How to Move Apps and Data To SD-Ext Partition on CyanogenMod 9 Android Rom?

With the introduction of latest Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Operating System, CyanogenMod started to work on ICS based CyanogenMod 9 android rom. Since then, many developers have already started porting CM9 custom rom to various android smartphones out there including some of the mid-range and low end devices that have very less internal memory. Such devices include Samsung Galaxy Ace, Galaxy Mini, Gio, Fit and others which suffer from the low internal storage problem. But, the problem was tackled with App2sd scripts (or apps) like Link2SD, S2E, Darktremor's A2SD, etc. However, these apps doesn't seem to be compatible with the latest Android software released from Google. In this article I'll discuss about the solution to this issue, so please continue reading after the break.

Low internal memory has been a serious issues and unless we find a solution to it, utilizing our android device to the maximum level is almost impossible. But, thanks to the original developer of simple2ext (S2E) app, S2E app seems to work fine even in CyanogenMod 9 or any other Ice Cream Sandwich based roms with some minor modifications. Moreover, I've packed up everything you need in a zip file which you can flash via clockwork mod recovery and get the job done easily.

So, let's proceed with the installation and configuration of s2e app so that you can move your data and applications to sd-ext partition on your android smartphone running ICS based roms.

Note : This article assumes that you have already partitioned your sd-card and created a second partition (sd-ext) with a considerable memory size allocated for it. If you have not partitioned your sdcard then, please go through the instructions at this article.

UPDATE!!! The latest updated version of Simple2Ext (s2e) app on play store now supports Cyanogenmod 9 and other ICS based roms. So, try it out directly (without the need to go through the rest of the article). However, if that doesn't work for you then, you might as well want to give this a try.

1. Download ICS_simple2ext.zip from below. You can also download it from Misc. Apps & Utilities Download Page in Roms and Utilities section.
   

   File Name : ICS_simple2ext.zip
   File Size : 246 KB
   Download : Link 1

2. Copy the downloaded zip file --named ICS_simple2ext.zip-- to the root directory of your sd-card.
3. Reboot your device into clockwork mod recovery. Follow the steps below to do so manually.
   
   • Turn off your android smartphone.
   • Press Volume Up + Home + Power buttons simultaneously.
   Note : Use Volume buttons to navigate and Home button to make choices while you are in recovery.
4. Select Install Zip From SD-Card => Choose Zip From SD-Card option and then select ICS_simple2ext.zip file from the list.
5. Wait for the script to install simple2ext app on your device.
6. When completed, Reboot your system from the recovery's main menu.
7. The S2E app will now appear on your App Drawer as shown in the screenshots below. You'll need to configure it to get everything working.
   

   

   S2E app for CyanogenMod 9

   • Run the s2e app from App Drawer.
   • Press Menu button within s2e app and go to Settings.
   • Check Mount as Ext4 option.
   • Check Advance Mode option.

   

   S2E App Settings

   • Now, reboot your device.
8. After the reboot, run the application again and then select (check) Applications, Private Apps and Application Data and then reboot your device from s2e menu.



S2E app - User Interface

Note: You can also check Download Cache (if you have trouble downloading large files from Play Store (aka Android Market)). Selecting Dalvik Cache is not recommended but it's all your choice.

S2E - Memory Usages Information

That's all to moving applications and data to sd-ext partition on CyanogenMod 9 or ICS based roms. To confirm that app2sd is working fine on your android handset navigate to /sd-ext/apps/ directory and check to make sure if all your applications are listed there or not. Alternatively, you can see the memory usages details by selecting Usages Information option from the s2e menu and see if sd-ext memory is used or not.

The above method have been verified to be working on my Samsung Galaxy Pop GT-S5570 running cyanogenmod 9 beta 7 from GalaxyICS team. I'm also quite sure it will work on other android smartphones running CM9, so do give it a try once as there is no harm even if it is unsuccessful. However, please do notify me at the comments below if you are successful in using it on other devices too. Also, if you have doubts or run into problems then feel free to ask me at the comments below.