Database Info

use DROPBOX and prevent SD Card errors!

THIS IS A SHAMELESS PLUG but... it's also very useful and if you make it a habit, it can even prevent SD card errors.
I was very surprised that a couple of my friends didn't know about dropbox for android and how well it works. For those who don't know, dropbox is a multi device syncing service. It's free up to 2gb. It sets up a folder on your mac or pc or linux box and everything you put in there is automatically sync'd to other devices.
Here's the thing, IT's FAST. Even UPLOADING is fast. This is important because if you have a 2mb apk that you're installing or a 5mb kernel that you're flashing, it's very convenient to just copy the file into your dropbox folder... and then simply grab it from dropbox on your SGS. I have fiber into my house but I remember that dropbox was really fast even before i got fios.
With exception larger 20+ mb files, I turned to doing this exclusively a few weeks ago because I was tired of my sd card always turning up errors when plugged in. The sdcard errors have even cost me a few pics taken from my phone. I don't know about you guys, but I probably mounted and dismounted my sd card over 10 times a day on the low side before.
Here's an important note about accessing files through dropbox though, you should always DOWNLOAD them from the dropbox app onto your sd card before installing. Installing directly from the dropbox android app can sometimes turn up errors.
So that's the plug guys. But if you haven't tried it yet, try it.
Like I said, the first 2gb are free from dropbox and if you refer friends, you can get upto 8gb free. I'm not even including my dropbox referral link here because I seriously believe in this tip that much! Save SD card errors and use dropbox!

Figured everyone does this, some shape or form. I think I've hooked up my phone to a computer like twice for USB access.

digiblur said:
Figured everyone does this, some shape or form. I think I've hooked up my phone to a computer like twice for USB access.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha, ya, me too.
Weird though, today- dropbox has decided it needs to resync the contents every time I open a folder (once per folder). I'm not sure what the issue is, as 90% of the contents haven't changed. Not the end of the world, but ya, hope this thread gets more ppl using it. It really does save a lot of time, especially in school and e.g. transitioning to a new computer.
And.. thread getting moved in 5-4-3-2

No brainer...
I love DropBox. I signed up for an account then invited all my firends to join. When they did i get an additional 250megs. I then have a shared Folder that i have shared with all of them. We now have all the apps, games, wallpapers, ringtones, etc. my friends and I love in one place. Then on top of that it is backed up on my laptop and desktop. All for Free. If you haven't signed up for it, i highly recommend you do.
Fuz

Not Development.
That said, this is very cool technology. I wish they gave you more than 2-8GB for free, though, because I'd like to move my entire music, picture, and movie collections there. I'm actually thinking about paying the $100/year, which is ridiculous.
The coolest part is that it streams music and movies, doesn't download them. Very cool.
Google Music will be a good solution for the music, but I wish it would have generic storage space, too.

What are you doing to your phone that your sd card corrupts itself? I've never had it do that even once, and I've even DCed the phone in the middle of active transfers (a lot more times than I care to admit)

Firon said:
What are you doing to your phone that your sd card corrupts itself? I've never had it do that even once, and I've even DCed the phone in the middle of active transfers (a lot more times than I care to admit)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really? my system created LOST directory was getting out of hand before this. I DID yank the cable out a few times during active file transfers but I doubt that was the only cause. Nowadays virus scans- indexing- caching.... things are being being written on HD's and cards all the time...
Am I the only one who had windows prompt me for a error check every other time when I mounted my disk? hmm...
@digiblur, I thought this is what everyone did too! But I was surprised to learn not...
This isn't development is it? Sorry mods! I just thought to post and should have done it in the general section. I'll exercise better judgment next time!
Move away!

Firon said:
What are you doing to your phone that your sd card corrupts itself? I've never had it do that even once, and I've even DCed the phone in the middle of active transfers (a lot more times than I care to admit)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might just be lucky. Many of our users have had odd bugs that were completely solved by SD card format and reflash.

[Q] Windows sees MicroSD card, but not the SD card

UPDATE: Android 3.2 has fixed the problem
Title says it all.
Computer-->Transformer 101-->Device Storage
I can see the MicroSD directory, but not the SD directory.
The transformer sees the SD card fine.
Using Prime 1.5
Tried both NTFS and FAT32 format on the SD card
Any suggestions?

Lack of Honeycomb support for more than one external storage device.

I'm usually too lazy to get the usb cable. I use swiftp and upload things to my tablet from ftp. It sees the whole directory including /system/ and so forth.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium App

So, lack of multiple storage devices? Really? That sucks.
I'll try the swiftp. That looks viable.
Thanks.
If anyone knows a work around get the SD card visible in windows, please let me know.

SwiFTP is a old app and not updated much but it still works. App isn't optimized for HC, but you can do the basic things you need to do. Other than optimization for screen, it works great.
You can see /removable/microsd/ and /sdcard/.

Checked out SwiFTP. It gets the job done, with transfer speeds of around 200-300 Kb/s over wifi. Tomorrow I'll buy an extra ethernet cable and see if I can get this usb-to-lan adapter working with the transformer. That should give me fast enough speeds to keep me happy in the mean time. SwiFTP also allows me to charge the transformer while doing file transfers, which is nice.
I really hope Android 3.2 will fix this so I can see the SD card through windows.
I really really like the transformer, but it's all the little things wrong with it that drive me nuts.

Have you considered transferring files the other way around? E.g. sharing a dir in windows and accessing it via smb from tf over wifi with whatever you want - es file manager, file manager hd, file expert, etc. You can also mount it with cifs manager if you want.
The transfer speeds shouldbe reasonably faster over smbcompared to ftp.

Not quite sure what smb is. I'll have to google it. I'll look into it.

typci said:
Not quite sure what smb is. I'll have to google it. I'll look into it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SMB protocol is basically what you usually share your windows files via. Just share a folder in Windows like you usually would (not through home network though), and you'll be able to access it via any file manager on tablet.
I'm getting 2-2.5Mbytes/sec over wifi this way, which probably can be improved since the TF connects to my wifi router at 65Mbps (so, theoretically up to 8 Mbytes/sec which is ideal, but 4-5 should be real) but I don't bother with that since I don't really need faster transfer speeds.

There should be a folder called "MicroSD", maybe two. One of them is your external SD Card. But i found out that i don't see every file with windows...

interesting ... so i haven't even tried SD+MicroSD at the same time I can't tell if TF101 will see both ... should probably try it tonight.
But I know I have plugged 2 differnet USB flash drives into the dock with the microSD and the tablet saw everything.

I think people are missing the OPs question. I read the setup as he/she is windows computer connected to the TF and looking at the Windows Explorer window. In Window Explorer it shows the uSD, but not an SD card plugged into the dock.

jerrykur said:
I think people are missing the OPs question. I read the setup as he/she is windows computer connected to the TF and looking at the Windows Explorer window. In Window Explorer it shows the uSD, but not an SD card plugged into the dock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We (at least I) understood it correctly. I was just suggesting a workaround based on my own experience to achieve the same goals via different means.

A couple of people missed the point, but the information provided has been very useful. Thanks for the help so far.
I also forgot that not everyone has the dock. If you do not have the dock, then you do not have an SD card slot (the tablet has a MicroSD card slot). The SD card slot on the dock is the card I'm having trouble with.
The ultimate goal of the question was to be able to transfer files between the computer and the Transformer, and Transformer's various storage areas: Internal, MicroSD, and SD card. That has been achieved with the various work arounds provided so far (SwiFTP, smb). But I would like to have an option in windows to drag and drop files to the Transformer SD (not MicroSD, or internal memory) card located on the dock, with the Transformer hooked up to the computer via USB.
Just to clarify:
The transformer can store user files in 3 places:
Internal Flash Memory - /SDCard directory from within Android, /transformer 101/Device Storage directory from windows via USB
External MicroSD Card - MicroSD card slot on tablet, /Removable/MicroSD directory from within Android, /transformer 101/Device Storage/MicroSD directory from windows via USB
External SD Card - SD card slot on the Transformer's dock, /Removable/SD directory from within Android --> This is the card that does not show up when the Transformer is connected to the computer via USB.
I use the internal memory for games, apks, and other basic android stuff.
I use a 8GB MicroSD card for extra stuff needed by apks, clockwork mod stuff, and school stuff (I'm a teacher and a student)
I also have a 8GB SD card I want to use for video and audio. I need a very convenient and fast way to switch out these files, since I will be changing them pretty often, and because they are huge files. Once I get this setup, I plan buy a much larger SDHC card to store videos on.
So far, I really like the SwiFTP suggested by zephiK, because everything can be controlled on my windows computer, and with a decent FTP program it should be really easy to use. I don't like dealing with file systems in Android just yet. Astro and root explorer are nice, but no where near as easy to use as windows explorer (multiple open windows and drag and drop).
Also, I just bought a ethernet cable and USB-to-LAN adapter. This will make it so I can plug my charge my transformer via the wall plug while I transfer files over the LAN.
I'm interested in smb, but probably won't use it because you use a file manager on the tablet to control it. But it is always good to have options.
If someone has a working setup where all three Transformer storage locations (Internal, MicroSD, and SD) are accessible through windows via USB, let me know. Or if someone has it natively working, please let me know. I'm trying to figure out whether my problem is with my transformer, or it all transformers have this problem.

i had this same issue, this is how i fixed it!
I went to the asus website and downloaded all the programs for sync and everything,
Then i was able to see the removable folder on the transformer
Hope this helps

number16 said:
interesting ... so i haven't even tried SD+MicroSD at the same time I can't tell if TF101 will see both ... should probably try it tonight.
But I know I have plugged 2 differnet USB flash drives into the dock with the microSD and the tablet saw everything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The TF101 will see SD+MicroSD card at the same time, and probably as many USB flash drives as you can plug into it.
The trouble I'm having is with the TF101 connected to my computer via USB, windows explorer sees the TF101 internal memory, the MicroSD card, but not the SD card.
Do you know if windows explorer will see a USB flash drive plugged into the TF101?

Another very viable solution is to install a samba server on your tablet, and share the needed dirs right from it wirelessly. Then you'll be able to normally work with them via windows explorer like you would with any other network share.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=8239139&postcount=128
Needs root though. Havent tried it myself, i will later today or tomorrow.
Needs some setup, but some setup > having to be cable tied in my book, i hate all kinds of cables.

Take the SD/microSD card out, plug it into computer via real reader. You get faster read/writes, takes seconds.

I just realized I missed the pound RE Windows - removed my post entry.

I can't even seem to be able to access my microSD from a windows computer over the sync cable. It only shows me internal storage.
However removing the microSD and directly coping is faster, however if you have stuff open on the card, it is inconvenient. So being able to copy stuff over from the laptop is useful.
My other option is to map the windows drive onto the transformer and copying the files over wifi.

Connecting Android phone to transformer

Hi guys,
I have the asus to USB adapter for my transformer. I'm trying to plug in my galaxy s2 as a mass storage DEVICE. I want to be able to transfer files between devices without a computer in between. Bluetooth is just way too slow and fickle. However it recognises the phone and shows the sd card (not internal storage) but if I try and access the folders it says file not found or something.
Anyone made this work or have any other ideas? Sometimes I'm on the road and need a quick way to move large video files from phone to tablet. All the sync apps seem way too slow and use heaps of data I dont have, as free wifi is hard to find in new Zealand.
Thanks in advance
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium

I hope I'm understanding u but forget the USB process altogether and use 1 micro SD card. Using a file manger on your sgs2 u can place the video files onto the micro SD and then physically take out the card and place it in your tf. Then use a file manager on your tf to either access it and or copy the files onto your internal tf memory.
You may not be able to access your micro SD card from the My Files app on your sgs2. U will need to download a file manager app from the market. Ex. Astro file manager.
U will be able to access the micro SD card from the default file manager app on the tf.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using XDA App

Yeah I have thought about this. It seems like a messy way to do it though, as I have a micro sd in each, so is a lot of shuffling (and rebooting in the case of the gs2 because of the location of the sd slot). I was thinking though as the Gs2 can be mounted as USB storage, there should be some way to access it on the transformer ? I do wish google would enable an easier way of us sharing files between devices, excluding nfc of course.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda premium

Either way...there is going to be a drawback to any method you use to end up with the same result. I use the micro sd card / file manager method all the time and have no problems nor does it seem inefficient or messy to me. This is basically the same process as using a flash drive to transfer a large file from one pc to the other.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using XDA App

quick and cheeky answer- get a keyboard dock.
i have the SGS2 aswell and all i do is use the phones usb cable and plug it into the USB port on the dock, hey presto it all works fine.
you could try to connect to the tablet over direct wifi too- the SGS2 has direct wifi and only 1 needs it to get it working, you could then stream the video files to the tablet.
have a look here too:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giJXF5pIITc
maybe PM nztechfreak on xda or his facebook page, there isnt a thing that guy doesnt know about android phones and tablets and he is very helpful indeed

You can also use the 'Samba Filesharing' app from the market place. Your phone will show up in 'My Computer/Networks' and you can read/write directly to/from the SD card.

You could probably set up some sort of ad-hoc wireless connection between the two devices, it would most likely be more reliable than bluetooth which I never got to work.

I use a NAS to copy files from my phone to my transformer.
I use ES file explorer to access the NAS from both devices, so they have a shared storage to copy to/from.
I haven't tried samba sharing of the SD card, but that sounds like a good idea too. saves one step.

Local Storage, SD Storage & MicroSD Storage

Hello, was hoping someone could help me or possibly explain how the Storage is structured on the 300T.
You have Local, SD & MicroSD storage. On my Evo3D phone I have Local and MicroSD and when I use my Cloud Service it stores everything on the MicroSD. On my 300T when I use my Cloud Service it stores everthing on the Internal SD storage instead of the removable MicroSD card. I have heard that once you fill up the SD storage it will overflow onto the removable MicroSD, is this true?
Basically, I want to store games and Tablet data on the local and Internal SD storage and have all my music and movies on the removable MicroSD. Are there was to do this?

Unless there is a option in the app you are using that you can change where it puts the multimedia files you download from it you will have to move them to the removable Micro SD yourself.
However I wouldn't think anything would default to the removable MicroSD because they probably think the internal sd IS the external memory. allowing your external MicroSD to not get cluttered.
I don't have much experience with tablets or ICS so I could be wrong.

I would like to get it to download apps to SD instead of internal
I'm having a problem on my TF300T
All my apps are downloading off the Market directly to the Internal Storage even though I have a 32GB Micro SD Card!
Anyone have any insight as to why this happens? My internal storage is filling up quite quickly. I think the base memory on these things is only 12GB free to start so I really need to be able to swap cards in and out and have apps install to it instead of internal.
Thanks in advance
nordis,

nordis2010 said:
I'm having a problem on my TF300T
All my apps are downloading off the Market directly to the Internal Storage even though I have a 32GB Micro SD Card!
Anyone have any insight as to why this happens? My internal storage is filling up quite quickly. I think the base memory on these things is only 12GB free to start so I really need to be able to swap cards in and out and have apps install to it instead of internal.
Thanks in advance
nordis,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By default on ICS everything goes to the sd card. I believe there is a rooted option to move some apps to sd card, but I'm not sure. check out this thread. Starting on that page and for a little bit there is some discussion on it.
As I stated in that thread. I would like to know what apps people are installing that take up that much space.

I checked out that link, did not get much regarding the sd card. If apps are not going to install to it then what's the point?
As far as apps go that take up that much space, it's all kinds of them, from music apps, to gps nav apps. I use Sygic with this and
pull down all the maps of the us, right there your 12gb is gone. A bunch of forex trading apps, I have Root since last night.
I really need this stuff to install to the 32gb cards I have or this thing is going to be pretty useless to me real fast.
My sons is the same, with in a week he has his loaded with games to the point where the internal storage is almost full.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T using XDA

nordis2010 said:
I checked out that link, did not get much regarding the sd card. If apps are not going to install to it then what's the point?
As far as apps go that take up that much space, it's all kinds of them, from music apps, to gps nav apps. I use Sygic with this and
pull down all the maps of the us, right there your 12gb is gone. A bunch of forex trading apps, I have Root since last night.
I really need this stuff to install to the 32gb cards I have or this thing is going to be pretty useless to me real fast.
My sons is the same, with in a week he has his loaded with games to the point where the internal storage is almost full.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure if these apps work but try them out:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.a0soft.gphone.app2sd&hl=en
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...wOSwiY29tLndvbmd4bWluZy5hbmRyb2lkLmFwcDJzZCJd
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...GwsMSwxLDEwOSwibW9iaS5pbmZvbGlmZS5hcHAyc2QiXQ..

Cool
It never occurred to me to just check the app store lol!
Thanks for that. Guess my brain is a bit laggy today, spent all night
getting this rooted.
Actually rooting it was beyond simple, the real issue was with Java not being recognized by Windows, so I couldn't run ADB.
All it came down to was the Environment Variable, once set it could see
the application and load the usb drivers. Then after getting it loaded I had to play with it, so went to sleep got up a hour later to go to work hehe.
Anyway thanks for the responses, this forum has been a God Sent!
nordis,

There's no way without root is there?
Sent from my R800i using XDA

KindaUndisputed said:
There's no way without root is there?
Sent from my R800i using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, some of the data from the apps are stored in /root/data/data.... You'll need root to move them (in our case ICS, in gingerbread you were able to do this unrooted). Did it work nordis?

Wasn't at system when you sent that last response.
Hi,
Sorry was going back n forth between work and home.
I have a couple of them pulled down, all with very similar names.
A couple look really promising. I will post it once I'm finished but it looks
like the majority of these will allow me to move everything that I want to
move off of the internal storage and on to the SD card.
Well all except the XDA forums, for some reason those all state internal only.
Not a big deal though. If I can move the GPS apps off the internal storage, and
my ForEx apps I think I'm good.
nordis,
---------- Post added at 01:51 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:12 AM ----------
This sucks,
Apparently some rocket scientist over at Asus decided that on a 16GB Base System that it was more than enough storage space to do anything anyone could want, and that the external storage would only be to transfer files to an from the device.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=26151036&posted=1#post26151036
I literally wont be able to use these systems with in a couple of days from now.
Not being able to save application data on a storage drive has to be the single most asinine thing I've ever see a electronics manufacturer do. This is really a deal breaker now. If I'm unable to get this data from point A. to point B. and still be able to access it from with in the applications, these things are useless!
This is not a Opinion, this is a requirement for me.
If there was a big disclaimer some place that said HEY YOU REALLY ONLY HAVE ABOUT 12GB OF SPACE TO WORK WITH, AND AFTER THAT YOUR S.O.L! I would have moved right past these.
I just don't even know what to do now, Play Frisbee with these things or something I guess, on the way back to the store!

nordis2010 said:
This sucks,
Apparently some rocket scientist over at Asus decided that on a 16GB Base System that it was more than enough storage space to do anything anyone could want, and that the external storage would only be to transfer files to an from the device.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=26151036&posted=1#post26151036
I literally wont be able to use these systems with in a couple of days from now.
Not being able to save application data on a storage drive has to be the single most asinine thing I've ever see a electronics manufacturer do. This is really a deal breaker now. If I'm unable to get this data from point A. to point B. and still be able to access it from with in the applications, these things are useless!
This is not a Opinion, this is a requirement for me.
If there was a big disclaimer some place that said HEY YOU REALLY ONLY HAVE ABOUT 12GB OF SPACE TO WORK WITH, AND AFTER THAT YOUR S.O.L! I would have moved right past these.
I just don't even know what to do now, Play Frisbee with these things or something I guess, on the way back to the store!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, I'm guessing the apps didn't work. Suggestion why don't you just download the maps for your current State, there's really no need to download all the maps from USA, if you're not using them everyday. If you ever need to go to another state just download the maps for that state before going. This will help you save some space. You could also consider getting the 32GB version. The only way to fill the 12gb of free space is installing about 15 Dark Meadows apps (approx. 800MB each). The larger size regular games (non THD) take around 50-100 MBs, meaning that you have space for 120 games (12GBs). This would be completely ridiculous since no one plays that much games, I have about 10 installed right now and I only play like three of them (and I'm a gamer).
Unused data should be freed, if you don't want to lose the data on those apps you barely use you can run Titanium backup to back up your data and transfer the data to your pc for later use if needed. Every media you have (videos, photos, music, etc.) you can store them in the external SD card.
Still I understand your frustration, we should be able to transfer stuff to our card without any hassle. AFAIK this isn't just an ASUS problem but an overal ICS problem.

I know
I did for just my state an the surrounding states I live near.
For the past couple of days I had been looking at running some small app on the SD card, they jump you through hoops and loops going through some partition process for the Micro SD card.
However I think I can do this right on a Windows 7 system with the Drive Management utilities built into Windows, and a Micro SD to USB reader.
Which I already have, I used for my sons DS way back, I put the card in it, through it in the system, it see's it, and tells me that it can be read, formatted, partitioned the whole 9 yards. So I will try it at work today and let you know how it turns out. If this can be partitioned this way, and then use one of these apps L2SD or something like that then it's a very simple solution.
Sorry I will post the exact name of the app I was looking at once I have tested this if it works. Along with detailed instructions.
Thanks again for all the help.
nordis,

I'm linked it all works I used a SD to USB adapter in Windows
Hi,
I'm linked and you can set it up to use the SD Card as the default for downloads now.
First things you need to do this.
You have to be have Root access on your device before you can do any of this. You have to make sure you go into settings on your device and Enable USB Debugging before you start any of this.
1. You need to partition your Micro SD Card. I used the a SD to USB Adapter, and Partitioned my 32GB Card the SD Card on a Windows 7 system as follows.
Set the 1st partition to 1GB. Set the second partition to use the remainder of the card. Download "EaseUS Partition Master Home Edition" it's free, you pull it down from www.download.com
2. You need a boot loader this is what that 1st 1GB partition is for. I used
bootice you can download it from here free http://code.google.com/p/grub4dos-ireneuszp/downloads/detail?name=bootice_0.9.2011.0512.rar
This is all you need to do with this app. Run Bootice, go "Parts Manage" > "ReFormat USB disk" (don't worry, it won't "format" the USB) > choose the dropdown option for your new first partition > click "Set Accessible" and it's done already! After that you can just click cancel/close/etc.
3. Download and run Link2SD from the Android Market, you can actually do this step first. Also this app is free.
Here is a Guide I found online for Link2SD. http://www.xperiablog.net/2011/12/12/link2sd-guide-never-worry-about-internal-memory-limits-again/
This guide shows you how to move apps, No proprietary system apps, but those are note the ones you really have to worry about taking up space anyway. It also shows you how to go into the Link2SD settings and make your Micro SD Card your default download location from places that auto install applications like the Android Market. Very nice, this was exactly what I needed, I'm very pleased with this so far.
I have to give another thank you to jgaf for this, he pointed me in the direction of the Link 2 SD software in the first place, very much appreciated!
Sorry it took me so long to post this after I got setup it's been a busy weekend though.
Good luck.
nordis

Good to hear nordis now you can keep your TF300Ts Maybe you should make a new thread with the steps you did to get it working, so other people can find it easily.

Good idea.
Just have to finish some other things up and I will
move the details over to a new thread.
nordis,

Done, I posted it in the main Q&A section. Cleaned it up a bit, added a couple of lines where I thought people may have some questions. I hope it's pretty straight forward for everyone. I went through all this like a breeze when I partitioned my card this way, hopefully every one else will as well.

Get the 32gb version of the 300.
If you can fill up 30gb with apps, you need to learn to not keep everything you don't really use.
Put your music, movies, and photos on the Sd card, you won't have a problem with app space.
The 32gb version is only $20 more. It's not like you can't afford it.

Wasn't aware of it at the time, and they don't offer it at Best Buy
When I purchased the ones I was getting I just went to Best Buy so I could get them right then.
Didn't want to wait or order them off the net, and all that Best Buy sells apparently is the 16GB version. I wasn't aware at the time that there even was a 32GB version.
However I would fill that up eventually as well. It's just not good business marketing to make a device with such a limitation in the first place. You should be able to download, and install apps where you want them and need them.
Anyway situation is resolved for me now I'm happy.
nordis,

Micro USB Flash Drive

Would one of these/something like it work on my Moto G: 1 2 3
If I used a file explorer, could I move apps and music from Moto storage onto flash drive and still be able to play them? Is it convenient and easy to use, 8GB is barley enough for me. Thanks

@Banana4Life ..... Look at the "Meenova" USB OTG unit (there is a thread in Moto G accessory forum but i cannot remember exactly where) you can find it by Googling. It is similar to your 3rd example, that is it can be used in Moto G also as a normal size USB in Laptop or Desktop. I have one and I see it's advantage is that it comes without a fixed memory i.e. you can put any micro sd card that you want in it i.e. 4Gb, 8Gb, 16Gb, 32Gb, 64Gb etc. If I remember correctly it costs $15 plus shipping & handling. It is a Chinese firm but has an office and sales point in California.
I find it most useful for keeping a copy of "sdcard" and backups which in turn can be copied to my Laptop as extra insurance LOL. I also store movies on it and can play them directly onto my phone. One word of warning (which you probably know) do not be tempted to format with NTFS - Moto G wont read it and theres a chance you will soft brick.

It looks pretty nice, much smaller than my examples. Can you play apps off the micro sd card? I would mainly use it for apps and music. Is it easy to access the stuff you put on it as well, do you use ES file explorer?

@bana4Life ..... I can't give you a definite answer to whether you can run apps directly from the Meenova device all I can say on that is that it is quite easy to transfer apps from your phone onto the Meenova, the only trouble I find is that as soon as you select the app it immediately asks if you want to "install" it and this it does on your phone not on the device. I don't know whether using one of the apps which claims to be able to transfer apps to an external sd would be able to help you out but my own limited experience with such apps as "Apps to SD", "Move to SD", "App Manager" etc has not proved very helpful.
As far as music is concerned, same as videos or movies, it is simplicity itself ..... If you run your main app to play music or video then the app automatically searches for the music etc on both your phone storage and the usb storage and plays it fine.
My file manager of choice is "Root Explorer" (from the play store), I'm presuming that you are rooted - if not you can still use "Root Explorer" but you won't have the option to read/write files, only read them and you won't have the ability to see the hidden system files.
The Meenova shows up in your file system as ...../mnt/media_rw/usbdisk. I should have mentioned before that although I am rooted and have custom recovery installed I am running the stock 4.4.3 Rom and if you are running a custom Rom then much of what I have said may not apply.
I don't think I've been a lot of help to you, however good luck with whatever you try. By the way I think my remarks apply to all USB OTG storage devices not just Meenova. Yes I think the Meenova is the smallest such device on the market.

So with the app problem, you can move an app from phone to SD, but to play it you'll have to move it back onto the phone, then after using it move it back onto SD. Is that what you can do? Also, didn't know the main music app would search the SD, thought that you would have to use something like Es File Explorer to play music (which is what I use). I am also on stock 4.4.4
You have actually been helpful, went into detail and gave info :highfive: :highfive: :highfive:

@Banana4Life ..... Just a quick answer ..... When I talked about moving the app to the usb storage I was referring to the .apk ...... but when you click on it it will give you the option to "Install" which it then does on your phone so really you save nothing, the app is still installed on the phone! ..... As far as I'm concerned the only real use of usb storage is to store large amounts of data i.e. mp4 movies which would otherwise take up valuable phone memory. This applies equally to large numbers of music files.
The two apps I use for playing movies are (1) MX Player Pro and (2) Best Video Player. Both are on Play Store. Both will search for compatible video files to play on both the phone and the usb storage.
I'm not a huge music "fan" but I have my playlists which I play using the stock Google "Play Music" app (installed by default by ICS - Jelly Bean - KitKat) it's also on Play Store. This app will also search both the phone and usb storage for music files.

An apk file can be installed with out a connection right? So you can put multiple apk's on SD card, install one then uninstall it to install a different apk

@Banana4Life ..... I think we are beginning to talk about different things here LOL ..... If you download an app from the Play Store then nine times out of ten the .apk file will be downloaded to your phone in the ..../data/app.... folder - the associated "odex" file will probably be downloaded into your phone in the ..../system/app.... folder and any other associated data files will be downloaded to other phone folders ..... Now there maybe apps which will allow these files to be downloaded to your place of choice i.e. usb storage .... BUT I don't know of any apps which will do this.
You use the words ".... on SD card...." please remember the Moto G does not have an external SD card (unless of course you have the Moto E which has an external SD card) so when you use a File Manager and see the folder entitled "sdcard" this refers to the internal memory space NOT to an external card.
Yes you could swap installed apk's back and forth between usb storage and normal phone storage but it just seems to me a lot of work for not very much gain.
You say "....apk's can be installed without a connection" .... Not quite certain what you mean by that..... You don't need your phone connected to a PC by a cable ..... You can have your USB storage (Meenova) connected to your phone ...OR NOT ...... of course your phone will be connected to Play Store by WiFi, but that can't be what you mean

Yea, I am android pleb I get confused
In your 2nd reply you said apps such as App to SD were not very useful but your also said it's easy to transfer apps. By transferring apps you mean by the apk and you tried to use the App to SD to move the whole app not just the installer, but even though using App to SD it still requires you to install it on phone. Is it not possible to move the apk file for every app or do just some work? There are some tutorials saying how to make default download place an SD or how to move an app to SD.
Maybe I don't understand what an apk is? Running an apk will install the app it's for right? Just a installer. And by the connection I mean as in once you have downloaded the apk file, running it won't require a WiFi connection?
And yea you said it comes up as /mnt/media_rw/USB disk in 2nd reply as well
Sorry if this doesnt make sense :/

@Banana4Life ..... I have never found the apps that transfer files i.e. such as "App2SD" any use for my purposes ..... BUT don't let that stop you trying them ..... you might find one that suits you and most of them are free in the Play Store.
Think of an .apk file as being an .exe file on windows ..... i.e. it installs and runs the App (Program) on your phone.
You don't need to have a WiFi connection to run 99% of apps on your phone. The obvious exceptions are online games which require an interaction between you and the Internet ..... Some simulations i.e. Flying - Motor Racing - Boat racing etc ..... Some games which require you to purchase in game upgrades ..... Games where you want to post "high scores" on a web site ..... etc.etc.etc.

I've ordered a black one today, hopefully wont take 20 days like they say it can
Im still not sure about the apps. You said it is quite easy to transfer apps from your phone onto the Meenova. What method did you do to transfer it? With the picture attached, does that option come up once SD card is put in? And just to be sure, once the app is on Meenova to use it I have to install it on phone first, then be able to put it back on Meenova right?
Thanks for recommending it and loads of information - I appreciate it :good::good::good::laugh::highfive: . If apps dont work, music is still important, I'll have to experiment

@bana4Life ..... Hope you are happy with it when it arrives. When I said in post#2 that there was a sales office/warehouse in California I was making the assumption that you were in the US because then they send it by US Postal Service and it takes two days ..... HOWEVER if you are outside US (which I now understand you are) then the postage is by Chinese Postal Service which is first class crap and will probably take nearly 20 days
Whenever I talk about moving files from one location to another (i.e. from phone to usb storage or the reverse) I am always talking about using File Manager "Root Explorer Pro".
When you have usb storage attached it shows up at ------ Settings>Storage>USB On the Go Storage Mounted...... In your screenshot (which I am guessing is using one of the "App2SD" apps) any reference to SD card refers to your internal memory.
It has just occurred to me that I have been assuming all along that you have the standard XT1032 or XT1033 Moto G (with NO external SD slot)..... WHEREAS if you have the Moto G LTE or the Moto E then you do have an external sd card slot.
Anyway I think I have gone as far as I can go with helping you out. I hope that your Meenova arrives quickly and that when you use it you will be happy with what it offers.

Yea I have XT1032. Its was dispatched today . Thanks again! :good: I'll try these App2SD apps, Im sure I'll manage somehow

Banana4Life said:
Yea I have XT1032. Its was dispatched today . Thanks again! :good: I'll try these App2SD apps, Im sure I'll manage somehow
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So your basically wanting it to be an extension of the internal storage. The only use it has is movies and music. Well basically anything but apps.

dethrat said:
So your basically wanting it to be an extension of the internal storage. The only use it has is movies and music. Well basically anything but apps.
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Not even swap apk's from SD to internal like metpolds said you can or is that just impossible and bad idea?

Banana4Life said:
Not even swap apk's from SD to internal like metpolds said you can or is that just impossible and bad idea?
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Yeah but .apk files have no value beyond installing. Your never going to have the equivalent of that picture.
---------- Post added at 11:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:31 PM ----------
Banana4Life said:
Not even swap apk's from SD to internal like metpolds said you can or is that just impossible and bad idea?
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And you've both misunderstood what the apps2sd apps are. They're completely irrelevant to what your trying to achieve.

dethrat said:
Yeah but .apk files have no value beyond installing. Your never going to have the equivalent of that picture.
---------- Post added at 11:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:31 PM ----------
And you've both misunderstood what the apps2sd apps are. They're completely irrelevant to what your trying to achieve.
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What do you mean by "no value beyond installing. Your never going to have the equivalent of that picture", and also where have I been going wrong with the app2sd apps?

Banana4Life said:
What do you mean by "no value beyond installing. Your never going to have the equivalent of that picture", and also where have I been going wrong with the app2sd apps?
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Well that's what the apks are there for installing. If you download an apk and install it (click on it) the only use of keeping the downloaded apk is if you uninstall the app. You can then install it again.
Apps2sd apps are for phones with sdcard slots. You can partition the sdcard ( fat32 + ext4) and the second partition (ext4) acts as a extension of the /data (where installed app are). There's a lot more to those type of apps but I'm not going into it all. Irrelevant to usb-on-the-go (any storage going thru the micro USB port)

dethrat said:
Well that's what the apks are there for installing. If you download an apk and install it (click on it) the only use of keeping the downloaded apk is if you uninstall the app. You can then install it again.
Apps2sd apps are for phones with sdcard slots. You can partition the sdcard ( fat32 + ext4) and the second partition (ext4) acts as a extension of the /data (where installed app are). There's a lot more to those type of apps but I'm not going into it all. Irrelevant to usb-on-the-go (any storage going thru the micro USB port)
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So Im just thinking it will act like an actual sdcard slot, but it wont. So the apk thing will work?...

Banana4Life said:
So Im just thinking it will act like an actual sdcard slot, but it wont. So the apk thing will work?...
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No it doesn't act like a built-in SDslot. It acts like you've just plugged a memory stick into it.
Yeah copying apks will work it's just a file. Like copying any file. I just don't see what your going to gain from that. Your not going to be able to have more apps installed (ready to run).
The only practical use I've found for meenova is sharing pictures from my camera to my phone.