How to transfer applications to a memory card on Xiaomi Redmi 9 Note

Owners of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 (often known as the Redmi 9 Note) often face a lack of built-in storage. Even with 64 or 128 gigabytes, modern apps and messenger cache quickly fill the available space. This leads to slowdown and inability to install new games. The solution is the use of an external drive, but the standard transfer procedure in Android 10 and the MIUI 12 shell is hidden from the average user.

The Android operating system by default does not allow you to simply move executable program files to an external medium for security and stability reasons. But there is a proven method to trick the system into thinking of the microSD card as part of the internal storage, and the Adoptable Storage feature is officially hidden in the menu, but is available through the developer's hidden settings or the user's own customization. ADB-In this article, we will discuss safe ways to expand memory.

Before any manipulations are initiated, it is important to understand that the process requires careful preparation, that all data on the memory card will be permanently deleted during the formatting process for internal memory, so be sure to back up photos, documents and contacts on the cloud server or computer, ignoring this step will lead to the loss of personal information, the recovery of which may be impossible.

Preparation of memory card and smartphone for work

The first step is to choose a quality storage device. For applications to work properly, read and write speeds must be high. Cheap Class 4 or Class 6 cards will cause games to load for eternity, and the phone will start to "hang." It is recommended to use UHS-I or UHS-II cards with a speed labeled at least A1 or A2.

Plug the card into the Redmi Note 9 slot. Make sure the device has identified a new media. Go to Settings → About Phone → Storage. If the system suggests formatting the card as Portable Storage, agree only to store photos and videos. To port applications will require a deeper setup that the standard menu does not offer immediately.

Check the battery before starting the procedure. It is advisable to have a charge level of at least 60-70%. Sudden power outage during the redistribution of file tables can damage the file system of the card or, in rare cases, software errors in the operation of the smartphone itself. Connect the device to the power source if the battery is discharged.

There is a common misconception that any card is suitable for running "heavy» 3D-In fact, the speed of random access to data on a microSD is much lower than the built-in flash memory. UFS 2.1, installed in the Redmi Note 9. Therefore, it makes sense to transfer only heavy data files (cache), and not the executable modules themselves, if you want to keep the performance.

Activate hidden functions through the developer menu

In the MIUI shell installed on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9, the option of forced porting of applications is hidden. To access it, you need to activate the developer mode. Go to Settings → About phone and click 7 times in a row on the MIUI version. After that, the notification will appear “You became a developer”.

Then go back to the main settings menu and select "Additional → For Developers" and you'll need to find an option in the list that opens that can be called "Allow Saving to External Drives" or "Force allow apps on external."

⚠️ Warning: Once this function is enabled and applications are ported, the memory card is encrypted with a specific device binding, and you can't just insert it into another phone or computer -- the data can't be read without formatting it again.

Once the hidden setting is activated, it is recommended to restart the smartphone, which is necessary for Android system services to correctly rescan the available storage and apply new security policies, and only after the reboot can you move to direct data transfer.

Instructions for transferring applications through settings

Standard transport path to MIUI 12 looks like this: Open Settings → Annexes → All applications. Select the program you want from the list. If the application supports portability, move to the button. SD-If the button is grey or missing, the developer has banned the transfer, and you will need to use it. ADB-The teams that will be discussed below.

When moving large games like PUBG Mobile or Call of Duty, the system can only transfer a portion of the files (APKs) leaving the cache (OBB files) in internal memory. This is a limitation of the Android architecture. To transfer the cache, it often requires manually copying folders through the file manager after the application itself is transferred.

When you move, don't open the app you're moving. Wait until the progress bar is over. The speed of the transfer depends on the memory card class and the amount of data you have. For 2-3 gigabyte games, it can take anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes. Interrupting the process can corrupt the game files and have to be reinstalled again.

Using ADB to Transfer Data Completely

If standard methods don’t work, the Android Debug Bridge (ADB) toolkit comes to the rescue, a powerful tool for interacting with the smartphone OS from a computer: you’ll need a USB cable, a Windows PC, and installed drivers for Xiaomi, a method that allows you to force the type of card storage to be “internal.”

Connect your phone to your computer in USB debugging mode (included in the developer menu). On the computer in the command line, type a command to check the connection:

adb devices

If a device appears on the list, you can type a command to change the type of storage. The command is as follows (be careful, the card ID may differ):

adb shell sm set-force-adoptable true

Once you have the command, format the card as internal memory through the smartphone menu, and the system will suggest you choose the formatting type — choose "Use as internal storage" — and then the phone will prompt you to transfer all data, including photos and apps, to a new volume.

Features of working with the cache of games and messengers

Special attention should be paid to messengers like Telegram and WhatsApp, which occupy the lion's share of memory due to media files, in the settings of the Telegram itself, you can specify the way to save files. → Data and memory → The path of preservation and choose yours SD-This will free up gigabytes of interior space without complex manipulation.

Games are more complicated. Cache files (usually Android/obb or Android/data folders) can be moved manually using a root file manager or a special plugin. However, after updating the game, files can return to internal memory, a floating process that requires periodic monitoring.

Possible problems and solutions

Redmi Note 9 users may encounter an “Insufficient Memory” error even if they have a free card, which occurs when an application is ported that requires contiguous space in internal memory for temporary files, and the solution is to release at least 500 MB of internal memory before starting an operation.

Another common problem is that the widgets of the ported apps disappear after the phone is restarted, because the external card is mounted by the system later than the desktop starts, in which case installing the application on internal memory helps, and only data is transferred to the card.

⚠️ Warning: If the phone starts to work unstable after transferring applications, spontaneous reboots or interface crashes occur, immediately return the applications back to internal memory.

You may also see a message that says "Application not installed" when you try to update a ported program through Google Play, in which case you temporarily return the application to internal memory, update it, and then move it back to the map, a known security limitation of Android.

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Use memory cards only from proven brands (Samsung, SanDisk, Kingston) and counterfeits, often sold in markets, have real capacity that is less than claimed, resulting in data loss after a couple of weeks of use.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions

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The optimal strategy is to store only media files and documents on the memory card, and leave applications in internal memory for maximum speed of the smartphone.