Help Saving to an SD Card

[999nacnud]

I have a Samsung Tab 3. I do not seem to be able to save work to my tablet in anything other than "My File". I have an SD Card installed that I can access, but I do not appear to be able to save to it.

 

[The_Chief]

Have you tried a file explorer app to make sure your Galaxy Tab is seeing the SD card? You can also use an app called SD Insight to make sure the card is legit.

 

[chanchan05]

My File is the default Samsung file explorer app. So if he sees it from there, then it's working.

The problem only appears to be that his apps aren't updated by the devs to work fine with SD cards.

 

[999nacnud]

Have you tried a file explorer app to make sure your Galaxy Tab is seeing the SD card? You can also use an app called SD Insight to make sure the card is legit.

Thanks for the suggestion - I'm a bit surprised that since the tablet came with the SD CARD already installed, that the tablet does not recognise the card?

 

[svim]

Google changed how Android can interact with external microSD cards. Currently only pre-installed apps, like Samsung's 'My Files' app, can read/write/edit files anywhere on your microSD card, while third-party apps like what you install from Google Play only have full access to their own, specific folder -- buried in extSdCard/Android/data/xxxxxxx. So just like how the American telecom industry has brazenly redefined the word 'unlimited' data to actually mean 'capped' data, Google has followed suit and you still have 'unlimited' access to your microSD card but only in each app's specific directory.

Just don't forget that you do have the ability to save and manage files/folders on your microSD card, but only as long as you're in each app's specific Android/data/'whichever app' directory. Or if you root your tablet than you'll than have a lot more flexibility to save and move files where you choose.

 

[chanchan05]

Thanks for the suggestion - I'm a bit surprised that since the tablet came with the SD CARD already installed, that the tablet does not recognise the card?

Are you sure it's preinstalled? Pop open the SD card port and see if there's a card inside. You might be referring to internal sd which is how older Android versions referred to internal memory

 

[svim]

Are you sure it's preinstalled? Pop open the SD card port and see if there's a card inside. You might be referring to internal sd which is how older Android versions referred to internal memory

Good point. I forgot that really annoying aspect. At one time a file manager would show a phone's internal storage as 'sdcard' and a removable microSD card as 'extsdcard'.
Both being misleading labels as your phone's internal storage is NOT a sdcard but rather a chip soldered to the motherboard, and the 'extsdcard' was in essence not 'external' at all since did need to be mounted in its slot.