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Help How to enable app2sd without rooting?

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Phantom1275

Newbie
There was a method I used in my HTC Desire which gave me access to move some apps to sd card. Since this method is for unrooted devices, I could only move apps I have installed, but this was fair enough, because I could move even some apps that didn't give me that option at first, because the "move to sd" button was enabled after all.

Here's the tutorial: http://androidforums.com/desire-tip...ps-sd-card-unrooted-device-noobs-guide-6.html

The question is: how to do the same thing in Nexus S? This method is applicable to Froyo and uses HTCSync. Is there a way to enable this in Gingerbread?
 
On the homescreen, press menu and select "Manage Applications." There will be a "USB storage" tab under which you can choose which applications to store on the 'sdcard' mount.
 
quantumrand said:
On the homescreen, press menu and select "Manage Applications." There will be a "USB storage" tab under which you can choose which applications to store on the 'sdcard' mount.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I know that, but there are some apps that can't be moved to SD, and they are not stock apps.

For example, I have downloaded a game called Clink (kind of Bubble Breaker) that can't be moved to SD. There's no option for this, and the "move to SD" button is disabled for it.

In my Desire with Froyo I could move it to SD, just because of that tutorial, which has enabled the button.
 
If you move the apps that can be moved to SD (partially) - I would still be interested to know how you plan on filling 1GB of space with the rest!
 
MartinS said:
If you move the apps that can be moved to SD (partially) - I would still be interested to know how you plan on filling 1GB of space with the rest!
Click to expand...

Ok, I don't know, I know it's hard to fill up 1gb of apps. But still, I'd like to move all those which can be moved to SD.
 
Phantom1275 said:
Yeah, I know that, but there are some apps that can't be moved to SD, and they are not stock apps.

For example, I have downloaded a game called Clink (kind of Bubble Breaker) that can't be moved to SD. There's no option for this, and the "move to SD" button is disabled for it.

In my Desire with Froyo I could move it to SD, just because of that tutorial, which has enabled the button.
Click to expand...

Developers have to add the feature to their apps in order for you to be able to move it to the SD card. Google leaves the option up to developers to help them fight against piracy.
 
Phantom1275 said:
This method is a way to force it. I just want to enable it in Nexus S/Gingerbread.
Click to expand...

From what I can tell, that same method should work, minus the HTC Sense drivers and such. All you need is the debug mode driver for the Nexus S.

I tried the "pm setInstallLocation 2" command with a 2.3 emulator and it seemed to execute fine.

Basically, plug in your NS, select debug mode, and install the driver. Then, in CMD, use adb to make sure it's setup properly ("adb devices" will list your Nexus S). If it's there, it means the driver is installed properly.

Then it's simply "adb shell" followed by the "pm setInstallLocation 2"
It's probably a good idea to close the shell with "exit"

I don't think it will move currently installed apps, but new ones should install to the external mount. Careful though. Since the sdcard partition is not mounted until after the phone boots, you won't be able to launch any of the SD apps at startup.

As I said, I only tried this with an emulator running 2.3, so it may or may not work for you.
 
Phantom1275 said:
There was a method I used in my HTC Desire which gave me access to move some apps to sd card. Since this method is for unrooted devices, I could only move apps I have installed, but this was fair enough, because I could move even some apps that didn't give me that option at first, because the "move to sd" button was enabled after all.

Here's the tutorial: http://androidforums.com/desire-tip...ps-sd-card-unrooted-device-noobs-guide-6.html

The question is: how to do the same thing in Nexus S? This method is applicable to Froyo and uses HTCSync. Is there a way to enable this in Gingerbread?
Click to expand...

Manage Applications > click on your app that want moved to usb storage then click Move to usb storage. Simple no rot needed absolutely built into android 2.3
 
Phantom1275 said:
Tons? Not really, I guess. There's about 1gb of internal space. It's a lot of space, but it may get full.
Click to expand...

There is 16gb's total space you have to use how is that not enough? 1gb is dedicated to it but dosn't mean you can move it to the other portion.
 
2FR35H said:
Manage Applications > click on your app that want moved to usb storage then click Move to usb storage. Simple no rot needed absolutely built into android 2.3
Click to expand...

Again, still there are some apps in which that "Move to usb storage" button is not enabled, and they are not stock apps. I have pointed an example, a game called Clink. Find it in Market, install it and try to move it yourself to find out what happens.

2FR35H said:
There is 16gb's total space you have to use how is that not enough? 1gb is dedicated to it but dosn't mean you can move it to the other portion.
Click to expand...

I don't know if this is your first Android device. Maybe it's not, but you didn't notice it. I'm able to move apps to SD/usb storage within Froyo and now within Gingerbread. But this functionality does not move the whole app to SD/usb storage. For example, let's take a game I like very much, Paper Toss. If I install it in internal memory, it'll take 6,8mb of space. If I move it to USB storage, it will take 0,89mb of space in internal memory, and the rest in USB storage.
That said, you can observe now that even moving apps to USB storage, internal memory can get full. This had happened frequently in my Desire, which had only 150mb of internal memory for apps. Nexus S has 1gb, which is a great improvement, but still if I install, let's say, 300 apps (ok, that's too much, but it's just a hypothesis), I can fill all internal memory, even having some gb left in USB storage.
Just remember that I'm talking about non-rooted devices. Maybe in a rooted device with app2sd/app2sd+ one can move a whole app to sd.

quantumrand said:
If it doesn't work or causes any problems, you can undo it by going through the same steps and using "pm setInstallLocation 0"
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tips. It works!

Here's what I did. A mix of this two tutorials:
Complete Guide to Rooting Nexus S | Mobile Phone Help and News
and
http://androidforums.com/desire-tip...apps-sd-card-unrooted-device-noobs-guide.html

Took the steps to install Google Drivers for Debug and connecting Nexus S from the first one, and the ADB commands from the last one.
 
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