How to use the sdcard?

abelia · July 29th, 2012, 02:42 PM

I have a Galaxytab 7.0 Plus N (as per announcement when it boots)

The sdcard is not mounted on /mnt/sdcard, but on /mnt/sdcard/extStorages/Sdcard

As would be expected from this, nothing ever uses the sd card, even if it says so. The only way to use the sd card would be to move files around with a file manager. I don't know if any application would find data placed on the sd card.

Maybe any Samsung-specific apps use it, but i haven't found any.

Why is this not a FAQ (ok, they're all %1$s currently)? Is my device broken in some way?

What am I supposed to do to use the sd card?

vobguy · July 29th, 2012, 06:20 PM

One thing I do is put my app backup images there.

EarlyMon · July 29th, 2012, 06:33 PM

Sorry for the inconvenience, we hope to have the %1$s error cleared shortly.

MrMojo · July 29th, 2012, 07:01 PM

I was like you when I got my device a few weeks back as it took awhile for me to learn that it depends on the app itself as there was NO instructions at all in the manual on how to use the MicroSD storage feature.

Some apps like WinAmp does NOT allow you to access files from the external card. Some others do but it's a damn game in finding out which ones as many reviews do NOT list that capability.

You can not move apps to the SD card due to an Android OS limitation. You can store whatever else on the SD card. Even though the manual states that the device supports up to the 32Gb card limit, you can actually use the 64Gb card. Problem is, you'll need to reformat that card either in your Android phone or Windows using a special program since Window can NOT format Fat32 drives >32Gb. I used EaseUs Partition Master Home version to do that and it's free to use!

Once inserted, the Tab will recognize the MicroSD card as an External storage drive. Remember to create folders on the MicroSD card such as Movies, Music, Audiobooks, etc... where you'll place the related files accordingly. Then you'll need to point any related apps' file directory to this folder and any sub-folders to the appropriate location to access the related files.

You'll still need a file manager app to move/delete files as some apps don't even have that capability! If you download anything using apps, it will generally automatically store it on the Internal storage drive so you'll need the file manager to move those contents from the Internal drive to the External drive.

Yes, it's a pain to check each software for the capability to use the external drive location but that's the price to pay, which I found out quickly, when using Android, as it's not intuitive like Apple's iOS, which spoiled anyone who was used to using the iPad.

abelia · July 29th, 2012, 07:58 PM

MrMojo, your explanation confirms my worst expectations. However, afaik, it's not an android problem. Android >=2.2 can move some apps to sd card, and many apps access sdcard locations by default.

The problem is that in this galaxytab, the standard location for the sd card is really the internal memory, and the real sdcard location is nonstandard. Apps think they are using the sdcard when they really aren't.

Does any Samsung user hack around this hackery? What is the best way to do so?

abelia · July 29th, 2012, 08:06 PM

I forgot some other information.

I cannot remember ever having accessed files on the sd card from the galaxytab. It's always "permission denied". This applies to a wifi file server app that i use for file transfer, and to the Terminal where i tried to copy files with the unix "cp" command. I didn't try Kies air because its java applet crashes my browser.

Can i at least get normal permissions for the sd card?

I'm using a 32gb card. I think if i ever use a 64gb card, considering your information, i can format it ext2/3/4 and solve the permission problem. And try installing a gnu/linux there!

MrMojo · July 29th, 2012, 10:38 PM

There are other online forums where people did confirm that it is an Android problem in that the current Android version (pre-ICS) does not support apps on the external card but are now stored on the internal card.

Here's one of them:
http://www.thegalaxytabforum.com/index.php?/topic/10583-inability-to-access-external-storage-on-gt-p6200-gt-p6210/page__p__43209#entry43209

I've been using my Sandisk 64Gb MicroSD card and it's working fine with no card issues (***knock*on*wood***).