What's It Like Using A MicroSD Card On Android In 2023?
Rita Al Khoury/Android Authority.
Finding a quality Android phone with expandable storage in 2023 isn't easy. As businesses look to increase their profits, the microSD slot strategy is a sensible move due to its simplicity and profitability. Why allow consumers to buy more storage? Next to nothing when you have to pay an extra $100 for every little amount of internal storage.
However, many mid-range and budget phones still have a microSD slot. And if you look closely, you'll notice some expensive models with expandable storage, such as the Sony Xperia series. But what will happen in 2023? Is Android with SD storage as open and flexible today as it was ten years ago? What should you do when buying a good microSD card and inserting it into your phone? I delved deeper into the world of Android microSD cards and here's what I found.
This article focuses on how Android works with microSD cards. Other proprietary skins like Samsung, OnePlus, Xiaomi, Moto, Sony, etc. may have a few different settings here and there. We will point out some of these differences where appropriate.
Insert the microSD card and scan it.
The basic experience of installing a microSD card on Android remains the same as it was many years ago. A notification will appear with two quick actions : Browse and Extract . It's like connecting a USB stick to a computer. You open File Explorer and see everything stored on it.
On Android, the Google Files app will launch and show you what's on the card. If you save photos, videos, music files or other documents, you can open them with compatible applications. You can copy files from your phone to your SD card or vice versa. There is nothing new here, these are all the main features of using external storage in any operating system. But if we look closer, things get even more confusing.
There is no absolute “best” card for all Android phones. Your phone depends on the class, speed and supported features. Check out your phone's documentation and specifications, then read tips for choosing the best microSD cards.
Should I use an SD card as internal or removable storage?
Android 6.0 Marshmallow introduces a dedicated microSD (expandable storage) card that allows phones with limited storage to access apps, games and multimedia. Even though it's not explicitly mentioned in Settings, available storage is still part of Android and basically does the same thing. You can use a microSD card as both removable storage and internal storage, but it is not available on all phones. Supported by Motorola, Nokia, Xiaomi, Fairphone and some other brands. That's not the case with Samsung's latest phones like the Galaxy A54 5G.
Choose a removable storage format if you want to freely move your SD card between devices.
You can find this option in Settings > Storage > SD Card (in the drop-down menu) > ⋮ > Format . The default is Removable Storage Format , which treats the SD card as a removable drive, allowing you to use it to move files to or from it and store media offline. You should choose this option if you want to freely move the card between phones and computers and access all files regardless of the device. However, it is not encrypted.
However, if you click "Format Different" at the bottom left, you will see the "Format to Internal Storage" option, which will completely erase the SD card and use it as additional internal storage on your phone. They are also encrypted so that you cannot access your data if it falls into someone else's hands. If you select Move Contents before formatting is complete, some of your existing files, such as: B. Screenshots and images, moved.
Although the card still appears as a separate item in Settings > Storage , you cannot view it individually or transfer files to it. All of your files and app data appear to be stored internally, and you have to trust Android to choose the right location when you download or save something. By default, apps are installed on the freest volume, but you can still move them.
Only use the internal memory with a very fast card and if you know what you are doing. Best for people who have lots of apps and games.
You should only choose this option if you need to expand your internal storage, have a very fast card, want to encrypt your data, and don't care about easily transferring it to another device. You cannot access the card from another device without formatting (and therefore deleting) it. Given the limitations, I recommend testing the setup for a few days with data you're not afraid of losing to see if you can live with the limitations before committing to a long-term solution.
If you're confused about the two, here's a quick overview of the differences in table format.
| SD card as removable storage | SD card as internal storage | |
|---|---|---|
Coded | SD card as removable storage NO | SD card as internal storage Yes |
It can be transferred between devices | SD card as removable storage Yes | SD card as internal storage NO |
Apps and games can be transferred to the card | SD card as removable storage NO | SD card as internal storage Yes |
It can be used for system files. | SD card as removable storage NO | SD card as internal storage Yes |
Files can be transferred to the card manually. | SD card as removable storage Yes | SD card as internal storage NO |
The card can be effectively selected for storing the camera, running apps and storing other applications. | SD card as removable storage Yes | SD card as internal storage NO |
Faster maps required. | SD card as removable storage NO | SD card as internal storage Yes |
The biggest advantage | SD card as removable storage More flexibility and more control | SD card as internal storage It expands internal storage for very large games and applications. |
The biggest loss | SD card as removable storage Apps and games are not installed. | SD card as internal storage It needs to be formatted before transferring it to another device. |
Can I store apps on Android microSD card? Or play games from the microSD card.
The short answer is: yes, you can store some apps and most games on your Android phone's microSD card, but the real answer is more complicated.
First, you cannot store apps or games on an SD card on Android. You need to install it on the internal memory and then transfer it to the card. You can find this option in Settings > Apps > Select app > Storage > Storage used > Edit.
Most large games can be saved and played on SD cards, but resource-intensive games cannot.
App and game developers decide whether their software can be ported to external storage or not. For example, Plex, Telegram, Instagram and Adobe Lightroom can be moved to the SD card. But Spotify, WhatsApp, Slack, Pocket Casts and others can't do that. Fortunately, most games and many mainstream apps support this feature. But just because you can transfer something to an SD card doesn't mean you should. The internal storage is much faster than the best microSD cards, so you should continue to play demanding games on the internal storage for the best performance. Think about it this way. Candy Crush? Memory card. Genshin Effect. Internal memory.
If the app or game is not installed on your microSD card, you can still force this option to appear. To do this, enable developer options on your phone and search for “Force allow apps on external switch” . Turn it on. However, keep in mind that you are conveying the developer's wishes and problems may arise.
The final requirement for moving apps and games to external storage depends on your phone. For some skins, such as B. Samsung One UI, it is possible to easily move compatible apps and games to a microSD card.
On the Android platform, you need to format the card as internal storage to move apps and games there. But not at Samsung.
But for Android (Google Pixel, Fairphone, HMD Nokia, etc.), your microSD card must be formatted as internal storage for this option to appear (see previous section). If you set it as removable storage, the Change button will not appear under Storage Used .
There are three reasons why you don't see an option to move apps to external storage on your Android phone.
- The microSD card you are using is not fast or powerful enough to run apps and games. Check speed and unit to ensure they are compatible.
- The developer of the app or game you want to transfer does not allow you to transfer it to external storage.
- You have a phone that requires SD cards to be formatted as internal storage for this option to appear.
Can I save photos and videos directly to the SD card?
This depends on the camera app, but generally, phones with removable storage have the option to save photos and videos to a microSD card. The default camera app on Samsung, Xiaomi, Motorola, ASUS, Nokia, Fairphone and other phones allows you to do this. However, on phones that support removable storage, this option only appears if the card is formatted as removable storage. As I mentioned earlier, when you click on internal storage, you have no control over what happens.
Phones with expandable storage allow you to save photos and videos directly to the SD card. This also applies to some third-party camera apps.
Some third-party camera apps also allow you to set a default storage location. However, this depends on whether the developers implement this or not. For example ProKam
Can I use a microSD card for offline storage in streaming apps?
This is also a setting that the developers of each app have to implement themselves. But in my experience, most apps that allow storing large amounts of data for offline use allow the use of a microSD card instead of internal storage. Again, on phones that support removable storage, you can only control this if the card is formatted as a flash drive.
Music streaming apps like Spotify, YouTube Music, Deezer, Amazon Music, and Pocket Casts, as well as video streaming apps like Plex and Amazon Prime Video, allow you to choose an SD card as your default storage. So insert a 1TB or 2TB card into your phone and significantly expand the storage space, allowing you to watch dozens of HD movies or TV series offline.
Other apps also offer storage selection. Google Maps lets you save offline maps to the SD card, Telegram can save chats and media to the card, Amazon Kindle saves books to the SD card, and Google Chrome moves all downloads to the card.
In general, using microSD cards on Android can be as easy as connecting a USB drive to your computer. However, things get complicated when you need to store apps and games on it or choose between internal and external formats. Choose the one that suits you and you will not have any problem.
Every Q
First you need to make sure your phone recognizes the card. Go to Settings > Storage and check if the card appears there. If not, remove it and reinstall it in your phone. If the map does not appear, it may be corrupted. Try recording on another computer and see if it works on your phone.
If the card appears in storage but is not accessible in the Google Files app, it will be marked as internal storage. To switch to external storage, go to Settings > Storage > select SD card > ⋮ > Format > Format differently and select Format for removable storage .
Android can use FAT32 and exFAT file systems for SD cards. The default file system for SD cards less than 32GB is FAT32 and the default file system for SD cards larger than 32GB is exFAT.
FAT32 is an older file system that is compatible with most devices including Android phones, computers and cameras. However, it is limited to 4GB per file and does not work well with files with very long names.
exFAT is a new file system designed for large files. The 4GB file size has no FAT32 limitation and can handle files with long names. However, not all devices support exFAT. Therefore, it is important to check the compatibility of your Android phone before formatting your SD card for exFAT.
If you are not sure which file system to use, it is a good idea to format your SD card to FAT32. This ensures that your SD card is compatible with most devices.
