Help with App2sd (app data and dalvik-cache)

[diovani]

After using App2sd I noticed that my internal storage free continues to decrease. It's currently on 19MB, a size wich the systems starts to be slow.

Checking the file system I saw that 97MB is due to dalvik-cache. No problem since I decided to keep it on internal storage, the rest, about 32MB, are app data.
I was expecting that App2sd could move all app data to sdcard, not only apks, otherwise there's no much diference from using Froyo App2sd.

What is the correct behavior or App2sd? How does it work?
Is there other method to send full app data to sdcard? Id no I may think that moving also dalvik-cache is the only way to save more space.

[Lloir]

which version are you using of android?? also if it's one with samdroid tools then you can move the dalvik to sd, but im almost 100% sure there's an app on the market that will move your dalvik to SD for you. i DID Have it at one point. i'll see if i still got it and let you know

[lrfrog]

Hi diovani,
When you say Apps2sd, I believe you mean Samdroid's Apps2sd, right?
What Samdroid's Apps2SD does is creating a symbolic link from /data/app/ to /system/sd/app/ (also one to /data/dalvik-cache/ to /system/sd/dalvik-cache/ if you selected to move dalvik cache). /system/sd is a second partition on your sdcard that you created through recovery.
On first reboot, if enabled, it will copy all your apps to the new location and recreate the symbolic links.
Thanks to those links, Android thinks he writes to the internal memory but instead it writes to the sdcard.
On Apps2SD scripts, there is a comment saying that moving application's data can become unstable so I never tried it ^_^

What's the difference with native Android's > 2.2 's apps2sd? well:
- first it was made for eclair which hadn't such a feature.
- second, it automatically "installs" all your user apps to sd while with native apps2sd, you need to move them one by one and some application are not compatible.
- Cyanogen's apps2sd extends the native Android apps2sd enabling "not compatible" apps to be moved to sd too, but always one by one.

I don't know if there are some apps that moves "everything" to sd as I use Samdroid's apps2sd but keep in mind that the more you put on sd, the slowest you system can become as sd cards are slower than internal memory.

[FLashekrefresh]

whichgavethe value ofthe swap?

[diovani]

I was thinking that should be some reason to not moving app data also. Didn't read the script to check.

So, I'll just move dalvik-cache too.

Thanks for all the info.

[lrfrog]

You're welcome ;-)
Oh, by the way, as I told you, apps on sd runs slower (and some widgets can have weird behavior sometimes). I'd advice you to try my app: Apps2ROM (free on android market). It can move some application to system partitions. It is very useful to eliminate duplicated applications created while updating system apps and also move the apps you heavily use to your system's free space so they load faster than from SD. (I use Samdroid's Apps2SD + Apps2ROM).
If you want more info, you can check the thread: Apps2ROM (ROOT) - Move your updated applications to System ROM

[tamara0608]

Has anyone had problem with sd card after using apps2sd for some time. My two sd card has been broken after using this option for some time. Both 8gb class 4. I use frozen spicaclair, ext2. Both cards can never be formated by me and service people, and i had to replace them.

[lrfrog]

Hi tamara0608,
I Use a Sandisk 8GB class 6 SD-Card and the problem I sometimes have always got resolved: data lost or sdcard partition unreadable.
When I have problems, I re-format the SD-card through phone menu (unmount and then format), then recreate partitions in recovery and everything works fine again. It's been more than one year that I use this card with apps and dalvik-cache on sd.

[tamara0608]

I have bigger problem, because when that happens my phone wont recognize sd card anymore

[perdition]

i had made a partition of 256mb some time back.. enabled apps2sd... however i found it was slowing down the system. did a data/cache wipe and re-installed ROM ( mod+x) ...after the first reboot i got some apps that i had installed earlier on the previous ROM (SGMnext generation) .. however after a second reboot it gets back to normal... but the phone has got really laggy lately and i ahve a feeling its because of the apps on my unused partition which is slowing down the system... any ideas on why this is happening? and how i can REMOVE partition?