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Although they are becoming less common on new phones (especially if they are high-end), they are still There are many mobile phones with SD tray (in practice it
Although they are becoming less common on new phones (especially if they are high-end), they are still There are many mobile phones with SD tray (in practice it is microSD, but from now on we will abbreviate it as SD for simplicity), a way to have more storage.
This trend is likely to fade in the medium term, but in the name of simplicity, manufacturers can offer you more integrated storage at a significantly higher price than a card. But all that glitters is not gold, as there are situations where relying on SD for certain tasks comes at a cost. What is it like to use an SD card on an Android phone today?
The process of inserting and using the card has not changed: remove the tray, insert it and put it back in place. A message will appear showing you two options: Scan or Eject. On a standard Android mobile phone, Google Files will start and show you the contents of the card, which you can open with compatible applications. Similarly, you can copy the content from the device to the card and vice versa. Generally speaking, like when you plug a USB stick into a computerThere is a small text.
From Android Marshmallow it is possible to use an SD card almost as if it were part of the internal storage of the mobile phone or as a portable and removable storage device. Of course, it is not available for all brands and models. You will find this option here:Settings‘ > ‘To store‘ and there, in the SD card option (by swiping in my case), ‘Format‘.
The default option is format for portable storageThis will treat the card as a removable flash drive, allowing you to move files to and from the card. This option is ideal for saving photos and videos and moving them to other devices, for example. Of course, the information is not encrypted.
But Android phones that allow you to use SD or internal storage or portable storage device will have another option.Internal storage format‘ completely erases the drive, turning it into secondary storage. In this case, the unit will be encrypted and controlled by Android. Let’s explain: even if you see it as a separate drive, you won’t be able to explore it independently or move files. So Android will choose where to install future downloads or saves (normally, the one with the most available space, but you can change that).
For this reason, Should I use SD as a removable external storage drive or as a second memory on my phone? In general, the first option is recommended in most cases, while the second is limited to two cases: you have very little free space on your phone and you have a really fast card (so UHS-I A2 is a good option). In this case, you will not be able to remove the card and open it in another device, and you will not be able to extract data without formatting it, all information will be deleted in the process.
Assuming your SD will now be more like internal storage independent of your control, the next step involves using the card as a portable external storage drive.
We’ve already seen how to turn an SD into something like another internal memory of the phone, so if you choose to leave it as a removable external drive, There is also an option to install apps and gamesalthough there are nuances and limitations (both in applications and in the phone’s customization layers).
First of all, you won’t be able to do this directly: first you have to transfer them to the phone, then ‘Settings‘ > ‘Applications‘, enter what you want to change and ‘To store‘, change it. However, although this option depends on the development team that created it, you can’t do this with all of them. So apps like Telegram or Instagram allow it, but others like WhatsApp or Spotify don’t. If you take a look, you’ll discover that there are plenty of heavy-duty apps (like games) that can do this.
Eyelash, more than one app to be abandoned Changing storage to SD does not mean you have to do this. Why? Speed: Phone internal storage is usually much faster than the best SD cards, so moving demanding games isn’t a good idea from a performance standpoint.
Generally mobile phones with SD option as removable storage allows you to save photos and videos to SDThis applies to Xiaomi or Samsung mobile phones.
Samsung EVO Select image
An interesting question in these times of the broadcasting age concerns precisely these possibilities: save content offline for example, watch a Netflix series while traveling on a plane without internet. As we detailed above, it will depend on the development team, although in general it is possible: Spotify, Amazon Music, Netflix (here’s how to do it), Amazon Prime Video… Although there are exceptions, such as HBO Max , that do not allow it. So if this is your primary goal, it is advisable to check the compatibility of the application and look for a good, fast, high-capacity card for your mobile phone.
Other potentially interesting applications Candidates for switching to SD are Google Maps (note that it lets you download offline maps), Amazon Kindle, or Google Chrome.
Cover | Photo by Andrey Matveev on Unsplash
Xataka on Android | How to choose the best microSD card for your Android terminal?
Source: Xatak Android
John Wilkes is a seasoned journalist and author at Div Bracket. He specializes in covering trending news across a wide range of topics, from politics to entertainment and everything in between.
