How To: Save Apps to Your SD Card on the G1 (OBSOLETE)
June 21, 2009 in Featured
PLEASE NOTE! This method is obsolete! Please refer to the newer Rooting/Loading Custom ROM methods on our site:
Unroot (G1) OR Unroot(MyTouch), then Root, then Load a Custom ROM, Apps2SD/Hero etc.
So the G1 (or Android, not sure who to blame really), has an inherent flaw. It’s not that the cute little robot has to get poked like the Pilsbury dough boy for you to first use the phone, it’s the fact that when you save applications from the Market (part of the large appeal of the Android OS), it saves them to the phone’s internal memory instead of the SD card. What’s the problem? Well since there is only about 70MBs of internal storage as opposed to the 1GB or more in your SD card, we’re talking a huuuuge space problem for all of those awesome apps to download. If you could save your apps to the much larger 1GB (= approx. 1000MB) or more of storage in the SD card, you could essentially download 14x more applications!
Good thing the guys over at XDA-Developers have helped us do just that. Here is the video on how to do so.
WARNING – This is sort of advanced stuff and could possible harm your device, so if you are ok with the 70MBs and are not very proficient with rooting, loading roms, etc., you may want to not attempt this.
Steps:
Before you begin, there are 2 methods for partitioning a memory card.
1. Via Paragon Partition Manager 9
or
2. Via the Apps2SD program found in this post
I used to have the Paragon way on here but have found that a lot of people are having a hard time finding this program on the internet, so I redid the video and the instructions here to use the Apps2SD method instead.
1. Connect your G1 to the computer and mount the SD card and save all of the files on your SD card to a folder on your computer for backup (as this process will erase your entire SD card).
2. Unmount the SD card on the G1.
3. Click Settings, SD card & phone storage, then click Format SD card.
4. Remount the newly formatted SD card to your computer via the drop down notification menu on the G1.
5. Download these 3 files:
Apps2SD Application
Init.rc
A2SD.sh
6. Put the three files on the root (top most) folder of your SD card.
7. Create the directory on the SD card;Â /system/sd/app
8. Put the memory card back into the G1 or disconnect your G1 from the computer.
9. Open Terminal on the phone (if you don’t have it download it from the market by searching for Terminal).
10. In Terminal type the following and at the end of each line hit enter:
su
cp /sdcard/init.rc /data/
cp /sdcard/a2sd.sh /data/
11. Close Terminal
12. Download and install Linda File Manager from the Market if you do not already have it (great program by the way).
13. Goto the home screen of your phone push the menu key and goto Settings, then Applications and check the box for Unknown Sources (this allows us to install the Apps2SD program even though it wasn’t downloaded from the Market).
14. Open Linda File Manager, then click on SD Card then find the Apps2SD.apk file we put on there earlier and click it. Choose Package Installer to run it and it will install the program.
15. Open Apps2SD and the first time you open it you should get a screen with a green slider bar. Move the slider over from the right to a desired size for your applications (on the stock G1 1GB memory card I recommend maybe 300MBs, on a card bigger than 4GBs go ahead and do 1400MBs). DO NOT MAKE THE EXT2 PARTITION ANY LARGER THAN 1500MBs as it will cause errors in most ROMS.
16. Reboot the phone, done! From now on all apps you download should goto the SD card. To check if it worked, goto Settings > SD Card & Phone Storage then scroll down to Available Space, should say a lot more than 70MBs 
17. Optional, run Apps2SD again and have it transfer all of your current apps (if they weren’t deleted during this process) to your SD card.
Reported Issues
Issue: I have the Hero ROM and I only have 70-80MBs of free internal space, why don’t I have 1300mbs or whatever I had before I went to the Hero ROM?
Solution: The Hero ROM does not correctly support the Apps2SD procedure like the other, more stable ROMs do.
Issue: I’m stuck on the G1 screen!
Solution:
1. To fix this, simply take out the memory card from the G1 and put it into the SD adapter it came with then put that into the computer/laptop.
2. Find the update.zip file that is on your SD card and delete it (if you have one).
3. Then put a ROM you want to use (if a Hero ROM doesn’t work then use a Non-Hero ROM) on the SD card in the topmost folder (not in any subfolders) and rename it to update.zip.
4. Put the memory card back into the phone and turn the phone on by holding Home and End till the recovery screen comes up (for most people this is a triangle with an ! in it).
5. Hit Alt W to wipe the phone (it might reboot, if it does and it is still stuck on the G1 logo, then take out the battery and put it back in and continue to step 6).
6. Turn on the phone again by holding down the Home and End button till you get to the ! screen again and hit Alt S to load the update.
7. Once it is done, reboot the phone and it should pass the G1 screen this time.
Mary said on November 19, 2009
I needd help I am stuckk plzzz
I put in su and then I push enter and it says permission denied…
TheUnlockr said on November 20, 2009
Mary,
Read the bold writing at the top of this procedure.
stu said on December 27, 2009
when i enter terminal and type su and enter, it says su: permission denied
what do i need to do now
TheUnlockr said on December 28, 2009
Stu,
Read the bold writing at the top of the post. This is obsolete. Use the different procedure linked at the top.
Mubeen said on March 5, 2010
David,
Thanks for the great video…
When I run the App2sd.apk…. nothing comes up….
please help me!
TheUnlockr said on March 5, 2010
Mubeen,
Read the bold writing at the top of the procedure…
Raikan said on March 19, 2010
Hi,
Can i not load any rom into my phone but i already root my g1 using the one click root:
http://theunlockr.com/2009/08/22/how-to-root-the-mytouch-3g-or-g1-in-one-click/
I dont want to mess around with rom but i want to increase the internal memory of my phone.
TheUnlockr said on March 19, 2010
Raikan,
Read step 13 in that one click rooting procedure.
david said on March 28, 2010
my g1 never being root or unrooted,does this works to save app on my sdcard? thank you
jerry said on April 29, 2010
it says that ther is a system on my sd card that doesnt support it to format it
michael said on May 27, 2010
it does not work for me at all i did everything and it does not work when i get to terminal emulator and type”su”it does’nt do anything when i hitt enter it says permission denied.whats wrong help please.please email me or reply to this comment thanks allot.
michael said on June 4, 2010
I have the 1.6 donut rom on my g1 do i have to follow the procedure(How To:load the HTC Hero ROM onto your G1). Inorder to save apps on my sd card or can i do it on the the current update i have which is the 1.6 donut please reply it would be a great help thanks allot
Azu said on June 30, 2010
everytime i do
cp sdcard/init.rc /data/
error : that says CP : not found…
i have already partitioned the sd card in linux swap, ext 2 and fat32…. please help….
Bron said on July 1, 2010
Hi, I just want to ask about terminal emulator. I’ve done everything you instructed in your video, but I found one problem at the time opening of Terminal Emulator, after I typed “SU” why I found “SU: Not Found”. Please help me to solve this problem. thanks be4..
David Cogen said on July 1, 2010
Bron,
Type su not SU
chace said on August 12, 2010
i got all of it installed, and so what else to i have to do? i need apps2sd to work on my g1
David Cogen said on August 12, 2010
Chace,
Please read the top of this procedure. It is obsolete.
Most custom ROMs have apps2sd built in for the G1. Simply partition your sd card and load a custom ROM that says it has auto apps2sd.
Ader said on August 30, 2010
When i reboot the phone nothings change.. Can someone help me? And i dont have step with force.
David Cogen said on August 30, 2010
Ader,
Please read the bold writing at the beginning of the post…
Ader said on August 30, 2010
Well, i’ve notice a new way.So, I’ve used recovery partitioning, and now in SD and memory info i have something like second SD card oO, so i tried to use App2SD but after reboot i still dont have more internal memory, could u help, please?
Quintezz Jamar Hayes said on September 11, 2010
Thanks man now i have way more than 70 MB on my phone memory thanks you guys…
HTC Dream Android 1.6 Rooted said on September 29, 2010
the terminal responds saying cp not found?:S
David Cogen said on September 29, 2010
READ THE BOLD WRITING AT THE TOP OF THIS POST PLEASE.
will said on October 7, 2010
hey wanted to know if my g1 had to be rooted in order to save apps to my sd card??
Ludakr1sh said on November 27, 2010
does this work on the htc desire?
Andrei Fresh said on January 4, 2011
not working for me.
Hatim_national2000 said on January 17, 2011
Will this work for motorola milestone with 2.1 android OS
please reply back
Hatim_national2000 said on January 17, 2011
Will this work for motorola milestone with 2.1 android OS
please reply back
G1user said on February 1, 2011
I’ve followed all the steps in the video one by one, but it did not work, no change whatsoever in my g1. Internal memory is still the same. can you help me, please?
Wolderufiel3 said on April 3, 2011
how do u do the terminal step on a mytouch slide os 2.1
Toxid25 said on April 8, 2011
will this work on samsung galaxy 3 ???
my version is 2.1 & i already rooted my phone..
& i also follow ur steps but when i type..
cp sdcard/init.rc /data/
error : that says CP : not found…
plz help
Chuzay007 said on August 4, 2011
memory not active in htc dream wat can i do now plz tell me (chuzay007@hotmail.co.uk) here is my email adress