Android Phone Question.

[FoxyCryptid 4,330]

I have a cheaper droid that doesn't have much built-in memory, I was wondering if there was a hack or something to make it treat the SD card as built memory.

[joeyh3 153]

Are you talking about adding memory for storage/installing apps, or memory for running more apps at the same time?

 

Either way, I don't believe it's possible. And I can't think of any reason doing that would be a good idea anyway.

 

If you're talking about adding memory for storage, there's no reason to do that. Most user data (such as pictures, downloads, music, etc) should automatically save to the SD card by default, and if you have some odd phone/app which saves to the phone's internal storage by default, you can always move the data. Plus as of (I believe) Android 2.3, you can install apps onto the SD card as well, so if you need more space to install apps, just install/move them to the SD card.

 

If you're talking about computational memory, which is the memory that apps utilize while they're running in order to function, then you really don't want to use a SD card for that. SD cards are a type of "flash" memory, which is a relatively slow form of memory which offers a relatively large amount of storage capacity. Running apps utilize "random access" memory (RAM), which is signification faster than flash memory, but doesn't offer nearly as much storage. They're two different types of memory. If you're running too many apps at once and run out of RAM, your phone will automatically start utilizing some of your flash memory as virtual RAM, but this would only be secondary data that's not accessed as frequently. If you try utilizing flash memory as a primary form of computational memory, your phone's performance would be horrible, if it would run at all.

 

So basically, there's nothing to gain by doing what you're asking. Plus it's just not possible as far as I know, simply due to the fact that SD cards are not "built in" to your phone, so they can't be treated as if they are. In my experience, trying to trick a computer into thinking something is what it isn't always ends up being a bad idea anyway.

[MrFox 44]

If I may inquire, why do you need it to treat it as built memory? You can basically do anything with the sd card slot.(At least that's how it is with my android tablet.)

[FoxyCryptid 4,330]

If I may inquire, why do you need it to treat it as built memory? You can basically do anything with the sd card slot.(At least that's how it is with my android tablet.)

 

Some droid apps won't run off SD cards.

[Heart's Desire 181]

To the best of my understanding that isn't possible. I feel for you, because I've been there, but the best you can do is move as many apps as possible to the SD card to try to free up space.

 

I work in wireless and this is a huge complaint on many starter androids. Lots of salesmen will try to sell you on them by pointing out how much expanded memory they are capable of but that means nothing when it comes to running certain apps.

[joeyh3 153]

Some droid apps won't run off SD cards.

 

So you're talking about storage memory then. In that case, the best you can do is put what you can on the memory card, and hope that leaves enough room for the apps that can't be installed on the card.

 

There are reasons why some apps can't be ran off of a card. If you try tricking the apps into thinking the card is built in storage memory, then there's a good chance they won't work.

[Carbon 57]

Uhm, I think there is an application called app2sd or something like that, I think that transfers applications to SD cards, I think it only works with Android 2.2 or higher unless the phone is rooted.