* Samsung Galaxy Note 2 - Moving Apps to External MicroSD Card

> Hi,  
>   
>  Is it possible to move apps to external micro sd card on Samsung Galaxy Note 2. Also, can new downloaded apps be defaulted to be installed on external micro sd card.  
>   
>  Would like to know the process for both of them.  
>   
>  Thanks in advance.

  * > You need to be rooted to move apps to external card. For the second part you can use Super App2sd.

  * > Is it safe to root Samsung Galaxy Note 2 device

  * > I successfully rooted my Samsung Galaxy Note 2, however I was not able to move any of my existing apps to External Micro SD Card (64 GB), using the various apps (App2SD, Move2SD etc) on Google Play. :(  
>   
>  Eventually I unrooted back my device to the latest firmware.  
>   
>  Need to know, whether its really possible to move apps to external sd card?

  * > OK, so this one is tricky to explain but in the end the simple answer is "Yes, you CAN move apps to SD BUT it's not simple and it does require root".  
>   
>  So, first the basics: Google decided to remove App installation onto SD cards from Android 4.0 upwards. Why they did this is still on debate, but alas, they did. No way around it. Main app has to be installed in the phone's memory but the app developer can implement 'extra downloads' going into the SD card (like a game, for instance, in which you download a small app and then it prompts you to download an additional 3GB of data). The problem is most developers don't bother to code this in and all that truckload of data ends up eating away your precious internal memory. Again, this was introduced with JellyBean (Android 4); anything before that is different.  
>   
>  As always, rooting your phone gives you access to EVERYTHING in it, and that means you can tamper with the code itself. In order to be able to use your SD card, you have to 'fool' the phone into thinking it's part of the internal memory. You do this by mounting the SD card's partition as part of the internal one. I'm sure there are guides on how to do this in the forums but, unfortunately, I don't know exactly how to do this since I've not rooted my phone (I want to keep my warranty intact for the time being).  
>   
>  BTW, the apps listed above all bear an incompatibility warning with Android 4, so that's probably why they don't work with your Note 2, even if rooted. (Don't know why it lets you install it, though...) And most of the apps that require root also state that they require "Busybox" installed (whatever that is).

  * > Any apps on Google Play to transfer apps to SD and compatible with Jelly Bean 4.1.2. Busybox seems to be too complex for me..:p

  * > There has been thread upon thread about this, and without swapping the internal storage for the external sd card, the simple answer is no, it cannot be done.  
>   
>  Honestly, 16gb is enough for me... even with 288 apps installed, I still have over 5gb of space left.   
>   
>  If all else fails, request the dev to put add on data on the sd...   
>   
>  Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2

  * > Ok I'm curious if anyone knows WHY google changed it in JB so that we can't just move apps to sd (sans root)?  
>   
>  Seems like the American carriers (can't speak to any others) are offering phones with lower internal memory which really is just killing these phones for those who like to go nuts and use a lot of apps. I already have my Precious moving all images and other media to my SD card so I can keep my internal phone memory available for all apps.  
>   
>  So, why did Google decide to do this with jelly bean??

  * > Part of it was to help prevent app piracy.  
>   
>  Part of it was because phones now DO have internal memory, where as back in the days of my g1 (really small internal storage), hero (a little bigger), even the evo, the most that was offered was 1 gig.  
>   
>  Plus, the majority of us can live with that 16gb internal... it's called app restriction by the user. As previously stated, I have 288 apps and still have 4.96 gb available on my internal. (Haven't cleared caches on them all lately...)  
>   
>  After clearing caches on everything, I was back to 5.13gb  
>  ~swyped from my galaxy note 2 on the now network

  * > The 'official' version is that it helps improve app responsiveness and overall performance. Since a little thing called 'Project Butter' was a huge deal in JellyBean, keeping apps in SD cards was something that had to go for things to work out smoothly (remember how apps that were moved to SD card prior to JB couldn't run widgets? There's a reason for that).  
>   
>  The 'unofficial' version is one that makes sense: a HUGE push to cloud services. It keeps money in the cloud service providers' pockets and keeps carriers happy by potentially forcing you to use more data to use said cloud services.

  * > There are several threads here on this exact same topic (moving apps to SD card). Take a look at those, in a couple of them I have already posted a link to an article here on AC which quotes a Google engineer explaining it.

  * > The push to the cloud only makes sense for Google and Cloud companies.  
>   
>  For users, its horrific given ever increasing censorship and surveillance on the internet in the interest of corporations and spooks.   
> The government could shut down public access to the internet entirely whenever they feel like it. Recent changes made to U.S. laws not only mean that Obama can kill any citizen (foreigners anyway) without warrant or trial, but they also empowered him to call martial law any time he sees fit, eliminating the need for congressional approval. This is the exact same 'empowerment' that started Germany into the 3rd Reich. There is nothing that would force martial law to end at any given time, he can keep it up indefinitely.  
>   
>  Worse yet is, that Google has cut Micro SD cards from all devices it sells now, so we're being rounded up like cattle to put our stuff on the internet, which isn't always accessible. Only city slickers who never travel have continuous always-on internet access.  
>   
>  So, I'm not buying any more of Google's Nexus devices, and I'll be looking into mobile Ubuntu OS, where they won't want (nor even be able) to mess up my ability to manage my local storage.

  * > Lol.... So just to be clear you think everything being stored in the cloud is a bad idea?   
> 

  * > That's why my own computer is my cloud...   
>   
>  ~swyped from a galaxy (note 2) far far away

  * > Yes please

  * > Del

  * >   
>  Dude why are you trying to ridicule N13L5. The person is clearly saying that in relation to what's happening in us and indeed global politics, i.e. The pervasive and persistent destruction of civil liberties and the centralization of control over ordinary citizens, the global desire to push people away from direct control of THEIR data to cloud is concerning because well, lets face it your not in control of it. Why are you trying to ridicule them its a valid point.

  * > Or it CAN be viewed as people need self control. You don't need 8gb of music or movies on a phone. You don't need 11gb of apps. It's a portable alternative, yes, however, it isn't meant to be a be all end all device.   
>   
>  ~swyped from a galaxy (note 2) far far away

  * > Or .. maybe YOU need to step back and remember that this is a forum to help people not to shove your views down their throats  
>  I have a Note II, just got it, and somehow missed the restrictions that the (imho idiots) at Android crippled 4.1 with.  
>  I can no longer add folders as shortcuts (want a separate folder for each mail account - I hate combined icons - that is me - ymmv), cannot add apps to and/or default ALL downloaded data to external my sd card, and the current 'launchers' are just visual shells - there are no code overwrites to 'fix' the above two issues the way there were in 2.35 - and 2.3.5 is not available for the Note II. I already tried rooting the Note 2 (been there done that, returned to touchwiz and default OS as I still could not get the above behavior to 'stick' between sessions).  
>   
>  Now ... do you want to lecture me too (will decidedly ignore you) or do you have any help to offer in this assistive forum ?, e.g. where to go or how to hack my preferences into 4.1 ?  
>  If you wrote in asking how to cripple your choices, I'd ask why and add a sentence or two of my opinion, and then I'd answer your question.   
>   
>  It's a matter of user control. :-X  
>   
>  Primetechie

  * > I have shared numerous times helpful insight on the topic, and I wasn't bashing anybody. I was just saying that a lot of us aren't new to android. Yes, I had the option to move apps2sd natively on froyo. Did I use it? No. Instead, I'd clear caches and only keep useful apps on my phone. It isn't going to kill you to delete apps you aren't going to use...  
>   
>  ~swyped from a galaxy (note 2) far far away

  * > I don't have apps I don't use, music I don't listen to or games I don't play. I have 2G free on my Note 2 at this time and constantly moving data to the external sd card manually is a major PITA not to mention breaking logic chains, playlists, links, db chains, etc. If there are issues with what I want from my phone, then the dev's should list them but allow users to configure as they choose.  
>  As I have been telling M$ for thirty years of beta'ing Windows OS's - "A feature without an off switch is a defect". I expect better of Linux and of Android.   
>  What I expect of fellow forum members is to assist others in solving their problems. Lectures are useless gabble unless you also have constructive advice.   
>  I am in conversation in a few other forums on this subject (SD card limitations) and if anything works, I will post the methods, and caveats, here.   
>  But again ... my question to this forum of those highly helpful and knowledgeable, is how to remove, modify, reset the Android 4.1 (and for be 4.2 very soon if the timetable is right) locks on not being able to r/w to the external sd card the same way you could in 2.3.5. Admittedly you needed a hack to allow ANY app to load on the sd card but most would and ALL data followed the app.   
>   
>  "A feature without an off switch is a defect".  
>  Primetechie

  * > Well, I re rooted my Note II and installed Foldermount - so far so good.  
>  I reinstalled a few apps and while the app is located on sdcard0, the data (music, docs, videos, etc) are loading on extsdcard - Check  
>  I next used Lindas File Manager (Discover) to pick a file and a folder and install them as shortcuts on the home screen - check  
>  Now i have to find the mail folder layout and see if I can now create shortcuts to my five inboxes ... this may be the way back to 2.3.5 functionality.   
>  I'm getting some parsing errors so I'm not sure if the root was done correctly, if it falls over, I'll reload the original rom and start again. If things still look good in a few days, I'll post details, downloads, etc ... Thanks to the three of you who im'd me with some tips, but I wish you had posted them - good advice and help should be recognized.  
>   
>  'A feature without an off switch is a bug"  
>   
>  Primetechie

  * > Anyone know if the new at&t firmware for the Galaxy Note 2 solves this problem? I've had to completely remove my SD card for the time being.

  * > Quote:
> 
> Or, it can simply be Apple and all the other companies are making a terrible mistake in believing in a post PC world. That may be our future but definitely not going to happen in the next 10 years.   
>   
>  Really, what they have given are choices. I consider myself a power user, because I root and rom my devices and very frequently completely change all aspects of my device. If given the choice to stay stock or to root and possibly lose my warranty id probably root everytime. Root just gives more choices.   
>   
>  Cloud vs local storage is another choice. Cloud doesnt make sense to me because I have a PC and like to tinker with my devices. I have many hundreds of gigs worth of pictures and music and vids it is very easy to switch out at a moments notice. Buts thats me, I know many people do not own personal computers and may have no need for one or simply cant afford a decent one, nothing wrong with that, these are the people the cloud really serves. Prior to the cloud these people had no way to save personal data. Cloud services make potential customers out of these people.  
>   
>  As far as the removal of apps to sd card are concerned, it was a logical move on Google's part. This is my first android phone, thats mostly because prior to jellybean I had heard ALOT of negative things about android mostly about it being slow to do stuff, random reboots that kind of thing. Those of us who have been on the AC forums for awhile know that not all sd cards are created equal, but we represent less than .01% of android users. Slow SD cards can create negative experiences, which to a non techy type person might think the phone is slow because it takes FOREVER to load an app. Googles response is to remove the ability to install to SD, thus minimizing negative experiences on things they can control. You know what? Its working.  
> 

  * > Hi guys. I was not going to bother you guys, but I see it is an important thing for some, as it was for me.  
>  YES, it's possible to transfer all of your apps to SD and have almost 70GIG available on your phone. Actually, now days I use my phone as a small computer when I am traveling.   
>   
> How To Bump Your INTERNAL Memory To 64GB On The Galaxy S3 and Note 2 - AndroidPIT  
>   
>  this is the site where i got my Note2 info and I've using it since the day when the phone became available. My phone is a Sprint one.   
>   
>  I am using about 16gig now and I am happy with.   
>  Advice: Buy a 64g class10 sd card. You can then buy the android tunner and set up the card cache to 2048 and the card will be as fast as the original internal memory. Follow the instructions and use it at your own risk.