In this guide, we’ll explore how to enable adoptable storage on Android TV devices. It’s worth noting that this tutorial is designed for Android TV 10 and above.

What’s adoptable storage, you might ask? It’s a feature that lets you connect a USB drive or SD card and integrate it into your device’s internal storage. Basically, you can expand your internal storage capacity.

This can be really useful for Android TV systems that come with limited storage. One example is the Walmart onn. Android TV Box. Adoptable storage helps you install more applications. Plus, it gives you more space for things like movies, shows, and photos.

Think of it like this: with adoptable storage, your Android TV can become a powerful media hub!

Some streaming devices already support this feature seamlessly. The NVIDIA SHIELD TV Pro and MECOOL KM2 come to mind. They can expand internal storage right from the start. But not all devices are this accommodating, unfortunately.

The Dynalink Android TV Box and onn. Android TV Box are two common examples of systems that don’t have this built-in. But don’t worry, there’s a workaround.

Below, I’ll provide both video tutorials and screenshot guides to walk you through the process. It’s a good idea to format your external drive as FAT32 beforehand to prevent any hiccups along the way. You can find instructions on how to do this on our website.

How to Enable Adoptable Storage

This walkthrough will guide you through enabling adoptable storage on Android TV. We’ll cover systems that support it natively and those that require a little extra effort. For systems without native support, we can use ADB commands to get the job done.

If your Android TV device doesn’t have a built-in USB or SD port, you might need an OTG cable. This will let you connect your external storage device. You can find them easily online.

In the image below, I’m using the onn. Android TV Box as an example. You can see how the OTG cable connects to the device.

Before we start with either method, there are a couple of things you need to do. First, enable Developer Options on your device. Then, turn on the “Force Apps to External” setting. This will allow apps to be installed on the external storage.

If you’re working with a device that tends to be a bit finicky, it’s recommended to turn on USB Debugging in Developer Options as well. Don’t worry, this won’t cause any harm.

Let’s see how to enable these settings.

1  Start by going to Settings, then navigate to Device Preferences.

2  Next, select “About”.

3  Now, click on “Build” seven times. This might sound odd, but it’s a common method to unlock hidden settings. In this case, it enables the Developer Options menu.

4  Press the back button to return to the previous screen. You should now see a new option called “Developer Options”. Go ahead and select it.

5  Now, find the “USB debugging” option and toggle it on.

6  A confirmation message might pop up. Click “OK” to proceed.

7  Finally, locate the “Force allow apps on external” option. Turn it on to enable the feature.

How to Enable Adoptable Storage on Supported Android TV Devices

Video Tutorial

The following tutorial demonstrates how to enable adoptable storage. This is for Android TV systems that support it out of the box.

I highly recommend watching it! This video has additional important details not included in the steps below.

General Instructions

1 To start, activate Developer Options. Then, enable Force allow apps on external, as shown above.

2 Next, insert a USB drive or SD card. You can use an OTG cable or an available port on the device.

3  Navigate to Settings. Then click on Device Preferences.

4 Now, click on Storage.

5  Go ahead and click on the external drive.

6 Lastly, click Erase & format as device storage.

If that option isn’t there, proceed to the instructions below. This will help you enable adoptable storage on Android TV devices that are giving you trouble.

7 Click Format. It’s the next step.

8 The formatting process needs to finish. Please wait for it to complete.

9 Your device might restart. This is a normal part of the process.

10  Navigate back to Settings. Then go to Device Preferences, then Storage. Finally, click Migrate data to this storage.

If your device didn’t restart in the previous step, you might see a screen. This screen will ask if you want to migrate data to your new external storage. If you see this screen, click OK or yes.

11 Click Move now to proceed.

How to Enable Adoptable Storage on Troublesome Android TV Devices

Video Tutorial

In this tutorial, we’ll explore how to enable adoptable storage. This applies to Android TV systems that don’t have native support.

I highly recommend watching the video below. It has a lot of helpful details that may not be in the written steps .

General Steps Outlined in Video Above

As mentioned before, some Android TV systems don’t support Adoptable storage by default. However, the guide below will show you how to enable it using several ADB commands.

This method is compatible with Android TV 10 and later versions.

1  Start by enabling developer options. Then, turn on USB debugging and enable Force allow apps on external. You can find these instructions at the beginning of this guide.

2  Install the Downloader App, which is free, through the Google Play Store.

Click Here for a Downloader Install Tutorial

3  Next, install the free TROYPOINT App using Rapid App Installer.

In Downloader, type iptvproviders.info/tpapp. Then click Go to start the installation.

Click Here for a TROYPOINT App and Rapid App Installer Tutorial

4  Using the TROYPOINT App, install both the ADB Shell App and the Sideload Launcher App.

5  Now, insert your USB drive into an OTG adapter or directly into your device.

6  Open the Sideload Launcher App. From there, launch the ADB Shell App.

7  In the ADB Shell App, connect to your device using the IP Address and Port provided below.

8  Select “Always allow from this computer”. Then, click the “Allow” button.

9 Now, you’ll need to enter the following ADB commands into the ADB Shell App.

sm list-disks

Make a note of your drive’s name. In this example, it’s Disk8,0.

sm has-adoptable true

sm set-force-adoptable on

In the next two commands, make sure to replace 8,0 with the name of your specific drive.

sm partition disk:8,0 public

sm partition disk:8,0 private

sm list-volumes

In this case, it shows as private:8,2 unmountable. Note that if you don’t seeIf you see “private:8,2 unmountable”, you’ll need to repeat the two partition commands. Keep repeating them until it shows up, then you can continue.

sm format private:8,2

sm set-force-adoptable off

sm set-force-adoptable on

Go ahead and reboot your device now.

10  Head into Settings and then click on Device Preferences.

11  Next, click on Storage.

12  Click the external drive.

13  Finally, click Migrate data to this storage.

Congrats! You’ve now enabled adoptable storage on your Android TV. It’s all set up and ready to go.

If you want a more in-depth look at this whole process, you can check out the video above. It’s got all the extra details you might need.