For recent times and up to date, if
asked about my stand on the recent gigs around Google and external storage
device? I will, without qualms say, Google is on tract. I don’t know you’re judgment;
you can use the comment box. Google has been known to hold strong abhorrence on
the use of external storage on Android devices, which explains why none of the Nexus smartphones and tablets had a
microSD card slot.
Google’s position is comprehensible from a software
engineering point of view but contravened and mismatched with popular consumer
demand. In Android M, however, Google makes an almost complete U-turn and has
found a compromise to the problem, in conclusion providing an official way for
users to move apps to removable storage. It has a strange name for it simultaneously,
calling it “Adoptable Storage Devices”. I often smile, when I see
this, I hope you do!
Even better and more ionic, users can actually travel
and migrate their “primary shared storage”, the /sdcard directory
which is the main storage that users see, to any adopted storage device. While
it does allay Google’s worries about security, it still runs the risk of the
external storage being pulled out at any given time.
There is a reason for the name, on the other hand. You are, after all,
adopting an external storage to become part of the internal storage.
Technically, what it does is it formats the external storage similar to
internal one and wraps it in a layer of encryption. Bottom line is that to
Android, it’s just part of a now larger storage layout. For users, it means
they can move an app’s code as well as its private data to that external
storage freely, without having to resort to third party tools or OEM hacks.
Yes, talking about pulling out in the second paragraph. At the moment,
Adoptable Storage Devices not only supports microSD cards, which you might
expect, but even USB OTG drives, which is somewhat astonishing. You will hardly
keep a smartphone or tablet always connected to an external hard drive or USB
stick, but this is undoubtedly both for testing purposes and for Android TV
devices which might have a strong and permanently connected external storage.
This feature is available right now in the Android M Preview, though an ADB (android debug bridge) command is needed to activate
it. And while this might sound like a relief, users should still exercise the
same caution when moving apps and data from internal storage to one that can be
more easily removed.
If you feel, we have left something out. Kindly use the comment box as
stated above!
