browser on your computer and go to play.google.com. But before you download games to your Android memory card, you need to log in to Google using the same account as on your device. Now we find the necessary utility and open it. As in the mobile Google Play, click “Install”, then select the mobile device from the list in the window that opens.

Click on “Install” again, after which a notification about successful installation will appear.

In addition, you can install the game from the market via your computer via Wi-Fi. The caveat is that both the computer and the smartphone must be connected to the same router.

Through the utility

There are quite a lot of utilities for Android via a computer. However, the easiest to use and in appearance is InstallAPK. Therefore, before you put it on the Android memory card, you need to install InstallAPK on your computer. This is easy to do, since it is completely free and is available on many sites. Now download the APK file of the game.

Open the installer using InstallAPK. A small window of this utility will appear, where you will need to select what will be used for installation: USB or Wi-Fi. Click “Update”. When the device appears, select it and click “Install”. If the gadget has not been recognized, you may need to install drivers for it on your computer. You can find the necessary drivers on the disk that came with it, on the device manufacturer’s website, or on third-party sites and blogs. Very often, drivers are supplied through a service utility from the manufacturer. In this case, you need to install it, after which you will be prompted to install the driver on your computer.

Micro-USB to the rescue

Basically, on modern mobile devices, the charging connector and the data connector are the same - Micro-USB. Often the gadget comes with a charger in the form of a USB cable that is connected to a plug. That is why they came up with special adapters from USB to Micro-USB, so that you can connect a regular flash drive to your phone or tablet and use information from it.

You can buy this miracle at any computer store, but there will be a lot of benefits from it. Also, before downloading to a memory card on Android, you need to install any file manager on your smartphone, if it doesn’t exist. After that, we insert the flash drive into the adapter, and then this entire structure to the device. Open the file manager and find the flash drive. Most likely, it will be listed with the memory card. If it does not appear immediately, you need to wait a little until it loads and the gadget recognizes it.

It also happens that the flash drive has been recognized and appears in the list, but does not open. In this case, it is worth trying a different file manager.

Some Android devices have slots for memory cards (usually microSD format). If your device supports SD cards, you can:

increase memory capacity;
use the card for some functions and applications.

To find out if your device has an SD card slot, visit the manufacturer's website.

Note. Some of these steps can only be performed on devices running Android 6.0 and later.

How to install an SD card

Step 1: Insert the SD card.

Check where the SD card slot is located.
Turn off your phone.
Remove the SD card tray or remove the back cover of the device (depending on the model). If necessary, lift the tab that holds the card.
Place the SD card in the slot. If you raised the retaining tab, lower it.
Reinstall the SD card tray or back cover of the device.

Step 2: Turn on the SD card.

Wait for the SD card notification to appear.
Click Tune.
Select the desired storage type.
- Removable storage:
  You can transfer the card to another device along with all your files (such as photos and music). Applications cannot be moved to a removable drive.
- Inner memory:
  The card can store apps and data only for that device. If you move it to another device, all data on it will be deleted.
Follow the onscreen instructions to set up your SD card.
When finished, click Ready.

How to use an SD card

How to move apps to SD card

If you have connected the card as internal storage, you can transfer applications to it.

Note. Not all applications can be transferred to an SD card.

How to move files to SD card

If you have installed an SD card as a removable storage device, you can transfer various files to it, such as music and photos. After that, they can be deleted from the device’s internal memory.