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    Chrome OS supports Android app data using memory SD cards

    Kevin TofelBy 4 Comments2 Mins Read

    Google announced an update to the Chrome OS Beta Channel on Thursday and along with the regular slew of fixes, there’s a welcome new feature too: Android apps on Chromebooks can see and save data to an SD memory card. Here you can see the XoDo Android app on a Samsung Chromebook Pro accessing the SD card:

    Android app SD card access on Chromebook in app
    Credit: Reddit user marcellusmartel

    Although Google doesn’t mention this in the release notes, a Redditor spotted the change, which was reported by Android Central. I can’t test it since my Pixelbook doesn’t have a memory card slot, but if your Chromebook or Chromebox does have storage expansion, you’ll need Beta Channel version 67.0.3396.41 installed (Here’s how to change channels). The feature may still be a work in progress too: Some folks say they’re having more success reading files than in writing them.

    Keep in mind that it doesn’t appear you can install Android apps to external memory cards with this function. Those are still  installed on the integrated flash memory of your Chrome OS device. Might that change in the future? I’m leery because Google is running Android in a sandboxed container within Chrome OS for security reasons: Having Android apps actually installed outside that container might not be in the cards, but we’ll see.

    Regardless, this is welcome news because you won’t have to use precious local storage for Android app files and data once any issues get ironed out and this moves to the Stable Channel.

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    After spending 15 years in IT at Fortune 100 companies, Kevin turned a hobby into a career and began covering mobile technology in 2003. He writes daily on the industry and has co-hosted the weekly MobileTechRoundup podcast since 2006. His writing has appeared in print (The New York Times, PC Magazine and PC World) and he has been featured on NBC News in Philadelphia.

    4 Comments

    1. Bursus on

      Well , it does not work very well .

      The Access seams to be restricted to ReadOnly.

    2. DT on

      I’m in the stable channel, fully updated, and I’ve tried 25 of the most popular music players. Not one of them could read my SD card. This is rediculous. What aggravates me is that I waited 2 years for my asus c201 to get the app store. This never happened. So I bought the new c101 and love everything about it EXCEPT that android apps cannot read the sd card. God only knows how long it’ll take Google to get it right.

      • Vageek on

        Using a Samsung Chromebook Pro I upgraded to version 69.0.3497.35 Beta Channel and I still can not get any android media app to recognize external memory. (no read/save to the sd card etc.) . Right now I do not know whether it’s a Google and/or a app problem. I was hearing that Chrome os version 69 was suppose to fix this problem.

    3. DT on

      Hi again, Kevin explained to me that the app developers must program their apps to work with the chromebook SD card. So let’s get after these devs to help us out. No good having an option that doesn’t work.