[Droid Eris Android Development] pkopalek:
[DE-ODEX ROM Space Saver] Phone "Running out of space"? Move /data/app to /system/app

This is for those who, like me, are NOT using A2SD.

I avoid a2sd for several reasons including the following

1 - I switch/flash a lot of different ROM's, very frequently, and don't find it handy to worry about what's on my SD card every time - I'm always on the go

2 - Apps seem to run faster when on the phone itself

3 - I haven't really run out of space on my phone (and now have found a trick for when I do)

4 - I have the phone SD card mounted to the computer pretty often - maybe someone can confirm for me that A2SD still works when the SD card is mounted? I suspected that they don't, but since it's a different partition maybe I'm wrong?

Neither here nor there, I avoid the complexities of A2SD for the above reasons, as well as the more basic reason that it makes things slightly more complicated in general.

THAT BEING SAID:

I noticed, in Root Explorer, that I have 47MB available in my /system/app area, and only 14MB left in my /data/app area.

Clearly, the system reserves a certain amount of space for each one, for its own reasons. Neither here nor there, I'd like to sort of change these numbers around. I'd like to be able to install more Apps (which typically install in /data/app) but not be running out of Space (and I'm not using A2SD). Here I go.

This trick requires no more than either Root Explorer, or adb pull/push, then adb shell > rm -r /data/app/whatever.apk.

Example 1:

Open Root Explorer

Long-press com.bero.sdrescan (SDRescan).

Press Move

Go ..

..

System

App

Press Move

(reboot phone).

SDRescan still works like a charm, but is now in /system/app. It may show (in, for example, Titanium Backup) that it is a System app instead of a normal App now. That's OK. I can live with that.

I also have just moved com.biggu.shopsavvy.apk (ShopSavvy) to the /system/app folder, Development.apk (Dev Tools) to the /system/app folder, and a few others, with NO problems so far.

Immediately after moving said files, I reboot, and all is well. I had SenseUI pop up with a force close after moving a few, but a reboot seems to make all well.

I now no longer have the 'Low disk space' situation, and all my apps work perfectly (even the ones I've moved).

Market links DO seem to stay retained for this, but I have a FEELING that the apps will move back to /data/app that you moved over, if you 'Update' apps. I could be wrong here.

NOTE:

This will probably make your phone harder to back up, or if you play on flashing a new version of your ROM over this current version of your ROM (atten: kaosfroyo users, etc), you may wind up with duplicates of Apps.

Why?

if Maps installs in your /data/app as com.google.android.maps.apk (or whatever), and you move it to /system/app, then flash a newer Kaos v.20 or something, which puts com.google.android.maps.apk back in /data/app, you will have two MAPS apps.

I am using this on my NEVER-FLASHING-OVER-IT-WITHOUT-A-WIPE Ivan's 1.0 De-Odexed. (of course I say this as he's working on 1.1, but titanium backup is my friend).

Anyway, I hope that this helps a lot of people who aren't using A2SD, but need more space on their phones to install more apps (or because Browser and maps cache are piggies). I now have space for dozens more apps. Love it.

Good luck, and I can't be responsible for what you do to your phone.

MAKE A NANDROID BACKUP first. Thank you.