Google does not advertise it, but Android 6.0 Marshmallow has a feature that allows users to use their microSD card as internal storage for their phones.
However, while this will certainly be helpful for users who have small internal storage capacities on their phone, those with a decent 32 GB should probably turn away from this option.
The ability to use a microSD card as internal storage was first discovered by Android developer StereoMatch, which shared the newly discovered feature on Reddit last week. When a user inserts a microSD card into the right slot for the first time, the system will ask if they want to use it as a portable storage or internal storage.
Users who choose portable storage will be able to use their microSD card as expected. They can save photos, videos, music, files and some apps and app data on the card. If they would like to take it out of their phone and connect it to another device, such as their laptop, they will still be able to micro-manage their files.
However, choosing internal storage will bake the microSD card straight into the system. Android Marshmallow will reformat and encrypt the card, which means users will first have to back up their saved files before going this route. Once the card is reformatted, all previously saved files are erased and the card becomes the phone's internal storage option and nothing else.
Users who want to insert their card into a computer will not be able to do so because it has been merged into the phone's internal storage. Under the Storage & USB section, the microSD card will disappear, as it has now become the primary internal storage of the phone. Users will still be able to save apps and app data and view how much storage is left on the built-in storage, but not photos, videos, music and files. That means, if a phone has 8 GB of internal storage and the microSD card is 32 GB, users only have 32 GB of space for their files, not 40 GB.
Also, built-in eMMC storage is almost always faster than microSD cards, which means users who have at least 32 GB of internal storage may not want to trade in speed for more space, especially if they don't use up all the space on their phones anyway. Still, even with all the caveats, the option to turn an external card into internal storage is definitely beneficial for people who have low storage phones.
Photo: Takahiro Yamagiwa | Flickr
