Apps to SD card question

[tendoboy1984]

Why do people say it’s bad to move apps to the SD card on mobile devices, but Nintendo devices like the 3DS and Switch do it just fine?

 

[Hadron]

Firstly, the answer depends on which method of moving apps you are asking about. The fundamental problem either way is that SD cards are slower and less reliable than internal storage, but the implications are different for different methods.

The "Gingerbread-style" moving (only option on Samsung and LG devices as I recall) is a bit of a botch: it only moves part of the installed app and does not move internal app data. This means that you suffer less from the limitations of SD cards (the speed only affects app loading, and because it's doing less writing to the card it has less impact on the card's lifespan), but it also means that you don't gain as much space as you might expect.

The "Marshmallow-style" moving, where you format the card as internal storage, means that you can use the space on the card better, but with the drawbacks that the speed of the card will have more effect (because you are reading more from it) and card wear will be increased (because you will be writing more to it), and as the card will be encrypted you can no longer transfer it to another device or put it in a card reader.

Personally I'd rather just keep apps on internal storage and use the card for media and large data files (offline maps, for example, or nandroid backups). But that does require buying devices with enough internal storage.