Where are SD apps?

[calguy19]

I had to exchange my DX for a replacement. Before I did, I moved as many D/L'ed apps to the SD card as possible. Looks like around 200MB worth.

Moved the SD card to the new phone - the apps were NOWHERE to be found. I have to re-download all of them from scratch.

What's the deal? Other than saving a little bit of my 8GB of phone memory, what good did this do? Why didn't my apps show up on the new phone?

 

[random190user44]

When you put the card into the phone, you did move the apps back to the phone right?

Sent from my DROID2 using DroidForums

 

[calguy19]

How was I supposed to move them back from the SD card to the phone if they aren't there? I checked in Settings, Applications, Manage Applications. They weren't there, under Downloaded , All, or On SD Card.

I thought they were supposed to be there, but they weren't. They showed an on SD card when the SD card was in the original phone.

Again - what happened to those apps?

 

[LT*]

They are on your SD card in the .android_secure folder You can't view them from the phone, only from a PC.

 

[calguy19]

Yes, there are a bunch of files in that folder, all ending in .asec filetype.

But what good does that do? How do I restore those as apps I can run on the new phone? Again, Manage Applications in Settings doesn't see those moved apps.

The main question is HOW DO I RESTORE THE APPS I MOVED TO THE SD CARD IN THE OLD PHONE WITH THAT SAME SD CARD IN THE NEW PHONE, SO I CAN ACTUALLY SEE THEM ON MY MENU AND RUN THEM ON THE NEW PHONE?

It's weird - the files are where you said, but they don't show up anywhere on the phone as apps that can be run. What am I missing?

 

[chrstdvd]

Best method for future note is to get Titanium Backup and back up your apps to the SD card, then if you get a new phone, get Titanium on it and let it reinstall your apps.

 

[Thunderbolt48]

Isnt Titanium for rooted phones or is there a non rooted version?

 

[Xplorer4x4]

^no there is not an unrooted version. If you are unwilling to root, try MyBackupPro(i think thats the name, cant recall if root is needed) or App Monster.

Yes, there are a bunch of files in that folder, all ending in .asec filetype.

But what good does that do? How do I restore those as apps I can run on the new phone? Again, Manage Applications in Settings doesn't see those moved apps.

The main question is HOW DO I RESTORE THE APPS I MOVED TO THE SD CARD IN THE OLD PHONE WITH THAT SAME SD CARD IN THE NEW PHONE, SO I CAN ACTUALLY SEE THEM ON MY MENU AND RUN THEM ON THE NEW PHONE?

It's weird - the files are where you said, but they don't show up anywhere on the phone as apps that can be run. What am I missing?

The main question is how did you back up/move your apps? Using the built in A2SD function? I havent ever used it so I dont know, but I do know Darktremors Apps2SD hack was designed to only run on the current install of Android. If I did a wipe of my phone, then I had to format the A2SD partition as well.

Yelling at people trying to help you really is not exactly a good idea if you want help. I understand your frustration but it is not our fault. A better idea would have been to ask for advice before trading in your original DX.

 

[calguy19]

Yes I had asked for help. But nobody answered my question as I wrote it. That is why I repeated my original question in caps. To emphasize my question as I originally asked it. I did not ask what I should have done. I did not ask what I should do in the future. I did not ask what measures I should have asked "before trading in my DX". If I could see the future and thought there might be a problem, I might have taken appropriate measures.

I used a 3rd party app to assist me in moving my apps from the phone memory to the SD card, and then I checked the app manager to verify those apps had indeed been moved to the SD card. Then I replaced the defective phone with the replacement sent by Verizon. I expected those apps to be on the new phone when the SD card was transferred. Unfortunately, they were not. But fortunately I had written down the names of all the apps I had downloaded, so I manually re-downloaded the free ones. The paid ones show up on "My Apps" and are easitly replaced.

My own best guess analysis is that google, for app control reasons, leaves a necessary "stub" on the phone memory when the bulk of the app is moved to the SD card. This saves phone memory, but it does not allow you to transfer a copy of all your apps to another phone. The stub must be in the phone memory for that app to run. Or so it seems.

As a general comment - I am on a lot of forums, of all types. On many, I am the moderator. Some are more useful that others. Forums where threads are highjacked, replies do not correspond to the actual question posed, or people simply post uninformed guesses are not particularly useful, and those forums gradually lose their readership. Any forum is only as useful as the posts from the knowledgable contributors.

 

[krashdragon]

Along the same lines.... I can see one of the apps I downloaded on the card, and the others (games) are working on the phone, but how do I get the kindle books I downloaded from my computer to the phone? (Ok, I did, but they're not visible in the Kindle folder....)
I only get a message that the card needs installed or mounted...which I have done several times.
The card is working, I think...maybe....or not....
Thanks
Mary

 

[Xplorer4x4]

Yes I had asked for help. But nobody answered my question as I wrote it. That is why I repeated my original question in caps. To emphasize my question as I originally asked it. I did not ask what I should have done. I did not ask what I should do in the future. I did not ask what measures I should have asked "before trading in my DX". If I could see the future and thought there might be a problem, I might have taken appropriate measures.

Nice to see the stellar attitude continues. I was simply trying to provide some useful advice.

Caps are interpreted as yelling. If you need emphasis there are other ways to do so then by "yelling" as you can see by your use of underlining. You had time to move the apps to the sd card, so from the sounds of it your phone was not in a state that it was unusable and therefore had time to take appropriate precautions. Plus, if the phone is outside the 30 day warranty period you have to wait atleast, over night to receive your replacement.

And you did "trade your phone in"..for a replacement.

I used a 3rd party app to assist me in moving my apps from the phone memory to the SD card,and then I checked the app manager to verify those apps had indeed been moved to the SD card.

A third party app? That narrows it down.

I expected those apps to be on the new phone when the SD card was transferred. Unfortunately, they were not. But fortunately I had written down the names of all the apps I had downloaded, so I manually re-downloaded the free ones. The paid ones show up on "My Apps" and are easitly replaced.

Appbrain will create a list of all your apps for you and is free. No need to get out the pen and paper.

My own best guess analysis is that google, for app control reasons, leaves a necessary "stub" on the phone memory when the bulk of the app is moved to the SD card. This saves phone memory, but it does not allow you to transfer a copy of all your apps to another phone. The stub must be in the phone memory for that app to run. Or so it seems.

No the APK file, generally speaking, is stored in /system/data/ at all times, and only the data for the application is written to the SD card, like levels beaten in a game for example. Theres not a stub as you call it, simply the APK file still located in the phones internal storage.

As a general comment - I am on a lot of forums, of all types. On many, I am the moderator. Some are more useful that others. Forums where threads are highjacked, replies do not correspond to the actual question posed, or people simply post uninformed guesses are not particularly useful, and those forums gradually lose their readership. Any forum is only as useful as the posts from the knowledgable contributors.

Ironic you insert comments in to your post that, as you say, do not correspond to the question posted. You also criticize uninformed guesses but I just provided you with fact here. Not a guess. I will try to make a mental note you would rather rant,rave, and make snide remarks then provide useful information like a specific app name for example. Glad you realize there is nothing you can do to recover from your error. Have fun restoring your apps.

 

[calguy19]

Well xplorer -

you never did answer my question. The apps were shown by the app mgr as having been successfully moved to the sd card, but when the SD card was installed in the replacement phone, they were not on the new phone.

Rather than answer my question, you seem to prefer the technique of ad hominum attacks, criticizing my method of trying to refocus the discussion to answering my original question which is: the apps were shown as successfully transferred to the SD card, the SD card was moved to the new phone, but the apps were not available.

With all your technical "expertise" you would rather criticize a "junior member" and his "personality disorders" rather than actually answering the question as posed.

It must be wonderful to be so knowledgable about everything having to do with droids.

BTW caps do not always signify yelling. Sometimes they are used simply to emphasize a statement. Oops, I forgot - you already know everything.

I already reinstalled all my lost apps, as I had no choice. My original post was only to understand why the transfer didn't work. Speaking of having fun, hope you enjoy waiting around for the next person whose post doesn't meet with your self defined standards, so you can post your pompous, albeit useless advice, generously mixed with your amusing sarcasm. Gee, you must be really smart, xplorer. I'm sure everyone reading this thread is really impressed with how helpful you are. I'm sure others reading this thread will feel really comfortable posting their questions, wondering what kind of sarcastic responses they might get here.

Somehow, I think you missed the point and the purpose of these forums.

 

[JriderG]

I can't believe the phone didn't automatically restore them. Mine usually does when I log in for the first time after a flash or sbf. But next time try that mybackup app off the market. My friend used it and I was impressed on how well it worked. Never used titanium to backup though.

Sent from my DROIDX using DroidForums

 

[calguy19]

Some more details of what happened:

This was my first attempt at replacing a phone and trying to recover apps from the previous phone.

This part has nothing to do with the moved apps, which I had expected to appear on the new phone. The first time I logged into the market on the new phone, the market menu was different - only 1 item - to load the previously installed apps. I let it get started - saved areound 5-10 apps. then I interrupted that to do something else on the market. When I went back to the market, the option of restoring all the previous apps was gone. Seems like you only get 1 shot at doing that. I reset the phone to try again. This time, the market came up and only restored the apps I had just restored previously. The market is only aware of the latest configuration of the downloaded apps, and it only gives you ONE chance to restore them.

Yeah, I know that going forward, and I am also aware now of special apps to save the list of apps, so they can be downloaded automatically. Either that, or take the one shot and let market download all the apps. Just make sure you're near a fast WiFi when you do that market login. I have many downloaded apps.

Anyway, I never did get an answer - why did the apps I transferred to the SD card (including a few that had been pulled from the market, and were no longer available) did not show up on the new phone when the SD card was placed in the new phone? The transferred files were and still are on the SD card in .android_secure folder. As was pointed out earlier, that folder is weird. I can see those files if I attach the phone via USB to my computer, and view that folder from my computer. If I use ES File Explorer or equivalent, on the phone, with "show hidden files and folders" enabled, I can see that folder, but that folder is reported as empty. The files do not show. That Android is ONE WEIRD OPERATING SYSTEM!

Anyway - I'm not looking for advice - what I should have done, or what I should do in the future. I'm only trying to understand some of the more subtle details of the OS, and in this case, why those apps I saved to the SD card didn't transfer over. I figured some of you guys have rooted your phones, and are aware of some of those OS details, and could explain that to the rest of us who are curious.

Are you guys saying that you transferred some apps to your SD card, updated (reset) or replaced the phone, inserted the SD card, and those SD card apps showed up for you without use of the market?

 

[Xplorer4x4]

Well xplorer -

you never did answer my question. The apps were shown by the app mgr as having been successfully moved to the sd card, but when the SD card was installed in the replacement phone, they were not on the new phone.

Actually I did the best I could with out knowing what "third party app" you used. Go back to the response about your assumption about stubs. Generally the data is stored to the SD card rather then the actual app itself.

Rather than answer my question you seem to prefer the technique of ad hominum attacks, criticizing my method of trying to refocus the discussion to answering my original question which is: the apps were shown as successfully transferred to the SD card, the SD card was moved to the new phone, but the apps were not available.

With all your technical "expertise" you would rather criticize a "junior member" and his "personality disorders" rather than actually answering the question as posed.

It must be wonderful to be so knowledgable about everything having to do with droids.

BTW caps do not always signify yelling. Sometimes they are used simply to emphasize a statement. Oops, I forgot - you already know everything.

I already reinstalled all my lost apps, as I had no choice. My original post was only to understand why the transfer didn't work. Speaking of having fun, hope you enjoy waiting around for the next person whose post doesn't meet with your self defined standards, so you can post your pompous, albeit useless advice, generously mixed with your amusing sarcasm. Gee, you must be really smart, xplorer. I'm sure everyone reading this thread is really impressed with how helpful you are. I'm sure others reading this thread will feel really comfortable posting their questions, wondering what kind of sarcastic responses they might get here.

Somehow, I think you missed the point and the purpose of these forums.

I never made any sort of personal attack on you until you did so with your "general comment." My op was friendly advice that yelling would not help you. Keep in mind words on a screen can often be misinterpreted. You started personal attacks on me with your "general comment" when my only intention was to attempt to assist you which I did. I dont know that much about android compared to people like Fabulous,jRummy,Stensonstaw,13th Angel,etc(sorry for any spelling mistakes guys) but try to use what knowledge I have to help people like your self to the absolute best of my abilities. You seem to be ungratefull considering I have explained why apps2sd failed to restore your apps which is what you wanted to know.