I have become a huge fan of Garmin Pilot (for Android and iPad) and ran up against an issue.  If you are a subscriber to the annual Garmin Pilot "Full Subscription", you have access to a tremendous amount of charts (stunning amount, actually).  These charts and graphs would encompass the 50 United States, and if you elect to download them ALL to your device (Android Phone or Android Tablet), you are talking total data size over 8GB.

 

For most of us, that's a bit crowded if you want to store it all on your handheld device's "ROM" (built in memory), but only a slice of the (up to) 64GB of SD Micro Card storage available if you purchased it for your device.

 

The 'rub' is that Garmin Pilot (as built) does not offer a setup choice where you can choose your SD card as the default location for the Garmin program and its related data download files.  So apparently, you're 'stuck' - but I discovered after some web crawling that if you ROOT your phone or tablet, you are then able to use free third party apps from Google Play Store (example "CleanMaster") to move the entire Garmin Pilot app and all of its data files off your ROM and over to your SD card.  Note:  You can additionally move any OTHER programs you wish to your SD card as well.  

 

Arguments for and against ROOTING:

• Rooting voids your device warranty.  This scared me.  Then I thought about how many people I saw on the web had rooted their phone.
• Rooting is a little bit complex but not insurmountably so.  The biggest thing is make sure you have the correct files specific to your device, and you avoid the two stumbles I ran into.
• If you do a very basic "ROOT" your device still looks and operates as it did before you rooted it.  Power users can install other "Skins" to make the phone look different than the default.  I did not do this.
• There is a possibility you could "brick" your device making it unusable.  This possibility scared me. I'm a techie type, so I overcame my fear and decided to go for it.

So I didn't enter into the process lightly.  I weighed the pros and cons, for me it made sense to have the monster Garmin app on my SD card.  So I prowled the web and found the steps on how to do it, and after a few fumbles, managed to successfully root both my Samsung Galaxy Note2 (phone/phablet) and my Samsung Note 10.1 wi-fi tablet.

 

If a user "ROOTS" his/her tablet or phone, then there are 3rd party apps that can move the entire Garmin Pilot app to the SD card.  In my case, I used a free app called Clean Master after first rooting my phone.  "Rooting" means to allow a user to access the phone at the "ROOT" level, and to pierce the restrictions of the default Operating System and interface.  I did a very basic "rooting" of both my Note2 (phone/phablet) and my Note 10.1 Tablet.  

 

Keys to rooting:  (applies only to ANDROID devices)

1.  Voids the device warranty

2.  Is little bit complex but not insurmountably so

3.  User MUST enable USB debugging on their device settings BEFORE running the root process below or it will FAIL.

4.  User MUST turn off all antivirus software BEFORE running the root process below or it will FAIL.

5.  Necessary drivers and related software are available free on the web  (Samsung USB drivers, Odin 3.07 (a program by Samsung), and CFAutoroot (specific packages for each different Android device).

6.  Pictorial assistance including video is available "google search Root Samsung Note 10.1 model 8013" as an example search.

7.  The process I used is considered less invasive and more "goof proof" than other methods of rooting.  In my case it was hit the START button, wait 2 minutes, and done.

8.  There also are pay sites on the web (about $20) offering guidance and step-by-step instructions on this process - I figured I can read and find what I needed by myself.

 

The ROOT process I used on my SAMSUNG devices- after first locating and downloading three sets of files on the web.  First set:  Samsung drivers for my PC  Second set, CFAutoroot MD5 file and associated other files specific to each of my devices,  Third set  ODIN 3.7 Interface software.   All that's different to root different Android devices is the MD5 file, which is specific to each Android device.  Make sure you obtain the CORRECT files for YOUR device!

1. User installs Samsung USB drivers on their PC  (free download from Samsung)
2. The user executes a simple set of key presses to enter device download mode  the keypress sequences vary according to device model (also shown after google search).  For the Note 10.1 8013 Wi-Fi model- pressing and holding down the Volume Down button, and the Power button, until the screen flashes the Android Logo. Then press Volume Up button to enter ‘Download Mode Note:  On the side of the Note 10.1, the volume button operates counter-intuitively, when you are told to press the Power and the VOLUME UP buttons simultaneously, you push the bottom half of the button down and vice-versa!  Had some fun figuring out why things weren't happening for me! 
3. User starts ODIN 3.7 (RUN AS ADMINISTRATOR) Use checkbox for PDA device for phones  and same checkbox  PDA device for tablets. Browse your drive using ODIN to find the CFAutoroot MD5 file specific to your device and make sure the path to that MD5 file is in the PDA window in ODIN 3
4. Connect your device to your PC - wait for it to be recognized and for the USB drivers to install.
5. CLICK START BUTTON (in ODIN user interface window) and the phone will "ROOT" (allow root access) and reboot.  This process is very quick - from when you hit START till when the Rooting is completed and your device auto-reboots should only take 1 to 3 minutes.  If it takes longer or nothing happens, this means you have done something wrong.  I had the process fail several times, and then discovered I had forgotten to turn off ANTI virus and FIREWALL and in another case had neglected to ENABLE USB DEBUGGING in the settings on the device itself.  I was able to power off the device and power it back on with no damage, and then tried again until I found and corrected the above two issues.

 

Above:  The ODIN 3.07 interface.  You want the tickboxes just as you see them above, and you want the "PDA" tickbox to be 'checked, and the full path to your MD5 file inserted in the PDA window to the right of the PDA checkbox.  ID: COM should have a Com Port Number for your device showing, and there should be some information in the white Message window.  Then you can click the START button.  If working properly, ID: COM will have a green progress bar moving rapidly from left to right during the flash process.  Just above that, in the larger boxes just below the program name, you should see a PASS message if it succeeded, or a FAIL message if not.  If you get a FAIL message, you need to double check your AntiVirus and Firewall software are OFF, and that your DEVICE has been ENABLED for USB DEBUG MODE prior to trying to run this process.  If you forgot, you can RESTART your device and enter into the settings area to enable USB debugging, then repeat all of the steps mentioned.

 

Once this is done, the user can freely move apps between their built-in ROM and their add-on SD Micro card... this is HUGE, as Garmin Pilot full subscription with all maps and charts is over 8 GB of data.  I couldn't fit it on my device without rooting.  Now?  It's great.

BONUS!  You can use other ROOT REQUIRED apps, like Titanium BACKUP to completely back up everything on your device and save it on your SD card.  Handy if you make a mistake and need to revert data and/or applications.  Other ROOT apps include using your device as a "Wi-Fi hotspot" for your non-wifi laptop or other Internet device.

 

As always, anyone who elects to try this process does so at their own risk.

Welcome to rooting :-) I think I managed to last a week before rooting my tab 10. Personally, I love it for being able to install different flavours of Android. Currently running free of Samsung bloat, and happy for it.

 

And nice tutorial btw, he he.

 

Sent from my GT-P5110 using Tapatalk 4

 

Welcome to rooting :-) I think I managed to last a week before rooting my tab 10. Personally, I love it for being able to install different flavours of Android. Currently running free of Samsung bloat, and happy for it. And nice tutorial btw, he he. Sent from my GT-P5110 using Tapatalk 4

 

I debated sharing the 'how to' because of the fear someone might make an error, but then I realized only the 'techie-at-heart' would contemplate it, and such folk are aware of the risks and rewards, as I was.  Honestly, there is no excuse I can think of to block users from being able to do something as basic as move apps off their ROM chip to their SD CARD.  Handcuffing a user is just wrong.  

 

Thanks for your response.

 

Best,