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The Mobile Gadgeteer

Matthew Miller & Joel Evans

Android phones will soon store apps on SD cards

By | May 10, 2010, 2:03pm PDT

Summary: After many years and even more complaints, Google is finally going to offer the ability to store apps on a storage card.

It’s amazing to me that the Android OS still doesn’t offer the ability for users to store applications on the SD card. In fact, I had to do a bunch of research before even writing this quick post, since I’m still in shock that the feature / ability is still not shipping, nor has an official timeline been released.

With the above in mind it’s with pleasure that I mention some news that came out on April 30th, and has since seen just a bit more information get added to it.

It seems that after much complaining, a Google employee finally visited Issue 1151, which is related to not being able to store apps on SD cards, and changed the status to FutureRelease. In addition, san even offered up that while he’s not able to comment on when the feature will ship, that it will be showing up soon enough.

Apologies, but I’m not permitted to disclose scheduling information - suffice to say it’s coming soon :)

Sorry for being vague, and thank you for your continued patience - I sincerely appreciate it.

He also goes on to say that it’s going to be integrated into the platform, and cannot be installed as a download since it needs a new kernel and updated framework components. So, what that means is that it’s not going to be available for older releases but could certainly be available in 2.2.

It looks like the days of deleting apps to make room for more apps is numbered on the Android platform. Congrats Google for finally working on this one.

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Topics

With more than a decade of mobile, Internet and wireless experience, Joel specializes in taking existing brands and technologies into the mobile and wireless space.

Disclosure

Joel Evans

Joel is a serial entrepreneur with his most recent business, CronkSoftware (cronksoftware.com), focusing on consulting and building games and applications for mobile devices. Joel has consulted for Microsoft’s Windows Mobile division and advises other companies on how to incorporate mobile into their existing brands and products. Joel purchases many of his devices and others are sent for review on a 30-day loaner basis and then returned to the supplier. If any devices are provided as “keeper” Joel will clearly disclose this in his reviews.

Biography

Joel Evans

With more than a decade of mobile, Internet and wireless experience, Joel specializes in taking existing brands, technologies and services into the mobile and wireless space. Joel is currently serving as the Managing Director of Cronk Software, Inc., a company he founded to offer full-service, end-to-end mobile strategy, design and development services.

Joel is the former founder and "Chief Geek" of Geek.com, a website praised by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, and others as one of world's best sources of information for technology professionals and enthusiasts.

Joel also serves as a technology expert for a number of well-known publications and regularly advises corporations, analysts, journalists and bloggers on what the future of technology will bring. He brings decades of relationships with leading game publishers, online communities and publishers, along with both hardware and software product management and delivery expertise. Joel can be found online as "JoelGeek" and you can follow him on Twitter @JoelGeek.

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RE: Android phones will soon store apps on SD cards
kjfawcett Updated - 15th Jul 2010
@marc.krigel@...

?? What do you mean these don't work? I use voice commands over bluetooth with my Nexus One. I also have a Motorola T505 that allows me to play whatever music I have on my Nexus One (online radio stations too with my A Online Radio app) on my car stereo or any other stereo via bluetooth. Look Ma no wires!

Oh yeah and it pumps volume up too.

Don't forget that I can run my Google GPS navigation, play music, and answer a call when it comes in. And guess what... Andriod stops the music when a call comes in and then restarts the music when the call ends. Same with the turn-by-turn navigation. Whenever the navigation has something to say it mutes the music tells you what to do and then magically the music starts to play again.

Can your palm do voice search? Can it do voice-to-text? Can you say "find ice cream" and have your palm find the closest ice creams shops, give you ratings and reviews on them and then allow you to push one button to start turn-by-turn navigation to it?
@denisrs Actually, Walt Mossberg complained about it in his original Android phone review at the Wall Street Journal.
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/nt/
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RE: Android phones will soon store apps on SD cards
Pete "athynz" Athens 11th May 2010
@pupkin_z Sprint has had what for years? The ability to store apps on an SD Card? On what model phone? On what OS? last time I checked Sprint was a carrier not a hardware manufacturer.
There is a "variant" of Android that already allows this on most phones - search for Apps2SD.... I guess that's one of the joys of an Open Source OS others can take and add functionality...
Thanks god, I have an iPhone happy with huge 16GB. I guess Android has to many "soon to be" issues.
@Maks_ZB Thank God I have an Android, and can swap out as many 32 GB SD cards that I want for infinite storage.
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@Maks_ZB What will you do when you run out of those 16GB? You can't use a SD Card at all!!! ha ha ha wink
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Windows Mobile Supports Apps on SD Cards
bruceg@... 11th May 2010
I have been storing some apps on an SD card for years, and most certainly all the data, on my WM5 device. So much for "old and clunky" vs. "new and better."
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"After many years?"
rbuyaky@... 11th May 2010
C'mon...the first Android phone was released about 19 months ago. How many years did it take iPhone to get copy/paste, not to mention wallpapers, and all the other "me too" features they're adding to 4.0?
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RE: Android phones will soon store apps on SD cards
Pete "athynz" Athens 11th May 2010
@rbuyaky@... Funny thing about that "me too" phone... iPhone owners don't have to worry about storing apps on an SD card and never have had to. I'm happy to see the Android folks getting that capability - hopefully all of their devices will be able to take advantage of that.
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Of course...
p0figster 11th May 2010
@athynz iPhone owners also don't have the option of having an SD card on which to store apps. I really don't know why it's been an issue at all though for Android, but that's just me. I've not even come close to maxing out my internal storage.
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RE: RE: RE: Now give me a bit more, and I'll buy an Android
marc.krigel@... Updated - 11th May 2010
Is it so much to ask that the latest SmartPhone on the market do what my 5 year old Palm TX does? An integrated Calendar and Phonebook (Call Veronica in Calendar links to her phone number in the address book. Dinner at Sergio's links to the address in phone book).

And what about Voice Commands over blue tooth?

How about a volume control that pumps volume to blue tooth.

I am more than willing to plug in a wire into the earphone jack to act as an antenna, but why cant I listen to the FM Radio over blue tooth.


Marquis
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RE: Android phones will soon store apps on SD cards
kjfawcett Updated - 15th Jul 2010
@marc.krigel@...

?? What do you mean these don't work? I use voice commands over bluetooth with my Nexus One. I also have a Motorola T505 that allows me to play whatever music I have on my Nexus One (online radio stations too with my A Online Radio app) on my car stereo or any other stereo via bluetooth. Look Ma no wires!

Oh yeah and it pumps volume up too.

Don't forget that I can run my Google GPS navigation, play music, and answer a call when it comes in. And guess what... Andriod stops the music when a call comes in and then restarts the music when the call ends. Same with the turn-by-turn navigation. Whenever the navigation has something to say it mutes the music tells you what to do and then magically the music starts to play again.

Can your palm do voice search? Can it do voice-to-text? Can you say "find ice cream" and have your palm find the closest ice creams shops, give you ratings and reviews on them and then allow you to push one button to start turn-by-turn navigation to it?
I have no idea what it does, but it eats them up and spits them out. One minute all is well, the next you have to scramble to switch to a new card. And, frankly, 16 gbs is a joke. I have a new 32 gb on the way - THAT will allow me to store apps on the card, although I'd better get a second stat the way the Droid goes through 'em.
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@Modgirl what do you mean, "eats up cards" like, your cards are *failing*?!? Sounds like a bad Droid.
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The Big Question
ajrmd 11th May 2010
The big question is whether the upgrade will work on existing platforms or will android restrict it to new devices?
It is pretty amazing that with all the smartphones released over the past 10 years (I still use my WinMo5 iPAQ) that the feature list baseline is not crystal clear. Why would anyone drop back 5 years just to get an Apple or Google logo? Until I see features beyond parity, I am staying right where I am.
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RE: RE: Android phones will soon store apps on SD cards
dcolbert@... Updated - 11th May 2010
It is more than the number of apps that you'll be able to store, it is about the complexity of the apps as well. Right now, large apps have to fit a small core app onto the internal memory, and load any large files off of SD.

The complication I foresee is that the speed of SD won't be able to deliver the kind of breezy, smooth iPhone experience that Android users will want from SD installed apps. I've got Ubuntu installed on SD on an EEE PC 701, and the OS runs much faster from the 4GB SSD built-in to the PC.

I also see that carriers may block upgrades to this version of the OS on devices that are seen as "outdated" by the time the release is made - the Droid, for example. Until there is a way to deliver carrier independent updates and upgrades, this will remain a problem. The carriers shouldn't be in control on if, and when, you can update the OS on your phone.

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