XPost: comp.mobile.android, alt.comp.os.windows-10, misc.phone.mobile.iphone   
   From: marion@facts.com   
      
   On Sun, 27 Apr 2025 00:07:58 +1000, Daniel70 wrote :   
      
      
   >> What I'm talking about here, is NOT extending the memory but DOUBLING the   
   >> storage (tripling the storage, quadrupling the storage, whatever).   
   >>   
   >> As sdcards get cheaper, I pop a new triple-sized sdcard into my phone, and   
   >> Voila! Instantly all my editors have TRIPLE the storage to store files in!   
   >>   
   >> That's what I mean by "portable storage".   
   >   
   > Presumably, this "portable storage" is being used by your phone (photos,   
   > SMS. whatever). When you "pop a new triple-sized sdcard into your   
   > phone", how do you get whatever information (photos, SMS. whatever) that   
   > were on the old "portable storage" onto the new "portable storage"??   
      
   Hi Daniel,   
      
   That's an insightful question, where it's my estimate that something like   
   one in a thousand people understand enough of portable storage in this   
   context to make it so convenient that it's actually seamless to do.   
      
   Most people have no idea that it's *impossible* to replicate what an sdcard   
   does when it comes to the inherent beauty of "portable storage" swaps.   
      
   The key is a bit of magic that only 0.1% (1/1000) of people understand.   
   a. You match the volume name.   
   b. That way, the phone doesn't even know it's a different sd card!   
   c. Then you copy everything over   
      
   It's that easy!   
      
   If you think ahead, you won't have to match a crazy volume name.   
   1. The day you get any sdcard, you format it to a given volume name.   
   2. I use "0000-0001" (but you can use any name you want to use for it).   
   3. That way, *all* your phone sdcards are completely portable among phones.   
      
   I have multiple phones in my family, all of which have their sdcard   
   formatted to the same volume name so all the sdcards are swappable.   
      
   Let's say, for example, all your OSMAnd map data is on the sdcard.   
   That will be on /sd1/0000-0001/{wherever OSMAnd puts data} right?   
      
   Let's say all your camera data is also on the external sdcard.   
   That will likely be in /sd1/0000-0001/DCIM right?   
      
   Let's say you have personal data that apps interact with on the sdcard.   
   You always put personal data in a separate-from-Android folder, right?   
   So that personal data will be in /sd1/0000-0001/0001/{your data} right?   
      
   Note: You can pick any unused name for your top-level personal data folder.   
   I pick /sd0/0000 for the internal sdcard, and 0001 for the external.   
   that way, when I'm looking at the card from the PC, I instantly know which   
   is which as the hierarchy looks similar between sd0 and sd1 file systems.   
      
   If you haven't thought ahead though, you can still swap cards.   
   A. Your 64GB sdcard is full, so you buy a 256GB sdcard to replace it.   
   B. You determine the 64GB sdcard volume label is ABCD-1234 (for example).   
   C. You format the 256GB sdcard to the *same volume label* (this is key!).   
   D. Then you plug in the phone over USB to the PC which exposes the sdcard.   
   E. You connect the brand new 256GB sdcard to the PC (usually via a slot).   
   F. You COPY the 64GB sdcard contents over to the 128GB sdcard   
   G. You turn off the phone & swap the two cards & reboot   
      
   The phone doesn't even realize you've quadrupled your portable storage!   
      
   Note that you'd think there must be protected files on the sdcard, right?   
   In my experience, there is not (e.g., OSMAnd has no problem with the swap).   
      
   However, if you were worried about "protected data" on the external sdcard,   
   popping it out of the phone would solve that problem instantly, right?   
      
   But in my experience, none of the data on the external sdcard has been   
   protected (or if it was protected, I saw no hiccups in the swap).   
      
   In summary, those poor people on iPhones who have crappy substandard   
   hardware, and even those suckers on Android with substandard hardware, have   
   to pay more than a phone costs (over time) just for the privilege of being   
   able to store 64GB to 256GB (or any amount) of storage on the cloud.   
      
   Since I'm a kind-hearted purposefully helpful person, let me know if you   
   have any questions, as I've done this portable storage swap many times.   
   --   
   Note in the beginning I didn't know enough to format to the same volume   
   name, and I also didn't know enough to put all my user data in one place.   
      
   --- SoupGate-DOS v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)