I’m getting a new smart phone (Samsung GS4 mini if it matters). I’d like to update the SD card to 16 or 32 gig.
A couple of questions -
I have an micro SD adaptor, and I can easily take the data from my old phone and transfer it to a computer and then down load it to the new 32 gig micro SD card. Is it that simple?
I bought it online at Verizon. My current carrier. It’s a two year upgrade thing. I suspect that I will still have to activate the phone by calling in. Should I put the new drive in before, or after I activate the phone?
I guess the operating system does not reside on the micro flash drive?
Android phones typically don’t come with microSD cards. They have built-in internal storage (8GB in case of the G4 mini) which cannot be replaced or upgraded. You can install a microSD, but that acts as a separate drive (i.e. appears as a separate folder). To use it, you need to tell each app to store the data on the microSD card. You can also move some apps to it manually. Some types of apps (image viewers, music players, etc) will look for files in both locations.
As for moving data from your old phone to the new phone, that depends on what type of data you’re talking about.
Really? Shoot. That phone only allows the user 5 of the 8 gig. I swear I saw that it said it was updateable to 32 gig.
The data is contacts, pictures, music, books, the whole shebang. I suppose I might just back up the current phone to the Verizon Cloud and then do a restore to the new phone.
You can try the Verizon thing or Titanium Backup (an app on the play store). Even better, I think Verizon will help you move stuff over to a new phone if you just bring both in to a retail store.
And what scr4 meant is that you CAN upgrade your SD card, but it’ll just be slightly more work to tell some apps to use it instead of the internal memory. Most apps these days are smart enough to do so already.
Doesn’t really matter.
No, it resides on the internal memory, normally protected and untouchable without rooting.
I looked at the specs again and it says it’s 16 gig internal, but not all of it available. I only currently have 5gig of stuff on my existing phone so I’ll be good for now. Then, if I want I’ll put in another 16 gig down the road.
If it wasn’t internal, I figured it would have been easiest to update the size when I’m setting it up.
I’m sorry if I was unclear. Your phone comes with 8GB or 16GB of internal (non-removable) memory, and also an empty micro-SD slot. So you can add a micro-SD card, and use that to store certain types of data. (E.g. you can specify that the camera app store photos on the microSD card, or your music app download music to the microSD card.) But it won’t replace the internal memory that the phone originally had.
If I were you, I’d move larger files (music and photos) manually to the microSD card using an adapter. Back up the rest using the Verizon cloud or third-party backup app, and restore it onto the internal memory of the new phone.
ETA: Sorry for the 8GB number, I got that from a G4 Mini spec I saw online, but it turns out it’s now available with 16GB which you evidently have.
4G means it’s got a faster internet connection. NFC means you can tap it against payment kiosks (and similar) to make swipeless transactions. The SIM card just tells the phone who you are. None of those are related to the SD card, which is what you want to buy.
Easiest solution is to just get a 64 GB microSD card (max that the S4 mini supports, I think) and then look for an “apps to SD” app on the Play store and move some stuff over to it. Start with videos, music, and photos first, then you can move apps over too if you need even more space. But you’ll probably be fine just moving the media and not the programs themselves. Again, the local Verizon store should be able to help you with this if you just bring both phones in.