So a pet-peeve of mine is the fact that I can’t install apps to my SD card on my phone (Lg Tribute.) What’s the point of having SD capability if apps aren’t allowed to use it? Yeah, I could hack my phone, install a custom ROM… yada yada yada…. But I didn’t want to dammit, and as it turns out, I didn’t have to. A quick google search turned up several step-by-step tutorials on how to change hidden default settings (you have to do this with your pc; it’s all in the tutorials.) Here’s the thing, because I had a few hiccups overlooked in the tutorials, I did an unnecessary factory reset that I hope to save you all from doing.
Note: anything you do to your phone, you do at your own risk. I’m not responsible if you fuck up your phone:)
Hiccup 1: Although Android SDK Platform Tools couldn’t find my device, when I checked My Computer and Device Manager (windows 7,) I could see my phone. So here’s the deal; the generic driver Windows loaded didn’t have all the needed bells and whistles. Once I downloaded the correct driver for my device, Android SDK Platform Tools found my device when queried (cmd…. stuff….> adb devices, it’s in the tutorials.)
Hiccup 2: The first tutorial I used (not the one linked,) there was a command ‘adb shell pm setInstallLocation 2’ (0 is auto, 1 is internal mem, 2 is sdcard.) Now that’s probably great for some phones, but my phone need to use ‘adb shell pm set-install-location 2’ (note the hyphens.) Fortunately, when I enter the wrong instruction (after calling me a dumb-ass,) my computer gave me a list of acceptable commands. Duly chastised, I tried again, and voila, I could now move previously immovable apps to my sdcard. Yeah!!!
Hiccup 3: (why I reset my $%@& phone when I didn’t have to!) Now I was set. I could stuff my sd card like a jail-bait’s bra. After re-downloading Spotify (I’d uninstalled it earlier to free up memory,) I happily waited for the install bar to to finish…. waiting… waiting… “Insufficient Storage Available.”
WHAT THE FUCK!
“Insufficient Storage Available.”
Insufficient my ass! I got your insufficient bitch.
After more Google searches convinced me I couldn’t do what I wanted without rooting my phone, I surrendered.. FINE, I’ll root my motherfucking phone… But I needed an app for that– and you guessed it– “Insufficient Storage Available.”
During all this, I’d read somewhere that the “Insufficient Storage Available” bug was caused by duplicate apk files. Hence the factory reset– Presto-change-o dups should be gone–I reset the install location to 2 (without rooting.)
Let’s get to stuffing baby!
“Insufficient Storage Available. Insufficient Storage Available! INSUFFICIENT STORAGE AVAILABLE!”
Shut-up bitch, I heard you the first time.
“Insufficient Storage Available.” @#%$#
Well, I’m nothing if not persistent (pigheaded, according to some,) and after some experimentation, I discovered: if I set the install location to ‘0’, downloaded the apps I wanted, THEN set the location to ‘2’, move the apps, AND THEN reset the install location back to ‘0’ everything seems to work. (I just did this, but I’m cautiously optimistic.)
Now it should be noted, some apps really do need to be installed in the internal memory to work correctly. So, if after moving an app, it doesn’t work anymore, you may need to move it back…. And anything you do to your phone, you do at your own risk. I’m not responsible if you fuck up your phone.
Candace Vianna Writes 
Dude I went through the memory thing and googled it found it fix my problem right? The dang system date takes up 1.6 gigs on my 4 gig memory hold good for nothing LG tribute. This this is about to fly through the open window of my car.
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Yep. Get a couple memory hog apps like FaceBook or Spotify, and a few MM text messages with vacation pics will use the rest. Meanwhile, 90% of your external 32gb memory card is empty. Thing is, this problem isn’t LG’s fault, it’s Google’s. They’re in charge of the Android OS, and they are the one’s that decided to lock us out of the memory for “security” reasons.
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I just got an LG Tribute & agree with this: Google’s fault. Android on my phone is up to 2.3 GB, and I’m still on 4.4.2. WTF? 4 GB on a freaking mobile phone should be plenty of RAM. At any rate, I followed Jim Cofer’s instructions on rooting & moving apps to the SD card & they worked GREAT.
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Dear Mr. Blow, I’m glad it all worked out for you… Since you don’t need to root your phone for this to work, I’m guessing you wanted access to some other functions currently locked up. Anyway thanks for playing. Cheers!
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Google claims it did this for security reasons… I can understand making it a default setting, but there should be a user setting or built-in utility to move apps that are safe.
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Unfortunately, this isn’t up to LG… this is Google’s (Android’s owner) screw-up.
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