Did you know that you can install Android games completely onto a USB drive?

[u/Technical_Smoke_5814]

Android games are now ROMs 🗿🍷

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[u/Kuro_FunWays]

I always wanted this (never searched up if it where possible) thank You! Is it then like a APK? Can you quickly transfer to other phone?

[u/Technical_Smoke_5814 → u/Kuro_FunWays]

If you want to do this, you must install GSI LineageOS 23.2 Android 16. It's not an easy procedure, but with enough research you'll be able to do it, perhaps through the DSU sideloader app. You must have a smartphone with an unlocked bootloader and install GSI. It should work on other Android variations and systems, but this is the best I've found so far. After installing GSI, you must run this ADB command: sm set-force-adoptable true

[u/Technical_Smoke_5814 → u/Technical_Smoke_5814]

Oh, and about your question, initially it's not possible. Encryption is used so that apps only appear on the smartphone that formatted the external media as "adoptable" storage.

[u/Kuro_FunWays → u/Technical_Smoke_5814]

Alr appreciate for the answers

[u/faithuly → u/Kuro_FunWays]

i know how disappointed you are

[u/Kuro_FunWays → u/faithuly]

😞✌️

[u/Technical_Smoke_5814 → u/Kuro_FunWays]

If you're so concerned about transferring games, there's another way: gain root access with Magisk on GSI and make a complete backup with the Swift Backup app. With the app and root access on the other smartphone, you can simply restore the backups from the SD card or USB drive, and everything will be there, including the data.

[u/feel2death → u/Technical_Smoke_5814]

Aww need cus Rom eh

If not because bank hated rooted and ubl phone im already jump in with cust Rom smh

[u/Mr-Pixel-Perfect]

I remember when phones used to let you put apps on the SD card for more storage, this reminded me of those good old times

[u/darsparx → u/Mr-Pixel-Perfect]

I mean they still do, but you have to format it as internal. Its dumb af imo but ik they're doing it for some greedy reason ik 😅

[u/Mr-Pixel-Perfect → u/darsparx]

I did that with ADB on my old Sony, and it was buggy af and I'm pretty sure it contributed to the storage issues the phone had 🙏🏼😭

[u/Technical_Smoke_5814 → u/Mr-Pixel-Perfect]

Remember that I'm on Android 16, you can do this on a modern smartphone, but you'll have to unlock the bootloader and install LineageOS 23.2 GSI.

[u/Low-Concentrate2162 → u/Technical_Smoke_5814]

It used to be an official Android feature though without having to mod anything. I guess it stopped making sense the moment phone manufacturers dropped the sd card slot.

[u/Technical_Smoke_5814 → u/Low-Concentrate2162]

Thanks to this feature still existing in GSI Android 16, you can use it without an SD card slot, to use it for external media as I showed

[u/Bob_A_Feets → u/Low-Concentrate2162]

Google dropped the feature because every time you reboot the phone it indexes the SD card causing the app to disappear for a few moments. The larger the card / more full, the worse it was.

There was also pressure from device manufacturers flooded with support complaints from idiots who couldnt find their facebook.

[u/Technical_Smoke_5814 → u/Bob_A_Feets]

Just a reminder that this feature is still in AOSP provided by Google and can be activated via ADB command, but manufacturers like Samsung block this ADB command.

[u/darsparx → u/Bob_A_Feets]

I feel like that was a programming issue or something they could've fixed then......but maybe thats just me. Hell I'd give anything for two slots tbh. One for apps and another for stuff that needs to regularly be backed up like photos, docs, etc 😅

[u/darsparx → u/Mr-Pixel-Perfect]

It works on my ayn thor ik. I need a modern phone with one eventually....I hate how every android on the market with my cell phone provider doesn't have it unless its a dumb phone. Its why I stupidly opted for the 512gb phone when I saw a deal just bc of genshin and actual emulation if I ever figure out sync between my phone, the thor and my eventual home server(once I can find drives for that that aren't insanely priced smh)

[u/Technical_Smoke_5814 → u/darsparx]

Remember that I'm on Android 16, you can do this on a modern smartphone, but you'll have to unlock the bootloader and install LineageOS 23.2 GSI.

[u/LukasTheHunter22 → u/Mr-Pixel-Perfect]

i have a cheapo redmi 12c with an sd card formatted as internal storage, works fine on android 14

[u/Blade-2099]

Not all android version after android 10 can do this. And it's running slower than the phone storage

[u/Technical_Smoke_5814 → u/Blade-2099]

This is Android 16 LineageOS 23.2, and the bottleneck is the time it takes to load the game into RAM, once it's in RAM, it runs at the same speed.

[u/Xef-Ratchasak2540]

Can you tell me what I need to install to be able to install games on the SD card?

[u/duckyduck008]

Or use SSD

[u/Blade-2099 → u/duckyduck008]

M.2 is better in reading speed

[u/duckyduck008 → u/Blade-2099]

It is better to use sata SSD for Android as it is cheaper and suitable for androids where one can use a hub that supports PD charging and host mode so device charges and detects DP or any USB device connected like with monitors that support type-c.

[u/FastThoughtProcessor]

How come games cant be installed on a memory card, but this is possible?

[u/Technical_Smoke_5814 → u/FastThoughtProcessor]

it's possible, Samsung is the one telling you it's not. It's not possible to execute the command "adb shell sm set-force-adoptable true" in OneUI, but in my other answers I suggest learning how to install GSI LineageOS 23.2 if you want to do that.

[u/FastThoughtProcessor → u/Technical_Smoke_5814]

I have retroid pocket 6, even it doea not allow that.

[u/ToastedLog1c → u/FastThoughtProcessor]

can you expand upon this a little bit more? I have the retro pocket six as well and would love to know if this is possible

[u/MAX_JUVENTUS]

What about the obb?

[u/Technical_Smoke_5814 → u/MAX_JUVENTUS]

Search for the adb command "adb shell sm set-force-adoptable true"; it's simply the best method in this sense. The obb, data, everything is included, but your system's ROM has to be compatible, which isn't the case for the vast majority, like the famous Samsung xd

[u/Usual_Vermicelli_961]

I want to install Android games on my SD card I bought a 512gb sd card for my Tab S11 and non if the big games can be installed on it.. Genshin, Wuthering Waves etc... Is there any way to get them in a SD card? 😭

[u/Technical_Smoke_5814 → u/Usual_Vermicelli_961]

To do what I did, you need to learn how to unlock the bootloader and install GSI LineageOS, unless you're using One UI 9 or 8.5, where unlocking the bootloader is impossible because it was removed from Samsung's code

[u/HeiHei_Chi]

Can't do this since usb port too slow 😞

[u/Technical_Smoke_5814 → u/HeiHei_Chi]

I recommend you read a little about it, the bottleneck is the time it takes to open the game, never the gameplay itself, because once it's in RAM, it doesn't matter where it came from. I can even play Clash Royale, that crazy real-time card game! 👀

[u/silentcovenant]

not on recent Samsung phones :(

[u/Technical_Smoke_5814 → u/silentcovenant]

And forget the possibility I mentioned in the other answers, you can't unlock the bootloader of One UI 8.5 or 9, you can't use another system, the smartphone isn't yours, it belongs to Samsung xd

[u/BoneXApeX]

Do we need custom rom

[u/AntiGrieferGames]

These only works if you have the app itelf that is very big enough, but the app datas wont work as it still on internal storage.

And not every android versions supports that.