Apps2SD
CyanogenMod 7 supports application installation on an external SD card, giving users more room for apps, and can benefit certain apps - such as games that use lots of storage. The Application's Info screen (Settings » Applications » Manage Applications) now has either a “Move to SD card” or “Move to phone” button. Copy-protected apps cannot be moved to the SD card, and the button will be grayed out.
The "Manage Applications" screen in the Settings app now has an “On SD Card” tab. The sizes listed in Manage Applications only include the space taken by the application on internal storage.
- NOTE: Not all of the application's data is actually moved to the SD card; the dex files, private data directories, and native shared libraries remain in internal storage.
Contents |
Apps2SD at a glance
| Name | Support? | Overview | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| apps2EXT | No | Used to be called apps2SD, no longer officially supported. | See the forum for apps2EXT hacks. |
| apps2SD (Google) | Yes | 'Official' apps2SD offered by Google. | See Developer's Page for more information. |
| apps2SD (CM) | Yes | Same as Google's apps2SD, except you can force any non-protected apps to the SD card. | Can break some apps if they are not meant to be moved to the SD card (Such as Widgets). |
Details
Apps2EXT
Apps2ext (previously called apps2SD) moved all user installed apps to a secondary ext partition on your sdcard. This method had the advantage of being straight forward and simple, However, it had the drawback of being difficult to set up. This method is no longer officially supported by CyanogenMod. Please see the forum for device specific work-arounds if you really want apps2EXT on CyanogenMod.
Google's apps2SD
For more information on the official Google apps2sd, see the Google Developer's page.
Starting with Android 2.2.x (Froyo) Google introduced native apps2SD. This allowed developers to choose whether to allow app movement to the sdcard. There are three methods a developer can choose from:
- internalOnly: Install the application on internal storage only. This will result in storage errors if the device runs low on internal storage. If the developer does not specify a method, the app is treated as 'internalOnly'.
- preferExternal: The android system tries to install the application on external storage by default. If that is full, the application is installed on internal storage.
- auto: Lets the Android system decide the best install location for the application. The default system policy is to install the application on internal storage first. If the system is running low on storage, the application is then installed on external storage. This is typically the preferred method.
This method made it easier on the user because it just worked - the user didn't have to do anything - but it took away control. The user no longer decided if or when apps were moved to the SD card.
CyanogenMod's apps2SD
CyanogenMod 6+ takes the native Google method, and improves upon it; no longer requiring the app developer to explicitly state whether an app can be moved or not, and giving that control back to the users. The user can choose to override the developer's method and force an app to the SD card. Limitations do exist, namely you cannot move protected apps, and those highlighted in the link above. Additionally, if an app is not designed to run from the SD card, it can break the app. Commonly, this includes home replacement apps, virtual keyboards, and widgets.
How to enable
Apps2SD is always 'enabled'. However, with CyanogenMod's apps2SD, the user can force any non-protected app to be installed to the SD card by going to Settings » Applications » Manage applications » All » [application name] » Move to SD card.
