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Can't format to internal storage
- Thread starter spl4000
- Start date
What Android version do you have? As is often the case on the Web I found inconsistent answers, but most said it would have Android 5.1, and the option to format as internal was only introduced in Android 6.
puppykickr
Android Expert
First, you should reflect upon your reasons for wanting to format an SD card as internal memory.
This will inevitably doom your SD card to a rather short life- which could be measured as a matter of months.
SD cards are designed and work best as external memory.
A lifespan of years can be expected of a card formatted as external.
This will inevitably doom your SD card to a rather short life- which could be measured as a matter of months.
SD cards are designed and work best as external memory.
A lifespan of years can be expected of a card formatted as external.
Shoot I forgot to mention this earlier. Android 7.1.2
to obtain more free space. No offense but I thought this was obvious as everyone should do this when they get a new Android device. Especially to move apps to the SD card.
the problem with using sd card as internal is that you subject the card to more wear and tear and a higher risk of corrupting your card and possibly losing your data. never had any issues with all of my note series phones.....so not everyone needs to do this. plus you can only store data as internal and cannot use the sd card as intended.....as a storage device. when you format as internal, then that is all you will have as your storage. you will not be able to pull the card out and hook it up to your computer as it will be encrypted and the computer will not recognize it.
.....so using the sd card as internal will have its pros and cons.
.....so using the sd card as internal will have its pros and cons.
puppykickr
Android Expert
What should be 'obvious' is that an SD card should be formated as external, not internal, so that it will work and last as intended.
Any apps that you move to the SD card can very well be hampered by the fact that all SD cards are slower than internal memory.
Not to mention the fact that many apps will not work properly when installed onto an SD card.
Any apps that you move to the SD card can very well be hampered by the fact that all SD cards are slower than internal memory.
Not to mention the fact that many apps will not work properly when installed onto an SD card.
Agree to this. Getting a device with your storage is really a must.
Actually it has drawbacks, which is why not everyone might wish to do so. As has already been said, it increases wear on the card, and by a lot more than the old "move to SD" option did (that would only move static elements of an app, so you get more reads but not many more writes. Formatting to internal means the phone can move app data and caches, which are frequently updated, to SD, which will increase writes and hence wear). Another is that once the card is formatted as internal you cannot transfer it to another device: being encrypted it won't work in another device unless you reformat it first. This may matter to some people and not to others, but it's worth thinking about the possible uses. And finally, even a fast card is slower than internal storage, and this may impact on phone performance (more likely to be noticable on a flagship than a lower-end device).
So manufacturers have taken different approaches to this feature. Some have simply made it available. Some have not included it in any of their devices. And some have included it in their low-end devices but not their high-end ones. Samsung were very open that they didn't allow it on their flagships in order to give their buyers the best experience (which I think is code for "we don't want people buying our new Galaxy S, using a card of unknown quality as internal storage, then complaining on social media about disappointing speed or data loss and blaming our phone rather than their card").
If a device lacked sufficient storage for apps I can see the use of this, though I'd not use it otherwise (actually I can afford to buy devices with enough storage that this situation will never arise for me, but I'm aware that I'm fortunate in that respect). Unfortunately it sounds like your tablet's manufacturer chose not to implement the feature, in which case there's nothing you can do about that. It may be that you still have the old Android 2.X-style "move to SD" option though. This allows you to move part of an app (the apk and some library elements) to a special folder on a portable SD card. It doesn't move all of the app, and doesn't move the app's data or cache, so you gain less space that way, but it also doesn't require encrypting the card, won't cause the card to wear as fast, and will have less effect on speed (an app that's been moved may take slightly longer to load - which may or may not be noticable - but will run at its normal speed). You can check just by going into Settings > Apps, selecting an app you installed (system apps can't be moved) and seeing whether there is a "move to SD" button. Not all apps allow this, and if the developer doesn't allow it the button will be greyed-out, but if the button is there at all then your tablet supports it and so it may be available for some of your apps.
Unfortunately there is no consistency in any of these features. Formatting as internal was introduced in 6, but as noted not all devices have it. The older style move to SD was deprecated in 4, but many (but not all) manufacturers kept it. So it's entirely down to the whim of the manufacturer whether you have one, both or neither of these options.
Yes I known that for years. That's how I want it anyways. I don't want my SD card used on any other computer.
I'm very sorry for the late response and for bumping this topic. I've had many other things in my life and I've forgotten about the site.
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