Move apps to USB storage

[houbslala]

Hi !

I know we can use usb key in order to watch movies, photos, ... but can we use (as we can with nexus player) an USB key in order to move apps into it so we can be able to have more free internal storage. 

I'd like to put games on my TV but 8Go is short so I'd like to move big apps to USB storage ... can I do it ? I tried but no success 😞 

If we cannot ... is it something is working on for a futur upgrade ? It seems to be an usual thing on android TV so why don't we have it ?

Thanks.

[miscofi]

Yes I can do it on my Android SONY KD65xe9005bu

Go to settings, apps, then choose the app you want to move and you get an option to move to your USB device (if it is registered by your TV to be a storage device - which you must do first in the storage and reset section ).

However, I have fallen foul of this, because after going back to the TV the following day, the app I moved ( ES file explorer ) is no longer showing in the apps section of the home screen and also if I go to settings, apps ; its icon has been replaced by a stock icon with an 'SD' logo and the option to open the app has dissappeared.

When I try to go to play store to see if I can open it that way, it only gives me the 'download' option.

So the whole USB storage thing is very obtuse. My guess is that there IS a way of getting to USB stored apps but how one does it is a mystery.

[Kuschelmonschter]

Unfortunately, extending storage via some external USB drive is dramatically broken on Sony Android TV, see my bug tracker filtered for USB storage issues.

Those issues have been in existence since the release of Marshmallow where this feature got introduced. It wasn't a big deal up until now as there are not a hell of a lot useful apps around, nor can you play most games on the slow hardware. Next generation hardware platform (coming with the new Master Series AF9/ZF9) will change that, more than doubling down on CPU and GPU performance. Sony however even further reduced usable mass storage to 6GB. Hope they will get the USB storage extension right this time.

[miscofi]

Thanks for the reply.

It's become clear that Sony's support team are not aware of these issues ( I guess they are not really issues as my guess is that they won't be fixed except for new TV's ! ) as they failed to mention it to me yesterday when I called to ask why I was having trouble with usb storage 😀

I also found, that contrary to their advice, that if you use Androids capability to move apps ( file explorer for instance ) from device storage to the registered usb device, you actually lose the ability to use those apps. They disappear from the home screen app section and the 'open' button in the settings/apps menu also disappears. <sigh>

[Kuschelmonschter]

Contacting Sony support is pointless. They really know nothing about the products their company sells. Nobody really does.

I haven't used the feature in a while, but when I last tried, I could at least move apps to the external storage and use them from there. The main problems I was facing were that the storage sometimes was not accessible after standby (deep sleep) or that the storage turned read-only on big writes. Both incidents required me to fully reboot the TV (long power button press).

[miscofi]

😀 cheers.

I'll give the reboot a try. Not holding my breath though!

[miscofi]

Yes a reboot worked. Two apps now on USB and the icons appear in the home screen.

Wont let me move the apps that playstore refuses to let me access ( even though they normally available ) and which I sideloaded via ES file explorer ( probably something to do with them allowing ad blocking ). But at least its decresed the space used on the TV storage a little bit.

Thanks for assistanced with this. At least I have learned more about the silly way that Sony have implemented Android TV

Do you think that the next upgrade is likely to change the ability to timeshift/pause in Youview and deal properly with USB stoarge ?

Cheers

[Kuschelmonschter]

Not at all. Have been waiting for fixes to severe issues and shortcomings since the very Sony Android TV beginnings a few years back. Sony doesn't fix their OS. Even most common services like Prime Video have been badly broken for almost 2 years on those TVs. That has at least improved with the official Play Store app.

Use the TV as screen only and go with external settop-boxes.

[Kuschelmonschter]

You'll find my review here BTW.