Help Apps cannot be moved to SD Card

[shivram100]

Hi,

I just picked up a shiny new white S3 yesterday, the 1st day of its release here in India.

Tried to configure the apps and ran into the following issues

1. I do not see the 'Move to SD' card option in the applications menu screen. So unable to move apps to SD card. Tried to reset the phone, still no luck.
2. Did a backup of my contacts, messages on Kies (S2) and tried to restore on the S3. Only contacts were copied. How do I transfer the messages?

Appreciate your assistance in the above two issues

Thanks
Shivram.K

 

[Szadzik]

Why do you move them to SD if you have loads of space on the faster internal memory? I know that you used to have 256MB on phones in the past for apps, but now that is not a problem anymore.

 

[Crafty]

just back up your messages to your google account and then restore..

 

[bdclary]

just back up your messages to your google account and then restore..

How do I do this?

 

[Crafty]

download smsbackup+ from google play, its literally a few presses and will do everything for you. Its free and does a great job.

 

[NZtechfreak]

Apps2SD won't work since Samsung changed the mount location of the external card. No reason to move apps to SD in ICS anyways, the whole internal storage is available for app installation.

 

[Pedro69]

Apps2SD won't work since Samsung changed the mount location of the external card. No reason to move apps to SD in ICS anyways, the whole internal storage is available for app installation.

Having just upgraded from my well used HTC Desire I've been used to moving apps (that could be moved) to the SD card.

I used ZDbox that notified me when an app was suitable to be moved to the SD card as not all are.

I've downloaded ZDbox for my s3 and it's still telling me that certain apps can be moved to the SD card but when in the application settings the option to move it just isn't there.

So it looks as though not moving them because there is no reason to do so isn't quite correct - there is no way of moving them even if you actually wanted to.

Is this definitely an ICS thing? It's doing my head in as it was one of the first things I wanted to know I could do after really struggling for internal memory space on my HTC Desire for pretty much the whole of the last two years.

 

[Crafty]

Having just upgraded from my well used HTC Desire I've been used to moving apps (that could be moved) to the SD card.

I used ZDbox that notified me when an app was suitable to be moved to the SD card as not all are.

I've downloaded ZDbox for my s3 and it's still telling me that certain apps can be moved to the SD card but when in the application settings the option to move it just isn't there.

So it looks as though not moving them because there is no reason to do so isn't quite correct - there is no way of moving them even if you actually wanted to.

Is this definitely an ICS thing? It's doing my head in as it was one of the first things I wanted to know I could do after really struggling for internal memory space on my HTC Desire for pretty much the whole of the last two years.

I've got a desire (waiting for blue SG3), so I know exactly where you are coming from.
So, with the desire internal memory is very limited, hence the need to move apps to the SD card. As I understand it the HTC One X is still limited (albeit to something like 2Gb).
This doesn't apply to the SG3 though - when an app is downloaded the entire internal memory is available, so there is plenty of space, there isn't really a need to put anything on the SD card explicitly.
I am not 100% sure but I think some apps (like games) automatically put resources (sound/image files) on the sd card anyway. If anyone can confirm that it would be useful!

In short the shackles that you are used to with the HTC have been removed

 

[Freakingout]

Hi,

I'm new to Android, for the past several years I have been using Nokia Symbian smartphone. On my phone as soon as the installation is starting the phone prompts you to choose where you want to install the app, so this is all very different for me.

What I would like to know is this:
If I want to install an app on the Galaxy S3 and I prefer to install the app on the SD card, can I do it?
As a precaution I always install apps on sd card just in case something goes wrong, in that case all I have to do is remove the SD card and the phone is back to normal.

If you take photos or videos with the S3 is it possible to set the phone to save them on the SD card?

Also anyone has had issues with the S3 Display? Just asking since the S2 have issues with the display.

I'm thinking about buying the Galaxy S3 and I'm trying to find out all I can about it.

Thanks for your help

 

[fiyaah]

When I use the Apps2SD app in Samsung Galaxy S3, it says "the device does not have a real primary external storage, or the primary external storage is emulated".When the application is installed it does offer to move it to the sd card. Then why is it not able to move. Can anyone help with a solution.?

 

[davoid]

When I use the Apps2SD app in Samsung Galaxy S3, it says "the device does not have a real primary external storage, or the primary external storage is emulated".When the application is installed it does offer to move it to the sd card. Then why is it not able to move. Can anyone help with a solution.?

This is probably the fact that the Apps2SD app recognizes apps in which the developer has enabled 'move to SD', as apps couldn't be moved unless the developer added this as a feature. If you recall from reading comments in the market such as

'please add Move to SD... takes up too much room. uninstalling' this ability isn't automatically available for all apps. What Apps2SD does is recognize apps that can be moved, and then offers to move them once they are installed. Just because Apps2SD recognizes that it is an app with this ability, doesn't mean that it is possible on your phone.

 

[ukjets]

I have a similar question, i have just got my s3 today, i used to have a sony ericsson xperia arc, but because it was short of memory, i used to put my apps on the memory card, i have put the card into my new s3, but how do i get my apps to show up on the new phone?.

Or should i just re format my card for the new phone, and re download my apps from the apps store?.

 

[bamaredwingsfan]

My thing is, that I move some apps to SD so they won't run in the background all the time

 

[Shocky]

I think Android now needs an option where to install applications and data, I would like to move allot of apps to the 64GB external card but theres no option, some applications install there and some install to the internal storage. .

My 16GB internal storage is full already, too many games and Max Payne just uses up the last of it.

 

[DaddyCee]

you must have a serious amount of apps to fill up 13GB of space. I've got oodles on mine and am coming up to 2GB at the moment.

does the 32GB handset give the full 32GB over for internal storage or is that restricted to the 16/13GB capacity?

 

[DaddyCee]

I have a similar question, i have just got my s3 today, i used to have a sony ericsson xperia arc, but because it was short of memory, i used to put my apps on the memory card, i have put the card into my new s3, but how do i get my apps to show up on the new phone?.

Or should i just re format my card for the new phone, and re download my apps from the apps store?.

If you download Astro from the Play Store then you can backup the apps as APK files which then you should be able to install on the new handset. other than that all apps that you have through Google are readily available to download through the Play store even the paid ones.

hth.

 

[stamp monkey]

I have a similar question, i have just got my s3 today, i used to have a sony ericsson xperia arc, but because it was short of memory, i used to put my apps on the memory card, i have put the card into my new s3, but how do i get my apps to show up on the new phone?.

Or should i just re format my card for the new phone, and re download my apps from the apps store?.

I am in exactly the same position as you. I too have just got the S3 and previously had the Xperia Arc. Let me know how you get on, if you don't mind??

 

[jacker]

Someone asked just because you can't put apps on the sd but what about pictures and videos.

You can most definitely puts camera pics and vids on the sd card. Natively. It gives you the option.

 

[Shocky]

you must have a serious amount of apps to fill up 13GB of space. I've got oodles on mine and am coming up to 2GB at the moment.

does the 32GB handset give the full 32GB over for internal storage or is that restricted to the 16/13GB capacity?

Naa, they are just big, Max Payne for example had a data download of around 1.3GB, Nova 3 was 1.6GB so the space does get used up pretty quickly.

It will probably give you around 26GB.

 

[rkkeller]

Naa, they are just big, Max Payne for example had a data download of around 1.3GB, Nova 3 was 1.6GB so the space does get used up pretty quickly.

It will probably give you around 26GB.

Don't your apps data get moved to the sd card? Thats the way it was with my EVO LTE and ICS before I returned it. The game installed on the internal memory but the data was on my sd card.

I have not tried those games and can't as I returned the EVO LTE and waiting on the S3 but I know some put the data on the sd card.

 

[Shocky]

Don't your apps data get moved to the sd card? Thats the way it was with my EVO LTE and ICS before I returned it. The game installed on the internal memory but the data was on my sd card.

I have not tried those games and can't as I returned the EVO LTE and waiting on the S3 but I know some put the data on the sd card.

Most do, but the larger games have a habbit of just dumping everything on the internal storage.

Probably because of the names Samsung use, internal is simply sdcard which isnt right and sdcard is called external sdcard or something like that.

 

[Mar]

I have noticed that when you go into "My files" app you can move things around. Is that maybe a way to move the apps into the SD card? Like if i select my "WhatsApp" folder that is currently in the phone memory section and select move to external sdcard would that actually move the app or would it mess it up?

 

[lpb]

I have moved dungeon hunter 3 to the external sd card and it still works. It is annoying that you cannot specify where to install or download things. It also puts pictures all over the place, ones taken with the stock camera on ex sd and ones taken with other app like instagram, 360 and screenshots are stored in the phone memory. Would it be so hard to have a photos folder and save every thing on there on the ex sd.

 

[mihqke]

It's the only thing that phoders me on GS3 that there isn't USB mass storage option. I need to get offline maps to my navigation app folder and I don't see it in my phone. Also I can't put backup files to my apps folders.

 

[flippyflopp]

I have a similar question, i have just got my s3 today, i used to have a sony ericsson xperia arc, but because it was short of memory, i used to put my apps on the memory card, i have put the card into my new s3, but how do i get my apps to show up on the new phone?.

Or should i just re format my card for the new phone, and re download my apps from the apps store?.

you need to re-install them from market or buy them on wap store or web site and bookmark the link so you can always re-install if nessessary but they don't seem to install on sd card only phone storage!