Recently, I wrote about using cloud storage to store your digital files and\nfree up memory on your cellphone. While it\u2019s my preferred method of saving\nfiles for its tremendous convenience, there\u2019s another option that many users\nprefer which also works very well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you use an Android smartphone or a flip phone, the handiest option for external storage is to purchase and install a smartphone memory card\u2014or, as it\u2019s more commonly known, \u201cSD\u201d (for \u201csecure digital\u201d) card. These are like miniature, more-powerful versions of the floppy disks we used in our old PC\u2019s. Though they\u2019re not much bigger than a fingernail, they can store enormous amounts of data\u2014typically either 32GB or 64GB, although some can accommodate as much as 128GB.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Adding a microSD card won\u2019t be an option for everyone\u2014iPhone models, for instance, can\u2019t accommodate them, or you may just not want to deal with having a physical storage device. But for those who can, an SD card allows you to save additional files directly to the card instead of to your device\u2019s internal memory. The type of memory card you need depends on the age of your phone\u2014some older ones may use standard size SD cards, but most now use the smaller, microSD version. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s how\nthey work: your phone holds two types of memory. One, called device memory,\nstores everything that\u2019s needed to make sure the systems that operate your\nphone are running properly. The other, device storage, is where your personal\nfiles go\u2014things like pictures, music, or apps that you\u2019ve downloaded. A microSD\ncard provides additional storage for the types of items that are normally in\nyour device storage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n