SD card is likely your primary worry when using an old phone as a last resort.
But I’m sure you can handle that.
Inserting an SD card into the slot for more memory can solve any storage problems.
However, it may not always be the case.
When using an SD card as the primary storage medium, a number of complications may arise.
Some of the drawbacks of using an external storage device with Android are listed below.
1. Reduced Velocity
It’s possible to choose from a wide variety of SD cards, each with its own unique set of features and, of course, level of performance.
If you use a low-quality card, you will rapidly grow impatient with the process.
You can get by with either a UHS-I or Class 10 SD card if all you’re going to be doing is storing pictures and documents on the device.
2. Lost Passwords & Disappearing Shortcuts
Recently, I was using an SD card with my Android phone, and I encountered a peculiar problem.
My home screen app shortcuts that I had transferred to an external SD card disappeared every time the phone’s battery died (which often occurred due to the age of the device).
The fact that I couldn’t use folders to keep my home screen neat was a significant annoyance.
3. Irritatingly Difficult Task of Tracking Down Documents
Even if you change the settings on your phone to recognize the SD card as internal storage, the phone will still treat the card and the phone’s internal storage as separate entities.
Therefore, depending on how you typically use your computer, tracking out specific files when you need them may become a chore.
It’s possible, for instance, that various data kinds will be spread out among the hard drives.
The internal storage may be where you keep your Google Docs and downloaded Chrome files, while the external storage is where you keep your images and local music.
This fragmentation will become more of a concern the more apps you use.
Are you certain that months after initial configuration, you will remember which applications save their files on which storage unit?
4. Error Reading SD Card
Unfortunately, the number of times a memory card can be read and written is fixed.
Each time you use it to retrieve information, its remaining life expectancy reduces.
The longevity, of course, varies with the SD card’s quality.
There is no comparison between the durability of a SanDisk product and that of a generic eBay memory card.
Adding insult to injury, you may have no idea how old a spare card actually is.
If you’re using an SD card lying dormant for a long time, you may not know its previous usage.
As a result, you have no idea how long it could drag on.
Keep in mind that there may be no indicators of impending SD card failure, unlike with standard hard drives.
Without backups, you risk losing hours or days of hard work in a matter of seconds.
5. It’s a PITA to Change Phones
Even though many people might assume otherwise, an SD card on Android is not identical to an SD card (or USB flash drive) on a computer.
A memory card or flash drive can store and transport data between computers, such as a desktop or laptop.
It’s quite unlikely that you’ll be able to copy the contents of your Android phone’s SD card to another device or read it on a computer.
Why?
Because Android encrypts the card to its host device when an SD card is set up as local storage.
This means you can’t just swap SIM cards between phones.
If you want to start fresh, you’ll have to format the card and erase all the information.
6. Poorer Gaming Results
Games can take up a lot of room on your Android phone.
This does not refer to basic games like crossword puzzles but rather complex games with advanced visuals and lots of content.
Many gigabytes of space may be required to store the app’s files and your saved games.
Putting games like this on an SD card may seem like a good idea at the time, but you should avoid doing so.
A1 Class 10 SD cards are the best you can get, but they still can’t keep up with the demands of today’s Android games.
There will be bugs in the game, some visual elements won’t be there, and the app will crash frequently.
You don’t give much thought to these disadvantages when you weigh the benefits of utilizing an SD card with Android.