Why can’t I Move Apps to SD Card from the Internal Memory in Android?

All android phones have two types of memory: One is internal, and the other is external. With technological advancement, the external memory support of flagship android phones has gone beyond GB. Whereas, iOS still holds its ground to only internal memory. 

When the internal memory of your phone is running out of storage space, what is the idea that comes to your mind? How to move the data as well as the apps to the SD card? But somehow, you cannot fulfil the task completely and think, “why can’t I move apps to SD card?”. Relax, soon you will come to know about the details 

Multiple Variants of Apps: What are they?

Whenever you buy an android phone, apart from Google apps, you can see other apps too. For example, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. These are dedicated collaboration apps. In addition to that, the brand manufacturer apps are also present. 

A few dedicated collaboration apps are mobile, whereas the brand manufacturer apps are constant. It means that you can uninstall as well as make any changes with the mobile application only. Furthermore, there are also no facilities for downloading any other third-party apps from the PlayStore. 

Still, asking — Why can’t I Move Apps to SD Card? 

You can move several third-party collaborated apps to the SD card. This allows you to free some space in your phone’s internal memory. Whereas, the brand manufacturer apps will stay intact. You cannot move the applications to the SD card. At the extreme point, you can disable or clear the brand manufacturer’s app data. 

This happens because the brand manufacturer’s apps are not rooted in the phone. In addition to that, while customizing the Android OS, the codes linked with the application are already stated by the brand developers. According to the experts, these apps are known as a developer’s choice. So, now you have answers to “why can’t I move apps to SD card?

Move the Selected Apps, How?

It’s very easy, and you need to navigate to the Settings. After that, choose “Apps” or “Apps and Notifications”. A long list of installed apps will appear. Hopefully, you know which apps you can move to the SD card. Tap on each one of them and choose “Move to SD card”. All the app data and log files will be transferred to the SD card along with the folders. So, if you cannot, you will know, “why can’t I move apps to SD card?

Using the SD Card as a Virtual Storage Space

In any android phone, you have the right to use the SD card as the internal memory. In such cases, the manufacturer apps will remain where they are. When you download and install any new application from the PlayStore or .apk file, the application system files will go directly to the SD card. 

Navigate to the Settings and access the Storage option. Hopefully, you have inserted the SD card into your phone. After that, select Storage Settings and tap on Format as internal. Now, erase the card, and it’s done. Furthermore, you must remember that you cannot expect the phone to run smoothly without the SD card. If the SD card is somehow removed, then the only way to run the phone smoothly is to master reset. 

Is your SD card corrupted?

It seems that you are following the above methods when stuck with a dilemma “why can’t I move apps to SD card?” But, those apps which are bound to move to the SD card are not functioning properly. You face errors while moving them. In addition, after moving the applications, it takes a lot of time to complete the task. This kind of situation happens when your SD card is not working correctly. 

So, there are a lot of things to do. First, shut down your mobile phone and take out the SD card. If you have a card reader, then insert the SD card in the card reader and check the data transmission speed. If the speed is not usual, then there might be some malicious items present in the card. In such cases, formatting the card will be a good idea. 

Which type of SD Card should you use?

MicroSD cards are of various types and sizes. Depending on your smartphone’s expandable storage capacity, you have to decide the size of the SD card. Let’s take, for example, your smartphone’s expandable storage capacity is 512 GB, so that you will need a 512 GB SD card or less than that.

Now, coming to the class factors. On the SD card package, you can see “Class 4”, “Class 10” and so on. This denotes the data transmission speed. The 4 denotes that you will get the copying speed up to 4 MB/s, and 10 denotes the copying speed of 10MB/s, and so on.  

It’s simple and easy to understand. You must go for a class 10 SD card. If you can afford the same SD card brand as your smartphone, then you are good to go. Hopefully, after this, the question “why can’t I move apps to SD card?” will not bother you again.

Is Backup Necessary?

Yes, of course, the backup of the data inside the SD card is necessary. There is no need for any application; simply plug the smartphone into your PC and select “Mass Storage”. When you select the Mass Storage option from your smartphone, you can see the brand name icon with a vault-like icon. Double-click on it to open both internal and external drives. Once again, double-click on the external drive that denotes the SD card. Select all the folders, copy and paste them to your computer. After that, you can format the SD card without any hassle. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

How do I set my SD card as default storage?

Go to “Settings” device, then choose “Storage.” Then hit the Three-dot Menu (upper right), then pick “Settings”, select your “SD Card”. Select “Settings”. Now choose “Internal format”, then “Erase & Size”. Your SD Card is now in an internal storage format. 

How do I force my SD card for internal storage?

Open Settings Storage. As an internal option, select Format. Android then offers your data to be migrated.

Can I put apps on my SD card?

Apps can be moved from the Android Phone Settings Apps section to an SD card with just some taps. You can move applications out of internal storage if your Android phone has an SD card slot. Programs can be stored on an SD card and can be used for other apps and data on your phone.
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