Marshmallow format SD as 'internal storage' not available - Galaxy Tab S2 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Just upgraded stock OTA to marshmallow, TAB s2 8.0" with a 64GB SDxc card in and I can't format the card as 'internal storage' only as 'portable storage' which is kind of annoying as I specifically wanted to be able to use all that space to store media under my user account like the walking dead that I'd rather my 2 year old doesn't stumble upon under his user account!!!!
Is this disabled by the manufacturer and is there some way I can re-enable it?

ADB, look up 'use sd card as adoptable storage on S7' and you should get the steps.
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Partitioning

The partitioning on the droid 4 is kinda annoying me. I really don't like mnt/sdcard being internal storage and my actual sd card being mnt/sdcard-ext. Will the have to be fixed with a rom, or can it be changed on stock somehow?
Sent from my DROID4 using XDA App
I was annoyed at that too until I understood the reasons behind it.
Here are the storage locations and what they are for:
/system
This is were the System ROM storage is
I don't recall the size on the original Droid, the size on the Droid 4 is 667MB.
/data
This is the internal memory for internal apps and data.
This is used on the Original Droid and the Droid 4.
On the Original Droid it's 300MB in size and on the Droid 4 it's 3.22GB in size.
/mnt/sdcard
On the Droid 4 this is a partition that is 8.59 GB in size.
By having the main storage for user data like Photos, Music, etc. be a separate partition you then have an internal storage place that you can mount on the computer via USB and organize via file managers.
Thus you don't need an external SD card for the Droid 4 like you did with the Original Droid to have 1GB+ storage space and the ability to mount it via USB to the computer.
The Droid 4 settings shows this partition as a "Media Area" referencing the usage of putting media like music, photos, videos, etc. on it.
On of the down side to this is features like MoveToSD put apps in this "Media Area" instead of the real SD card.
On the Original Droid this partition was not there so to keep compatibility with existing apps, it's mounted at /mnt/sdcard instead of say /mnt/MediaArea.
/mnt/sdcard-ext
This is where the real SD Card is due to the above path being used as a "Media Area".
I'm not sure weather the decision to make a "Media Area" was something Google did with Android 2.3.3 or if Motorola did it but I suspect it was something Google did with Android as from what I've read online other manufacturers do this too though it appears others use different mount points like Samsung apparently uses /mnt/sdcard/sd for the location of the real SD Card.
Motorola has an API for apps to get this path if they want to use the actual SD Card and all the built-in MotoBlur apps use this path.
So if you want to use an SD Card you need an app that supports getting the actual SD Card.
You probably can change the paths via updating the fstab file or creating a symlink but if want both paths that will just create problems.
If both /mnt/sdcard and /mnt/sdcard-ext are mounted then MotoBlur apps and apps using Motorola's API will expect the SD Card to be at /mnt/sdcard-ext so if you decided to switch the mount points around and have the real SD Card at /mnt/sdcard and the "Media Area" at /mnt/sdcard-ext then those apps would be storing data on the "Media Area" not the sdcard.
You could try to somehow change the fstab file to mount the real sdcard at /mnt/sdcard and replace /mnt/sdcard-ext with a symlink to /mnt/sdcard so all apps look at the real SD card but then you can not access the 8GB of storage in the "Media Area" partition.
So the safest thing to do is to just keep things the way they are and either:
1. Use the "Media Area" and no real SD Card (This is what I'm doing as the 8GB is enough space at the moment).
2. Tell applications that have the option to use the /mnt/sdcard-ext mount point when you want them to go to the real SD Card.
The MotoBlur apps like "My Gallery" support this, Titanium Backup knows about the two mount points and can be switched and File Management Apps usually let you pick the directory they display when you open them so you can set it to the /mnt/sdcard-ext mount point.
Justin

Is there any way to force the phone to use External memory?

This is my first phone with a lot of internal memory and I don't quite get how it uses it... Is there any way for the phone to use my external 16GB memory card instead of always using its own 8GB partition?
I second this question.
Though it may seem useless to do so, on the contrary I have a 32g ext SD card and would be fine ignoring the (confusing and my case redundant) internal SD card.
Or if not disable, maybe force apps/etc to default to the ext card?
Sent from my XT875 using xda premium
The question is does your app allow you the option to use your external memory. Not all apps are created equal and whether they allow you to use the external SD card is really up to the app developer. Its in the coding of the app that determines where the data is stored. Check your apps for that option and if there is none request it from the developer.
I believe there are ways to use the sd-ext for some kinds of data files used by large games, but the app must run on internal mem. I store all docs, downloads, pictures, music, videos, etc. on my external microsd card, but apps have to go on internal or they disappear or don't work. Search for 'apps2sd bionic' and you should find a way to store some game data externally.
raylgo said:
This is my first phone with a lot of internal memory and I don't quite get how it uses it... Is there any way for the phone to use my external 16GB memory card instead of always using its own 8GB partition?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did this when I had the atrix, and have also done it on my Bionic.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1404872
Ha! Didn't even think about messing with the fstab, thanks for that link. I'll be trying this shortly, and repost with results.
On a side note, I figured it shouldn't rely on the apps per say, considering a lot of phones don't have an internal "sdcard" (note: sdcard, not to be confused with regular internal app storage).
My opinion, naming the internal sdcard what it is was a seriously stupid idea. Should've followed suit with "app storage", how about "data storage"... just something not involving "card".
--
Cool, it worked awesome. Just had to swap files from one to the other to keep data in spots apps expected it to be.
Actually, I went ahead and disable the internal SD, and mounted the extsd in its place. Have been playing with mounting the extsd to both internal and external (resulted in only one mount point working), and also tried renaming the internals mount point to something like "internal_storage" (resulted in boot loop).
Be careful if playing with the mount points. The system doesn't like booting if it can't find something mounted to "sdcard", etc.
Something I'll be playing with and experimenting with. Any more info on editing these mount points would be very handy.
And lastly, sorry for hijacking your thread
Hope I didn't bother.
Sent from my XT875 using xda premium

Confused about SD Card. Help

This is the first device i ever had where you can't use the sd card as a storage and for apps. It's either or.
Am I missing something in the settings? Is there a way to use sd card for both storage and apps? Is a root required for this?
Every time that I have tried to use an SD card to extend internal storage, it's been nothing but a headache. I have not tried it on marshmallow for just that reason. So far, I have not run out of space for apps on my 16 GB R1 HD so I use the SD card only for media that I want to carry with me - music, podcasts, movies - stuff like that.
There are some apps available that use the SD card to extend space for apps by moving them to the SD card and linking to them from where they would normally be installed. This is different from marshmallow's extension of internal store using an SD card. Let's hope some people that have used it a lot will add comments! I'm kind of curious myself.
My wife is using a 128gb card as adopted storage, no problrms.
It's not the phone but rather MM that stops apps to SD without adopted storage.
There is also xposed modules that allow it without adopted storage.
afuller42 said:
My wife is using a 128gb card as adopted storage, no problrms.
It's not the phone but rather MM that stops apps to SD without adopted storage.
There is also xposed modules that allow it without adopted storage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you shed some light on the xposed mods that accomplishes this? I really like having one SD card that I use around on different things.

SD card... NO Option to use it as INTERNAL storage

Like mention on the title..
bought a Sandisc 128 GB Micro Sd card and there is NO other option other than just " format" ...
i am pretty sure that Android DOES support that feature since MM .....
so does this have to do with Nokia/HMD or am i missing something?
Thorgoth said:
Like mention on the title..
bought a Sandisc 128 GB Micro Sd card and there is NO other option other than just " format" ...
i am pretty sure that Android DOES support that feature since MM .....
so does this have to do with Nokia/HMD or am i missing something?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is most likely due to Google as they instruct manufacturers not to include it (in the ui) in a higher capacity devices (32gb or more).
At least that is what I gathered when I was looking for a way to get nokia 8 to format ext-sd card with a file system that supports over 4gb files.
Most likely you can enable it similarly like they managed to do so with the Samsung galaxy s7, and it didn't even require root access.
Lähetetty minun SM-G900F laitteesta Tapatalkilla
hinuk said:
This is most likely due to Google as they instruct manufacturers not to include it (in the ui) in a higher capacity devices (32gb or more).
At least that is what I gathered when I was looking for a way to get nokia 8 to format ext-sd card with a file system that supports over 4gb files.
Most likely you can enable it similarly like they managed to do so with the Samsung galaxy s7, and it didn't even require root access.
Lähetetty minun SM-G900F laitteesta Tapatalkilla
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mind sharing the way the did it???
Thorgoth said:
Mind sharing the way the did it???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://www.google.fi/amp/s/www.xda...ptable-storage-for-galaxy-s7-and-s7-edge/amp/
Lähetetty minun TA-1004 laitteesta Tapatalkilla
i thing there is an option when using a file manager, just like it shows from here
https://fossbytes.com/android-sd-card-internal-storage-adoptable-storage/
Here are the steps to adopt your SD card:
Put the SD card inside your Android phone and wait for it to get detected.
Now, open Settings.
Scroll down and go to the Storage section.
Tap the name of your SD card.
Tap the three vertical dots on the top right corner of the screen.
Tap Storage Settings.
Choose format as internal option.
On next screen, you have the final chance to decide whether you want to change your mind. Tap Erase & Format if you want to format your SD card as internal storage.
Paladin987 said:
i thing there is an option when using a file manager, just like it shows from here
https://fossbytes.com/android-sd-card-internal-storage-adoptable-storage/
Here are the steps to adopt your SD card:
Put the SD card inside your Android phone and wait for it to get detected.
Now, open Settings.
Scroll down and go to the Storage section.
Tap the name of your SD card.
Tap the three vertical dots on the top right corner of the screen.
Tap Storage Settings.
Choose format as internal option.
On next screen, you have the final chance to decide whether you want to change your mind. Tap Erase & Format if you want to format your SD card as internal storage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is disabled on the Nokia 8. It defaults to portable and there are no other options.
sheik124 said:
This is disabled on the Nokia 8. It defaults to portable and there are no other options.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, didn't know that... Still i dont have the phone to try it because i'm still waiting for the phone to arrive in Cyprus !
I have added a 32GB SD card into my Nokia 8, and now whenever I restart it, I get the SD card icon in the notification area. It's a small niggle, but anyone know how to stop this happening?
"The message is: Samsung SD card
For transferring photos and media"
I know this though, and I don't need to be told every time I start the phone...
The reason I feel SD card can't be used as internal memo is due to the fact that it cannot be formatted as exfat or NTFS. There's a separate thread on that.
Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using XDA-Developers Legacy app
something new?
hello can you help me please someone knows if the method indicated by hinuk works because as far as I require root because the memory encrypts it in EXT4 format
link for galaxy 7
https://www.xda-developers.com/enable-adoptable-storage-for-galaxy-s7-and-s7-edge/
Wish I'd read your post before I wasted £30 on an ad card that will only format as portable. The phone user guide certainly promotes and says it can be formatted as either. What's the point of portable storage I wonder?
Oh, don't you hate it!!
Just bought Nokia 8, only to find I cannot move all my apps to the SD card to free up the internal memory. What a total waste of money, even at 64gb it is still an option I require. Also I was stunned to find that contrary to all the specifications I had read from various sources, I ended up with a single sim version when I wanted a dual sim version. Darn, I think I'll get rid of it and get a phone that does everything I want it to do.... a pox on you Nokia and Google too!!!
Using ADB to get adoptable storage?
I tried using the method shown for getting adoptable storage on the Galaxy s7. I connected to my Nokia 8 using ADB, I found the name of the SD card I'd inserted into my phone, and then I ran "sm partition disk:179,0 private" and received the following error message: "java.lang.IllegalStateException: command '16 volume partition disk:179,0 private' failed with '400 16 Command failed'" I found another post which said that in order to run this command on Android Oreo, I first had to run "sm set-force-adoptable-storage true", however when I tried this, I received the error message: "java.lang.IllegalStateException: Adoptable storage not available on device with native FBE".
Does anyone know if there is a way around this? I haven't been able to find anything else which might allow me to use my Nokia 8 with adoptable storage.
Smudger40 said:
I have added a 32GB SD card into my Nokia 8, and now whenever I restart it, I get the SD card icon in the notification area. It's a small niggle, but anyone know how to stop this happening?
"The message is: Samsung SD card
For transferring photos and media"
I know this though, and I don't need to be told every time I start the phone...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mine just stopped doing it of its own accord for some reason.

Virtualising the SD Card

Hey Moto 6 dudes —
I picked-up a Moto G6 Plus today from Carphone Warehouse [UK]. However, I'm damned if I can work out how to:
virtualise the SD card (only Portable is an option at SD format or insert time)
move apps to the SD card (also not an option)
Q's
Am I missing something super-obvious and in plain-sight, or is this not enabled by Motorola?
When you insert an SD card, is virtualisation an option for you?
— any advice and insight very welcome.
Rik =)
Yes didn't see the option too. No adoptable storage.
The same in android one Nokia 7+.
Maybe the option is abandonned by manufacturer.
It is not an option anymore in Android since Nougat (not sure if Marsmallow neither).
Regards
elperroderoke said:
It is not an option anymore in Android since Nougat (not sure if Marsmallow neither).
Regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks good to know even if I neither used it. I prefer always use external storage mode.
What do you mean?? it's there!!! Click on the three dots top right of the screen.
Instructions:
Go to settings.
Select 'storage'.
Select your SD card. The file manager should open.
Tap the three dots in the top right corner, and select storage settings.
Format as internal.
(You can also open the file manager and select the SD in the right slide out menu instead of going to settings.)
you will need to format the card and use it as internal storage.
be warned the sd card will be slower than your phone's storage, how much depends on what you bought.
I split my SD to be semi-Adopted. 25% is internal and 75% portable. Works great so far!
http://blog.sam.liddicott.com/2016/02/andAndroid-6-semi-adopted-storage.html?
When you insert the card, you pick if it's portable or locked to the phone. Maybe you are looking for this option:
settings -> storage -> sd card -> 3 dots -> migrate data

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