Android apps install to the internal
storage by default, but you can also set the SD card as your default install
location. This trick allows you to move almost any app to the SD card – no root
access required.
This tweak requires Android 2.2 or
later. To change the default install location, you’ll need to use the ADB, or
Android Debug Bridge, utility included with Google’s Android SDK.
Enable
USB Debugging
First, you’ll need to enable USB
debugging on your Android device. Open the Settings screen, tap Applications,
and select Development.
Tap the USB Debugging checkbox to
enable it. This will enable debug mode, allowing you to change the settings on
your Android device from your computer. You may want to disable debug mode
after completing this process.
Install
the Android SDK
You’ll need to download and install Google’s Android SDK
on your computer. If you don’t already have Oracle’s Java JDK
installed on your computer, you’ll have to download and install it before
installing the Android SDK.
After you’ve installed both the JDK
and Android SDK, launch the SDK Manager from your Start menu.
The ADB utility isn’t installed by
default. It’s included in the Android SDK Platform-tools package – select this
package and click the Install button to download and install it.
After the process completes, connect
your Android device to your computer with its included USB cable. Windows
should locate the device and install the appropriate drivers automatically. If
it doesn’t, you may have to download and install the appropriate drivers from
your Android device’s manufacturer. Do not mount the device after connecting it
– just plug it in.
Using
ADB
Open a Windows Explorer window and
navigate to the android-sdk\platform-tools folder. On Windows, you’ll
find this folder at C:\Program Files
(x86)\Android\android-sdk\platform-tools by default. Check C:\Program
Files\Android\android-sdk\platform-tools if you’re using a 32-bit version
of Windows.
Launch a Command Prompt window in
this folder by pressing and holding the Shift button, right-clicking in the
folder, and selecting Open command window here.
Run the adb devices command
and you should see your connected Android device.
Run the following command to set the
default install location to your SD card:
adb shell pm setInstallLocation 2
If you want to revert this change
later and install apps to the internal storage by default, run this command:
adb shell pm setInstallLocation 0
0
represents your device’s internal storage, and is the default. 2
represents the external storage, whether it’s an SD card or USB storage.
Moving
Apps to SD Card
Apps that refused to leave your
system storage can now be moved to the external storage. For instance, below
you’ll see screenshots of the Slacker Radio app. Before the change was made,
the Move to USB Storage button was grayed out. After the change was made, the
button is enabled and the app can be moved.
To move an app to the SD card, open
the Settings screen, tap Applications, and select Manage Applications. Select
the app you want to move and tap the Move button on its details screen.
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