No Internal Space - How can I install unofficial apks and google play market apps straight to SD?

[Guest MadeInMachines]

Despite routing my phone to get rid of bloatware and moving everything possible onto my sd using link2SD I'm constantly unable to install apps as i am always running out of internal space. I need something that lets me install apps and pref updates too straight to SD so I don't have to keep deleting things and trying to squeeze space out of nowhere when i have 8gb on my sd card left. i'm getting really sick of the weedy internal memory of this phone tbh but at least is was a bargain and I do love it. Just to be clear I'm not looking to install on the internal memory then move to SD but install straight to SD by default - no moving, no running out of space, no worries.

I saw this article: http://androinica.co...roid-2-2-froyo/

Will it work for our gingerbread OS?

Edited April 28, 2012 by MadeInMachines

[Guest Redstarr1]

I guess you didn't install Link2SD properly, because that's just what it does: automatically link your apps to the SD (if set up correctly). Please follow tillaz's guide :). It really should be pinned on the first page.

http://android.modac... link2sd guide

Quick walkthrough:

- format your sd-card in 2 partitions, a big regular one (as FAT32) and behind that a smaller one for your apps (format as primary and FAT32 or ext3 file system, but remember which you picked). You can store your data on your pc and put it back after formatting on the first partition.

- I suggest you reinstall Link2SD, tell it what kind of file system your ext partition has (Link2sd should open a prompt about this the first time you open it, otherwise you'll find it in the settings somewhere), go to settings and activate auto-link. After that reboot your phone.

- Move apps you already had installed first to the phone memory, then create a link for those you want to link to sd-card. New apps will be linked automatically.

- Don't try to link widgets, they'll break if you connect your phone with usb.

But you better read Tillaz's guide, it's more elaborate on how to format your card. After this you'll never have to worry about space for apps. Linked apps load a bit slower though, so you should keep the ones you use most on your phone's memory. Keep in mind that "moving" the app to the sd-card is NOT "linking" the app. You should create a link to save maximum phone memory, moving still leaves about 30% of the app on your phone.

EDIT: oh and man I don't mean to be disrespectful, but this is the 10th topic about insufficient memory on OMC. If you already have Link2SD, it couldn't have hurt to search a little for a guide on this forum about installing it. Don't want to be grumpy about this, but it's late and every week someone asks the same question :).

Of course Froyo App2SD works in Gingerbread as well (what you found in that article). You've probably been using it up till now. But that still takes some space from your phone's memory as I said earlier. LinkSD or Darktremor-script (= A2SE? I'm confused about all those abbreviations .. anyway, darktremor is even more worry-less than Link2SD, but I think you don't have enough control with that method) allow you to install hundreds of apps.

Edited April 28, 2012 by Redstarr1

[Guest MadeInMachines]

Oh ok. I thought it was just meant to move your apps to sd manually. Are the custom ROMs much smaller. Maybe I didn't uninstall enough orange stuff although I think I got most of it. Fair enough, thanks for the help. I think I just formatted 1 fat 32 partiton. Perhaps thats the problem

[Guest razzmataz1478]

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Oh ok. I thought it was just meant to move your apps to sd manually. Are the custom ROMs much smaller. Maybe I didn&amp;amp;#39;t uninstall enough orange stuff although I think I got most of it. Fair enough, thanks for the help. I think I just formatted 1 fat 32 partiton. Perhaps thats the problem&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;<br />

Yes, what you have been doing  is using link2sd as native apps2sd client, which only moves the apk.

When you link an app using link2sd it moves the apk, dex(dalvik), and all of the data. It basically tricks your phone into thinking that all the apps or on internal, when in fact it is a 'link' to the second partition

Edited April 29, 2012 by razzmataz1478

[Guest Redstarr1]

Oh ok. I thought it was just meant to move your apps to sd manually. Are the custom ROMs much smaller. Maybe I didn't uninstall enough orange stuff although I think I got most of it. Fair enough, thanks for the help. I think I just formatted 1 fat 32 partiton. Perhaps thats the problem

Yes you need 2 partitions :). Link2SD needs a separate partition to "trick" your phone just like razzmataz says. I would format that as a ext3-partition, clockworkmod reformats that partition in ext3 anyway. Custom roms aren't much smaller than stock rom, but if you use a custom rom, you can flash a different TPT, and create more room on your phone like that. With TPT I mean: your phone now has 150mb for system, 20 mb cache and the rest for apps. There are alternative TPT's that reduce the cache size, because with a custom rom you don't need 20 mb, so you gain 20 mb for apps.

[Guest Coffer52]

Download ROM Toolkit, allows you to move anything to the SD card!

[Guest Josh92]

If you use link2sd correctly you'd have to install A LOT of apps to get low disk space, follow the guide as redstarr says, just make sure you've partitioned the SD card properly and then set it up in Link2sd right and should be fine.

[Guest MadeInMachines]

Great guide thanks. It did seem to break a lot of my previous installs - not sure why as I backed up and replaced after partitioning.

How do i get rid of all the stuff that was on my phone prior to following your guide. I used to have link2sd before but i wasnt using it correctly and was selecting 'move to sd' but was still taking up a lot of memory. Link to sd shows that everything substantial in size is on my sd but i only have 15mb of space left on my internal so not enough to install some big games before link2sd gets the chance to move them. Trying to install angry birds space! I don't really seem to have gained any space internally even though everything substantial is now on my sd according to link2sd.

Before I followed the guide - when I was using link to sd pressing move to sd card instead of linking - could apps still be on my phone somewhere or residual data. How do i see what i have on my internal that i no longer want and how do i get rid of it?

Some apps say 'on sd card' rather than 'linked -> SD card' and when i try and link them it says i have 'insufficient storage available' Install failed

Any ideas? If I select to install to external instead of automatic would that help? I could do to install directly to sd without it installing to internal and then linking a I dont have space for big installs

My phone also shows many big apps on my phone on the internal storage in the standard android app manager but link2sd says they are on sd. Is that normal anyway?

Edited May 3, 2012 by MadeInMachines

[Guest Josh92]

Er okay, how big did you make the 2nd partition on the SD?

In link2sd you can filter out how you view apps (icon at the top right to the left), you can try viewing the 'on internal' apps, if theres apps there try linking them.

You should be able to link the apps you had on there previously fine.

The automatic/external thing, I set to external, basically says that it'll automatically link new apps downloaded to SD card for you.

Also, have you linked dalvik cache files? If you use menu button on main link2sd page, go 'more' -> 'link dalvik-cache files'.

Can also try cleaning up the dalvik cache.

[Guest MadeInMachines]

Partition is 500mb

3 dalvik cache files werent linked so that gave me 4mb.

Wow thanks! Cleaning up the dalvik cache freed up 78mb on my internal memory!! 111mb free! 51mb used. Any idea what the 51 mb is - is that the factory Rom or factory apps?

To further improve this should I also try:

'clean up 2nd partition'

and / or

clean up the dalvik cache

and / or

clear all app caches?

Thanks very much

[Guest Josh92]

Okay 500mb should be okay, mines 1gb.

Good, no problem, not entirely sure what the 51 is but your free space is similar to mine, pretty sure it's just rom files etc.

You can do those but they are all on the SD card now anyway so should only free up space on that not internal space in theory.

[Guest MadeInMachines]

Great, thanks for your help. So pleased...the frustrating lack of space and warnings on internal memory has been driving me mad for a year when I've hard 16gb going spare...Brilliant!

[Guest Josh92]

Great, thanks for your help. So pleased...the frustrating lack of space and warnings on internal memory has been driving me mad for a year when I've hard 16gb going spare...Brilliant!

No problem, glad to help with the simpler stuff haha :)

[Guest MadeInMachines]

No problem, glad to help with the simpler stuff haha :)

Simpler? :D I have a new problem related to this.

I'm a bit stuck now - I just unlocked my phone and it seems to have reset it to factory settings which I wasn't expecting.

I installed superboot and again too root it - but now I can't find or install any apps I used to have as googleplay store says they are already installed on the phone and I can see them in my 500mb sd partition but not on the internal memory. I can't even install link2sd or root uninstaller. Any ideas what to do?

Edited May 3, 2012 by MadeInMachines

[Guest Josh92]

Ohh.. Hmm, just to clarify, by unlock you mean so you can change providers? Not just swipe to unlock? lol

So you're still running the custom rom (not sure which?) but it's gone to default and no apps are showing but says you have them installed and so can't redownload? Have you tried using the search box to open link2sd?

[Guest MadeInMachines]

Yeah meant switch to another network. I managed to get it working - it reset my android play store to the old one so i had to register to get my apps to re-download. Just had to reinstall everything again like i did yesterday unfortunately. I was using the stock rom but de-oranged which is much better. All sorted, unlocked, rooted, linked2sd and de-oranged.

Awesome!