How to Move Android Apps to a Micro SD Card and Clear Space

By  Andy Betts,

You try to install a new app and the Not Enough Space warning pops up. All those games, photos, and 4K videos have finally taken their toll.

If your phone has a memory card slot, then the solution is easy. A microSD card is a cheap way of expanding your phone’s storage, and you can move apps to an SD card on Android to free up space.

How you do it depends on what Android version you’re using. We’ll take a look at them all in this guide.

Using a microSD Card on Android

Before you get started, consider a few points.

Memory cards are slower than internal storage, so you may notice slightly worse performance for more resource-intensive apps. When picking a card, go for the fastest and largest one your phone can support—check your phone’s specifications to see what cards it’s compatible with.

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It isn’t possible to move preinstalled apps without rooting, and even some third-party apps may not support it. Also, on older versions of Android, you might not be able to use widgets associated with apps you’ve moved to your memory card.

With all this in mind, let’s see how to move apps to a microSD card.

Use a microSD Card as Internal Storage

Android Marshmallow introduced changes to the way phones can handle memory cards, and these changes continued into the later versions of Android.

You can now set microSD cards to work as internal storage. Instead of having internal and external storage existing as separate spaces, Android views the card as an extension of the built-in memory.

Data and apps can write to either as needed, and it all happens seamlessly. As a result, you don’t need to worry about where your apps are stored.

You have to set it up first. Your card will be wiped in the process, so make sure you’ve backed up any data you need:

1. Insert the card into your phone. When the New SD Card notification appears, tap Set Up.
2. Next, you need to choose how your phone should use the card. Select Phone Storageon Android 9, or Use as Internal Storage on older versions. Alternatively, go to Settings > Storage, tap the card, tap the menu button, and select Storage Settings. Tap Format as internal.
3. In the next screen tap Format SD Card, or Erase & Format. This will wipe your card.
4. On Android 9 you’re offered the chance to move your content—including apps—onto the card. It also shows you how much space you’ll save. Hit Move Content to complete.

This feature is called Adoptable Storage, and it requires you to keep your card in your phone permanently. The card is also encrypted, so you cannot put it in another device to copy the data.

The big downside to adoptable storage is that some manufacturers choose not to offer iton their devices. If you don’t have it, then you’ll have to continue moving your apps to your SD card manually.

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Move Apps to an SD Card on Android 9.0 Pie

If your phone doesn’t support adoptable storage, it’s quick and easy to transfer apps to an SD card on Android Pie manually. Just remember that you can’t do it for every app, and not at all for the pre-installed apps.

1. Go to Settings > Apps & notifications > App info.
2. Find the app you want to move in the list and tap it.
3. Select Storage. If the app supports being moved to a card, you’ll see a button here labeled Change. Tap this.
4. Select the SD Card in the Change storage dialog box. This brings up a confirmation screen. Tap Move to begin.

To move the app back to internal storage, repeat the steps above but select Internal shared storage in the final step. You should always do this when you want to change or remove your memory card.

Move Apps to an SD Card on Android 8.0 Oreo

The process for moving an app to the SD card on Android 8 is basically the same as for Android 9:

1. Go to Settings > Apps & notifications > App info.
2. Scroll down to find the app you want to move to the card and tap on it.
3. Select Storage. If the app supports being moved to a card, you’ll see a section labeled Storage used. Hit the button marked Change.
4. Select the card you want to move the app to, followed by Move.

Move Apps to an SD Card on Android 7.0 Nougat

You can move apps to a memory card on Android 7.0 Nougat through Settings. However, you can’t move all apps, and where they don’t support it, you won’t see the Change button in Step 3.

1. Go to Settings > Apps.
2. Locate the app you want to move to your microSD Card and tap on it.
3. Go to Storage > Change and choose your card from the prompt box that opens.
4. Tap Move to complete the process.

Depending on the size of the app, it may take a few moments to complete (especially in the case of large games), so don’t touch your phone until it’s done. To move the app back, repeat the steps and choose Internal shared storage in Step 3.

Move Apps to an SD Card on Android 6.0 Marshmallow

Moving apps to a microSD card is the same on Marshmallow as it is on Nougat.

1. Go to Settings > Apps then tap on your chosen app.
2. Tap Storage > Change then choose the card when prompted.
3. Hit Move to complete the process.

Move Apps to an SD Card on Android 5.0 Lollipop

Lollipop has less robust support for memory cards than later versions of Android, but you can still move apps from within Settings.

You’re limited in which apps you can place in your external storage; it depends on the developer supporting the option. Also, the entire app doesn’t move across to the card either—only part of it does.

You can see which apps you’ve got on your card by swiping to the right hand tab in the Appscreen, labeled On SD Card. This makes it easy to identify any that you may wish to move back in the future.

To move apps:

1. Go to Settings > Apps and tap the app you want to move to your SD card.
2. Next, under the Storage section, tap Move to SD Card. The button will be grayed out while the app moves, so don’t interfere until it’s done.
3. If there’s no Move to SD Card option, the app cannot be moved.

Once it’s done, the Storage section will update to show how much of the app is now stored on the card (and how much is still in internal storage). The Move button will now read Move to Phone or Move to Device Storage. Tapping on this enables you to remove the app from the card.

Move Apps to an SD Card on Android 4.x and Earlier

Support for microSD cards was extremely limited in all Android 4.x versions (including KitKat, Jelly Bean, and Ice Cream Sandwich). Stock Android didn’t support the ability to move apps to an external card at all, as Google seemed intent on phasing cards out entirely. However, some manufacturers did opt to include the feature in their own versions of the operating system.

If your older device supports it, the process is straightforward:

1. Go to Settings > Apps.
2. Next, locate and tap the app you want to move to the card.
3. Select Move to SD card. If this button isn’t available, you can’t move the app (or your phone doesn’t support doing so).

In the unlikely event that you’re still using an Android 2.x device, these steps are roughly the same ones you’ll encounter. Home screen widgets are not supported in these old versions—you’ll need to keep an app in internal storage if you want to use a widget.

If you don’t have the option on your phone, then you’ll need to look into a third-party app.

Move Apps to an SD Card Using Link2SD

If your phone doesn’t support moving apps to the SD card, or if you want to move an app that doesn’t support it individually, there are a few third-party apps that can help you out. Apps2SD is a popular option, as is FolderMount. Both require a rooted Android phone.

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We’re going to look at another choice, Link2SD, which has both root and non-root features. You can use it to move apps to your card in bulk, to “force-move” apps that don’t normally allow it, and to offload data folders for larger apps and games to your external storage.

First, launch the app and grant root permissions if your phone is rooted. Then tap the app you want to move and select an option:

• Link to SD Card. This requires root and moves the entire app and its data to your card.
• Move to SD Card. This doesn’t require root and only works if your phone supports moving apps to external storage. If you do have root, you can also force-move apps that don’t otherwise support it..
• Link to SD Card (Data and Cache). Moves data files, and requires root.

To move more than one app at a time, tap the menu button in the top right-corner and choose Multi-select. Now tap all the apps you want to move, hit the menu button again, and choose either Link to SD card or Move to SD card. These are the same options as described above.

Link2SD is free, with a paid upgrade. It works on Android 2.3 and up.

Download: Link2SD (Free) | Link2SD Plus ($2)

The Best Way to Move Apps on Android

The best way to install apps on your microSD card depends on what version of Android you’re using, whether your phone’s manufacturer has implemented all the features, and what app you want to move.

In summary:

• On phones that support adoptable storage, that’s the best choice. It removes any need to manage your card manually.
• For phones that support moving apps to the card manually, that method is best and cleanest.
• If your phone doesn’t support any of this, or if you have specific requirements, consider rooting and using Link2SD.

If your apps are taking up too much space, another good solution is to use the new range of Android Go apps instead. Not only are they smaller and take up less space, but they run faster on older or less powerful phones too.

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Source: www.makeuseof.com

6 Warning Signs Your Cell Phone May Be Tapped

By Philip Bates,

How can you tell if your phone is tapped? Like it or not, most of us have grown used to our phones being spied upon—not at least by governments!

But other parties can tap into your smartphone. This includes hackers, your employer, an ex-partner, or the press! They might be listening in to your calls, reading and sending texts and emails, or altering information on your interface.

Here’s how to tell if your cell phone has been tapped.

1. Incessant Battery Problems

Before iOS and Android caught on, battery troubles were a sign of a phone tap. Hot batteries remain a concern when it comes to smartphones.

You’re probably very familiar with an overheating battery anyway. You might have even visited a phone store and inquired about the issue. In most cases, you’ll simply be told it’s standard for smartphones. Apple, for example, typically only worries if your device has got so hot, it’s shut itself down.

Why does your smartphone get so hot? Using numerous apps and consuming endless media will make your handset warmer, though this shouldn’t be enough to cause any damage to you or itself.

However, a hot battery can also be a sign of cell phone tapping. Uninvited software could be running in the background, allowing someone else to listen in.

Furthermore, be suspicious if your phone simply isn’t holding charge.

Monitor your phone: remember which apps you’ve used and how they affect your battery. If it consistently runs low on battery, despite you not using it that frequently, that’s too strange to ignore.

Older handsets don’t hold charge as well as newer models, however, so you need to eliminate other possibilities before looking for nefarious purposes.

Equally, you need to take note of other reasons your handset might be hot. Have you been sunbathing with it nearby? Have you been using lots of apps consecutively? Is a phone case locking heat in? Is another device connected via Bluetooth?

High temperatures and low power can nonetheless be indicative of malicious software. You then need to look out for other signs your phone is tapped…

2. Increased Mobile Data Usage

Keeping a close eye on your phone bills can save you a lot of cash. But it can also help you spot spyware.

Countless apps vacuum up huge amounts of data, especially if you don’t connect to free Wi-Fi offered by many stores (because this can be a security concern too). It’s even worse if you let your kids use your device while away from home. Still, you should know roughly how much data you use each month.

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If this amount increases dramatically, you need to narrow down exactly why that’s happening—and if you can’t find the reason, it might that a third party is intercepting your messages.

Malicious software uses your data allowance to send information it’s collected to an outside source. That means it’s not solely relying on your home Wi-Fi: it’ll be consuming data wherever you are.

3. Unwanted Ads and Apps

You know your phone like the back of your hand—which is to say, not very well. You become overly familiar with your operating system, meaning you forget half the apps on there.

But it’s imperative that you know exactly what’s on your phone, especially the apps running in the background. If you’ve not installed them, they could be malicious.

One such piece of malware that tampers with your cell is Hummer. This Trojan infected about 1.4 million Android devices per day in early 2016. First spotted in 2014, it was most prevalent in countries like India, Russia, and the Philippines.

It’s estimated that, if the virus creators (likely based in China) got just $0.50 per infection, they could have made a profit of over $500,000 in just 24 hours.

Victims will see intrusive ads too because malicious software doesn’t always hide itself. Once installed, Hummer aims to obtain root access—i.e. administrative rights—to your device. This allows it to download unwanted content, and makes it incredibly difficult to get rid of. Even initiating a factory reset doesn’t work.

Malware can generate a lot of ad traffic, and thus increase data usage further.

4. General Performance Issues

It’s only natural that, the more data being used, the slower your device will be.

HummingBad is similar to Hummer, a Trojan with an estimated 10 million victims. It finds its way onto a device when a user accidentally downloads a fraudulent app. Fake versions of YouTube or WhatsApp, for instance, can still be found on the App Store.

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Cybercriminals made $300,000 a month from HummingBad, notably in 2016—though it’s since enjoyed a resurgence.

The malware also gets root access, or, in some cases, tricks you into downloading a fake systems update for complete domination over your activities. It then promotes pop-up advertisements, and transmits information to a server controlled by Yingmob, a group of Chinese hackers. In addition to so-called “click-fraud”, HummingBad could intercept all your messages.

Think of all that information being transmitted to and from your smartphone or tablet! This will slow down your device, and you might think it’s simply that your handset is getting old…

It’s not isolated to HummingBad. You’ll suffer performance lags whatever method a cybercriminal uses to bug your phone.

Of course, real apps will take up power, but they shouldn’t noticeably affect your device’s reaction time.

You can check which apps are using the most RAM. On iOS, you just need to go on Settings > General > iPhone Storage. On Android, click Settings > Apps and swipe over to Running. You’ll probably see Photos and Music near the top of the list. From here, you can properly assess your app usage, and check for anything that doesn’t ring true.

5. Strange Texts and Messages

How do you know if your phone is tapped or being spied on? You might be ignoring the signs already!

What you might pass off as spam, a nuisance, or a wrong number can be an alert that something’s wrong.

Suspicious SMS will be a seemingly-randomized series of digits, characters, and symbols, which will immediately strike you as odd but perhaps not especially malicious.

Do not ignore them.

The most likely cause of this is a fault in spyware used by cybercriminals. If it hasn’t installed properly, coded messages will appear in your inbox that would otherwise have gone unnoticed. These random data sets are instructions sent from the servers of a hacker to tamper with the fraudulent application. Alternatively, it could be the app trying to contact its creator.

Likewise, if any family or friends say you’re sending them bizarre texts or emails, this is a sign that your phone is compromised. This could mean your infected phone is trying to install malware on the devices of your loved ones.

Keep an eye out for any activity you don’t recognize. Look at messaging chains, social media profiles, and check your sent folder and outbox. If you can’t remember sending something, be suspicious.

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6. Websites Look Different

This is a tricky one, but staying vigilant could save you getting ripped off.

It’s a scam we’re all familiar with, but no one’s infallible. We all forget advice, and make mistakes. If that mistake is clicking on a URL in a text or email, it can cost you big bucks.

However, you don’t even have to be redirected to a fraudulent link through a message. If there’s a malicious app on your phone, it could alter the appearance of websites you frequent.

The malware acts as a proxy, intercepting communications between you and the site you’re trying to visit. It might be presenting a false page to you, or simply keeping track of anything you type. And no, it doesn’t matter if you’re on Private Browsing.

This really becomes a problem if you’re using a site that requires personal details. That could be a password, financial details, or mere Personally Identifiable Information (PII), which is a major currency on the Dark Web. PayPal, for example, is a worry; so too is mobile or online banking.

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You might not notice any differences. They could solely be minor changes, like pixelated logos. And even if you do see something strange, it could just be the website experimenting with a new interface. Compare the mobile version with that displayed on a PC, bearing in mind responsive themes will look slightly different.

How Can You Tell If Your Phone Is Tapped?

Don’t be overly paranoid—most of us won’t be victims to a phone tap. Nonetheless, it’s worth brushing up on some security measures.

Reduce risk of infection by only downloading from official app stores; Apple and Google screen apps and games before letting them become available to the masses. Knowing which is the most secure mobile operating system can be helpful, and keep your eyes peeled for signs that your phone has malware.

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