Help Problem with Android 6 using SD card for apps

[ojos]

I recently purchased an Alcatel Pixi 4 (4) configured with Android 6. It's only got a very small internal memory, but I thought no problem, I'll use an external SD card as internal storage. I believe the maximum SD card supported is 32GB - is that right?. So then I successfully installed a 32GB SD card and formatted it as internal memory. I assumed that now I could install new apps and storage wouldn't be a problem as they would go to the SD card. However, not so with this phone. All new apps are installed only on internal storage. So space ran out very quickly.

I know that by selecting Settings -> Apps I can go through each app in turn and it will tell me where (internal or external storage) the app is located. For some (but by no means all) apps it gives the ability to change storage and move them between internal and external storage.

I'm confused because I though,t having successfully formatted my SD card as internal, it would all be handled automatically. Have I missed something and do I need to change a setting for this to happen? Secondly why are only some apps able to be manually relocated from internal to external storage?

Any help appreciated.

 

[Mikestony]

/moved to the Android Lounge for 2 reasons:
Your device forum seems a little slow,
Your issue may not just be related to your device.
Cheers!

 

[zuben el genub]

You can either use the card for media only or alternate storage only on Marshmallow. You have to format the card. There are instructions and help on this site and a mod or another reader can find them for you. Otherwise see if a search on formatting an SD card will turn up the info you want.

 

[ojos]

You can either use the card for media only or alternate storage only on Marshmallow. You have to format the card. There are instructions and help on this site and a mod or another reader can find them for you. Otherwise see if a search on formatting an SD card will turn up the info you want.

I think you have misread my post. As I said I my original post, I have already successfully formatted the SD card as internal memory and had no problem whatever formatting it. Android 6 confirms that it is configured as internal memory and I have been able to successfully use the storage. However, my problem is (as stated in my original post), that I thought having configured it as internal memory I could install new apps on the SD card. Some, but not all, existing apps can be moved to the SD card by going through the Settings -> Apps dialogue. My questions were:
1 Why does Settings -> Apps only allow some apps to be moved to the SD card?
2 Because I can't move enough apps to the SD card using Settings -> Apps as explained, the internal memory storage has run out. I understood that in Android 6 with an SD card configured as internal storage it should be possible to install new apps on the SD card but in my case it won't. What do I need to do to solve this problem?

If there is somewhere on this site that addresses these problems (1 and 2 above), please point me to where the solution is.

 

[zuben el genub]

When moving apps to SD card was first allowed, there were always some apps that would not move. I think that was android 3.0/4.0.

Apps needed (or thought they needed) to be in internal phone storage. With some, you couldn't move the app itself, but you could move the storage for the app as you do with images and books and your saved files. It could be dependent on some bit of system that it wants/needs.

Some apps that have really large files will leave the commands on internal but write to other storage, including SD card. My birding apps do that. They realize that people use the app where there might not be a phone connection or you don't have unlimited data/

It could also be the card is removable. I used to transfer books in between devices by moving the card. The thinking could be is you could be after the app maker if the files on the card got corrupted.

You don't control the phone if you want that particular app. I'm with you, I'd prefer to control the phone myself. I really love the permissions that we can deny or disable stuff we don't want.

People running top of the line Motorola phones have had the same complaint as you do. I can't remember if there was a solution or not. A lot of the Motos were unlocked not branded. The MXPE was one of the first to ship with 6.0 and that's the one that had the same complaints as you do.

I don't think I've seen Alcatel phones sold except from mostly prepaid carriers here. Do you have a branded phone?

 

[ojos]

Thanks for your response.

I have had Android devices starting with Android 2. I now have:a total of 9 devices running different Android versions as follows:
1 Android 4 device
2 Android 5 devices
3 Android 6 devices
2 Android 7 devices.
I purchased my Alcatel Pixi (which has Android 6) recently hoping to replace the Android 4 device which is now outdated. With Android 4, storage management and moving of selected apps to external storage can be a nightmare. The Alcatel has only a tiny internal storage of 4GB. However experience with my pre-existing Android 6 devices suggested I could easily get around the 4GB problem by adding an external SD card and configuring it as internal storage. This I have successfully configured the new Alcatel with the SD card as internal storage.

With the new Alcatel I was expecting Android 6 to manage storage and get over the 4GB internal storage limit. This has been my experience with other Android 6 devices where some new apps are automatically installed on the external storage without my doing anything at all. Storage management on my other Android 6 devices has worked faultlessly and automatically. Yet the Alcatel (using the same Android version} doesn't install new apps directly onto the external SD card and just tries to cram them onto the full internal 4GB storage. It only allows me to move some (but not all) apps after installation to the external SD card.

Maybe there is some parameter I need to set to instruct it to install new apps onto external SD card straight away?