Help Internal memory question

[Medion]

The built-in 'Move To SD' option does exactly that. Unless I've got a unique handset.

I've gone through two SGS2 models (Latin America and UK). In both, I've used my 32GB MicroSDHC, and in both, move to SD card has moved them to the internal 11.5GB. Not that I'm complaining, as a I prefer it this way.

The only two folders that the phone seems to set up on the SD card are LOST and DCIM (although the camera defaults to the internal SD). Even games that download extra data (Sims 3, NFS Shift, NOVA2, and Order and Chaos) download this to the internal 11.5GB space. At least, that's how it works on my two phones.

 

[Russell Ng]

1) Move to SD goes to external microSD. Its in the hidden folder Android_secure which you can view with Windows Explorer but not viewable with stock file manager.

2) Move to SD will fail when you don't have external microSD. That said, last time before I have the microSD, the move to SD seemed to place certain files in the Phone USB Storage. But after using the microSD, and if I unmount it and try the Move to SD, I would get the fail error.

3) The Phone Memory is 2GB only meant specifically for apps "exe" files and for some apps, the full apps are in there as well. The Phone USB Storage is 11.5GB for all the files that you want to store. Gameloft games because they are so large, most of the data would be in the USB storage.

4) When you move to SD, files that are movable (say part of files for angry birds except the actual exe files), would be move to the external microSD.

5) My opinion though is to maintain application files in the Phone Memory while leave the music, documents, videos etc in the external microSD. That way, would have less issues when trying to mount/unmount/changing the microSD.

6) Can understand why the internal phone memory can be inadequate when you have 32GB SGS2. By right the internal phone memory should be doubled together with the USB storage. Currently the percentage of use for both internal phone memory and phone USB storage is nearly the same with all the apps installed. Meaning the ratio is about right. (Can't understand how you can fill up the phone with so many apps though)

Cheers

 

[Slug]

I've gone through two SGS2 models (Latin America and UK). In both, I've used my 32GB MicroSDHC, and in both, move to SD card has moved them to the internal 11.5GB

Why???? Why do two ostensibly identical handsets (your and my UK ones) behave differently? This is doing my head in!

 

[Russell Ng]

Is it that much different? Its like once you have the microSD in it, the phone detected it and remembers. I remember you mentioning that the folder Android_Secure appeared in you phone USB storage once. Its probably an OS problem. Maybe Medion can use Windows Explorer and search for the Android_secure folder and look where it is placed.

 

[Slug]

I remember you mentioning that the folder Android_Secure appeared in you phone USB storage once.

That's another mystery, as it's never reappeared. I HATE mysteries.

 

[Medion]

Why???? Why do two ostensibly identical handsets (your and my UK ones) behave differently? This is doing my head in!

Because I was wrong. I apologize for posting improper information. Your post made me go back and confirm. I ran a series of small tests, moving apps back and forth, and it does in fact move apps to the external SD card, not the built in memory.

 

[Medion]

Upon further inspection;

Apps that can be moved to SD are moved to the external SD card. Apps that download additional data (NOVA2, Dungeon Defenders, Order and Chaos, Sims 3, NFS Shift, etc.) download it to the internal "SD" partition. Weird.

 

[Russell Ng]

Already mentioned this. I don't really think its weird. Games data should be in the phone because if you unmount the SD card then it won't work. The reason I keep my apps in the phone even if it can be moved to SD. The only thing they could do better is;

1) Allow a choice for moving to external microSD or internal USB memory when using move to SD

2) Allow user save game data to be placed in the microSD.

Anyway, I don't have any problem with using what is available. I think there is plenty of memory to go around.

 

[Medion]

Already mentioned this. I don't really think its weird. Games data should be in the phone because if you unmount the SD card then it won't work. The reason I keep my apps in the phone even if it can be moved to SD. The only thing they could do better is;

The same applies to apps moved to the SD card. When mounted, those apps cease to work. Thankfully, the SGS2 allows for an MTP connection that doesn't unmount the card, and my 32GB card gives me enough space to not need to swap cards. This is a huge improvement over my Incredible with it's paltry storage and data/data issues.

 

[Vahan]

I am glad that for some of you out there,
move to SD is somehow functioning (moving apps to the external SD)
but i've come across so many posts out there, where poeple are screaming out that move to SD is always giving an error; whether, you have an external SD or not!!!

and seriously, even though some think that it's the opposite, 2GB is not near enough for apps...!!!
I am being forced to uninstall apps that I rarely use to install and discover new apps...

no app so far has done d trick (app2SD,SDmove both tried)
I would like to hear from people who had this issue and came around it...

 

[Russell Ng]

I think 2GB is plenty and like I said not everything is in there. A gameloft game can take up to 500MB but they put the major bulk of the data in the Phone USB storage with space up to 11.5GB. So it tends to balance out. In fact I would like to think I have quite a number of apps, and practically all the gameloft games and still used up only 1GB+ of the Phone Internal Memory.

I am really not sure what you are putting in there, but if 2GB is lacking, you should have a look at some of the previous models with half of that or even less. The most important thing is that you can transfer to external SD if you have to. An angry bird game is about 20MB and I think you can transfer about 18MB out. The funny thing is, you need 100 Angry birds size apps to fill up. How many apps do you have?

 

[Vahan]

I think 2GB is plenty and like I said not everything is in there. A gameloft game can take up to 500MB but they put the major bulk of the data in the Phone USB storage with space up to 11.5GB. So it tends to balance out. In fact I would like to think I have quite a number of apps, and practically all the gameloft games and still used up only 1GB+ of the Phone Internal Memory.

I am really not sure what you are putting in there, but if 2GB is lacking, you should have a look at some of the previous models with half of that or even less. The most important thing is that you can transfer to external SD if you have to. An angry bird game is about 20MB and I think you can transfer about 18MB out. The funny thing is, you need 100 Angry birds size apps to fill up. How many apps do you have?

actually mine is not 11.5GB USB Storage it's much more and fine that the data is being saved there but there are 100 of thousands apps out der and I might want them all...

I don't really care about previous models...nor brands I care about my Galaxy S2

Regardning the External SD, as I have mentioned previously, for some of us out there, the move to SD doesn't even work for External storage units!

This is a huge problem, and I can smell the bugs...
I've read posts where people have been able to transfer to USB storage,but after putting in an External SD they have witnessed errors, others can transfer to External but not USB storage, and some other such as myself cannot transfer anywhere.

I don't necessary have to have 100 Angry birds apps, but it's very natural for some1 to have 100-200apps I don't know why you are so surprised? :S download 10 apps a day and in 10 days you'll have 100

I can't name all my application, I have several. Biggest one being 50MB.

 

[BobShap]

Any others who have had iPhone and then moved to the S2 who can answer my points in post #1.

I recently moved from iPhone to Galaxy S2. The other day I finally decided to move my iTunes to the S2 and must have missed a choice as everything got moved to the internal storage which just about filled it to overflowing. Spent several days and many hours trying to figure out how to move the files otehr than deleting everything and starting from scratch. After reading this forum I decided to try a move which I was no aware of. In the S2 in the app called "my documents" it shows the added mini SD card as sdcard/external_sd and I just selected the external SD under my documents and found the file called music and selected all and from the choices on the bottom of the screen chose "move" and picked external and created/named a file and hit move and while it took 20 minutes, it moved everything and it works. In many respects it is a lot different from the iPhone and you just have to think more of regular file manager moves on a PC than the moves on the iPhone.

 

[sos4ever]

Well I don't quite understand what is going on with storage after reading "the confusing and not so confusing explanations of memory usage, however I moved everything to the phone put in a new 32gb card and formatted in the phone - I started with 12mb available on sd card (before putting in the 32gb card) and about 20mb on the phone - Then I started using Appmonster Pro and moving things to sd card and all of a sudden after just moving a couple of apps I now have 620mb free on the sd card, which is really the internal memory does that make sense?

A ps here I just tried Chows free App2SD card and it works as well to lower the internal memory - I wish that one of these apps would show me all 3 of my memories - oh well - peace all

Well another quick add to my comments - before adding the 32gb sd card (my previous 16gb wasn't large enough - lol) I was trying to play EA's Real Racing 2 but couldn't as it wanted to download 600mb data - I just got done downloading and about to try the game yeah

I've never used iOS, but from what I've heard from those who have Android apps do indeed tend to consume less space. Android also lets you move apps (or the bulk of them - some data often has to remain on internal storage) to the external memory card if so desired.



Yup, confirmed here by our very own NZtechfreak.

I cannot seem to find it now, but I can remember reading somewhere that not all of the 16 GB internal memory of the S2 is all available for music, apps, videos etc. I seem to remember reading that certain amounts of storage are reserved for different things.

At present I have an iPhone 4. With this the 16 GB (14 GB once its activated) can be all used to store music, video, apps. Has I'm thinking of moving to Android, I'm a little concerned that I would not be able to fit the 7GB of music, 4.5GB apps, 2GB video that I have now on my iPhone on the S2.

Can someone tell me what amounts of the 16 GB are available to store, music, apps, video etc.

Thanks in advance

 

[Shazbat]

The built-in 'Move To SD' option does exactly that. Unless I've got a unique handset.

Got the SGS2 today and needless to say, am playing with it. I don't appear to have a built-in 'move to SD' option - it's greyed out in the 'manage applications' menu. I've transferred it from my HTC Desire, which I got instructions for on here on how to move stuff to the SD.

I also have stuff on the SD such as ringtones I want to use, which I've had to hunt down, but can't get them on to the phone to attach to contacts, etc. Any suggestions?

 

[Russell Ng]

Not sure why it should be greyed out. Unless none of the apps you installed can be moved. Original apps that came with the phone cannot be moved I think.

As for Ringtones, the ones that came with the phone probably cannot be accessed unless rooted. But you can create a Ringtones folder and place your ringtones there. That way, when you set ringtones for contacts, you can access by choosing Phone Ringtones.

 

[putrick]

If you go into settings>applications>manage applications>all you can scroll through all the applications.
SOME (not all) will have the "move to SD card" button enabled, but as i mentioned, this is not the external sd card

When I click on "Move to SD Card" I get a message that says "Unable to move app. Not enough storage space."

But I have more than 10G of space, so do you have any idea why I can't move the apps?

I'm trying to move apps from the device memory, because it's full, to the USB memory, which I understand is the same thing as the SD Card?

Any help is appreciated ...