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How to use the cache on Android. Installing games with cache on Android

Android users OS will face shortages over time internal space, which makes it difficult to download and receive files via Bluetooth, and makes it impossible to install new applications. The reason lies in games and programs for which 8 or 16 GB drives are not enough. The solution to problems is to move the application cache to an SD memory card using one of two available methods.

System cache move

The first and most accessible way for a novice user to transfer the cache to an SD card is a system move. Transfers part of the application, including massive files. To do this, go to the device settings, then “Programs”. A list of all installed applications, go into what's taking up a lot of disk space and find the "Move to SD Card" button. Clicking on it will automatically transfer the cache from the internal drive to the external one (if the memory is divided into 2 sections) or to a MicroSD card.

Similar actions are performed using third-party utilities, for example AppMgr III (App 2 SD). It does not require Root rights, but with them a couple of additional functions will open. The principle of operation is no different from the standard one, only batch actions are available here, the cache is transferred and cleared in one click, and moved applications are displayed.

At the same time, not all devices support system data transfer. They have internal and external memory represent one whole, and access to MicroSD card blocked. But even if your smartphone or tablet does not lack such a function, some applications are not portable because the developer did not add it. In addition, after the transfer, some games will take longer to load due to a slow card. Therefore, make sure that the speed of the flash drive is at least class 6.

Mounting cache folders

The second way is to mount folders. Physically, the cache is stored on MicroSD, and the device’s memory contains only the images necessary for proper operation. At its core, these are like shortcuts in Windows, files are stored on one local disk, but access to them is opened from another. Actions are performed using the FolderMount application (Root rights are required, otherwise the program will not work). The mounting process is simple and consists of several steps in which two folders are linked together.

Open the application and click on the plus button.
In the window that appears, fill in the information in three fields:
- “Name” – the name of the mounted folder (not necessarily exact).
- “Source” – the path to the folder whose data needs to be moved.
- “Destination” – the path to the folder on the MicroSD where the transferred data will be stored.
We confirm the choice and agree with the warning about transferring files, wait for the operation to complete.
Activate the mount by pressing the pin button. After this, the files in both folders are linked together.

Please note that file managers will report identical files in your linked folders. In fact, the information is contained only on the MicroSD, and the internal memory contains images. To delete an application whose cache was transferred to the memory card, first unmount the folder. To do this, click on the pin of the previously linked pair, then long press, after which the basket shortcut will appear. The data will be moved to the original directory and deleted.

The free version of FolderMount is limited compared to PRO, and offers 3 mount points. But even this is enough to free up space from the heaviest applications.

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Let's begin our consideration of installing games with a cache on Android from the general to the specific. First, let's define the algorithm of our actions and get acquainted with the basic definitions.

Files with APK extension

Let's take a closer look at this parameter. Games for Android are provided in the form of files with the *.apk extension. This is important to know. Most of software, located on Google Store, Play Store, It has simple structure and consists of just one file. However, there are more complex games with high-quality graphics and long gameplay. They require more volume than one can accommodate. apk file. In this case, you must additionally install a cache. More on this below.

Cache Definition

This parameter is important. Many people have probably noticed that when installing some games with a cache on Android, especially those with 3D, the installation package with the apk extension is first downloaded to the device, and after the first launch, the system requires an Internet connection in order to download additional files from the server. They are called caches. At the same time, depending on the processor used in the device, the game loads the necessary files for the application to function correctly. To receive them, you just need to have an Internet connection via a point Wi-Fi access or 3G.

Later in this article we will look at the order in which games with a cache are installed on Android, and we will look at all the main methods of this process. It should be immediately noted that the cache is not just an addition to the game, but its main part. This is important to know.

What is the cache for?

The answer to this question is quite simple. They separate the .apk and cache files in order to rationalize the load on the system. This is significant. There are many devices that are practically unable to process one large file. In this case, a cache is needed. It is designed to run games that consume a considerable amount of space. computing power devices. For example, shooters, simulators and many others. At its core, this file is a complete, in a certain sense, the main part of the game.

What cache is needed?

As you already know, the modification of each device with the Android OS is different due to the use of processors with different architectures and certain video accelerators. As a result, certain requirements arise for the game to support these devices. If all these criteria were taken into account, the cache sizes would be quite large. This would cause some inconvenience on devices with small amounts of memory. In this regard, it is necessary to know the exact characteristics of the Android device in order to determine which cache we will need to download with the game for subsequent installation.

Preparation and installation

Having dealt with the theory, let's move on to practice, that is, let's look at the cache on Android. With the right approach this action is not complicated. Installing games with a cache on Android is quite simple, you just need to know the algorithm of actions.

Installing the cache.

Directly launch the game.

How to install cache?

This can be done in 3 ways:

Using Wi-Fi connections or 3G.
Installation using a card reader or USB cable.
Using special applications.

Directly from the Internet via Wi-Fi or 3G

In this case, the following actions should be taken:

We download the required file.

We carry out the installation.

Let's launch.

We confirm the request to download additional files (cache).

We are waiting for this process to complete and enjoy the game.

Using a card reader or data cable (USB)

The following sequence of actions is required:

Initially, we download the apk file with the game and the cache to your computer or laptop. This is not a difficult process. In this case, you should pay attention to ensure that the cache is compatible with your device.
Then, using a USB cable, we connect the mobile device to a computer or laptop. You can also use a card reader for this purpose. The device's memory card is inserted into it. After this, the card reader needs to be connected to a computer or laptop.
Then we copy the apk file and the game cache to the memory card. This will also not be a difficult process. There is nothing complicated about how to install games with cache on Android. In this case, it will be enough to specify the saving direction.
After this, you need to create a folder dedicated to the cache.
Then we disconnect the device or card reader from the computer or laptop.
Next, you can begin installing and launching the game.

With the right approach, no problems should arise.

Using special applications

This method involves the use of programs that synchronize data mobile device With personal computer. In this case it is necessary:

Connect the device to the PC in data exchange mode.

Perform pairing.

Install the game through the synchronization program.

There is nothing complicated in these actions. After everything has been done, the final stage will be launching the game.

How to automatically create a cache folder?

To do this, you need to do the following:

Download the game (.apk file).
After that you need to install it.
Then you should start the game and allow it to download the cache. However, after about 10-15 seconds you need to cancel this process. As a result of this, the game itself creates a folder.
Next, you need to disconnect the device from the PC or insert the memory card into the mobile device.
Then you need to install and launch the game. If everything is done correctly, then this process will go without any difficulties.

It should be remembered that in many cases, verification is necessary to initially launch the game. This is an important fact. That is, the game downloads unique files and registers verification. This happens via Wi-Fi. This is often done by installing new games with a cache on Android from Gameloft. This will be discussed further below.

Installing games from Gamrlot

This process requires obtaining Root access and edits

In this case, the procedure is as follows:

Root Explorer must be installed.

Then get to the /system/etc/ folder. It's not difficult to do.

After this, you need to press and hold hosts in your folder for a while.

Then you should select context menu open in text editor.

Then you need to enter 127.0.0.01 confirmation.gameloft.com.

If there is not enough space on the device to store the game, then games with cache on Android are installed on the memory card. Its volume will completely allow this to happen.

Install a cache with the extension .odd

This is not a difficult process. The .odd extension also corresponds to the cache file extension. However, there is one huge difference. If in the previous case the cache is a set of specific files, then .odd is one whole that fulfills its role. This type is becoming increasingly widespread among developers as a means of combating piracy, that is, as a countermeasure to the unauthorized downloading of games with a cache on Android. This is a pretty good way. The essence of using this approach is that it is impossible to download the cache without officially purchasing the game and having an Internet connection. Its installation occurs mainly in the sdcard/Android/obb folder. In most cases, you will have to create it yourself. In general, all problems that arise during the launch of installed games with a cache on Android come down to the wrong path of its location and the installation of a mobile device that is not suitable for the configuration.

Bottom line

A lot of useful information can be gleaned from all of the above. After reading this text, everyone will understand how to install games with a cache on Android, and what methods exist for this.

There are two types - these are simple games that do not need a cache (which are installed by simply clicking on the game icon) and games with a cache (which needs to be additionally installed). Game cache is an archive of various files (sounds, pictures, scripts) that are needed for the Android game to be fully functional. Let's look at installing a game with a cache on Android using the game as an example.

To install games, I use an excellent free file manager, which must first be installed from the market.

And so we installed X-plore, now we download the desired game and the cache for it, and we will install it. If you download from a smartphone or tablet, then you will find all downloaded files along the path sdcard/Downloads/, that is, in the folder Downloads in the device memory. Everyone has downloaded the game launch X-plore and look for the folder Downloads, open it and see 2 files there (the game itself.apk, and zip archive with cache for the game.)

First of all, we will install the cache; it needs to be placed in the correct path. In the description of the game you will find the path where you need to place our cache, in our case it is - /sdcard/Android/obb/ ATTENTION!!! An sdcard is the device's internal memory, not a memory card.

Our file manager is convenient because it has two panels, thanks to this we can easily find the desired path, in the right panel we find the folder Android, open it and see two folders there: data And obb(if the required folder does not exist, then simply create it manually). We need a folder obb, so we select it. As a result, we should have our game and cache in the left panel, and a selected folder in the right obb:

The screenshot shows how it should look, yours should be the same. Now we go to the left panel and click on the archive with the cache, it will open and we will get the folder with the desired cache. Now let's select the desired folder, to do this, click on the checkbox next to the folder so that it turns red:

Now click on the copy button:

After pressing the button Copy we will see a window in which we need to confirm the copying process, in the same window we will make sure that the path is correct. Check the path and click OK:

We have begun the process of transferring the cache from the archive to the folder we need obb:

We have placed all the cache, now let’s install the game itself, to do this, just click on the game icon and install it:

That's all, we installed the game, now close X-plore and go to the menu of your device and look for ours there installed game, launch and play).

If you download games via a computer, then after downloading the game and cache you need to upload it to your Android device. To do this, connect your device to your computer via usb cable, go to the phone memory and copy the downloaded files to the same folder Downloads. Disconnect from your computer, launch X-plore and follow the steps described above!

At first glance, it seems that installing games with a cache is difficult, but after completing the installation according to the instructions a couple of times, you will easily install any games.

Cache- the main component of the game: a set of files and folders that are responsible for textures, videos, music. All this is necessary for the game to function properly. Under different phone cache may be different. It all depends on the graphics engine, processor, display resolution and other parameters, which you can find out using the application. Before installation cache needs to be unpacked.

If you want to install the game with cache, then in this post you will find detailed description process.

1. Download the game (.apk file) and cache(zip file).

2. Connect your phone to your PC and copy it to any folder on your phone, for example, to "Downloads".

3. Open the Downloads folder from your phone using the file manager. It could be like system application, so ES File Explorer which you can find at .

4. Install .apk file.

5. Unpack cache to the folder specified in the source from which you downloaded cache. To do this, click on the zip file and select the archiver (for example, ES Zip Viewer), show the path to the required folder (in this case it is sdcard/Android/obb).

6. Open the obb folder. There you will find another folder (1353608252_com.gameloft.android.anmp.gloftzrhm), which will contain a subfolder (com.gameloft.android.ANMP.GloftZRHM). The latter must be moved to obb, and the empty one (1353608252_com.gameloft.android.anmp.gloftzrhm) must be deleted.

7. After this you can start the game.

If you specified the right way, then everything should work the first time, although there is a possibility that you will have to go through verification. Therefore, games released since fall 2011 will require a Wi-Fi connection.

To create a folder for cache V automatic mode(so you definitely won’t be mistaken about where to send the unpacked files), you need to use the following algorithm:

Download apk file and install the game.
Launch the game and let it download automatically cache. After 10-15 minutes we cancel the process, resulting in a finished empty folder, where you should unpack the archive.

There is also an alternative way to install games with cache, which requires a WiFi connection:

Download and install apk.
We launch the game and allow it to download all the missing files via the Internet.
Cache automatically ends up in the right place.

If this method minimizes user participation in the installation process, then for the first method you need to know the correct path:

Cache games from Gameloft must be unpacked into sdcard/gameloft/games/ (unpacked game cache).
For games with Google Play the path is: sdcard/Android/data/(unpacked game cache).
Games from Electronic Arts (E.A.) use the same path as in the previous case.
Cache For Glu must be located in sdcard/glu/ (unpacked game cache)
Two other possible options are sdcard/Android/data/obb(unpacked game cache) and sdcard/(unpacked game cache)
Please also take into account that cache saved on the memory card when on Android The device does not have a large internal memory.

Now let’s spend a little time on the installation itself. apk files. There are several simple ways that require installation permission from unknown sources (Unknown Sources). For Android 4.x we open Settings, go to point Safety, put a checkmark next to the previously mentioned option. For earlier OS versions, also go to Settings, but instead of the point Safety, select Applications (Application Settings) and vice versa unknown sources (Unknown Sources) put a tick. Now yours Android the device is ready for installation apk files. We will describe several installation methods:

1. Place apk file to the device's memory card. We launch the file manager and find the same installation file and open it. Install the application.

2. Place the file name.apk to a memory card Android smartphone/tablet. Open the browser and enter the following command in the address bar: content://com.android.htmlfileprovider/sdcard/name.apk. The installation begins. If nothing happens, then instead of the specified command you need to enter file:///sdcard/name.apk.

3. Loading apk file using browser Android devices. At the end of the process, the system will prompt you to install the application.

4. For owners HTC There is a separate and much simpler method, the essence of which is to install on your PC InstallAPK and using this program install apk to the device.

The main problems that arise when installing apk files and cache

Can't install apk: Most likely you have not activated the Unknown Sources option or the file you are installing is not suitable for your Android device.
The game cannot find the cache (it finds it, but not all of it): most likely, you unpacked the archive in the wrong place or did not pass verification (the game should automatically download the missing files).
The textures in the game are white, the image does not fit the screen size: The installed cache is not suitable for your device. Try finding and installing another one.
Also note to yourself that The cache is not always deleted along with the game. Often this has to be done manually.

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When downloading games from alternative sources and Internet resources, the user is always prompted to download a separate installation file (apk) and a file with the game cache. Without the correct location of the latter in the device memory, the application will not launch and execute correctly. Therefore, you need to know how to install a cache for a game on Android.

What is cache and where can you download it from?

The Android cache is an integral part of the application where the main content is stored: graphics, scripts, sounds, textures and much more.

On the Internet, on various Internet resources with video games, cache is stored as an archive next to the apk. On the page where there is a description of the game on Android and a link to download it, developers usually indicate in which folder cache should be unpacked.

But such information may not exist. To avoid questions about where to install the cache, video game developers reserve in memory Android devices specific folder:

for applications from Gameloft, the path to place the cache file is “sdcard/gameloft/games”;
for Glu Mobile, the additional file must be located in “sdcard/glu”;
for Electronic Arts, the game cache must be located in “sdcard/Android/data”;
for video games from other manufacturers, the file can be located either in sdcard/Android/data or in “sdcard/Android/obb”.

You can move the cache file on your device to the desired folder using the file manager on your smartphone or computer.

To transfer the archive via a computer, you need to use Explorer. If you perform these operations using mobile phone, you must additionally install one of the popular file managers with an archiver function (for example, ES Explorer).

You can use the built-in explorer, but then you will have to download the archiver separately.

How to move cache on phone using ES File Explorer app

After the program is downloaded from an Internet resource, you need to install it on your phone, and then start moving the cache.

Note: Unlike the cache, the installation fileapkyou don’t need to move it anywhere, and you can leave it in the “Downloads».

On the Android OS, everything that the user downloads from the Internet is automatically placed in the “Downloads” folder.

The process of transferring an archive with scripts and graphics via ES Explorer is not complicated and is carried out in just a few steps:

If everything is done correctly, the required file will appear in the “Obb” folder.

How to move game cache using a computer

Both methods, using File Explorer on a computer and a smartphone, are very similar. Which one to choose is the personal preference of each user.

In order to move cache using a computer to an Android gadget, you need to do the following:

open Explorer on PC;
click on the folder in which the downloaded cache file is stored (if the user has not changed the save location, then everything that they download from the Internet is located in the “Downloads” folder on drive C);

right-click on the archive and select the “Extract here” option in the context menu;

when the archiver reports the successful completion of the process, you should select the cache file, right-click and select the “Copy” option in the context menu;

click on the phone in the object tree on the right side of Explorer;

open the folder where you want to copy the cache file (in our case, “obb”). To do this, click on “Andoid” and “obb” one by one;
Right-click and select the “Insert” option from the context menu;

launch the application on the smartphone.

If the user has transferred the cache incorrectly, the program will not start or will start downloading additional files on one's own.

If games are installed via Google Play, then there is no need to manipulate the cache, since everything will be done automatically.

Transfer cache to memory card

To transfer cache to an SD card, you need to install the FolderMount application (superuser rights required). The principle of operation of this program is to create a pair between two folders. To do this you need to do the following:

launch the application;
click on the right top corner to the plus icon to create a new pair;

fill in the fields: “name” (the name of the pair being created), “source” (the place where the cache file is stored) and “Destination” (the place on the SD where it should be moved);