Budget(ish) tablet that allows you to use SD card to install apps?

Soldato
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Hi all, I'm after a tablet for my kids that wont quickly run out of app storage space!

I thought the new 8" Galaxy Tab A (SM-T290) was the answer - relatively cheap and on the latest Android (9.0) - 32GB of internal memory and an SD card slot!

Not the sexiest of specs but fine for the kids......or so I thought!

There just doesn't appear to be any option to install apps to the SD card!?!?

I expected to be given the option when I first put the SD card in as to whether I wanted it to be standalone storage or integrated as part of the internal storage - it simply formats as external storage and then I have no option to install (pr even move post-installation) anything app-wise to it!

I appreciate this tablet has 32GB of space but apps just seem to be getting bigger and bigger and so eventually it's gonna fill up and I wanted some protection against that happening!

Anyone got any ideas on this or can recommend a tablet that will definitely let me install apps to any external storage??
 
Soldato
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I would have thought this would be an Android thing, not something that is specific to some tablets and not others; however, after some digging, it seems the manufacturer can choose to disable this. I guess that Samsung chose to with this model, as I can see someone saying they cannot use SD card for internal storage on a Samsung T280 either.

The problem is determining which tablet allows this and which ones don't...

I've got a Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 8", which I think is on Android 6. I can format SD card so Android can use it as internal or portable storage. Looking on Lenovo's site though, I can see no mention of it mentioning that SD card can be used for extended Android storage for apps, so I doubt it will be something you'll see listed on the web page of a tablet.

Maybe this is something you'll only find out for certain by digging around looking at other people's experience with any tablet you're considering buying.
 
Soldato
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Samsung are less than useless - spent half an hour in their webchat and the guy I was talking to knew absolutely nothing!

The more I read about it, the more it looks like I'm out of luck on that device!

Incredibly stupid in my opinion!
 
Soldato
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I don't know if this is some attempt by Samsung to get people to spend more money on a more expensive tablet that does allow SD card to be as extended storage (assuming they make more expensive tablets that do allow this). Only trouble with that theory though, is that if they have no mention of this among the specs of any of their tablets, no one can make an informed decision either way. So yes, I agree; incredibly stupid of Samsung.
 
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