Adoptable Storage

[StrikerAndroid]

What's wrong with Adoptable Storage? Not many people use it when it allows you to use your SD card as internal storage. Are there any drawbacks to using it? It sounds like a great idea to me. Buy a 126GB SD card and use it as internal.

 

[dontpanicbobby]

Nothing that I can see. I' m using a Samsung 128GB U3 card fomatted to internal and now have 149GB internal memory. Everything works fine. I'm guessing that because it's such a new concept people are reluctant to try.

 

[tube517]

It's because once you format as internal/adoptable, the card cannot be used/re-used in another device or read in your PC. (I am told you may be able to reformat the card. Someone w/more knowledge may confirm).
Also, if the card fails, you pretty much lose everything on the card. Backup everything even those on the internal storage/adoptable card.

This is the best write up I have seen on it:

https://motorola-global-portal.custhelp.com/app/answers/prod_answer_detail/a_id/109134/p/1449,9582

 

[StrikerAndroid]

149 GB internal sounds great! but i guess the card failing is a risk most people are afraid to take..

 

[viperdink]

For normal usage its not to risky. If your into modding , building or deving it is risky but those users ALWAYS have a back up plan.

 

[StrikerAndroid]

Oh ok. Well that's good to know. I have an extra phone(Samsung Galaxy Avant) for modding and testing.

 

[dontpanicbobby]

I've yet to have a card fail. But then I don't do any of that stuff viper dink mentioned. I've been using Android since it was 1st released.

 

[tube517]

I've yet to have a card fail. But then I don't do any of that stuff viper dink mentioned. I've been using Android since it was 1st released.

Sometimes, you just can't avoid an sd card failing. Even legitimate ones fail. They aren't made to last long.

 

[viperdink]

More reads more writes less life cycle. That is just the nature of the beast.

 

[Father Guido]

For normal usage its not to risky. If your into modding , building or deving it is risky but those users ALWAYS have a back up plan.

Backing up your data is VERY important regardless of your storage decision. Should anything bad happen to the phone, it's gone forever. A friend recently deleted his entire collection of vacation photos by accident due to a faulty digitizer. I tried everything to recover them (even rooting the phone) and failed. If your device has OTG capability, you can copy to a USB drive. Otherwise you are stuck with cloud storage, connecting to a computer via MTP and/or or adb pulling of the data. Apps can be replaced, but your unique data cannot.

 

[tunaman2]

What's wrong with Adoptable Storage? Not many people use it when it allows you to use your SD card as internal storage. Are there any drawbacks to using it? It sounds like a great idea to me. Buy a 126GB SD card and use it as internal.

Well, one thing I've found is that some apps really don't like being on the SD card, even if they have the ability to be moved. Spotify frequently crashes on me if I install it on the SD card, but works fine if I install it in internal memory and set permissions to use Storage (so my "offline files" reside on the SD card). Podcast Republic apparently only allows you to download podcasts to a different location than the app itself. So if you move the app to SD, it'll freak out and say it can't find a location to save your podcasts.

Other apps (like Metal and Relay for Reddit) don't seem to be aware of existing installations on the SD card; they always install to internal storage, and don't retain user data... so you not only have to move them manually, you have to login to the app (if necessary) and set your preferences each time the app updates. This is a GIANT pain in the ass.

Still other apps - like My Konami Slots and the CBS Sports app - have no problems with being on the SD card, and update to the SD card without issue. I don't know enough about Android apps to know why CBS Sports can sit on the SD card and be happily updated, while Metal cannot. Maybe someone else will know.

 

[tunaman2]

Forgot to mention: Firefox for Android hates adoptable storage. Not only does it "not know" about SD installs (like Metal and Relay), if you reboot your phone for any reason, Firefox will be completely missing when the phone comes back. I had a home screen shortcut to Firefox, but it'd change to a generic Android icon after reboot, and that was the only trace of it on the phone - it was missing from the app drawer and Settings > Apps. I actually loved Firefox Mobile, because of the "open later" and uBlock extension... but just gave up on it after all this BS.

 

[jmacie]

same here, every restart, learned not to move program from default install to sd card, and it has been O.K. on restarts since

 

[StrikerAndroid]

I thought adoptable storage merges with internal.. Didn't know you had to move.

 

[tube517]

I thought adoptable storage merges with internal.. Didn't know you had to move.

Yeah, you still have to move apps even with adoptable. Not really how customers wanted it to work.