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How to move apps to sd card on an unrooted device: A noobs guide. **Updated 09/02/11**

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hey i have a problem too, my phone memory gets eaten up mainly after an application crash, and i still cant figure out what to do abt it....eg sometimes when a game crashes, i check the internal memory it has normally dropped by 4-5 mbs, there is no increase in cache or app data, when i check from application settings> manage applications................ but still the space is gone..... where do i get it back ? does anyone else have had ths problem ??

samsung galaxy mini
froyo
non-rooted (cant root coz of warranty)
 
hey i have a galaxy mini tooo, i did this, it worked perfectly fine, i have abt 90 apps and 25 mb of free space.....had to read a lot to get ths far..... there is surely a solution to your problem, u need to back up all ur data, contacts, app data etc from internal memory, and back up all your songs/ videos . etc to ur computer, format your memory card, do a factory reset on your phone, do this proceedure (change the default install location) and start from scratch

u r good to go... it takes some time but trust me its worth it...


Thanks for the reply,i'll see if formatting memory card helps. I did the factory reset and gained 150mb out of my 160mb internal memory,but it kept decreasing very fast!! (yes even after moving apps to sdCard). I'll do the SDCard format this time and follow what you told...though im not sure what you meant by "change the default install location" :s
 
If you reset your phone, you need to do the proceedure again ;)

done as told!

even after moving apps to SDcard, internal memory gets sucked up pretty fast.Whatever i do (browse,use msngr,games..anything!) it eats my internal memory in mbs! Cleaning cache hardly gives 4-6mb space.

SURoot looking forward for help from you!:s
If rooting is the only option im left with, please tell how its done! Ive given up with samsung galaxy mini

Thanks!!
 
Probably root is the way forward. Process is different on each phone. Have a look in your devices root forum
 
I am using app2sd, but still low on memory. since even with app2sd some part of application do reside on phone memory even when you move the app to sd card.
using this change of installation location ( this guide ) what better i might get on using app2sd. will it install the complete app on SD card leaving no parts on the phone memory?
please help as i am running low on internal memory. From the information I see only option left is to install custom rom to get more space for the apps. any other options beside that?

thanks.

Device : HTC desire running Fryo 2.2
 
Its the same but you can move apps that previously couldn't be moved. Some won't work on sd though
 
Hi everyone
last night i tried to do this trick for my Desire but i am stuck on adb shell command.when i input adb shell command it gives a error like path is incorrect or something..then i opened the "android sdk windows/tools" folder n there is no adb file,just a read me file named "adb has moved"!! and i don't understand what it says.and i didn't found any platform-tools for win-7 user..Plz help :(
 
Probably root is the way forward. Process is different on each phone. Have a look in your devices root forum

Ok,now that I have rooted my Galaxy Mini successfully,what is the next step to gain/save my internal memory. Creating ROM i hear, but how to create it? Im no linux/android expert, your help will be highly appreciated:)
 
Hi everyone
last night i tried to do this trick for my Desire but i am stuck on adb shell command.when i input adb shell command it gives a error like path is incorrect or something..then i opened the "android sdk windows/tools" folder n there is no adb file,just a read me file named "adb has moved"!! and i don't understand what it says.and i didn't found any platform-tools for win-7 user..Plz help :(


You could read this thread. All the answers are here. However, I will just post what Ive posted on most of the pages on this thread again ;)

Just follow these exact steps. Nothing more, nothing less

1) download and install htc sync




2) download sdk and extract to C:\




3) Connect your phone by USB



4) Open command prompt
(in Windows)


  • Go to Start > Run
  • Type "Cmd" and press OK



5) In the black window:



  • Type "cd\android-sdk-windows\tools" and press enter
  • Then Type "adb shell" and press enter
  • Then Type "pm setInstallLocation 2" and press enter
 
Ok,now that I have rooted my Galaxy Mini successfully,what is the next step to gain/save my internal memory. Creating ROM i hear, but how to create it? Im no linux/android expert, your help will be highly appreciated:)

Go over to the xda-developers forum for your phone and look for ccustom roms. cant really help, as I only really know about the desire.
 
Here's the Link to Creating Custom Rom on Galaxy Mini: Custom ROM/Kernel for Samsung Galaxy Mini (GT-S5570) - xda-developers

I dont get any bit of it! :s Can you guide me Please...Im pretty novice at it. Plus would creating a custom rom help save my internal memory??

I can't sorry. I do not know your device. Best to ask there or in the galaxy mini forum here. Your device is very different to mine.

You could read the rooting faq in my signature which will give you some relevant information, however much of it would be irrelevant. It really would be best to ask in your own device's forum.
 
In this;

5) In the black window:


  • Type "cd\android-sdk-windows\tools" and press enter
  • Then Type "adb shell" and press enter
  • Then Type "pm setInstallLocation 2" and press enter
When I type 'adb shell' and press enter all I get is 'adb is not recognised as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file'.


What am i doing wrong?
I followed your steps. Nothing More - nothing less???
 
In this;

5) In the black window:


  • Type "cd\android-sdk-windows\tools" and press enter
  • Then Type "adb shell" and press enter
  • Then Type "pm setInstallLocation 2" and press enter
When I type 'adb shell' and press enter all I get is 'adb is not recognised as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file'.


What am i doing wrong?
I followed your steps. Nothing More - nothing less???

Did you download the SDk from my post or from another?

Can you confirm if you use windows to go to the tools folder that adb is in there? Or is it in platform tools?
 
@Suroot..thanks i solved my problem all i had to do was run the sdk manager and download platform tools and It worked :)

Anyone missing the adb make sure they do the above- click the sdk manager (droid logo) and download this. You dont need to download everything as this will take ages. The adb has now moved into the platform-tool folder, so change the cmd prompts to reflect this.

Can anyone confirm exactly which bits you need to download?
 
You could read this thread. All the answers are here. However, I will just post what Ive posted on most of the pages on this thread again ;)

Just follow these exact steps. Nothing more, nothing less

1) download and install htc sync



2) download sdk and extract to C:\


3) Connect your phone by USB


4) Open command prompt (in Windows)


  • Go to Start > Run
  • Type "Cmd" and press OK


5) In the black window:


  • Type "cd\android-sdk-windows\tools" and press enter
  • Then Type "adb shell" and press enter
  • Then Type "pm setInstallLocation 2" and press enter

I'm trying to follow your instructions too (and I HAVE read the thread!).
I have HTC Sync installed, open and connected to the phone
Debugging enabled
Downloaded the SDK and extracted to Desktop + installed as recommended in the guide
Yet when I get to typing "adb shell" in the command prompt, I'm told it's not recognised

I can't find adb shell in any of the folders when I check for it in Win Explorer. Could I have missed something somewhere?
 
adb is the application. Shell is the command.

Depending which sdk you downloaded, adb.exe should either be in tools or platform tools. It should be in tools if you downloaded the one I linked in my post you quoted

If its not, get it out of the sdk tools only as linked in the downloads thread in my signature.
 
adb is the application. Shell is the command.

Depending which sdk you downloaded, adb.exe should either be in tools or platform tools. It should be in tools if you downloaded the one I linked in my post you quoted

If its not, get it out of the sdk tools only as linked in the downloads thread in my signature.

Thanks for the explanation. I found the adb.exe in platform-tools. (I had downloaded revision 11)

I connected my phone via USB (charge only) and tried again - then it worked. I'm not sure what I did differently this time, but thanks anyway :)

Now, after rebooting the phone I installed a random game app via AppBrain to test if it would automatically install on SD. It didn't, but App2SD told me it could be moved to SD, so that's good.

I know that I shouldn't move any apps with widgets (which I guess limits the point of doing this procedure anyway), but what about apps like ASTRO, Folder Organizer and My Phone Explorer?

I guess I shouldn't move JuiceDefender, BatteryTime and NetQin Antivirus - am I right?

Thanks for being helpful - I'm still learning my way around smartphone/Android/HTC etc. :o
 
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