[Q] How to install apps to internal sd instead of external sd?

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indigox3

Member
Jan 28, 2011
21
1
The infuse has 3 storage areas- external sd card, internal sd card, and internal phone storage. Is there a way to install apps to the internal sd card as the default? It always installed to the internal sd card before and now when I added an external sd card it installs to that instead. I only want apps to install to internal sd card and use the external sd card just for my stuff. Does anyone know how to default app installs to the internal sd card(not phone storage) instead of external card without taking out the external first?
 
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bradbusa

Senior Member
Jun 3, 2011
564
67
i've always been kind of curious about this too.. because there is a 2gb partition, the 13 or so gb "internal sd" and then the external sd.
by default some apps automatically go to the external sd, but if you select to have them moved to phone under manage apps, it relocates them to the 2gb partition... so what the heck is the 13gb internal sd used for?!
i do know the camera puts photos on there, and some other apps write to the internal sd, like cwm, titanium backup, qik, and various others
 

skillz9669

Senior Member
Apr 23, 2008
465
112
Philadelphia
Well there is no option in the phone to do this but if you are rooted and go onto the market and download "terminal emulator", its free you can easily change it.

Here are the Steps:

make sure usb debugging is checked

open terminal emulator and type "su" (press enter)

now type "pm getInstallLocation" (press enter)

it should say something like [auto]
this means the system decides which is best

to change it to internal just type the following command:

pm setInstallLocation 1 (press enter)

now its set to internal,

you change it anytime by using the "pm setInstallLocation" followed by a space and choosing any of the numbers

0 - auto (default)
1 - internal
2 - external
 

bradbusa

Senior Member
Jun 3, 2011
564
67
Well there is no option in the phone to do this but if you are rooted and go onto the market and download "terminal emulator", its free you can easily change it.

Here are the Steps:

make sure usb debugging is checked

open terminal emulator and type "su" (press enter)

now type "pm getInstallLocation" (press enter)

it should say something like [auto]
this means the system decides which is best

to change it to internal just type the following command:

pm setInstallLocation 1 (press enter)

now its set to internal,

you change it anytime by using the "pm setInstallLocation" followed by a space and choosing any of the numbers

0 - auto (default)
1 - internal
2 - external

now when you say internal, do you mean the 13 gb(after formatting), or the 2gb partition of the 16gb?

because when you go to manage apps and select the sd card tab at the top, then "move to phone" it puts them on the internal 2gb partition. NOT the 13gb "internal sd"

this confused me terribly when i first got the phone.
 

bradbusa

Senior Member
Jun 3, 2011
564
67
Here is what I mean..see attached.
When samsung advertised "16 gb" onboard memory, what they didnt tell you is that roughly 2gb(1.85 after formatting) is partitioned as "program" and the remaining 13.03gb(of the 16gb) is labeled as "internal storage". if you tell the device to move apps to phone, it puts them under "program".. my initial concern was that eventually the 1.85gb would become full and i would then be forced to load apps to the external sd.
so how can we utilize the 13gb internal sd storage for apps? maybe i'm just over analyzing, but *throws temper tantrum* its my phone and i want it THIS WAY!! haha
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using Tapatalk
 

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skillz9669

Senior Member
Apr 23, 2008
465
112
Philadelphia
Here is what I mean..see attached.
When samsung advertised "16 gb" onboard memory, what they didnt tell you is that roughly 2gb(1.85 after formatting) is partitioned as "program" and the remaining 13.03gb(of the 16gb) is labeled as "internal storage". if you tell the device to move apps to phone, it puts them under "program".. my initial concern was that eventually the 1.85gb would become full and i would then be forced to load apps to the external sd.
so how can we utilize the 13gb internal sd storage for apps?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using Tapatalk

What I did should use the internal 13gb memory, it doesn't hurt to try it, easy enough to change it back
 

bradbusa

Senior Member
Jun 3, 2011
564
67
Nope, looks like it still puts them to the"program"storage. Not entirely sure I understand how to use emulator though. I followed your instructions to the T but when I asked for get installlocation it didnt exactly tell me which option was selected


Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using Tapatalk
 

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skillz9669

Senior Member
Apr 23, 2008
465
112
Philadelphia
Nope, looks like it still puts them to the"program"storage. Not entirely sure I understand how to use emulator though. I followed your instructions to the T but when I asked for get installlocation it didnt exactly tell me which option was selected


Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using Tapatalk

it should look like this:

su
# pm setInstallLocation 1
# pm getInstallLocation
# 1[internal]

did yours say that?
 

skillz9669

Senior Member
Apr 23, 2008
465
112
Philadelphia
you should see it like this but with option being 1[internal] not [external], for some reason I can't take a screen shot of mine so this is the best I could find

Terminal-Emulator1.jpg
 

bradbusa

Senior Member
Jun 3, 2011
564
67
This is what I get. I'm pretty sure I typed it correctly. It was too long to fit in one screen shot, so I took two. You should be able to find where the text overlaps

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using Tapatalk
 

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skillz9669

Senior Member
Apr 23, 2008
465
112
Philadelphia
This is what I get. I'm pretty sure I typed it correctly. It was too long to fit in one screen shot, so I took two. You should be able to find where the text overlaps

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using Tapatalk

your putting a space after "get"

it should be exactly :
pm getinstalllocation
or
pm setinstalllocation 1 ( the 1 has a space before it )

your putting a space after set and get, fix that n it should work
 

bradbusa

Senior Member
Jun 3, 2011
564
67
you're right, lol i was adding a space. i tried it again this morning, and for some reason it gave me the same long list of explanations that i dont understand. did basically the same thing as before. i noticed that for some reason it is capitalizing my I's in "getInstalllocatIon". dont know if that would have anything to do with it or not. that is exactly how it looks when i type it though?
 

xeod

Member
Sep 21, 2010
16
5
Littleton
I tried this and it worked. I show as 1[internal]
you must type it as such

# pm setInstalLocation 1

Both the I and L are capitalized. When I did it the first time around I didnt capitalize and it didnt work.

However I still can seem to get apps to move to the Internal SD. I even went as far as uninstalling apps and reinstalling to see if they did default into the internal SD as I indicated with the Terminal Emulator. Anything else that needs to be done to allow the Internal SD to be writable?
 

usit

Member
Dec 18, 2011
9
5
Thanks you great solution.
I did it and it worked but for some reason it switched back to "External SD"
I did change it it again but now the folder ".android_secure" is in External SD like (alei.switchpro-1.asec) and some app refuse to install.do you have any solution?
Thanks again
 

skullfire2396

New member
Feb 16, 2014
1
0
Still installs on the internal memory instead of sd

Did all that with the emulator and I did set it as 1, however apps still get installed on my internal memory...seriously running out of space now!!
 

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    Well there is no option in the phone to do this but if you are rooted and go onto the market and download "terminal emulator", its free you can easily change it.

    Here are the Steps:

    make sure usb debugging is checked

    open terminal emulator and type "su" (press enter)

    now type "pm getInstallLocation" (press enter)

    it should say something like [auto]
    this means the system decides which is best

    to change it to internal just type the following command:

    pm setInstallLocation 1 (press enter)

    now its set to internal,

    you change it anytime by using the "pm setInstallLocation" followed by a space and choosing any of the numbers

    0 - auto (default)
    1 - internal
    2 - external