Android apps - general advice & tips

Osem · 26-09-2010, 14:22

Hi guys. The wife's downloaded loads of apps (from the market) to her LG GT540 Optimus and recently got a low memory warning on her phone. The problem seems to be that the apps are stored in the internal memory which isn't very big so I was wondering if they could be moved onto her SD card and, if so, how to do it?

I've also been having a look at them individually via apps manager and can see that some of them have quite large caches. What are these for and can they be moved/deleted without causing issues?

Finally, I've discovered that these apps come with permissions to access all sorts of stuff on her phone, including things like reading text messages and directly making chargeable calls (can't remember which apps right now). She hasn't had any obvious problems so far but do these permissions have the potential to cause security or other problems and, if so, what can we do about them?

I'd be grateful if anyone could answer the above questions and/or point me in the direction of some good clear information on what precautions she ought to be taking before and after downloading apps.

TVM as always!

Juo · 26-09-2010, 15:36

Hey Osem

Ironically The best way to move apps to SD it is download another app, called App 2 SD it checks all apps. You can then move all of the ones that can in one go. (you must have Android 2.2) if the LG GT540 Optimus doesnt have 2.2 then as far as I know you're stuck with the internal storage.

Caches are application specific so tread wisely, if you clear the internet app caches it deletes your history.

With regards to downloading applications and their permissions you have to just look at what the application wants to use and decide if you agree with it, If any application can read your text messages then it will be able to do exactly that. I think you're pretty safe in most circumstances just read the comments in the store and be sensible.

Osem · 26-09-2010, 17:29

Thanks for the reply. The phone is Android 1.6 and since posting here I've read elsewhere that this means apps can't be stored on SD...

So far as the application specific caches are concerned presumably they'll just keep getting bigger unless they're cleared at some point or there's no more memory left....

How do I find out which can be cleared without causing issues or losing important data?..

TVM

Paul K · 26-09-2010, 17:34

Update the android O/s if you can, most updates are done OTA and depend on your provider.

Osem · 26-09-2010, 20:24

Having searched a bit more now it appears, from various sources, that an update to 2.1 is supposed to be available shortly although the UK LG support site still doesn't mention it.

Not sure if 2.1 offers the funtionality to move apps to the SD card though. BTW was does OTA mean?....

Gary L · 26-09-2010, 20:33

Over The Air.

Juo · 26-09-2010, 20:38

Unfortunately 2.1 wont work either it has to be 2.2

Osem · 28-09-2010, 09:54

Thanks for the replies guys. There doesn'e seem to be any foreseeable chance of an update to 2.2 as LG seem to be taking an eternity deciding on the 2.1 update.

I guess therefore if she wants to recover some memory it's going to have to be a case of deleting some of the apps she's not really using and possibly clearing some of the large caches associated with some of them to create some space.