Many smartphone users sooner or later face the problem of insufficient memory. Especially it concerns budget phones... 16 GB is not much. Moreover, if the ROM is even smaller - 8 GB (yes, there are such models).
Buying a microSD only partially solves this problem. For owners of Android phones, we advise you to use the function Adoptable Storage, which allows you to combine ROM and memory card into a single logical partition.
Unfortunately, the Adoptable Storage feature only appeared in latest versions Android (since Android 6). We will show you how to properly combine memory and microSD in Android 7 (in other versions of Android, this procedure is similar).
Before combining, you have two memories: the internal phone memory (ROM) and external memory(microSD). Even if you designate a memory card as the default recording drive, some of the data will still be written to ROM. And the smartphone's memory will fill up over time (even if there are a lot of free space). We'll have to deal with cleaning it.
But after combining, you will get a single memory. Its volume will be equal to ROM + microSD.
Step 1
Turn off the smartphone, insert the memory card (microSD). The phone must be charged at least 15-20% (do not allow the discharge during the setup and pairing procedure!).
Step 2
We turn on the phone. If the memory card is empty, a message will appear stating that the SD card has been detected and you will be prompted to configure it.
In my case, there was information that the SanDisk SD card is not supported. It should be so. The fact is that before it was used on another phone and was already merged. With this operation, all information is encrypted and the data will not be visible on the other phone.
Step 3
You will be prompted to configure the map as Portable media
(standard use), or as Inner memory... Choose the latter.
Step 4
Please note that once setup is complete, this card will only work on this phone. All information that was on the map earlier will be destroyed.
- After formatting, the memory card will be encrypted. Data access will be possible only from this smartphone. After a factory reset, you will also lose access to your data.
- If the memory card fails, you will lose data, so take care of the setting Reserve copy(especially since Google already advises to do this).
Step 5
After completing the formatting, a message was displayed stating that the SD card is running slowly, which can cause problems and slow down the data transfer rate. You can ignore this message, but try to use high speed cards class 10.
Step 6
Transfer the suggested part of the data from the internal memory to the memory card.
Perhaps the main and most noticeable feature new Android 6.0 Marshmallow for laypersons - an opportunity format the card microSD memory as internal storage ... The announcement of this feature, as expected, impressed many, however, neither LG's Nexus 5X nor Huawei's Nexus 6P had the ability to expand memory using a memory card, so they simply forgot about it for several months.
Now, in March-April 2016, new flagships on Android 6.0 Marshmallow ( Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, will soon appear in Russia and LG G5), and other smartphones began to receive an update to this version of the system - the problem has become urgent again.
The speed classes of the device can also be found on the memory card: C4 or C10 (Class 10), or UHS Speed Class 1 (U1), UHS Speed Class 3 (U3)
It should be noted right away that format the memory card as internal storage not every one is possible. You need to pay attention to the small Greek number "I" right on the map. It means that it is an Ultra High Speed (UHS-I) type card. It is important to note that the UHS-I card type supports a large number of speed classes, including Class 4 (C4), Class 10 (C10), U1 and U3. The higher the speed, the no worse, since this is the case using a memory card as an internal drive (Format as Internal Drive) may affect the speed of applications.
The Greek number on microSD stands for Ultra High Speed - UHS-I or UHS-II type of memory card. The latter has two rows of contacts and is not supported by modern smartphones.
But this is not the main point. The fact is that manufacturers are extremely worried about the speed of their system and the absence of brakes and constantly complain about the memory cards that users insert into the smartphone. Despite the fact that the overwhelming majority of today's memory cards on the market support UHS-I and quite pass in speed, the big brands simply missed this important feature. As a justification, the fact is given that the internal storage in modern smartphones still works faster than memory cards.
At the same time, it is extremely difficult to find an unsuitable USB flash drive on the market, and they are not expensive: for example, for 300 rubles, you can already buy a UHS-I memory card with a speed class 10 (C10) and a volume of 16 GB.
But ... have big brands they have their own opinion and clients, whom they apparently do not want to disappoint. Therefore, attention, the ability to format a microSD memory card as an internal drive (mount a microSD as an internal drive) is absent from the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, the flagship LG G5. But the story does not end there, the problem of internal storage is quite acute for Sony Xperia(In the Xperia Z3 Compact, the user is content with 16 GB of internal memory). Upgrading to Android 6.0 Marshmallow could fix the issue, but Sony Mobile also decided to close possibility formatting microSD as an internal storage on their smartphones.
This is how the ability to format microSD as an internal storage in a Moto X Force smartphone looks like
Disappointing results
Users Samsung smartphones, LG and Sony Xperia are deprived of the ability to expand the memory even with a memory card the right type... It's fair to say that this opportunity can be opened by making ROOT devices, but we are in in this case discussing what the user gets out of the box. On this moment from devices that have received an update to Android 6.0 Marshmallow, expandable internal memory with using microSD available on smartphones Moto(and will apparently be available on Lenovo and ZUK), as well as HTC devices. It is not yet known about Huawei and Honor, as these devices are not yet receiving updates to Android 6.0.
It remains only to regret that large companies (occupying a fairly large share of Russian market) took upon themselves such responsibility and decided to simply remove an interesting and important feature, instead of once again explaining to users about the differences between memory cards and simply recommending the speed classes and types of microSD drives.
The problem of insufficient memory is one of the fundamental problems for both PCs and mobile devices... With a small amount free memory the system usually starts to slow down, freeze, works unstable and unreliable. This is especially true for Android devices, many of which initially have a rather small amount of main memory (the so-called "Internal Storage"). In such a situation, some users may have an idea to try using external SD card as the main memory on their Android device. V this material I will tell you how to make an SD card the main memory on Android gadgets, and what methods will help us with this.
We disassemble how to make an SD card the main memory on Android
To accomplish this task, you will need a high-speed SD card (preferably grade 10 or faster). Maps 6, and especially 4 and 2 classes are not suitable for such purposes, your system, due to their use, will significantly slow down its work, which is unlikely to please some of the users.
It is also important to understand that the validity period of such an SD-card, due to the active load on it, will be significantly shorter than if the load on the card took place in standard mode.
Method number 1. Changing the contents of the Vold.fstab file
The first of the described methods involves changing the contents of the file. system settings"Vold.fstab". After making these changes, the Android OS will read your SD card as the internal memory of the device, but keep in mind that a number of previously installed applications may stop working.
It is important to know that this method only works on ruled devices on which the Android OS is installed below (!) than version 4.4.2. In OS versions Android 4.4.2 and higher specified file most likely, you simply will not find.
Also note that an implementation error this method(in particular, adding to the required lines extra characters) can have the most unfortunate effect on the performance of your device. Therefore, carefully weigh possible risks, and if, nevertheless, you have made a decision, then proceed with its implementation.
So, to implement this method, do the following:
For example, it can be lines like this:
- dev_mount sdcard / storage / sdcard0 [email protected]
- dev_mount sdcard2 / storage / sdcard1 auto / xxxxxx
To implement necessary changes we need to change the path in the indicated lines in places, that is, in other words, instead of 0, put 1 in the first line, and in the second, instead of 1, put 0.
After the changes, these lines will look like:
- dev_mount sdcard / storage / sdcard1 [email protected]
- dev_mount sdcard2 / storage / sdcard0 auto / xxxxx
Save the changes you made and then reboot the gadget.
Another option is how to make a memory card the main one for android:
Method number 2. We use OS settings Android 6.0 and higher
In addition to the first method, in which I examined how to switch the phone memory to a memory card, there is another method that works only on the OS settings of Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) or higher, and allows you to use the SD card as the main one for saving files and working with them ... To implement it, I recommend making a copy of the data from your SD card (if any), since this card will be formatted by the system.
What is the main disadvantage budget smartphones and tablets? This is a small amount of internal memory (ROM). It clogs up quickly enough, so you have to solve the problem of lack of memory. You can plug in a memory card to transfer some of the data there, but the internal memory will still fill up. This issue was only resolved in Android 6.0, which introduced the Adoptable Storage option.
Adoptable Storage combines into a single logical partition internal memory devices and external (microSD). Formally, you will receive a total memory, the volume of which will be equal to the sum of the ROM and the size of the memory card. If you have an Android 6.0 smartphone, we advise you to take advantage of this opportunity. Below is an instruction for combining ROM and memory card using the example of a smartphone Fly Nimbus 12... But first, we advise you to read a number of restrictions (about them at the end of the article).
Step 1
Turn off the smartphone, insert the memory card, turn it on. You will be prompted to configure your SD card.
Step 2
We choose to use the memory card as internal memory.
Step 3
After formatting the card, we transfer photos, files and some applications to a new device. Better to do it right away. You can also later.
Step 4
That's all. Now you have one logical drive... So it will be displayed in the settings and when connected to a computer.
Here are some tips for using Adoptable Storage technology:
- For Adoptable Storage, you need to use a high-speed microSD card (class 10) from reliable manufacturers.
- The card will be formatted when the chapters are combined, so if there is important data on the memory card, save it elsewhere.
- After formatting, the memory card will be encrypted. Data access will be possible only from this smartphone. Even more: after a factory reset, you will also lose access to your data.
- If the memory card fails, you will lose data, so take care of the backup settings (especially since Google already advises to do this).
Do you want to install applications on MicroSD flash drive? Then you will need to format it as internal memory.
Unfortunately, some manufacturers such as Sony, LG or Samsung don't do this in the factory. But if you have a smartphone with an operating system Android Marshmallow or higher will help you command line.
Android updates and Nougat issues when using this method
Some readers have reported difficulties installing system updates. Updating the operating system to Android 7.0 Nougat is not possible when formatting the flash drive using the method described below. Devices already updated to Android 7.0 Nougat don't even respond to console commands.
Since there is no corresponding documentation on the net, we can only recommend that you follow the steps described below in reverse order front system update... Don't forget to do backup photos or music on your computer or cloud disk and free up as much space as possible on the SD card and internal memory of your smartphone. Delete unnecessary applications, then transfer your data back to internal memory. After that, format the microSD card as removable media... Only after that you can safely proceed with the system update.
No issues with Android 6.0 Marshmallow
If we format MicroSD as internal memory, we can install any applications to the card. This means that if you download 2 gigabytes of applications, then they will occupy exactly 2 gigabytes on the card. In case we format the microSD as backup memory, then the situation will change somewhat.
In Android Marshmallow, it is theoretically possible to work with a MicroSD card as internal storage. The operating system allows you to transfer applications and data of these applications to the card. In fact, the memory of a smartphone can be expanded. Unfortunately, some smartphone manufacturers have removed from the menu the ability to format cards as internal memory in Android version Marshmallow.
Use only quick cards MicroSD, otherwise the expansion of memory will be accompanied by a decrease in performance.
There is no such option
The fact that the menu does not have an option to format the memory of a flash drive as internal does not mean that this option does not work. Advanced users reported using the command line to format microSD cards as internal storage in Galaxy smartphone S7. We have successfully tested this option on Samsung Galaxy S7, Sony Xperia Z5 and LG G4 with Android Marshmallow.
All smartphones had an operating room Android system 6.0 Marshmallow (either by default or after an update) and all models had a memory card slot. As we already mentioned, there was no option to format as internal memory in the phone menu. Only in phone One A9 from HTC and everyone Motorola smartphones Moto has retained this option. 
Go to dark side, expand your memory. I still don't understand why Samsung, LG and Sony removed this option from the menu. I connected all three smartphones with the inserted microSD card to the computer.
After that, in ADB tools I typed required commands at the command line. Once you have opened the command line and connected your smartphone, you can enter the first command:
adb shell
The command line can now execute system commands for a smartphone. We need to format the memory card or part of it as internal memory. Even without such an opportunity in graphical interface Sony phones, Samsung and LG, we can send commands to the smartphone via the console.
First, however, we need to find out the card ID. This information can be obtained using the following command:
sm list-disks
In my case, the disk is named 179.64. You may have some other name. Remember the exact card ID. With the next command, we will format the microSD card section. All data will be deleted. Remember to save important information on another card, on a computer or somewhere else. If you are not going to remove the memory card from the phone at all, you can share all the memory of the card. To do this, enter the following command into the console:
sm partition disk: 179.64 private
The command will take a few seconds or minutes to complete, depending on the size and speed of the card. If you want to share a part of the card's memory with other devices, you need to exclude this part from hidden section... Dividing the map into two sections will look like this
sm partition disk: 179.64 mixed 50
But this is not the end of the work. Now if you want to use the memory card as the internal memory of the phone, you need to transfer all applications and data. You can do it through Android menu... Select an option SD Сart, find the menu item Move data... If you haven't split the map, you won't be able to do this.
Move the data after partitioning the SD card. Now all downloaded applications will be written to the microSD. Only system applications and updates will be stored in the internal memory of the smartphone. This means that you no longer have to face the problem of insufficient memory when downloading or updating applications.
The Sony Xperia Z5 Common memory is displayed a little strange. The first thing you need to pay attention to is the SD card memory.
What's the catch?
Transmission speed microSD data an order of magnitude lower when compared with the built-in memory. Therefore, do not spare money on a memory card with high speed receiving and transmitting data. Sandisk Extreme Pro and Extreme Plus MicroSD are the best we've seen so far. At 74 megabytes per second, you shouldn't have any lag.
Curiously, only the LG G4 phone correctly read the information from the card. Samsung was showing unnatural high level occupied memory, and the values on Sony were even negative. However, we did not have any problems, and even when connected to a computer, we could access all the data, although we only saw general section which is available to other devices as well. Problems appeared only when installing system updates.
Expanding memory: success!
We ran an extended memory performance test. We have Final Fantasy IX installed on all devices. The game takes 1.8 GB. After installation, you can see exactly where the game data is located. In all cases, 1.8 GB less free space is reflected on the SD card after installation. If the card is formatted as a removable memory, this cannot be achieved as the entire data cannot be transferred.
Compare the indicators of the internal memory and the memory of the card in the screenshot.
What will happen ...
Of course, it would be logical to ask what happens if we pull out the card. In fact, it is a big problem for applications, because in this case they will not have access to the data they need to work. Since all system data is in internal memory, the application icons were replaced by the standard system icon, but everything returned to its place when we reinserted the card.
If you lose or damage your SD card, all data will be lost. They cannot be restored because they are encrypted as internal memory. Therefore, do not forget to make regular backups. That's it, now you can enjoy inexpensive way expanding the internal storage of your Android Marshmallow phone.
Safely remove SD card formatted as internal memory
To safely remove the card from your smartphone, you need to follow all the steps in reverse order. Since internal storage is usually not enough, you will have to transfer photos and other data to another physical or cloud storage and uninstall all applications. After that, return to the settings item Memory and USB and press Transfer data in point Inner memory on the menu. Then format the SD card as removable media. Be sure to make a backup so as not to lose data.
It worked? What card are you using? Write in the comments.
