Android Storage_ What Nobody Bothered to Tell You

02/09/13 Android Storage: What Nobody Bothered To Tell You | Homo Ludditus

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Android Storage: What Nobody Bothered To Tell

You

June 14, 2013 Categories: Smartphones, Tablets, E-Readers

Tags: alcatel, android, htc, huawei, lg, samsung, sony, storage

My experience with Android only dates from end-November 2011 (heck, I’m a Luddite, I resisted the

temptation!). And it’s still mostly Gingerbread-based.

Therefore, I was surprised to read in several Android forum and websites that people were complaining for

not being able to move apps to the SD card on Android 4.0 ICS and 4.1 JB devices ([1], [2], [3], [4], [5]):

I was used from Gingerbread that I could use the App2SD built-in mechanism (no need of an external app)

to move apps to the SD!

Sure thing, apps wouldn’t move entirely on the SD, but in most cases at least 40-50% of the space that

used to take from the internal storage would be taken from the SD, and in the happiest situations, up to 80-

90% of the app would move out of the internal storage.

So, what’s the deal with Android ICS and newer? Is it a regression? Let’s try to explain the real situation.

Prior to Android 4.0 (up to and including Gingerbread 2.3, as 3.0 was for tablets), phones were typically

having this storage layout:

“internal storage” (fast, eMMC), often limited to a meagre 150…160 MB, sometimes up to 1…2

GB or more. Apps would install here. Apps also create cache and data here.

“SD card” (optional, assumed to be external). People would add microSD cards to be able to store

music, pictures, videos. Since Android 2.2 Froyo, there is a built-in “apps2sd” mechanism that allows

moving apps partially to the SD card. Data created by apps as part of the initial installation (from

APK) usually cannot be moved. Many apps that require downloading of extra data files post-install

(not from Google Play), such as dictionaries, games, etc., usually know to save such data on the SD

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http://day2dayexps.blogspot.ro/2013/03/Android-Unable-to-move-apps-to-SD-CARD.html

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=41353279

http://forums.androidcentral.com/samsung-galaxy-tab-2/198227-whats-point-micro-sd-card-cant-save-apps-sd.html

http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/38044/storing-data-on-external-sd-card-in-android-4-ics-for-sony-xperia-j

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.a0soft.gphone.app2sd.pro&reviewId=Z3A6QU9xcFRPSG9FNkwwa2lIZ0xuTXB4TnJaejZxMGJDU1BDbW45NUZaSU9FaGZWOV9tYjN2VzRUaE13QUo2aU5yOU9JNHlwcldrcmNneWFQZElCZGxkblY0



card, if present. If you check /system/etc/vold.conf (or vold.fstab), the card is mounted under

/mnt/sdcard.

Now, not only that apps cannot be moved entirely on SD, but the built-in “apps2sd” mechanism also has a

limit of how much it can keep outside the “internal storage”. I couldn’t find any documentation on that, but

on a cheap LG phone, Quick System Info PRO reported a 236 MB limit:

This issue can be workarounded, on rooted devices, by creating a supplementary ext2 partition on the SD

card, then use Link2SD; to move apps on that extra partition. When using apps such as ROM Manager,

this partition is limited to 512 MB — so in my case I could only get about 160 + 236 + 512 = a maximum

of 908 MB for apps.

Obviously, those cheap Gingerbread phones are very limited, and Google makes them practically useless

nowadays, as forced updates of Google Play, GMail, Maps, YouTube, Google Talk (now Hangouts), plus

the addition of Google Play services take about 50 MB of “internal storage”. Unless the phone is rooted,

these updates to system apps cannot be integrated into ROM by Titanium Backup.

Now, even under Gingerbread, there were phones with 8…16 GB of ROM. After subtracting the memory

taken by the firmware, was the available space entirely partitioned as a unique “internal storage”?

Typically, no. Because of the costs, eMMC chips are usually not larger than 4 GB, therefore the rest of the

storage was a sort of an “internal SD” card. Some such phones (or tablets) don’t even support an additional

SD card, but when they do, here’s what their storage layout:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.uguess.android.sysinfo.pro

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.buak.Link2SD

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.koushikdutta.rommanager

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.keramidas.TitaniumBackup



“internal storage”, usually less than 2 GB. Apps would go here by default.

“internal SD” (oftentimes labeled “phone storage”), the rest up to the limit of the available storage

space. Mounted as /mnt/sdcard. Apps can be moved here (some even install here by default). Of

course, this is the place where your photos and media files would go.

“external SD”, if the device supports SD cards, and if one is inserted. Mounted as /mnt/sdcard-

ext, /mnt/sd_external or /mnt/external_sd. Apps CANNOT be moved here! Media files can be

saved here though.

Here’s the storage of a cheap “8GB” Android 4.0 tablet: 1.15 GB of “internal storage”, plus 5.78 GB

of “internal SD” (for a total of 6.93 GB):

NOTE: The above screenshot is taken from a tablet. On a phone, the second “Internal Storage” would

have been labeled “Phone Storage”.

The problem with today’s Android devices — being them 4.0 ICS or 4.1-4.2 JB — is that they’re

inconsistent in the way the internal and external SD partitions are used:

some devices are using a “unified” internal storage (à la iOS): a single partition for everything, and no

external SD card supported (Nexus 3, Nexus 4);

some devices are using a “unified” internal storage, and when a SD card is added, it can only used for

http://beranger.org/ludditus/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/chep_tablet_storage.png



media files (apps cannot be moved there);

some devices are using a “unified” internal storage, but when a SD card is added, apps too can be

moved there — the card is mounted as “internal SD”;

some devices are having “internal storage” + “internal SD”, and when a SD card is added, it can only

used for media files (apps cannot be moved there);

some devices are having “internal storage” + “internal SD”, but when a SD card is added, apps too

can be moved there – the “internal SD” is actually mounted so that Android believes it’s

“external SD”, and apps cannot be moved there, but an added SD card is mounted as “internal

SD”, so apps can be moved to it!

The last variant is a nice hack, as it allows for cheaper internal storage (split in 2 partitions), yet the space

for apps can be extended through the addition of a SD card. Some HTC and Huawei devices hack Android

to do that. In contrast, Samsung and LG are known to use the 4th approach — apps cannot be moved to

the external SD card (Samsung has currently started deploying firmware updates that would change this for

some devices).

♦

I’ve made a research for some current models on the market, and in some cases I have double-checked on

forums that the storage model for the investigated models are as follows:

Sony Xperia Z (5″, 4.1.2, 530…580 €)

11.73 GB available (out of nominally 16 GB)

unified internal storage

will not install on external SD

Sony Xperia SP (4.6″, 4.1.2, 310…330 €)




SGS4 (5″, 4.2.2, 570…630 €)



will not* install on external SD

*a firmware update should allow apps to be moved to external SD as well (GT-I9505)

SGS3 (4.8″, 4.0.4/4.1.2, 440…490 €)




SGS3 Mini (4″, 4.1.1, 270…290 €)

http://www.sammobile.com/2013/06/06/new-software-update-rolling-out-for-the-samsung-galaxy-s4-brings-enhancements-and-stability-fixes/

http://www.sammobile.com/2013/06/06/new-software-update-rolling-out-for-the-samsung-galaxy-s4-brings-enhancements-and-stability-fixes/






SGS2+ (4.3″, 4.1.2, 280… 315 €)




HTC One (4.7″, 4.1.2/4.2.2, 599 €)




HTC One X 32 GB version (4.7″, 4.0.4/4.1.1, out of production)

confusingly reports 25.24 GB available, but also 6.76 GB for applications, of which about 5.4 GB

are already used with 4.1.1 (25.24 + 6.76 sum to the nominally 32 GB), so in fact it has:

about 1.36 GB internal storage + 25.24 GB internal SD


LG Optimus G (4.7″, 4.1.2, 499 €)


apparently unified internal storage (could not check the device)


LG L9 (4.7″, 4.0.4/4.1.2, 499 €)




quite a shame for such a price!

LG L5 II (4″, 4.1.2, 170…190 €)

2.10 GB available (out of nominally 4 GB; sites who report 1.4 GB available must have reviewed a

unit with lots of carrier bloatware added)



Orange San Remo (4.7″, 4.1.2, 199 €)






Orange Nivo (4″, 4.1.2, 105 €)

744 MB internal storage + 1.6 GB internal SD (out of nominally 4 GB)


Xperia J (4″, 4.0.4/4.1.2, 190…205 €)

754 MB internal storage + 2.01 GB internal SD (out of nominally 8 GB)


Huawei Ascend Mate (6.1″, 4.1.1, 400…450 €)



can change the default storage for apps, but without an added SD card, only “Internal storage” can

be selected

will install on external SD card (which will be mounted as “internal SD”)

Huawei Ascend G510 (4.5″, 4.1.1, 165…184 €, single-SIM EU variant)

2.16 GB available (out of nominally 4 GB), but mentioning “only 1.12 GB available for applications”

so it’s actually 1.12 GB internal storage + 1.04 GB internal SD (out of nominally 4 GB), not unified


be selected

the second 1 GB internal partition is mounted as “external SD”


Huawei Ascend Y300 (4″, 4.1.1, 129…149 €)

2.16 GB available (out of nominally 4 GB), but mentioning “only 1.12 GB available for applications”

so it’s actually 1.12 GB internal storage + 1.04 GB internal SD (out of nominally 4 GB), not unified


be selected

the second 1 GB internal partition is mounted as “external SD”


Philips Xenium W832 (4.5″, 4.0.4, 225 €)

503 MB internal storage (out of nominally 4 GB)

plus 2.05 GB mounted as “external SD” (so apps cannot be installed here)

adding a SD card will mount it as “internal SD”, so apps can be installed on it

Alcatel One Touch Idol Ultra (4.65″, 4.1.1, 269 €)


apparently unified internal storage

non-expandable (no SD card supported)



Alcatel One Touch X’Pop (4.5″, 4.0.4/4.1.1, 149 €)

1.37 GB internal storage (out of nominally 4 GB)

plus 0.97 GB mounted as “external SD” (so apps cannot be installed here)

adding a SD card will mount it as “internal SD”, so apps can be installed on it

Oppo Find 5 (5″, 4.1.1, 399 € for 16 GB, 429 € for 32 GB)

1.97 GB internal storage + 10.81 GB internal SD (for the 16 GB model)

does not support a SD card

♦

For the devices that cannot move apps to the (external) SD, some hacks are available if you root the

device. Apps such as Root External 2 Internal SD, Mounts2SD, or GL to SD; can do what the

manufacturer of a device didn’t bother to: mount the external SD as “internal SD”, and, if needed, declare

the “internal SD” partition as external. Custom ROMs exist sometimes for the same reason. Or you can just

edit /system/etc/vold.conf (or vold.fstab).

Now, to cheer up, let’s watch an educational video issued by Huawei and demoed on the new 6.1″ Ascend

Mate:

Bottom line: ALL the smartphone reviewers are incredibly stupid and ignorant not to check and mention

how much storage space is available for installing apps, and whether this can be extended or not (mostly

not, nowadays) by the addition of a micro SD card!

__

P.S.: I hate it when I see the “internal SD” part of the internal storage (usually in phones who don’t support

a SD card) labeled or called “USB storage”. It’s never “USB storage”, but a moronic way of saying “this is

the part where you can transfer files to and from via the micro-USB cable”.

♦

CLARIFICATION FOR THE UNDERBRAINED: When in the management screen for an app you

see the storage occupied with the following lines:

Total

App

USB storage app

Data

SD card

and a button “Move to SD card”, what happens if you tap that button is that parts of the app are moved…

to “USB storage”, because “SD card” is the external SD card, not the 2nd internal partition!

To avoid this limitation (an external SD card can have 32 GB or even 64 GB), some ROMs are hacked to

mount the external SD as “USB storage”, and the 2nd internal partition is mounted as if it were an external

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.codlab.int2ext

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.spazedog.mounts2sd

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.slf.ListglApp

http://www.droidrzr.com/index.php/topic/2576-request-mod-external-sd-card-to-be-primary/?p=54023



SD! Android will NEVER be able to install or move apps in more than ONE extra partition in

addition to the first internal partition!

Android Storage_ What Nobody Bothered to Tell You

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