Is there any way to move apps to my SD with Android 2.1?

Question

Is there any possible way to move apps to my SD card on my Droid Eris? I keep getting that low memory icon in my notification bar and its really annoying. I'm running Android 2.1

Answer 1

It's a built-in feature of Froyo, as long as the developer has built the app that way.

However, you're mostly out of luck, unless you're willing to root your phone and install Cyanogenmod and APPS2SD or jump through the hoops Bruce details in his answer.

If you do have Android 2.2 or higher, the app SDMove can be a big help in moving apps in bulk. SDWatch is also useful, as it monitors apps you install and alerts you if it can be moved the SD card. (There are, of course, other apps that do the same things. They're just the ones I've used.)

Answer 2

Actually, there is way. It's not perfectly seamless, and it requires that you partition your SD card yourself. The steps below were provided by Sparx as an answer to this question.

It worked for me, and I'm running stock android 2.1 on a Motorola milestone.

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Enter Link2SD - it's freeware and works with Android 1.6 and above.

You will also need a partitioning tool - I used the excellent freeware Easeus Partition Manager (EPM) to ensure no data was erased during the repartitioning / resizing.

1. First, download and install EPM.
2. Pop your storage card into your card reader.
3. Start EPM
4. Your card should be visible amongst the other drives/partitions in your PC.
5. Select the partition on your card - it should cover the entire length by default. Right-click & choose RESIZE/MOVE and then REDUCE the Partition Size (this is what shows in Windows) until the Unallocated Space size is of a suitable size. (The Unallocated space will be allocated as the partition on which your apps will be stored.) Click OK.

An aside - even though Link2SD supports the creation of the second partition (in which your apps will reside) in the FAT / FAT32 format, Windows only recognizes the first PRIMARY partition which is why this newly created partition won't show within Windows inspite of it being FAT / FAT32. We shall be using either ext2 / ext3 or ext4 as the file system in any case.

Onward...

1. Right-click this new Unallocated Space and choose CREATE. Click YES on the warning that describes what I've said above.
2. Now, in the Partition Label, type in a label like "AndroidApps" or whatever suits you.
3. This is CRITICAL - the CREATE AS should be PRIMARY
4. Choose File System as EXT3 and click OK.
5. Click APPLY in the main window's TOP LEFT corner (big blue check mark icon). EPM will carry out the operations. Congrats! You've just re-partitioned your card and without any data loss too. (Hopefully!)

Assuming you've installed Link2SD in your phone and the SD card has been re-inserted. 11. Reboot your phone.

1. Start Link2SD and it should detect your partition.

2. A list of apps is now displayed. Click the app you want to move to the card and then click CREATE LINK.

That's it.

Answer 3

There is titanium backup. It's description says:

You can move any app (or app data) to/from the SD card.

Requires Android: 1.0 and up

It has a free version. It requires root: How do I root my Android device?