Moving apps to the SD card is an effective way to overcome the low internal storage issue on your smartphone. However, you’ll often find apps going back to internal storage after moving them to your SD card.
The main reason apps will switch back to internal storage by themselves is because this is how they were designed by the developers. Since internal storage is faster and more reliable, apps are typically programmed to install in internal storage whenever they are updated or reinstalled.
Can you force apps to run from the SD card?
Why do apps switch back to internal storage?
Internal storage offers transfer rates of 200-300MB/s, much faster transfer than SD cards which only offer 12-24 MB/s. Internal storage is also better than SD cards in terms of compatibility. As a result, many Play Store apps are designed to run exclusively from internal storage.
Furthermore, Google Play Store cannot update the apps on the SD card because it becomes harder to access. Therefore, apps switch back to internal storage for updates.
How do I stop Android from moving apps from SD to internal storage after updates?
You cannot stop Android from moving apps back to internal storage. This is required for an app to receive updates.
However, you can move an app back to the SD card after the update is completed. Follow these steps to move an app from internal storage to the SD card:
- Open settings and click apps
- Select the app you want to move to the SD card
- Go to the storage section of the app and click “move to SD card”
Note: This feature isn’t supported by all the Android devices and Android versions.
Step 1 (image):
Step 2 (image):
Step 3 (image):
Why do the apps I put on my SD Card move back to my phone storage when the phone is turned off and on?
If your apps moved back to internal storage after your phone was restarted, it’s likely because these apps started getting updated before the restart.
Since Google Play Store cannot update apps on the SD card, apps are automatically moved back to internal storage during the update.
Another possible reason is an incompatibility issue in the app that results in it switching back to internal storage.
Can apps run from an SD card?
Most apps can run from the SD card. However, since SD cards are slower than internal storage, you may feel performance issues.
If the SD card is really slow, the app may not even be able to run correctly. Also, system apps can’t be moved to the SD card.
See also: Can I Put Games On My SD Card?
Which apps on my Android should I move to my SD card?
While you may be able to move any type of Android app to the SD card (other than system software), not all apps support running off of an SD card.
To find out whether an app supports this feature or not, follow these steps:
- Go to your device settings -> App
- Tap the app you want to move to the SD card
- Tap Storage
- If the app supports running from the SD card, you will see the option for changing the location of the app. Simply relocate the app to the SD card.
Why can’t some Android apps like Facebook or WhatsApp be moved to the SD card in a non-rooted phone?
The main reason that apps like FaceBook and Whatsapp cannot be moved to SD cards is that they are among the most secured apps. Therefore, they cannot be moved to an unguaranteed and low-security device like an SD card.
Should I put apps on the SD card?
It is not advised to move apps to the SD card unless you have very low internal storage. Moving apps can make them misbehave and even result in a system crash.
Here are some good reasons for not moving apps to an SD card:
- SD cards damage more often: Being a cost-effective and portable solution, SD cards aren’t very durable and get damaged more often than internal storage.
- It will make your phone slow: Using an app on an SD card makes your phone slow because the processor will now have to focus on two storages (both external and internal) rather than a single.
- Apps misbehave on SD cards: Due to the SD card’s slower read and write speed of 12-24MB/s, apps may misbehave when running on on an SD card. For instance, you may run into playback problems when executing both video and audio data at once.
Do apps on the SD card run slower?
As mentioned earlier, SD cards only offer a transfer speed of 12-24 MB/s on average vs 200-300MB/s for internal storage. As a result, data on an SD card is read and written slower by the processor making apps run slower.
Do games on the SD card run slower?
When you run a game, the processor and RM execute data to run the game. If the game is on the SD card which only offers a transfer rate of 12-24 MB/s, the data takes more time to load compared to internal storage which offers a 200-300 MB/s faster data transfer. Therefore, games run slower on the SD card.
Does moving an application to the SD card on my phone cause any problems?
Following are the main problems caused by moving an application to the SD card:
- The app might misbehave due to the low read and write capacity of 24 MB/s maximum on the SD card. The internal storage, on the other hand, offers a 200-300MB/s faster transfer rate.
- Your phone will become slower as the data transfer rate will be reduced by 8-10 times. This way, running the app on an SD card may even result in a system crash.
- The app will be moved back to the internal storage before every update because the Google Play Store cannot update apps on the SD card as all the app files cannot be moved to the SD card or the app won’t work properly.
If you still want to install an app on the SD card, here are a few tips to avoid issues:
- Never purchase a fake memory card, only go for the original ones from trusted brands like Samsung.
- Don’t purchase an SD card with mediocre read and write speed, try to go for the one offering the fastest data transfer rate.
- Don’t use a class 4 memory card, it’s better to pick the latest SD card (C10 nowadays).
How do I move an app from internal memory to the SD card?
Here’s how to move an app from internal phone storage to the SD card:
- Tap the Settings app on your phone
- Tap Apps in the settings
- Choose the app you’d like to move to the SD card
- Find the storage section of the app
- Tap the option for moving or relocating the app
- Now, click “move to SD card” and select the location in the SD card
Note: If your phone doesn’t show the option to move to the SD card, it means the app cannot be transferred to the SD card.
Is there an easy way to move apps in Android from the internal storage to the SD card?
The easiest way to move apps from internal storage to the SD card is as follows:
- Go to settings and select apps
- Now, tap the app you want to move to the SD card
- Select the storage section
- Tap on the move button and select the SD card storage
Note: If you don’t see the move to SD card option, it means the app cannot be moved to the SD card.
Why do Android apps show a larger size when stored in phone memory compared to when moved to the SD card?
Apps show a greater size when in the internal storage because all the required files of the app are stored in the internal memory. In contrast, when the app is moved to the SD card, not all the app files are moved, the files required to initiate the app remain in the internal storage – or the app won’t work.
Why is my Android phone not displaying apps installed on an SD card?
Your Android may not display the apps on the SD card because not all the app data is transferred to the SD card.
Here is a simple solution:
- Restart your Android phone
- Open the Settings app and tap apps
- Clear up the data of the app that’s misbehaving
- Now, go to settings > Storage
- Unmount the SD card and mount it again
This is it, the apps on the SD card will likely be displayed again.
Can I set the Google Play store to download applications directly to the external SD card?
You cannot set the Google Play Store to download apps into the SD card. However, you can change the default download location (for everything) using the following steps:
- Go into the settings app (phone settings)
- Tap storage
- Now, you might see the option of the default download location
- Select SD card as the default download location, and that’s it
Note: Some smartphones don’t give the option for changing the default download location as they don’t support it.
Below is an example of such a smartphone (image):
How do I transfer apps from internal storage to an external SD card on a Samsung device?
To move apps from internal storage to the SD card on Samsung, follow these simple steps:
- Open the Settings app
- Click Apps
- Select the app you want to transfer
- Now, tap the move icon, select SD card, and that’s it
Note: Some older versions of Samsung smartphones and Android do not support this feature.