yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Nexus Player General] etnpnys:
Well, I just bought the app and I can't figure out how to set it up. The "Auto Link" options are all grayed out still and when I view the options for specific apps it tells me "No SD card present" or something. (And yes, I force stopped the app and restarted it and restarted the Nexus Player after I purchased the app -- just to make sure it knew that it was bought)

I have a 32GB SD card with a single FAT partition. Per the app's description, "Linking obb and external data folders of apps and games" only requires root, and a "Second partition on SD card is optional" as "folders can be moved to the 1st or 2nd second partition of the SD card."

Anybody get this up and working yet? I have emailed the dev with this information looking for some help/tutorials.
[Nexus Player General] Link_of_Hyrule:
Sorry apparently it's grayed out in mine as well. I'd try contacting the developer about it. As far as actually copying the apps and data it works great but maybe the auto feature isn't enabled for some reason.
[Nexus Player General] etnpnys:
So it sees your SD card? Mine doesn't even do that... Are you still running StickMount in conjunction with Link2SD or is Link2SD taking care of all of it for you? And how do you have your SD card partitioned?
[Nexus Player General] Link_of_Hyrule:
I'm using a 128GB flash drive using an OTG cable it's just using the default format which is probably like fat32 or something like that. I had previously used the CM12.1 built in move to USB Storage feature but using Link2SD to move the apps works as well in addition to the data. You don't need StickMount or FolderMounter. I don't think it will work on the Stock Software so if you don't have CM12.1 installed it probably won't work. The only bug in CM12.1 is the Microphone on the remote doesn't work so it's worth flashing it if you don't use that feature.
[Nexus Player General] etnpnys:
I have received a response from the dev. I asked some basic questions, and he replied with this:

I have now sent these follow-up questions:

Clarification: Link2SD can't use symbolic links to fool the OS into thinking that the /obb folder is on my sd card? I have to install something first, then link it? (at which point it will move the files?)

What does "Auto Link" do? Does it automatically wait for new apps to be installed and then move them without my intervention?

Why is it disabled on my device? (I can't click/tap it to enable it, and it's grayed out)

When I tap on an app inside Link2SD, it tells me at the bottom that there is no SD Card present - anything special I need to do?
[Nexus Player General] Link_of_Hyrule:
Wow how did you even get a reply lol. I emailed him, put a review, and posted in his thread about updating for Android TV but he never replied. Anyways if he replies again ask him about updating to have full Android TV support on the Nexus Player.
[Nexus Player General] Cuzz1369:
I too emailed him and haven't got a response, maybe if you linked him to this thread and said there were some premium users in need of assistance he would pop in and do an q&a.
[Nexus Player General] Link_of_Hyrule:
I posted a new video about CM12.1 that shows off Link2SD and how it works. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TDvwp2r12Q
[Nexus Player General] Talysdaddy:
You're misunderstanding what the developer said, read his reply one more time, slowly..

"When you install a new app its obb folder goes into your internal storage first and then you can move it to your SD card within Link2SD."

No add'l app is needed to move OBB'S...

Link2SD does make symbolic links to move files, it's in my opinion the best app out there that does this.

After you have your 2nd partition mounted correctly, you'll open up Link2SD and see your list of apps installed. Then click on an app you want to move. It'll give you options to move the application or apk, dalvik-cache, lib files and internal data. Select which ones you want to move and click move. After moving them you'll go back to the screen where there's the option to move the app to SD natively, don't pick that, scroll down further and you'll see the option to move the OBB file.

Auto-link does exactly as it sounds like, it links the application automatically. If you install Link2SD after you've installed all your apps, you'll have to manually move or link them as I've described above. If auto-link is selected now, it'll automatically link any new apps you'll install from here on out.

Well there's your issue buddy, if the app says you have no SD card, then it can't move your apps there, thus the reason for all the options to move your apps being disabled. The app is called Link2SD, so without it recognizing you have one, it pretty much defeats the purpose of the app...

There's a ton of tutorials if you do a Google search, a bunch on XDA alone. Most of your questions are basic ones which don't pertain to just the NP. You'll easily find those answers with a quick search and a bit of reading. If anything, you'll learn something you didn't already know. I'd start there to get a better idea of how the app works and after that you can apply that knowledge to the NP and should be more successful.
[Nexus Player General] etnpnys:
Sometimes I try to ask questions without providing every minutia of detail, because if I write every aspect down, nobody will read it. We live in a tl;dr world.

So here's a little more information:

Prior to the 5.1 update, I was rooted and was using StickMount and FolderMount together to give me exactly what we need for expanded storage on the Nexus Player.

With the newest updates on the NP, they have changed something that makes FolderMount pretty much unusable, so we are left looking for a replacement. That's why I'm even entertaining Link2SD.

In the current state, I still have obb files on my SD card that is plugged in **the same exact way it was before** and Link2SD doesn't even recognize the SD card. ES File Explorer sees it and can mount it and show me the files, but Link2SD doesn't acknowledge its presence. Why? Is there something else that I'm missing?

I hope that additional information can help you provide some direction. I'm at least 50/50 on the idea that I'm doing something wrong or missing some detail somewhere, but I don't know what it is.
[Nexus Player General] Cuzz1369:
What format is the external storage?
[Nexus Player General] etnpnys:
I just plugged it in to my Win7 laptop to be 100% sure: FAT32.
[Nexus Player General] Link_of_Hyrule:
Link2SD works fine with my 128GB flash drive so I wonder if it's something with your SD card that it didn't like. Did you try another device?
[Nexus Player General] etnpnys:
I don't have true root right now on any of my other Nexus devices - I unlocked them all to be able to flash updates and what-not when I want to, but the Nexus Player is really the only one I need root on. I guess I could still plug it in and see if the non-root features in Link2SD work still... I'll try that maybe today.
[Nexus Player General] Link_of_Hyrule:
I meant another external storage device. Also unless you're 100% rooted the app isn't going to work. If you're on stock Android it's probably not going to work either.
[Nexus Player General] Cuzz1369:
Checkout this storage solution from deestroy https://plus.google.com/+DeesTroy/posts/F93xFzFYhff
[Nexus Player General] kenkiller:
Now the search is on for a powered usb hub that has ethernet built in that works on the Nexus Player. :D
[Nexus Player General] Cuzz1369:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00J2N0GB4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
[Nexus Player General] kenkiller:
Ok, found one review on it that says it works with NP, but wow that price..... :(
[Nexus Player General] Cuzz1369:
I just found that in the themes and apps section somewhere. I'm sure if you look and or ask I. The accessories section you could find a cheaper solution.
[Nexus Player General] Link_of_Hyrule:
Meh honestly just having a 128GB flash drive to copy apps to is good enough IMO running the whole system on an external drive probably kills performance a bit.
[Nexus Player General] kenkiller:
Not so sure about whether a flash drive has better performance than a SSD, even through it's though a usb 2.0 interface.

edit : Guess not. SSD is faster even though a usb 2.0 connection.

64gb USB 3.0 flash drive connected via usb 2.0

240gb SSD in USB 3.0 compatible enclosure connected via usb 2.0
[Nexus Player General] Link_of_Hyrule:
My flash drive is USB 3.0 but I'm pretty sure that the Nexus Player itself is only 2.0.
[Nexus Player General] kenkiller:
Exactly, that's why I tested them (both 3.0 devices) plugged into a 2.0 port for benchmarking. And look at the visible difference. That's why Dees_troy recommends running his mod on a SSD instead of a flash drive.
[Nexus Player General] Link_of_Hyrule:
Even a 2.0 sad should be faster in every situation but it's also $30 vs $80+ lol but hey if you have it why not?
[Nexus Player General] kenkiller:
Of course. It's your choice if you want to further slow down your device with a flash drive. :D
[Nexus Player General] Link_of_Hyrule:
The actual os is still running from flash memory so it's still pretty fast sometimes loading games takes a bit longer but not really enough to bother me ? I plan on upgrading to a Nvidia Shield and gaming desktop eventually anyways ?
[Nexus Player General] etnpnys:
Soooo.... anybody try this yet?

http://www.androidpolice.com/2015/0...xternal-storage-and-a2dp-bluetooth-streaming/
[Nexus Player General] etnpnys:
I tried it. tl;dr it doesn't solve the problem 100% yet.

Here's more details:

I got M running on the NP first, and it's almost not discernable that there's any difference. I proceeded to plug in the SD card and then waited for it to stop blinking. I went in to Settings > Storage and told it to format the card "as internal storage". After a minute or two, it told me something to the effect of "Hey, this device is slow. You can continue if you're nuts, but it might affect load times." I obviously continued. I then proceeded to install a few games: Badlands, Does Not Commute, Asphalt 8, and KOTOR. As soon as each one was finished installing, I went immediately into Settings > Apps and under each App you have the option to tell it where to move the App - I moved them all to the SD Card. I thought I was home-free!!

I wasn't. I have no clue what it moved to the SD Card, but I'm out of space still. It's like all those gigs of additional data is still in the built-in memory and all it moved were small portions of the App itself, which is so minimal that it's comical. Additionally, I guess Android M formats the card as exfat or something, because I can't even view the stuff inside ES File Explorer - it tells me that FAT and FAT32 are the only file formats supported.

Then, I installed Link2SD and it recognizes my SD Card like I expected it to before, and it even told me that the stuff was on my SD Card. ...But without root, I'm not able to link anything more than what I had already done with the built-in Android M stuff.

So now, I need to see if I can get it rooted and try Link2SD again.
[Nexus Player General] tkideneb:
Newbie question:

Do I need to combine "link2sd" WITH "stickmount" or only use link2sd standalone? (i tried both without success)

It seems that link2sd can't detect my stick if i look into storage info.

I have formatted the stick to ext4 (single PRIMARY partition; i suppose the need for 2 partitions is only for use in phones with a removable sd-card?)

PS: I can manage to mount my stick with ES file explorer and also with stickmount but can't combine it with foldermount so i was hoping for link2sd to expand my storage. (foldermount doesn't show the buttons to make the linking; seems a 5.1.1 problem)

I'm on android 5.1.1 rooted and I use Stickmount pro 3.26 and Foldermount 2.7.5 and Link2SD Plus 4.0.11
[Nexus Player General] patt2k:
guys android m is bringing native usb storage use for internal! can't wait for it.
[Nexus Player General] etnpnys:
:smh: I already tried it. It doesn't solve our problems yet, but it probably makes things A LOT EASIER for the developers - we just need some to jump on board!
[Nexus Player General] tkideneb:
So has anyone found a way to move some apps and their OBB files to external flash memory on android 5.1.1 (preferable CM12.1 ;))?

For me nothing has worked yet (not "Link2sd", not "LetsGoApp", not "Foldermount" (I see no buttons to click on) also not in combination with "Stickmount" (if that would be necessary?) (all of them latest full versions; stick formatted as ext4 primary partition)

The only way that worked for me was flashing the .img of deestroy but that puts

everything

on the external drive (and not just the bigger games for example) and turned my system realy slow (old 32GB flash drive; seems to work better on a real external SSD)
[Nexus Player General] etnpnys:
Still waiting. Pretty frustrated... But at the same time, I'm reminded that I'm not a dev with the time to fix this, so I try to wait patiently.
[Nexus Player General] Cuzz1369:
Link2sd works just fine
[Nexus Player General] etnpnys:
You actually READ his post, right? We're both in the same boat - nothing has worked, and we've tried everything we can find. That includes Link2SD.
[Nexus Player General] Cuzz1369:
You've read my post right, typical users....just because you can't figure out how to make something work doesn't mean it's broken.
[Nexus Player General] etnpnys:
You're a bundle of help with that trolling comment. Ask yourself about your last post: "What value have I brought to this conversation?" ProTip: in life, when the answer is "none", keep your mouth shut.

Typical troll. You provide no help, and feel good by chiming in with with something only to state your own trivial accomplishments. Stand up, beat your chest, move on.
[Nexus Player General] tkideneb:
How do i mount (2nd partition If thats necessary?) a usb stick to data/sdext2 to make it work with link2sd?

Its already formatted as ext4
[Nexus Player General] chenks76:
some might say you should take your own advice there.

what did YOUR post contribute to the thread?

ProTip : reap what you sow
[Nexus Player General] etnpnys:
Yeah, they'd be the same people that fail to see that I'm trying to keep the topic on track with helpful contributions to the greater whole.
[Nexus Player General] chenks76:
what did this post of yours just now contribute to the thread?

maybe try keeping the thread on topic by only posting about the topic, rather than trying continue your own little personal agenda. i can't see you doing anything for the "greater whole". i can only see you doing something to boot your own ego.
[Nexus Player General] tkideneb:
Edit: see 3 posts below for better version
[Nexus Player General] etnpnys:
THIS. Is the kind of helpful information I think we all hope to gain from being in a community of like-minded individuals. Thank you, sir!

Are you running stock 5.1.1? CM12.1? Or M?

And when you say that the apps are gone after a reboot, are you certain about this? It wasn't mounted by StickMount to a different location that Link2SD didn't see perhaps?
[Nexus Player General] tkideneb:
Cm12.1

I Will experiment tomorow
[Nexus Player General] tkideneb:
EDIT

:

Ok so it indeed does work.... (on cm12.1 at least; didnt test it on stock 5.1.1 or M preview)

Some hints for link2sd plus:

1) Format your usbstick into 2 primary partitions. The second partition has to be ext4. My primary was fat32 2 gb and the second is 30gb (note to self: next time make the first partition bigger so i can put my popcorntime cache here because i cant put it on the second (4ext) partition)

2) you need the app

SDExt2Mounter

. On every boot you need to start it manually and click on "mount" (altough it gives an error it does work). Maybe Some Smart guy can make an app that does this automatically on every boot for our np? (and i suspect that this Will Let us skip step 4 on reboot too)

3) Only link the obb file to your stick (it takes the major part of the memory so i can live with it) or else the app Will be gone after reboot. (dont worry If you linked too much to sdcard: after reinstall via play store or via the apk you savegames wont be lost)

4) On reboot (and after mounting with "sd2extmounter") you have to "re-bind all external folders" with link2sd (it Will prompt this question on start)
[Nexus Player General] etnpnys:
Awesome. Additionally, this might be working in CM12.1 because it has BusyBox included - which is a prerequisite for SDExt2Mounter, and probably Link2SD as well.
[Nexus Player General] tkideneb:
Latest version (maybe the topicstarter can place this in the first post so people don't have to read 11 pages?):

1)	Install CyanogenMod 12.1 (= android 5.1.1 but better and pre rooted)

I don’t know if this works with stock android 5.1.1 (please someone on stock report)

2)	Format your USBstick into 2 primary partitions. The second partition has to be formatted as ext4. My primary was fat32 2 gb and the second is 30gb (note to self: next time make the first partition bigger so i can put my popcorntime cache here because i cant put it on the second (4ext) partition)

Hint: the free program “MiniTool Partition” works fine in Windows

3)	Install the app “universal init.d”.

and install the script on post#3 of this topic: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2345680

and then reboot once (only the first time)

4)	Install the app “Link2SD plus”.

From within this app you can move all your app files to your external usb stick

EXCEPT "link program file" (apk) and also not "link internal data" (data & cache)

5)	On every reboot you have to start “Link2SD” and then it will prompt the question to "re-bind all external folders". Click on it and have fun.
[Nexus Player General] madsere:
Sorry if this has been covered before, I searched but didn't find. Will the Nexus Player be able to provide enough power for a USB3 laptop drive (2TB Seagate Backup Plus) through a standard OTG cable? I don't plan to hook anything else to it, and the drives requires very little power. I haven't been able to find out exactly how much but normally it's powered by a laptop's USB so I'd assume the Nexus Player should also be able to provide similar power through it's USB? I could of course go ahead and order a powered USB hub but I'd rather not have too many cables and wall warts sitting around if not absolutely necessary.
[Nexus Player General] hotrodwinston:
[MENTION=2546541]madsere[/MENTION] the nexus player is USB 2 so it would not provide enough power - but Amazon has cheap "y" cables that you could plug a old phone charger to one side to power the drive.
[Nexus Player General] etnpnys:
Alright I'm chiming in here again with an update. I got so frustrated with CM12.1 and the Android M preview builds (both of them) that I decided to just revert back to something that works for me. I remembered the 5.1.1 update made FolderMount just about unusable, so I was going to put 5.1 back on my NP.

...But then I saw that FolderMount was updated this month!! I flashed the stock 5.1.1, rooted it, and installed StickMount and the newest FolderMount - and it's working fantastic again.

So, fire up those original instructions and give it a go, people. 5.1.1 with all of my obbs stored on my 32GB SD Card.
[Nexus Player General] xaudiblex:
I have an external USB 2.0 powered hard drive (no power brick needed on my laptop). At least for me, I didn't have any success using this drive. However, YMMV.
[Nexus Player General] sam.balia1012:
I went thru the same frustration as you did, so let me get this straight:

-Flash stock 5.1.1

-root it

-install stickmount and latest FolderMount ====> is there anything else cuz i tried this 3 weeks ago & it didnt work

does the external drive(usb has to be formatted/partitioned a certain way?)

share your findings....thanx
[Nexus Player General] etnpnys:
I did exactly what you typed there. Just so that we're all on the same page, I'll give you as many details as I think anybody would care to know...

* downloaded and flashed the stock 5.1.1 image straight from Google

* rooted using SkipSoft's Toolkit (not all of the rooting options are available, but the one that was available worked like a charm)

* installed FolderMount first, but I don't think it matters

* installed StickMount

* ONLY ONCE IT WAS AT THIS STAGE did I plug in the OTG cable

* Card was formatted one single partition, 32GB FAT32 (phyiscal configuration: OTG cable > 4-port passive USB 2.0 hub > Kingston USB Memory Card reader > 32GB Micro SD card)

* once the card was plugged in, StickMount asked if it should be used every time the card is plugged in - I said "Yes"

* configured FolderMount - disabled folder checking (or whatever it's called in Options) to allow the entire /obb/ folder to be the source and the root of my SD Card to be the target/destination

FolderMount on the Play Store says that it was updated on July 10, so I believe that's when the dev fixed what was making it unusable for me. You'll still need a mouse to do some of the pairing configuration, but the regular remote will work for turning on/off the features and settings and adding a new pair and everything now.

FWIW, I've also rebooted several times since doing the initial config and I haven't had any hiccups yet.
[Nexus Player General] sam.balia1012:
Very thorough breakdown, thanks
[Nexus Player General] gunvalk:
I have a Toshiba 1TB USB3 drive I use on my nexus player, and it did not need a Y cable. I did need one when I plugged it up to my Wii U but for some reason didn't on the NP.
[Nexus Player General] adroidgalaxy:
Ok I am sorry guys I am new to the nexus player realm... I have done research, rooted successfully, installed foldermount and stick mount...both look functional; but when I mount obb files for lets say Ashpalt8 the game will not recognize the files anymore AND the Nexus Player will still think the files are on the internal so in all reality it is not freeing up any storage off of my player just makes it look like it is?.... I need more space on this thing it is driving me nuts! I am using a USB flash drive 32gb with a samsung usb host cable. Any suggestions? I just downloaded M preview #2 but I am not sure if that will fix my problem.
[Nexus Player General] etnpnys:
If you plug the flash drive into a computer, are the files there? And while it's unplugged, can you see if the internal /obb/ folder has anything in it?
[Nexus Player General] sam.balia1012:
I am just stumped!!!!

Why is it so hard to figure this one out?

Google Nexus player's storage expansion. combed through xda and other forums about a straightforward way to

add storage to NP for the purpose of INCREASING its capacity.

Games,apps....etc take large space, NP has barely 5GB with OS installed...

Foldermount, USB2DATA ..etc but yet NOT a single fix hack or resolution.

I know XDA has some very talented folks to get this ironed out in no time (believe me when i say i tried it on my own) that's why i am stumped:confused:
[Nexus Player General] madsere:
Just to confirm - yes it does not provide enough power to run the USB HD without supporting power.
[Nexus Player General] elsnake:
developer preview 3 is stable which allows you to install apps to sd. sometime next month we should see the official release.
[Nexus Player General] Jay01:
I tried to format a USB 3.0 64GB usb stick using USB OTG but keeps saying unable to format after few minutes, anyone else having similar issues or advice if I need to do anything?

I'm using Preview 3.

Thanks,
[Nexus Player General] deansouth8:
Started loading up external USB 64gb San Disk thumb drive with apps. Dev3 is not stable. It may appear more stable than the other previews at first but, after a day of slowly installing large apps/games it began crashing apps and restarting just like the other previews. If they intend on releasing M before the end of the month I don't see how. It literately just slowly goes bonkers after a period of time and seemingly corrupts something on every crash.
[Nexus Player General] h0ser81:
Have we discovered a definitive way to add an ext4 formatted drive yet? I can mount my drive with stickmmount but the folders are always empty when browsing with applications.