How to see what’s taking up space on your android device

I have critical low storage level and can’t understand what takes much of it and how that’s possible that the installed applications can use 7 GB? I only use a few social media clients without any games or soft like Photoshop. Also on the second screenshot it indicates that the apps are using just 1.13 GB and so I can’t understand the situation. Also what is the “Other”?

4 Answers 4

Android’s filesystem hierarchy is a bit complex and people often find it difficult to grasp. A major reason for confusion is that Android isn’t very expressive in explaining these things and it’s not very clear which files Android put in which category. Another reason is that mostly devices are not rooted and users don’t have access to filesystems to verify the things themselves. We can try to understand it from root.

VIDEOS, PICTURES, AUDIO AND “OTHER”:

Android uses file extensions to decide if a file in Public Shared / External Storage (i.e. /sdcard excluding the private directories of apps) is video, picture or audio. This header file defines a mapping between file extensions and categories. Further details can be found in this answer.

Simply put, we can use file extensions to categorize files and calculate their size:

So I have 1.55 GB of videos on my /sdcard .

And 669 MB of pictures. Combined with videos it becomes 2.22 GB.

And 187 MB of audios. Now total space taken by files:

It’s 5.3 GB. Subtracting video, pictures and audio, it’s 2.89 GB which is the size of “Other”; shown as “Files” on my device:

Non-root part is over here. Next to explore the /data partition you need root access. First to make it clear, throughout the whole life of a device, a common user interacts only with one partition labeled userdata . But it’s not very uncommon to have 50+ partitions on Android devices (details can be seen in this thread). So here we are talking about the space usage on userdata partition which is mounted at /data . One of its sub-directory /data/media/0 is the one we see in file explorers or at /sdcard or at /storage/emulated/0 . See What is /storage/emulated/0? for details.

TOTAL SPACE USAGE:

Now have a look at space usage reported by Android. It says 16.73 GB out of 32 GB are used. Let’s analyze.

Note: Don’t confuse the units. 61071360 sectors equal 31268536320 bytes, which equal 31.27 Gigabytes (GB) or 29.12 Gibibyte (GiB).

Total available size of eMMC is 31.27 GB (ignoring e.g. RPMB and provisioned space etc.) and size of /data filesystem is 25.76 GB (See! I thought it would be 32.00 GiB). It means that 5.5 GB space was occupied when the device was shipped from the factory. It’s mainly taken by the system , vendor and cache partitions, and a small part by other partitions. Partition table takes a few KBs but there are possibly a few MBs left free in between partitions, some space is wasted due to encryption, and so on. Following screenshot shows the complete partition table:

(Click image for enlarged view)

Now coming to the used space:

Space usage reported by filesystem is 10.4 GB, while the apparent size of files is 9.25 GB. This difference of 1.15 GB could be variable and is used by the filesystem. Details can be found in this answer. May be a part of it is being used by f2fs log structure on my device.

So total used space on device is 15.9 GB (5.5 and 10.4) out of 31.27 GB. Note the difference with the values in screenshot. The difference in total size could be because of rounding-off the sum of /data and /system to the nearest power of 2.

APPS SPACE USAGE:

5.3 GB out of 9.25 GB is used by the public files in /sdcard as explained in the start. Rest of the 3.95 GB space is mainly taken by three categories of files. Keeping things simple, following are the major directories which sum up to total app size (1, 2, 3, 4) :

• User data size should exclude Cache size.
• For user apps compiled binary files are stored in installation directory ( /data/app/

/oat/ ) since Lollipop. But for system apps those are saved to /data/dalvik-cache which is counted for apps size. Actual .apk files of system apps are not counted, except if an app is updated. .odex files for Android’s framework apps ( .apk / .jar ) however might be already stored in /system/framework/ having only symlinks in /data/dalvik-cache/ . Things have changed with A/B implementation.

Taking sum of all these directories:

It’s 3.7 GB, leaving only 250 MB behind, some of which is taken by the /sdcard of other two user profiles ( /data/media/ ). The rest is used by system logs and configuration files, particularly in /data/system* and /data/misc* directories.

This system usage is shown as “System” which excludes shared storage size (5, 6) . Some figures differ from Android but after all we know how the space is actually used, and where it’s being wasted.

To find this, open the Settings screen and tap Storage. You can see how much space is used up by apps and their data, by pictures and videos, audio files, downloads, cached data, and miscellaneous other files.

How do I free up internal storage on my Android?

Use Android’s “Free up space” tool

1. Go to your phone’s settings, and select “Storage.” Among other things, you’ll see information on how much space is in use, a link to a tool called “Smart Storage” (more on that later), and a list of app categories.
2. Tap on the blue “Free up space” button.

How do I get rid of storage space running out on my Android?

Open the Settings app, tap Storage (it should be in the System tab or section). You’ll see how much storage is used, with details for cached data broken out. Tap Cached Data. In the confirmation form that appears, tap Delete to free up that cache for working space, or tap Cancel to leave the cache alone.

What is eating up my android memory?

Oftentimes, it’s as simple as moving some media off your phone (like audiobooks you’re no longer using), other times you’ll need to cull through your apps or purge the cache files of apps like Dolphin Browser and Facebook that tend to eat up disk space.

Why does my android say storage space running out?

Sometimes the “Android storage space running out but it’s not” issue is caused by the overwhelming amount of data stored on your phone’s internal memory. If you have many apps on your Android device and use them simultaneously, cache memory on your phone can be blocked, which leads to Android insufficient storage.

What should I delete when my phone storage is full?

Clear the cache

If you need to clear up space on your phone quickly, the app cache is the first place you should look. To clear cached data from a single app, go to Settings > Applications > Application Manager and tap on the app you want to modify.

Why is my storage full after deleting everything?

If you’ve deleted all the files you don’t need and you’re still receiving the “insufficient storage available” error message, you need to clear out Android’s cache. … (If you are running Android Marshmallow or later, go to Settings, Apps, select an app, tap Storage and then choose Clear Cache.)

How do I free up space on my Samsung phone without deleting apps?

Store your photos online

Photos and videos can be the most space-hogging items on your phone. In this situation, you can upload your photos to online drive (one drive, google drive, etc), and then delete them from your device permanently to free up space on Android internal storage.

How do I fix my internal storage running out?

So, here are the more important steps in freeing up more storage space on your Android phone:

1. Delete unnecessary media files – images, videos, docs, etc.
2. Delete and uninstall unnecessary apps.
3. Move media files and apps to your external SD Card (if you have one)
4. Clear cache of all your apps.

Why does my phone show insufficient storage?

If you’re seeing an “Insufficient storage available” message on your Android, chances are that you’ve used up most of your device’s available memory. To rectify this, you’ll need to make some space by deleting apps and/or media; you can also add external storage, such as a Micro SD card, to your phone.

Why is my phone internal storage always full?

Android phones and tablets can fill up quickly as you download apps, add media files like music and movies, and cache data for use offline. Many lower-end devices may only include a few gigabytes of storage, making this even more of a problem.

Is it OK to clear data?

The primary reason for someone to clear application cache would be to free up storage, which might have an impact on the phone’s performance. But clearing data is a much more dramatic step which is generally reserved for when an app is buggy or fails to start.

How do I clear storage on my phone?

To clean up Android apps on an individual basis and free up memory:

1. Open your Android phone’s Settings app.
2. Go to the Apps (or Apps and Notifications) settings.
3. Make sure All apps is selected.
4. Tap on the app you wish to clean.
5. Select Clear Cache and Clear Data to remove the temporary data.

Does deleting emails free up space on phone?

Deleting emails from Gmail can free up storage space in the cloud. This is done in two steps: first you have to move the emails into the Trash, then you have to delete them from the Trash. Emails in the Trash are still counting towards your Google account’s quota. Open Gmail on your device.

Why do my apps keep moving back to internal storage?

Apps don’t work the way they should when on external storage anyway. So when upgrading the apps they will also automatically move to the optimal speed storage, the internal storage. … When you update an app (or it updates automatically), it updates to internal storage. That’s how Android works.

Has your Android device become slow, glitchy, or just generally performs poorly? It’s possible that your device is running out of storage space.

Running out of memory can negatively impact your device in numerous ways — at its worst, you might not even be able to open apps.

How to free up space on an Android phone or tablet

To get your phone or tablet back up to speed, you’ll need to clear some space. Here are five ways to do just that.

Clear your Android’s cache

Clearing your Android’s cache removes temporary cookie files, which can take up a lot of digital real estate. It’s also one of the fastest and easiest ways to improve your Android device’s speed and performance.

For more information, check out Business Insider’s article on how to clear the cache on an Android device.

Delete unwanted apps, photos, or files

This is probably the most obvious solution.

Many Android devices come pre-packaged with loads of apps you’ll probably never use. And that picture of last night’s dinner doesn’t really have a purpose after you’ve uploaded it to Instagram, does it?

Consider it an act of digital decluttering. Does this app bring you joy? If not, move it into the trash.

Delete the files located in your Downloads folder

You might not realize this, but everything you download onto your Android — whether it’s an email attachment, a picture, or a PDF you found on the internet — gets saved into a folder called “Downloads” or “My Files” (the actual name varies depending on your device).

If you frequently download a lot of files, it’s possible that your Downloads folder is bloated and slowing the rest of your Android down.

Go into your Downloads folder from the app menu and delete whatever you don’t need.

Find out what’s taking up space on your Android phone

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What to Know

• Free up space by tapping Settings > Storage > Manage Storage.
• Delete unwanted apps, photos, and videos to create more space.
• Add a microSD card to expand your storage needs.

This article teaches you how to find what’s taking up space on your Android phone and how to remove it, thereby freeing up space.

What Is Taking Up Space on My Phone?

If it feels like your phone is constantly running out of storage space, it’s important to know what files are taking up so much space. Here’s where to look to find out just how much storage space you have and what type of files are using it up.

Android’s Storage Manager can be slightly different depending on the Android phone, but the basic principle remains the same.

Tap Settings.

Tap Storage.

Tap Manage Storage to view what files are stored on your phone, delete files, move them to other forms of storage and so forth.

How Do I Free Up Storage Space on My Phone?

There are a lot of different ways in which you can free up storage space on your phone. Here’s a look at some of the best ways to do so.

• Delete apps on your phone. If you’ve installed many apps on your phone but never deleted any of them, you can soon run out of storage space. Delete the ones you never use. It’s always possible to reinstall them via the Google Play Store at a later date if you decide you need them again.
• Clear the Cache Data. If you have an older Android phone, cache data can accumulate fast. This data is dealt with differently via Manage Storage with newer Android phones but if you have an older device, try clearing the cache to free up more space.
• Move files to an SD card. It’s possible to add a microSD card in most Android phones to expand your storage needs beyond what internal storage offers. Once you’ve done so, move files and pictures to the SD card to free up storage space.

How Do I Free Up Space on My Phone Without Deleting Everything?

One key reason why many users run out of storage space on their phones is that they take many photos and videos. Understandably, you don’t want to delete these precious memories, but there is another way. Here’s how to back up your photos with Google Photos.

Tap Photos.

Tap your Google Profile picture.

Tap Turn on Backup.

Choose what quality you want the photos saved at, then tap Confirm.

How to Use Storage Manager to Automatically Manage Your Phone

If you’d prefer to leave your phone to manage its files by itself, it’s possible to use tools such as Storage Manager to keep your phone working well. By doing so, your photos and videos will be removed after a set length of time, so make sure to back up your photos and videos via Google Photos. Here’s where to find it.

Storage Manager may be called something slightly different depending on the Android phone you use, but the principle remains the same.

Tap Settings.

Tap Storage.

Toggle Storage Manager on.

Storage Manager is a replacement of Smart Storage from earlier Android versions.

Tap Storage Manager.

Tap Remove Photos & Videos to toggle the length that photos are stored for.

Why Is My Internal Storage Always Full on Android?

If your Android phone seems to always run out of space, there are many reasons why. Here’s a look at some of the key reasons behind it.

• You have limited storage space. If your Android phone has a small amount of internal storage space, it can be a battle to have enough free space to install system updates. That’s where having external storage via a microSD card can help a lot.
• You have a lot of apps installed. If you have many apps installed, you can run out of storage space fast. It’s a particular problem if you have many high-end games installed too.
• You take a lot of videos. Many Android phones can take 4K videos now, which soon adds up fast. Consider lowering the resolution of the photos and videos you take to free up more room.

It entirely depends on your needs. If you don’t use many apps and don’t take many photos or videos, you might get away with having just 64GB. But if you take lots of videos, download a lot of music, and play many video games, you want at least 128GB. Heavy phone users may want to look at 256GB and even 512GB storage options. Keep in mind that a phone’s operating system uses up a lot of space, so you’re getting less than the storage advertised when you buy a new device.

Unlike Android phones, iPhones don’t come with an expandable SD card slot. If you want to create more space, you need to get rid of files you no longer need. Go to Settings > General > [Device] Storage, and you can get recommendations for freeing up space, along with a list of apps and how much storage they’re using. Offload or delete apps you don’t use anymore, backup your videos and photos to iCloud, or perhaps delete those old books you’re not reading to free up some space.

What is other in storage Android? It’s the most curious question that jumps into every smartphone user mind.

In past years, Android has improved significantly as an OS. Google has put a lot of effort into improving its file storage system, and its applications have been much faster. However, this has come at the expense of your internal storage.

Your operating system files have grown in size, applications have increased, and games became more resourceful.

With all of this in mind, it’s no wonder that your Android smartphone, with its massive storage space, will quickly fill up. Although you can instantly see what images, videos, directories, notes, programs, and games are taking up storage space, specific files can be hidden.

We will share what files are consuming space in the “Others” storage in Android and show you how to free up space from there.

What is Other in Storage Android ?

In the Android smartphone’s internal memory, any unspecified data files are categorized as “Other.” And this is what’s taking up space in your phone’s Other drive.

Private Apps Data

Private app data is being reported as perhaps the most common cause of the file storage overflowing in the Others category. Consequently, these could include downloaded files, unsuccessful OTA patches, server backup files, and more.

Besides that, streaming apps will sometimes malfunction and forget to erase cache data, which will fill up the Android phone’s storage room.

Backup Failures

Google allows you the choice of backing up your smartphone content to the cloud. Other platforms permit you to do the same with competitive price plans.

Keeping your smartphone app syncs to the cloud has several benefits. You will have a copy of those data even though you delete it, and you will be able to acquire all of your files when your phone’s local storage is not enough.

Password vaults, app file backups, free disk space, file sharing, and other features are available via cloud providers. However, daily upgrades and new functionality will cause these services to malfunction.

Even if most of these problems are resolved immediately, there could be unsuccessful backups on your phone that are not accepted by the backup service. There may also be redundant files on the phone taking up valuable Storage, which would appear in your ‘Other’ section.

Temp Data and Caches

Your web pages, applications, and games are always connected to the web, downloading large amounts of data in the format of the text, pictures, and videos.

User files, advertisements, content, and a variety of other things could be included. To keep the internal memory clear of unnecessary stuff, each of these data is customarily developed to clean up when you remove them.

However, there are times when these data are stored over; this is especially popular for web browsers. If you don’t clear the web content, your browser’s storage will fill up quickly, using a lot of space on your phone.

If you inspect the Storage with Android’s stock program, each of these momentary and cached data will appear as ‘Other.’

How to Clear Internal Storage on Android?

Don’t lose hope. Still, you can get rid of these unnecessary files from your Android phone. And you can achieve a fair amount of space out of them.

Android Stock Cleaner

Most Android phones now have a feature that allows you to wipe up your phone’s memory from inside the Settings app. This is how you can do it:

1. Open the phone’s Settings window.
2. Search your Storage option by scrolling down. It should be under Device Care on Samsung phones. Put it another way. You can use the search box at the top to look for the term “storage.”
3. Inside the tab, you will find the “Other” storage option, which indicates the consumed space.
4. Tap on that, and now you can view the files that it has. On the right of every file form, there is a Clean Up button.

The User interface for Storage can vary by the Android device.

Check Storage Space by Apps

Android’s built-in storage scanner could be handy if your app content is cluttering up your internal space. Follow this easy guideline to make use of this function.

1. Open the Settings tab on your phone.
2. Open Storage Options by navigating to it.
3. If the device’s manufacturing company allows it, sort the applications by scale. If it is not, manually search for applications with huge data volumes.
4. Tap on the app and select Clear Cache from the menu.
5. If that doesn’t work, go ahead and Clear All records.

Final Thoughts

If you are ever running out of phone storage while installing a new app, don’t think you are alone. It’s a regular issue among Android smartphone users.

After facing this issue, the most common query is “what is Others in storage Android” by many users. Thus, we have shared the file formats stored inside this, locating the folder and deleting them to save some spaces. Let us know if this post helped to solve your problem or not.

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FAQ

Why My Android Phone Use Too Much Internal Storage, Up To 4.3 GB?

In reality, the Android operating system is relatively small, taking up just around 500 megabytes in total. Since you mention it takes up 4.3 GB of your memory, we believe the following are the reasons:

• Before you purchased the handset, the manufacturer loaded several pre-installed applications. However, these games won’t take up a lot of space in general. They can only take up a few hundred megabytes of data on your device.
• You’ve installed all of your android apps on system memory, and the amount of space these apps take up is determined by the number of apps you’ve installed and the types of apps you have.

Should I Use Third-party File Manager to Clean My Phone Memory?

If it’s an efficient app, you can always use an additional app to optimize your internal memory. These are the best file managers that you can give a try:

Have you ever run into this situation on your Android devices, when you were trying to download some Apps or videos to your phone, an “insufficient storage” message on your phone’s notification bar and, there are large amount of data usage in your internal memory which displayed as “other”. If you are reading this article, I guess it’s probably because that you’ve run into this trouble on your device or it was performing even worse.

So how to clean up your Android device, how to clear the “other” storage to release more space? Before looking for a third-party app, why not trying with the Android system itself? Sometimes, the easiest way may be the best way. Check the steps below. Also please kindly note that the follow tips are based on my own Huawei Android 6.0 Marshmallow, as we know, Android devices’ feature are different from each other resulted from various version and brand, so the operation below will be a little differences with yours.

• Part 1. Clean up your Android device and “other” storage.
• Part 2. Other tips and tricks on cleanup.
• Part 3. Recommendation tool: Comprehensive phone manager.

Part 1: Clean up your Android device and “other” storage.

Step 1 Manually clean the app’s cache.

Cache is basically a storage area where data or frequently used processes are saved for quicker access in the future. Many apps on our device are prone to download many images, text, flash, videos etc automatically, if don’t clean them regularly, before long, they will take up large space on your device. So by doing a cleaning of app’s cache you can save much memory of your device and this won’t do any harm or loss to your phone.

The amount of space taken up on your device by WhatsApp media and Apps and other items is displayed at the top of the screen.

Review and delete items

You can free up storage by deleting items that are large or have been forwarded many times. You can also delete items per chat.

Review items

1. On the CHATS tab, tap More options

>Settings.

Low storage alerts

If the amount of available storage on your device reaches critically low levels, WhatsApp might not be able to function properly. If this happens, WhatsApp might prompt you to free up space in order to continue using the app.

You can also free up space by deleting apps you don’t use or large videos, photos, or files saved on your phone. For more information about how to free up storage on your phone outside of WhatsApp, please contact your phone’s manufacturer.

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Running out of geebees? Try these tips

While the average amount of storage on high-end smartphones has grown over the years, so too has the amount of space Android, manufacturers, carriers, and just about everyone else who wants a piece of your gee-bees. A 64GB smartphone can feel downright cramped in 2020, and yet, many companies (like Google) continue to sell phones with this base level of storage. Simply installing all your favorite apps and getting set up can get you well over the halfway mark on such a phone, and as app cache, media, and photos and videos begin to build up, you can quickly find yourself running out of space. Fortunately, there are steps you can take — some more obvious than others.In this guide, we’ll go over the best ways to get more storage on Android without resorting to the sketchy ‘Cleaner’ apps that dominate the Play Store.

Delete unused apps (duh)

This is probably very obvious to most of you, but the first step you should take is deleting any apps you previously downloaded that you don’t use. There might be a few (or a lot) of apps that came with your phone that can’t be deleted, but if you’ve had your phone for a while, there are probably a few apps and games you haven’t opened in weeks or months.

You can sort apps by size in your phone’s app list in settings on some phones, but sadly this isn’t a stock Android feature.

Delete backed-up photos

Google Photos is the tool built into Android for backing up your photos and videos to the cloud. If you don’t need quick access to the photos and videos you’ve recorded lately, Google Photos has a handy feature for deleting everything from your phone that has already been backed up.

iOS and iPadOS monitor the storage on your device by analyzing how much space each app uses. You can also check the storage on your device in Settings, iTunes, or the Finder on your computer.

How iOS and iPadOS optimize storage

If your device is low on storage, it automatically frees up space while installing an app, updating iOS or iPadOS, downloading music, recording videos, and more.

To make more storage available, your device can remove some of your items, like streamed music and videos, files in iCloud Drive, and parts of apps that aren’t needed. It also removes temporary files and clears the cache on your device. But your device only removes items that can be downloaded again or that aren’t needed anymore.

Use your device to check its storage

Go to Settings > General > [Device] Storage. You might see a list of recommendations for optimizing your device’s storage, followed by a list of installed apps and the amount of storage each one uses. Tap an app’s name for more information about its storage. Cached data and temporary data might not be counted as usage.

In the detailed view you can:

• Offload the app, which frees up storage used by the app, but keeps its documents and data.
• Delete the app, which removes the app and its related data.
• Depending on the app, you might be able to delete some of its documents and data.

If your device is almost full and can’t free up space, you might get a Storage Almost Full alert. If you see this alert, you should check the storage recommendations or you need to offload some less-used content like videos and apps.

Content categories

The used content on your device is divided in these categories:

• Apps: Installed apps and their content, and content stored in “On My iPhone/iPad/iPod touch” directory in the Files app, and Safari downloads
• Photos: Photos and videos stored in the Photos app
• Media: Music, videos, podcasts, ringtones, artwork, and Voice Memos
• Mail: Emails and their attachments
• Apple Books: Books and PDFs in the Books app
• Messages: Messages and their attachments
• iCloud Drive: iCloud Drive content that has been downloaded locally to your device. This content can’t be automatically deleted.
• Other: Non-removable mobile assets, like Siri voices, fonts, dictionaries, non-removable logs and caches, Spotlight index, and system data, such as Keychain and CloudKit Database. Cached files can’t be deleted by the system.
• System: Space taken by the operating system. This can vary based on your device and model.

Use recommendations to optimize storage

In the Storage section of Settings, your device might offer recommendations for optimizing your storage. Tap Show All to see all the recommendations for your device.

Read the description of each recommendation, then tap Enable to turn it on or tap the recommendation to review the contents you can delete.

Use the Finder or iTunes to check the storage on your iOS device

1. On a Mac with macOS Catalina 10.15 or later, open the Finder. On a Mac with macOS Mojave 10.14 or earlier, or on a PC, open iTunes.
2. Connect your device to your computer.
3. Select your device in the Finder or in iTunes. You’ll see a bar that shows how much storage your content uses, divided by content type.
4. Move your mouse over the bar to see how much storage each content type is using.
   

Here’s a list of the types of content on your device, and what each type includes:

• Audio: Songs, audio podcasts, audiobooks, voice memos, and ringtones.
• Video: Movies, music videos, and TV shows.
• Photos: Content in your Photo Library, Camera Roll, and Photo Stream.
• Apps: Installed apps. The content of the apps is listed under Documents & Data.
• Books: iBooks books, audio books, and PDF files.
• Documents & Data: Safari Offline Reading List, files stored within installed apps, and app content like contacts, calendars, messages, and emails (and their attachments).
• Other: Settings, Siri voices, system data, and cached files.

About cached files in “Other”

The Finder and iTunes categorize cached music, videos, and photos as Other instead of actual songs, videos, or photos. Cached files are created when you stream or view content like music, videos, and photos. When you stream music or video, that content is stored as cached files on your device so you can quickly access it again.

Your device automatically removes cached files and temporary files when your device needs more space.

If storage on your device differs from what you see in the Finder or iTunes

Since the Finder and iTunes categorize cached files as Other, reported usage for Music or Videos might differ. To view usage on your device, go to Settings > General > [Device] Storage.

If you want to delete the cached files from your device

Your device automatically deletes cached files and temporary files when it needs more space. You don’t need to delete them yourself.

Learn more

• To reduce the size of your Photo library, turn on iCloud Photo Library and optimize your device storage.
• Optimize your music and videos storage in Settings > Music > Optimize Storage.
• Learn how iOS, iPadOS, and macOS report storage capacity.

Information about products not manufactured by Apple, or independent websites not controlled or tested by Apple, is provided without recommendation or endorsement. Apple assumes no responsibility with regard to the selection, performance, or use of third-party websites or products. Apple makes no representations regarding third-party website accuracy or reliability. Contact the vendor for additional information.

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Something New

If an Android phone is starting to lag in performance, it may be time to do some house cleaning and delete files to free up storage and memory space.

Android phones are an excellent option for users who value having lots of file space because, unlike their iOS counterparts, many models offer expandable storage. However, one of the drawbacks of knowing a device has sizeable room for apps, photos, videos, and other downloads is that the awful out-of-space alert can come out of nowhere and potentially hit a user when they least expect it. This is incredibly annoying for Android owners who have phones that don’t have external storage capabilities. In that case, there are usually a few quick and easy things that can be done to free up needed space immediately.

Note that even though Android phones are available at different price points and are incredibly versatile, they don’t necessarily share a uniform look in terms of the user interface. For example, executing the processes that’ll free up space may differ slightly in menu arrangement but should be similar enough to recognize what option to tap. When in doubt, utilize the ‘Search settings’ feature built into most Android phone devices’ Settings folder and type keywords of the needed action.

Google suggests doing at least two things to help a lagging Android device recover better performance: free up memory and free up storage. Phone memory is where programs and apps are run, while storage is where data like photos, videos, and music are kept. Even the latest Android smartphones with a big enough memory capacity need regular upkeep to maintain smooth phone functionality. Even though it’s unnecessary for a phone to work, habitually closing apps not being used helps free up memory and keeps apps from not responding.

Biggest Android Phone Space Eaters: Apps, Photos & Downloads

The first step in the quest to free up phone space is Android’s built-in tool that does exactly that. To get to it, head to Settings and tap ‘Storage.’ The summary page will detail how much space is used by different types of data on the phone. Somewhere on the page should be a button that clearly says something like ‘Free up space’ or ‘Clean up’ (again, the phrasing differs depending on the smartphone brand). Tapping it will launch cleaning suggestions within Google’s Files app and earmark things that users can delete to free up space, like screenshots, unused apps and temporary files. High-resolution photos, which the newest Android phones with the best cameras tend to produce and automatically save in large files, could also appear in the suggestions for deletion to save on space. Tap on each suggested category to check which items are erasable.

Also within Android’s Storage menu is the Apps page, another culprit for most space used in smartphones. Tap on apps that are taking up the most space. There will be two options that a user can do to free up space instantly. ‘Clear cache’ simply deletes temporary files associated with the apps and is usually safe to do, so tap that first. ‘Clear data’ or ‘Clear storage’ permanently deletes all the data related to the app—this is a lot more complex and will need further investigation to ensure critical files aren’t being deleted. This option is most useful for apps requiring users to download big files that they forget to delete after use, video apps like Disney+ (for movie downloads) or audio apps like Spotify (for offline playlists). Note that clearing data on an app means starting from scratch, so signing in again and re-downloading files may be necessary.

The most effective step for freeing up storage space? Delete! If photos and videos take up the most real estate on an Android phone, back them up with Google Photos or move them to a computer using a USB cable and delete the copies saved on the device. Next, remove downloaded movies, music, and other media from apps that allow saving files offline. Finally, delete apps that haven’t been used in six months or more (download them again if needed). Going through the files and apps saved on the smartphone and externally backing them up on a different device is a surefire way to free up space on any Android phone.

If you find that your phone hardly ever has space for new pictures and videos, join the club! The good thing is that it’s really easy to free up storage space on your Android phone.

Since late 2016, Android users have been able to automate the storage-saving process by using the Smart Storage feature. But even if your phone is older and you don’t have that tool, the following steps can save you some space on most Android phones.

First step: find out what’s taking up all your phone’s storage space.

How to Find Out What’s Using Up Space on Your Android Phone

You may be wondering why your Android phone keeps running out of space in the first place. The short answer may be that you have too many apps installed.

To see which apps are taking up space, go to Settings > Apps (To access Settings, click on the three dots in the upper right-hand corner) and you’ll want to sort by size. Here’s what that should look like:

Apps on an Android device” width=”292″ height=”300″ srcset=”/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/ways-free-storage-F3F2.png?resize=292%2C300&ssl=1 292w, /wp-content/uploads/2022/01/ways-free-storage-F3F2.png?resize=260%2C267&ssl=1 260w, /wp-content/uploads/2022/01/ways-free-storage-F3F2.png?resize=50%2C50&ssl=1 50w, /wp-content/uploads/2022/01/ways-free-storage-F3F2.png?w=352&ssl=1 352w” sizes=”(max-width: 292px) 100vw, 292px” data-recalc-dims=”1″ />

How to Free Up Storage Space on Your Android Phone

From the screenshot above, you can see how much space each app is taking up. So now let’s start freeing up some of that storage space:

1. Uninstall Unused Apps

On the Apps screen, just click on an app that you no longer want and uninstall it.

Once you delete apps you’re no longer using, you may see a marked difference in the available space on your device immediately, but there’s more.

2. Set Your Old Messages to Auto-Delete

A great way to save space is to enable auto-delete for your old text messages. That way, when you exceed a threshold of 200 text messages, your phone will automatically get rid of them starting with the oldest.

Go to Messages > Settings > More Settings > Delete Old Messages. Here’s what that should look like:

Settings > More Settings > Delete Old Messages on an Android device” width=”278″ height=”300″ srcset=”/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/ways-free-storage-2248.png?resize=278%2C300&ssl=1 278w, /wp-content/uploads/2022/01/ways-free-storage-2248.png?resize=260%2C281&ssl=1 260w, /wp-content/uploads/2022/01/ways-free-storage-2248.png?w=352&ssl=1 352w” sizes=”(max-width: 278px) 100vw, 278px” data-recalc-dims=”1″ />

3. Back Up Your Files in the Cloud

Using a cloud service to store your files can be a big space saver. Once you’ve backed up your files to the cloud, you can delete them from your device.

The obvious choice here for an Android user is Google Drive, which comes with 15GB of free space (including your other Google accounts). Aside from Google, here are some of the most popular cloud storage services:

• Dropbox: Free account comes with 2GB of free space
• iCloud: Free account comes with 5GB of free space
• OneDrive: First tier with 5GB of free storage

4. Back Up Files to Your Computer

Using a USB cord, you can connect your Android phone to your computer and back up files there as well.

5. Press the ‘Free Up Space’ Button to Begin the Process

Go to: Settings > Device Maintenance > Storage

Please note: On some Android phones, instead of “Device Maintenance” it may say “Device Care.”

You should see a button that says “Free up space” or “Free up storage space.” Once you tap it, your phone will begin the process of creating more storage.

The way it does this is by deleting files that you have already backed up. Here’s how that screen looks:

Device Maintenance > Storage on an Android device” width=”359″ height=”479″ srcset=”/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/ways-free-storage-AB7408.png?w=359&ssl=1 359w, /wp-content/uploads/2022/01/ways-free-storage-AB7408.png?resize=225%2C300&ssl=1 225w, /wp-content/uploads/2022/01/ways-free-storage-AB7408.png?resize=260%2C347&ssl=1 260w” sizes=”(max-width: 359px) 100vw, 359px” data-recalc-dims=”1″ />

OR …

If your phone doesn’t have a screen that says “Free up space,” it will say “Clean now.” To get there, go to Settings > Device Maintenance > Storage.

On the Storage page, you’ll see how many GBs you could free up based on how many files you have backed up on your phone.

When you press “Clean now,” look for the checkmark in a blue circle (see image below).

Once your phone is cleaned, the device will show you just how much space you freed up and how much you have left. Among the other metrics you’ll see are:

• System/user data
• Unnecessary data
• Available space

Your screen will look similar to this:

Final Thoughts

After this process, your device will likely perform better. You should also have more room to take new videos and photos.

If you want to buy your way to more storage, you can do that through a cloud service. Some Androids also let you add an SD card.

Think back to your first cellphone. Beyond making calls and playing Snake, there wasn’t much to do. Today, you carry a full-fledged computer everywhere you go.

Of course, now we’re all on our phones more than ever. Hackers know that and pump out fake apps and clever scams in hopes of infecting your phone. Tap or click for a list of fake apps that mimic real ones. They’re super convincing.

New tech means a lot more storage space, too. I’d be surprised if much of yours isn’t taken up with photos. You can’t replace those precious pictures if your phone bites the dust unexpectedly. Tap or click for the best ways to get them off your phone and into safer storage.

If your storage is full or close to it, you can expect a marked slowdown. Here’s how to remedy the problem:

Freeing up space on iPhone

If you have a newer iPhone, it comes with ample storage space. Still, you could eventually get that annoying message that you are approaching the limit – especially if you don’t pay for extra storage.

What’s eating up all your space? Certain apps may be to blame.

The Messages app, for example, keeps copies of attachments like photos, videos, or content shared with you. If you have a long text thread or group chat full of memes and videos, that’s a lot of space gone.

To see what is using the most storage space on your iOS device, tap Settings > General. Scroll down and tap on iPhone Storage. A bar will show you the content on your device that’s taking up space. You will also see a list of apps that take up space. The list will be displayed in descending order from most storage used to least.

One trick you might not know about is the simple act of deleting and reinstalling an app.

For example, the Facebook app stores tons of information. All you need to do to free up that space is deleting Facebook from your device. Then, reinstall it and sign into the app. It will look and function just like before, but all that clutter in the background will be gone. Voila!

Next, you can clear those bulky attachments from Messages. Open the app and tap on a conversation. Tap on the contact icon and select Info. Scroll down to see the attachments the contact has sent you. Tap See All and select the ones you want to delete. When you’re done, tap Delete.

Cleaning out attachments on Android

This problem isn’t limited to iPhones, and depending on how much storage your phone has, you might be dealing with the “storage full” message more than you like. Even if not, cleaning things up will give you a nice performance boost.

First, get rid of any apps you’re not using. Start by going to your Settings. Select Apps or Apps and notifications, then tap on an app that you want to delete. Just tap Uninstall. (Note: The specific steps may vary depending on what brand of phone you use.)

Next, you can tackle all the extra junk files eating up space. There’s a super simple way to do that using the Files app. You may not realize it’s on your phone. This Google app is a file manager that makes it easy to wipe out, find and share files.

To get rid of attachments:

• Open the Files app, then hit Browse.

• Scroll down and tap Images or Videos.

• There is a bar across the top with different sources. Scroll to the left to find the Messages folder. Tap it.

• From there, tap on any images that you want to delete and hit the trash icon. You’ll be asked to confirm your selection by tapping Delete.

You can also clean up temporary app files, old screenshots, messaging service media and large files through Files. Here’s how:

• Open the Files app, then hit Clean at the bottom.

• Scroll through the options here to remove junk files, screenshots, downloads and more.

• Tap a category and you can delete individual files or select All items.

• Make your selection, then confirm to delete.

Use Google Photos? If you’re worried about storage space, go in and clean out the junk there, too. Tap or click for the steps you need to take.

Learn about all the latest technology on the Kim Komando Show, the nation’s largest weekend radio talk show. Kim takes calls and dispenses advice on today’s digital lifestyle, from smartphones and tablets to online privacy and data hacks. For her daily tips, free newsletters and more, visit her website at Komando.com.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect those of USA TODAY.

If your mobile moans and groans whenever you install an application or take a photo because it’s out of memory, you you might be wasting a lot of space. Here we tell you how to free up a litte to continue storing more data.

Most mobile phones have limited storage space; in some cases, you can use a microSD card to add a few extra megabytes of space, but there are lots of modern smartphones that don’t let you expand the memory. It’s also important to remember how much space you really have; 8GB is never 8GB, and 16 aren’t really 16. It’s always a little less, and the operating system takes up a part of it.

For this reason, it’s important when you buy a smartphone that you make sure that it has enough storage capacity, depending on how you’re going to use it. You can always use cloud storage as an alternative, but you’ll be completely dependent on an Internet connection, which can sometimes be a problem. If your phone is running out of space, you can try different methods to clean out and delete everything that is unnecessary. Here are a couple of ways of doing it.

The easy way: using an application

There are Android applications for virtually everything you need, so you can use one that lets you analyse your device’s memory and also frees up space, with little effort on your part. A few very good ones are:

• Clean Master. This app has almost 5 stars thanks to more than 11 million users who have rated it; it really is very good, eliminates applications that you no longer use, looks for residual files, empties the cache and temporary files. It also has an antivirus and a memory optimizer in case you need them.
• The Cleaner is my favourite application of this type; it’s a two in one that cleans both the storage memory and the RAM. It has a nice-looking interface and is super-simple to use. It also analyses the applications that you have installed and lets you empty the cache of each app individually. It’s extremely fast and efficient.
• CCleaner: this same application that is already legendary among Windows users has also been available for Android for some time. It’s a perfect, fast, and simple cleaner. It lets you free up RAM and storage space, empty temporary files, application cache, and also provides system information.

The painful way: by hand

If you don’t want to install any applications, you can always go over your Android configuration to see if you can optimize it.

• Moving applications to the SD card (if you have one): Although this is done by default in the new versions of Android, some applications don’t move and you will have to do it manually. Go to Settings> Storage> Applications, and in the list of apps, check to see which ones have been moved to the SD card.
• Clearing the cache: following the same steps described above, delete the cache of each application. This won’t affect your stored data; it will just take a little longer for the app to open the next time. You can also delete data, but this will eliminate all of the specific configurations for the app, including your login information.
• Uninstall applications: take a look at the list of applications and see which ones you don’t use or use very little. Then go back to the application list from the previous steps and uninstall the ones that you don’t need.
• Delete multimedia files: we save lots of photos and videos on our smartphones, and they usually take up a lot of space, especially if they are high resolution. You can take all, or at least most of them out and store them in the cloud, on a computer, or on a portable hard disk. To upload to the cloud, you can use applications like Dropbox or Copy, which upload everything automatically, and if you want to move them to a physical disk, all you have to do is connect your phone through the USB cable or use a tool like Pushbullet or AirDroid.

All smartphones and tablets have a set amount of storage space built into them. For some devices, this amount can be increased, but even when that is possible, there are limits to how much storage space you can add. The amount of storage space your device has controls how many apps and files you can store on it at once. Whether your device has a small amount of storage space or you just tend to keep a large quantity of files or apps in your storage, it is important to know how much free space you have left.

Why this Skill is Important

Knowing how much free storage space you have left can help you to make the best decisions about using your device. You want to avoid situations where you want to install new apps or save new files only to realize that you don’t have enough free space to hold everything you need. Those situations can lead to making quick decisions about what files or apps you must delete in order to make space. Learning to monitor your storage space can help you avoid those kinds of rushed, possibly regrettable decisions.

How to Tell What Takes Up the Most Space

Storage space on tablets and smartphones is measured in units specific to computer memory. The most common units you will see in reference to your device’s storage space are Kilobytes, Megabytes, and Gigabytes; usually they are abbreviated to KB, MB, and GB.

• Of these 3 units, a Kilobyte (KB) is the smallest unit.
• Megabytes (MB) are larger than KB and smaller than GB; 1 MB is equal to 1,024 KB.
• Gigabytes (GB) are the largest units out of the 3; 1 GB is equal to 1,024 MB.

When trying to decide what files or apps to remove from your device to regain storage space, remember that something that takes up GBs of space is much larger than something that only takes up KBs or MBs of space.

To see how your device’s storage space is being used, you can start by opening your Settings section. Often Settings can be accessed by swiping down from the top of the screen and tapping an icon shaped like a gear. Usually, you can also find a Settings app with the other app icons on your screen. Different models and brands of Android devices are organized slightly differently from one another, but the area you need to view is often called Storage or Internal Storage. You may need to check under the Device or General headings to find it. You may also be able to use a search bar to easily locate this area by searching for “storage.”

Most Android devices will show you a “progress bar” style graphic or pie chart that shows you visually how your storage is being used, broken down into various categories such as Apps, Images or Pictures, Video, Audio, and Downloads, with their corresponding amounts of used storage space. Once you know more about what is taking up your storage space, you can make informed choices about what to delete. Many Android devices will make recommendations about what actions you can take to free up storage space. Depending on your device, you may need to locate the list of all installed apps in Settings in order to uninstall whole apps or clear away some of their data. Other things like photos, documents, and audio files can be removed by opening whichever app you use to view those types of files.

For more help freeing up space on your Android device, check out this guide from Google.

You may be able to gain some extra space by using a microSD card with your Android device. A microSD card is a small, physical piece of storage that can be inserted into a slot on many Android devices. Devices with a microSD card slot can use microSD cards as portable, removable storage for many types of files such as photos. Many devices can also use microSD cards as internal storage. Be sure to check what options will be compatible with your Android device before purchasing a microSD card!

iPhones do not have expandable internal storage. This is one of the major differences between iPhones and Android smartphones.

To learn more about how your iPhone’s storage space is being used, open Settings, then tap General, and finally, tap iPhone Storage. This screen will show you a chart of your total storage space used, broken down by category. If you are near your storage limit, your iPhone will have recommendations for actions you could take to increase your available storage space.

Below the chart, you will see a list of apps showing the total amount of storage each one is using. Tapping on each app in this list will show you the options for managing that app’s storage space. Some apps may have specific, storage-saving recommendations. Apps that can be deleted will give you the option to offload the app or delete it. Offloading removes the app from your device’s storage, but keeps any data the app may be storing. This means that if you install the offloaded app again in the future, your phone will still be able to access any personalized information that the app has created. Offloading infrequently used apps is a good idea if you are often out of storage space.

For more help managing your iPhone’s storage, check out this guide from Apple.

Smart Phone Basics

Use the recommended titles here to explore the features of your smartphone. Whether you have an Android or an iPhone, these recent books can help you learn to make your device work best for you! Many of the skills and topics covered here would also apply to Android tablets and iPads.

Android

Let this friendly guide show you the ins and outs of your Android device— master the basics and get the most from your Android phone or tablet!

IPhone

This simple walkthrough will help you to quickly pick up the basics of using your iPhone. Explore the most important features and learn more about what your device can do!

Android Phones for Seniors

This is a guide to using the Android interface specifically aimed at seniors. This books explains some of the different versions of Android and models of phones that are available. You can also find information about the relationship between Google and the services that can be used with an Android phone.

If you’re running out of room on your Apple Watch, get rid of specific apps and content you no longer need. Here’s how to free up space from the Watch app and the device.

Unlike your iPhone or iPad, your Apple Watch doesn’t have a lot of space for apps, music, podcasts, and all the other content you might try to store on it. The amount of storage varies by watch version. The Series 6, 5, and SE offer 32GB of space, but there’s only 16GB on the Series 4, 16BG for the Series 3 GPS + Cellular model, and just 8GB for the Series 3 GPS model.

Depending on your watch and how much content you download or sync, you could easily run low on space before you know it. But your watch can clue you in on how much space you have available. It can also show you how much space is used by specific apps and content so you know what to jettison when you’re running close to empty.

Check Storage Space

Check the available storage space on your watch from the Watch app on your phone. Go to My Watch > General > About in the app. Wait a few seconds and the app will display the total number of songs, photos, and external applications on the device. It also shows the total capacity and the available amount of space.

To check the capacity directly on your Apple Watch, go to Settings > General > Usage. The Storage section displays the amount of available space and the amount of used space. Swipe down the screen to see how much space is taken up by each app and type of content, including Music, Podcasts, and Photos.

Remove Apps

Now that you know which content is taking up the most amount of space, you can remove items you no longer need or want. First, let’s look at deleting apps using the Watch app on your phone. Open the app and swipe down the My Watch screen until you reach the Installed on Apple Watch section.

Tap the name of an app you want to remove, then turn off the Show App on Apple Watch switch, and the app will be deleted from the watch. Return to the previous screen, and the app now appears in the Available Apps section, where you can always reinstall it on your watch by tapping the Install button.

To remove an app directly from the watch, press the Digital Crown to move to the Home screen with all your apps in view.

If the Home screen is in Grid View, lightly press down on any icon until they all start to shake. Tap the X button on the app you wish to remove. At the confirmation screen, tap Delete App. Press the Digital Crown to turn off the icon jiggling.

If the Home screen is in List View, swipe through the list until you see the app you wish to delete. Swipe the app’s entry to the left and tap the trash can icon. Tap the Delete App entry to confirm.

Remove Music

You may also want to delete any saved music from your Apple Watch. Do this by opening the Watch app on your iPhone. Swipe down the My Watch section and tap the Music entry.

The option for Recent Music adds songs you’ve recently played. If this option is enabled and you want to see how much space you can free up, turn this switch off to remove recent albums. Next, tap the Edit link in the upper right. Tap the Delete icon next to any playlist or album you want to remove and then tap the Delete button.

To delete albums directly from your Apple Watch, open the Music app on your watch. Swipe down on each album thumbnail until you see the entries for On iPhone and Library. Tap Library > Albums and swipe down the screen until you see an album you wish to remove.

Swipe the album name to the left and then tap the ellipsis icon. At the action screen, tap the Remove button. The app asks if you want to delete the album from your library or remove this download from the watch. Tap Remove Download and the album is removed from your watch. Tap Done.

Resync Photos

You can also change and limit the photos that are synced from your phone to your watch. Open the Watch app on your iPhone, then swipe down the My Watch section and tap the entry for Photos. Whether the option is set to Mirror my iPhone or Custom, you can change the album that gets synced and control the number of photos synced to your watch.

Tap Synced Album and switch it to a different album, maybe one that contains fewer photos. Tap Photos Limit and lower the number of synced photos to as few as 25. Your watch will then update the synced photos.

Remove Audiobooks

If you’re storing audiobooks on your watch, these can be removed within the Watch app on your iPhone. In the My Watch section, tap Audiobooks. Here, you have a couple of options.

If the switches for Reading Now and Want to Read are enabled, it means your watch is automatically downloading audiobooks to fill space. Turn them off to stop the sync and make room on your device. Look through the list of synced audiobooks to find any you no longer need on your watch. Swipe one to the left and tap the Delete button.

Remove Podcasts

If you like podcasts, you can listen to them on your Apple Watch, but if you’re storing them on the device, you can remove them through the Watch app. Tap the Podcasts entry on the My Watch screen. There are two options available that automatically download episodes, but you can take control of them if you’re pressed for space.

The Up Next option downloads one episode from your top 10 podcasts, while Custom adds three episodes from every show you select. The Custom option gives you more control over the synced episodes, so you may want to try that one. In that case, turn off the switch for any podcasts that you don’t need on your watch.

Unpair Apple Watch

If you have gone through all these steps and are still low on space, you may want to try unpairing and repairing your watch. To do this in the Watch app, tap the All Watches link at the top. Tap the Info icon for your watch and select Unpair Apple Watch.

Allow the unpairing to finish, then bring your iPhone near your Apple Watch. Wait for the pairing screen to appear, tap Continue, and then follow the steps to pair it again.

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Kerry Flynn is a former fellow with HuffPost Tech.

Your iPhone is full of junk you don’t need. And a recent class action lawsuit against Apple has brought to light that even if you buy a 16 GB iPhone, you can’t actually use all 16 GB of storage.

So let’s try to make the most of what you have. We have identified 10 simple ways you can manage and clear space on your iPhone:

1. Check your usage

First thing: Find out what’s taking up the most space on your phone. You may have some unexpected storage hogs.

Open the Settings app then go to General > Usage > Manage Storage .

At the top, you’ll see how much space you’ve used and how much you have available. Below, there’s a list of your apps ranked by how much space they’re using. (It will take a minute to load.)

2. Beware of apps’ internal downloads

The numbers you see in Manage Storage include how much the app itself takes up combined with the data inside it. Some apps are small by themselves but can store a lot of files.

For example, the Spotify app is only 56 MB. But if you have a lot of music downloaded to your phone, the app takes up a ridiculous amount of space. I have about 800 songs downloaded, which takes up about 2 GB.

You can tap any app icon in Manage Storage to see the app size versus the downloads within it.

3. Delete those unused games

Many gaming apps are small, but there are some that can take up more than 1 GB of space because of 3-D graphics. Oregon Trail, for instance, uses 1.2 GB.

You may have some old games hidden on your phone that you’ve either finished or don’t play anymore. Angry Birds? 2048? Candy Crush? Go ahead and delete them. You can do that within Manage Storage by tapping on the app.

If you ever want to play them again, you can always redownload them from iTunes. But, yes, your score won’t return.

4. Remove old podcasts and videos

All those “Serial” podcasts . are you really going to listen to them again? All right, I wouldn’t judge you, but a 30-minute podcast can be 25 MB. So if you have a bunch of podcasts downloaded to your phone, those can really add up.

Apple’s Podcast app even sorts which ones you have played at the bottom of each list. Just swipe left on the individual podcast to delete.

Same thing goes with videos — an even larger space invader. Swipe left and tap delete within the Video app.

5. Set your messages to automatically expire

With iOS 8, you can now automatically delete older messages. If you like going back through old messages, don’t go this route. But do you really need those conversations after a year? This option is much easier than manually deleting old threads.

Go to Settings > Messages . Under Keep Message , select 30 days or 1 year.

You can also adjust how long your video and audio messages are stored. You can set them to expire after two minutes or never.

6. Use Google+ or Dropbox for storing photos

You might not want to take all your photos off your phone, and you don’t have to. But you can save space by having your photo library back up automatically to a cloud storage system.

We recommend using the app Google+ because not only does it give you an unlimited amount of storage — for photos less than 2048 by 2048 pixels (which includes anything you’ll be taking on your phone) and videos less than 15 minutes long — but it’s also free.

All you have to do is download the Google+ app, make a Google account if you don’t have one already, and select Auto Back-Up under the app’s Settings. Be sure to select to have it back up Over Wi-Fi Only so you aren’t charged for data use. You can also use Dropbox (instructions here) or Apple’s iCloud.

7. Stop using Photo Stream

Your iPhone’s Photo Stream automatically syncs your last 1,000 photos across your iOS devices. But that means it’s storing 1,000 photos — about 1 GB — twice. So unless you need to share your photos from your iPad to your iPhone all the time, turn it off.

Under Settings, scroll down to Photos & Camera and toggle off My Photo Stream .

8. Only save HDR photos

If you have your photos automatically backed up and are deleting them (see Tip 6), that should no longer be your space hog. But you may have noticed that your phone can store two images of the same photo. That’s your phone using HDR (High Dynamic Range). See the difference here:

This will happen if you have HDR on Auto or selected as always On. The camera setting is best for capturing images in low light or with shadows. If you choose to shoot in HDR, then you don’t need to keep the normal photo as well. Go to Settings > Photo & Camera . Scroll to the bottom and deselect Keep Normal Photo .

Learn how to fix ‘insufficient storage’ errors in Android and iOS, and get all your OS and app updates ASAP

By Galen Gruman

We all know that storage is never much as to appears to be. A device with 32GB of storage, of example, will have a lot less because of the operating system and preinstalled apps, as well as from the wasted space caused by how OSes format the storage medium.

Most of us know that, but we still get angrily mystified when we try to install apps or OS updates onto our Android or iOS device, only be told there’s insufficient room — though the update or app takes far less space than what is available.

Blame it on poor UI: In most cases, what’s really going on is that the OS has insufficient working space to perform the installation. There’s enough room at the end of process for the update or app, but not enough to execute the process. If only the error message simply said so!

When Android shows the “Insufficient Storage Available” error

Lack of working space is the cause of the “Insufficient Storage Available” error that periodically bedevils Android users. Adding insult to injury, there are several possible causes for the lack of sufficient working storage.

Android apps use three sets of storage space: for the apps themselves, for the apps’ data files, and for the apps’ cache. Those caches can grow quite large, yet they are reported as free space by Android — though in fact that space is not available as a working space for app installation.

If you get the “Insufficient Storage Available” error, empty your app cache to see if that clears up enough working space for the installation. How to do so depends on what version of Android you are running, as well as from what device maker. (The screens here are for Android Lollipop running on a Samsung Galaxy S6.)

1. Open the Settings app, tap Apps, Applications, or Applications Manager option. (Applications Manager might be an option after either Apps or Applications.)
2. Scroll sideways to the Downloaded section. You’ll see a list of all apps and how much storage space they’re taking.
3. Tap the Menu or More button and choose Sort By Size to arrange the apps by which take the most storage.
4. Tap an app to see how much storage it is taking, both for the app and its data (the Storage section) and for its cache (the Cache section).
5. Tap Clear Cache to remove its cache and free up that space. You could also tap Clear data, but that removes your files, which is probably a bad idea.
6. Repeat for each app.

The Android Settings app shows the storage used by each app and lets you purge each app’s cache.

In some devices, there’s a faster way to clear all the apps’ cache in one fell swoop:

In some cases, Android can purge all apps’ caches in one fell swoop, using the Storage screen in the Settings app.

Be warned that clearing the cache may not do the trick in all cases. Android devices that use external storage (SD cards, basically) often have much less usable storage than is reported. That’s because many system resources and some apps must be installed on the device’s built-in core storage, not on a removable storage medium.

There are security and stability reasons for this requirement, but they’ve varied from one Android version to the next, and in some versions app makers get to decide the rules for what can be stored where. As a result, Android devices with removable storage may need to have apps and data removed to make room for updates and new apps — not only the cache.

But what taketh also can giveth: If an app can removed from internal storage to external storage, do so to free up the internal storage for use as working space for your app installation. If an app can be moved to external storage, you’ll see the Move to SD Card button in the Applications Manager for that app.

Most Android devices that support external storage usually have too little internal storage (to get to a cheaper price). Thus, you may not be able to install what you think you have room for, even after cleaning up the internal space. Next time, get a device with at least 32GB of internal storage.

When iOS won’t install an OS update for lack of space

iOS is much less prone to running out of room for app updates than Android, since apps’ cache is contained in the same sandbox as the app itself and its data. iOS walls off each app for security reasons, so there is no purported free space where cache actually resides. Thus, iOS knows if it has enough memory to install an app before it even tries.

Well, most of the time — you might remember the frustration when iOS 7 came out in fall 2013, as many users who tried to download the OS update over the air either got an error message saying they had insufficient space or saw the update get stuck in Update Requested status. Basically, their update never progressed.

These users had enough space for iOS 7 itself, but not enough working space to install it while iOS 6 was also running. Apple slimmed the space requirements for the iOS 8 updates, but some people still did not have enough space.

There are two solutions for this issue in iOS:

Delete apps and/or their data until there’s enough room for the over-the-air update (you need about 6GB of free space). To delete an app:

1. Tap and hold on one in the home screen; the app icons will start wiggling.
2. Tap the X icon on each app you want to remove, then tap OK in the confirmation form. The app and all its files and other data are removed.
3. Press the Home button when done. The wiggling will stop.

To remove files in apps’ sandboxes, such as storage-intensive videos:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap General, then tap Usage.
3. In the Usage screen, tap Manage Storage and wait a few seconds for a list of apps and their storage usage to appear.
4. If you see the > icon to the right of an app name, you can delete its files. Tap > to open a screen showing those files.
5. Tap Edit in the upper right, then tap the Delete icon (the red circle with a minus sign in it) for each file you want to delete. Keep in mind that if you hadn’t backed up that file to iTunes, it’s likely gone — iCloud Backup doesn’t preserve apps’ files, though iTunes purchases like videos and e-books can be redownloaded at no charge.
6. Tap Done when done.

The iOS Settings app lets you delete individual files from many apps, using the Manage Storage screens in the General section.

The founder of ISU Technologies, passionate in writing about productivity, creativity, entrepreneurship, work and technology. Read full profile

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Android devices are very ubiquitous today. Their popularity is unparalleled among operating systems and you can’t look anywhere without seeing an Android smartphone. There are numerous reasons why Android phones are so popular. They are so much fun to use, thanks to their user-friendly interface. They also enhance productivity greatly, at least more than smartphones running on other operating systems. They also have an extremely wide application ecosystem. Android phones have been found to have the most apps in their Google Play Store as app developers, seeing the ever-increasing popularity of Android phones and in a bid to make large and quick profits, prefer to make apps with Android support.

However, for all the advantages of Android phones, one main disadvantage of this operating system is memory restrictions. Android phones are known for relying greatly on memory capabilities for optimum functionality. This means that no matter how advanced your Android is, its overall functionality will be reduced if its memory is full (or almost full, for that matter). Most of the time, the consistent installation and use of different apps leads to memory congestion. Memory congestion could also be due to your pictures, videos, and other media files. Either way, there’s the need to free up memory from time to time.

If your Android phone (or any other Android device) is running low on or flat out of device storage, here are a few ways to free up memory space on your Android device and optimize device memory:

Use a microSD card

This is the most obvious way to increase storage space on your Android device. Using a memory card is safe and efficient for your device, even if the device in question doesn’t support a memory card. If your device does support a memory card, the first (and safest) thing you’ll want to do is to check for the manufacturer’s recommendations regarding memory cards and their specifications.

For example, most low- and middle-range devices can only accommodate memory cards up to 64GB, while high-end Android devices can support memory cards with storage spaces up to 128GB. Being careful about memory card selections will definitely save you money. However, if your phone doesn’t naturally support a memory card, a plausible option is to use a memory card reader, which connects to your phone’s micro USB port.

Manual app deleting

The first manual measure you can take to free space on your Android device is to begin deleting unwanted apps. Most Android devices come with some pre-installed apps that are of no use to the users. As a user, you can delete pre-installed apps that you have no interest in keeping.

Also, apps become redundant due to the discovery of newer and better ones. Older apps end up taking up memory and are not being used. They can also be deleted. If you ever decide that you need them again, you can easily reinstall them from your Google Play Store on any device, as long as the device has your email address and login details.

Clear up app caches

Apps that are currently in use could also be taking up storage space, as they continually take up cache space. Periodically clearing these caches could free up space and also has the potential of solving issues with misbehaving apps .

Cloud storage

Investing in cloud storage is an awesome way of increasing your storage space. A cloud is a site or space in the internet where you can back up your files. Apps and services such as Dropbox, iCloud, etc. are examples of cloud storage. Saving old pictures, documents, and other related files to a cloud can free up your storage space and can allow you to delete pictures and files from your phone without deleting them permanently.

When needed, you can simply log into the cloud to retrieve the saved files. However, a downside to cloud storage is that you can only access your saved files when connected to an active internet service.

Wireless Hard Disk

Wireless hard disks work the same way as good old external hard disks, except that you access them using a WiFi connection. They have a wide range of other features and are increasingly becoming more affordable.

Rooting

Rooting involves increasing the operating system capabilities of your phone. It makes your phone faster by searching the deep parts of your phone and getting rid of useless data. The downside of rooting is that if it isn’t done well, it could cause more harm than good. For a trusted rooting service, I recommend Root Explorer Premium. It’s extremely easy and the safety of all your files can definitely be guaranteed.

Google Photos

Google Photos is a highly efficient way to back up your pictures and videos. Once saved, you can delete the pictures from your local library. To turn on this feature on your phone, simply open the Google Photos app, go to Settings > Backup & Sync, and turn it on. When backing up your photos, it is advisable to do so in “high quality” mode, as this mode not only saves your pictures in high resolution, but it also doesn’t count against your Google Drive space.

Get rid of offline content

A lot of apps allow you to save stuff while offline, for example, Spotify and OneNote. This feature is awesome, but only if you have enough memory. If your device memory is getting filled up and you’re desperately looking for stuff to delete, your offline downloads might be a great place to start.

Get an active AntiVirus

An active and up-to-date AntiVirus software has the capability of sifting through your device storage to find out which parts are unessential (and as such, deleting them won’t cause any harm to your information, preset settings or your device in general). Investing in these apps will definitely be a smart move when seeking to free up your device memory overall.

Get a storage analyzer

If all previous steps fail, it might be time to get a storage analyzer. This app launches an investigation into your device’s folders, finds cargo like old downloads or leftovers from deleted games, and gets rid of them. The best storage analyzer out there is DiskUsage. It’s free and very easy to operate.

How to Free Up Space on Phone Without Deleting Apps – Phone Box

When our smartphones don’t work correctly, our mobile and digital dependent brains get quite the shock – when we need to use our smartphones, which is rather often, we want it to work perfectly. And that makes speed and response the ultimate defining factors when it comes to our smartphone’s capabilities. Clearing out the memory from our phones is a quick solution; and we often turn to our photography collection or ‘unused’ apps.

While deleting useless apps and blurry photos is always a good idea; removing valuable apps and content from our devices is a shame. Luckily, there are a number of ways to free up space on your phone without deleting apps.

If you’re sporting an Android smartphone; here are 3 tips to clear space without deleting apps:

System apps disabled

You know all those in-built apps on your Android device, the ones you found installed on your new phone but could never delete? Well, the bottom line is that you can not delete them (unless you get your phone Rooted); but you can easily disable all the apps in your settings section.

This will reduce some data that might be taking up space. Here’s how:

1. long press the icon you want to disable,
2. drag it to the top of your screen, to ‘info’ at the top right corner of your screen,
3. your Settings page will appear for the particular app,
4. here you can disable the app by choosing the option.

WhatsApp media removed

Recent updates on WhatsApp now allow users to manage storage space. This allows you to sift through your individual messaging or group chats and see which ones are taking up the most space. Controlling or limiting the amount of storage your conversations take up is all in your control.

You can even choose what kind of data you want to store; for example videos, photos or GIFs.

Google Photos activated

Google Photos is a great solution to store all your photos safely and securely. This Google creation, like other Google developments allows you to organise your content to your liking – it also allows you to free up space on your Android device.

Enabling ‘backup & sync’ is a great idea to activate on your phone; this means that every photo is backed up online. You will also be able to choose the source from which your photos are taken; such as Instagram or WhatsApp. Best part… unlimited storage.

Once you’re done; click ‘free up space’ and Google will automatically free up space on your phone by removing all backed up photos and videos.

If you’re an iPhone user; here are 3 tricks to and free up storage:

Photos managed

iPhone’s iOS gives you many options to reduce storage internally; you can start off by disabling your Photo Stream. This is done to sync photos across Mac, iPhone and iPad; if you don’t need this feature; simply disable following this path: Go to Settings > iCloud > Photos > Uncheck “Upload to My Photo Stream”.

You can even turn off Sharing Photos in iCloud; by following the same path and disabling “iCloud Photo Sharing”. The last way to reduce storage issues with photo management, is to disable the Saving Duplicate Photos feature when shooting in HDR.

Every time you take a shot in HDR, your iPhone saves two shots; an original photo and the processed one. Follow this path to disable duplicate photos in HDR: Go to Settings > Photos & Camera > Enable “Keep Normal Photo”.

iMessage files deleted

Every file you send across iMessage is saved as a duplicate in iMessage ‘Documents and Data”. This takes up precious memory on your phone. Whether it’s a small image or a large video; every MB counts when you’re trying to keep your iPhone in top condition.

In order to increase data storage capacity:

1. open iMessage and find the conversation with the files you wish to remove,
2. tap and hold on the file you want to delete and click ‘More’ on the pop-up
3. select all the media files you wish to remove and press the Trash icon.

Safari cleared

Our browsing habits save Temporary Files which clog up your storage through the Safari history storage; clearing cache and history will tidy up your iPhone and result in more storage space.

Clear your history by heading to Settings, entering Safari and clicking “Clear History and Website Data”. Easy and effective.

A smartphone with more storage is a much more effective tool for our everyday life. Find the best solution for your smartphone needs and increase storage without ever having to delete an app again!

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Ran out of Android storage space? Here’s how to free up storage on Android by uninstalling big apps, removing content, and more.

App, photo, and operating system sizes are always getting larger. If you use an older Android device—or even the entry-level model of a newer device—you’ll quickly find yourself hitting the storage limit.

There’s nothing worse than whipping out your phone for a once-in-a-lifetime photo, only to be met with the dreaded Storage Full message. So how do you free up storage on Android? Keep reading for a list of tips and ideas.

1. Identify Storage-Hogging Apps

Image Gallery (2 Images)

How many of the apps currently installed on your phone do you frequently use?

Sure, we all need an email client, some social media apps, a news app, and perhaps a game or two. But do you really need that random weather widget you downloaded or the app that distorts your face to make you look like your dog? Probably not.

Recent versions of Android make it easy to see which apps are the worst offenders. Navigate to Settings > Storage > Other apps. Wait for the list to populate, then tap the menu button in the top-right corner and choose Sort by Size.

Once you know what’s taking up the most space, uninstall anything you don’t need by heading to Settings > Apps & notifications > See all X apps.

2. Delete Offline Content

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Lots of apps let you save content on your device so you can access it when you’re offline.

For example, Spotify lets you save music directly to your phone. Some RSS readers let you save articles to read later, as do bookmarking services like Pocket. Podcast apps save audio files for offline playback, Chrome can even save webpages for offline access.

Saving content for offline use is great—if you have enough space. If you don’t, you’ll quickly start wondering where all your free space went.

A few prudent steps will fix this problem. Instead of downloading dozens of albums, try making a playlist on Spotify with just enough songs to cover your gym session or commute. Only open the notebooks you use most frequently on OneNote, and avoid downloading any huge files from cloud storage services.

To clear the offline content that you already have saved on your device, you have two options. You can clear app caches on a case-by-case basis by going to Settings > Apps and notifications > See all X apps > [App Name] > Storage and cache > Clear Cache.

Alternatively, you can use a reputable third-party tool that will clear app caches in bulk. SD Maid is one such tool.

Download: SD Maid (Free, in-app purchases available)

3. Move Photos to the Cloud

Image Gallery (2 Images)

Google Photos will automatically back up all your photos to the cloud. As long as you’re happy with a slightly lower resolution, they won’t count against your Google Drive storage limits.

When looking at the photos on your device using Google Photos, it’s easy to miss the fact that they’re not saved locally. They’re still accessible and viewable through the Photos app as long as you have an internet connection.

The app will even alert you when it can help save some space, with an on-screen notification making you aware that you’re closing in on your storage limits.

If you think you’re close to capacity, you can get the app to check on your behalf. Navigate to Google Photos > Menu > Free up space. The app will scan your phone, let you know how many photos have already been backed up, and advise you on which ones you can safely delete.

4. Move Content to an SD Card

Sadly, fewer and fewer devices now ship with an SD card slot. They’re especially rare on premium phones.

There’s a good reason for lack of SD support on modern phones: cheaper SD cards will not perform as well as more expensive ones because they have slower read/write times. But many users won’t realize that their SD Card is at fault—they’ll just think the phone is sluggish. That’s bad publicity for manufacturers; they’d rather you just bought a more expensive model with more storage.

If you have a mid-range or budget device, it’s more likely to have a slot for SD cards. This is fortunate, given that such devices typically offer less built-in storage than their more expensive counterparts.

Android is capable of formatting an SD card so it appears as internal storage on your device. Go Settings > Storage > [SD card name], then tap on the three vertical dots in the top-right corner and choose Storage settings. Select Format as internal to begin the process.

It has a purpose, honest.

WHEN YOU CHECK up your storage space on your phone, tablet, or computer, it’s normally broken up into different sections.

You have your apps (are the bread and butter of your phone), images and video, audio, cached data (temporary data from a website or app designed to make them load up faster) and the ‘other’ file.

On iOS, you can see this anytime you connect your phone up to iTunes while Android users can see it in usage settings.

But if you’re wondering what exactly is hidden here, or why it’s not given its own section, it’s everything that doesn’t quite fit into the above categories. You will have things like downloaded data from apps, your browser cache (on iOS), files downloaded from the web, notes, memos, backup files included here.

Normally these files are so small that having separate entries for them would be pointless as it would make the menu much longer than it should be.

But if it is higher than normal, how can you clear it? Well, if you’re on iOS, the best way is to go into storage and apps themselves. For example, if you go into Chrome, Safari or WhatsApp, you will be able to delete documents and data there, or clear your cache.

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The same thing can be done on Android by going into Settings > Apps and the app in question. Tapping on Storage will open up options to clear cache or clear data entirely.

The other thing to note here is if you’re using Android and you’re looking at your storage overview, the Explore section is here as well.

This allows you to delve deeper into your phone and explore the different files here, and you might find some files you didn’t realise were saved.

Read: Facebook has revealed how it will help blind people ‘see’ photos >

Read: Will VR become more ubiquitous than the smartphone? This man seems to think so >

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If you feel frustrated by the “low storage” prompt on your phone’s screen, you’re not alone as it’s a very common issue. Even after deleting most of your apps, you may still get the “phone storage full” message.

You may have done everything to deal with the low storage problem, including removing every app, inserting an SD card, and clearing out the internal storage, yet still get the low-storage message on your screen.

If the issue persists, try clearing out cache files, moving the files to an SD card or cloud storage, and using the smart storage feature on Android to free some space.

Why is my phone’s internal storage always full?

On an Android smartphone, even if you have 32GB internal storage, not all that space is usable. Android’s internal space is partitioned by default to store the firmware, system files, and personal data files (internal data + app data).

You cannot do anything to free up the partition containing the firmware (Android’s operating system) but you can free up space from elsewhere.

Here are some reasons why the phone’s internal storage is always full:

• The applications you’ve already downloaded on your phone will typically not use a lot of storage, but the app data does! Thus, before uninstalling an application, try deleting the app data files from internal storage.
• As mentioned, Android’s internal storage is partitioned. The consumption of storage system partition depends upon your usage.
• Cache data is the main culprit for the low storage issue, and you should regularly clear the cache data to free up some space.
• System updates increase storage consumption and are one reason you install a limited number of apps on your phone.

What happens when phone memory is full?

When your phone memory is low or almost full, a low storage message may appear in the notification bar.

There are also several other signs and symptoms that indicate your phone memory is full.

Can’t download new apps

Once you’ve decided to download a new app, your Android will only install if there’s enough internal storage. Otherwise, a notification will appear saying “insufficient storage available,” and you’ll have to free some space to install the new app.

Can’t update apps

When your phone is low on storage, you cannot update applications already installed on your device.

Lags and low space

When your phone doesn’t have enough storage, it cannot run the program on its internal memory (ROM) and use the virtual or secondary memory, which slows down the phone.

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Virtually everyone is familiar with the unique frustration that comes along with running out of storage space on your device. Whether you’re a snap-happy shutterbug or someone who’s got an app for everything, running out of storage space is always a concern. Of course you can always painstakingly delete photos or music or apps to squeeze more in, but who wants to do that? Fortunately, there are a few often overlooked ways to free up space on your Android device. Some of these methods can even reclaim gigabytes of storage space.

Use Oreo’s Built-In Storage Tools

If you have your hands on a relatively new Android device or are lucky enough to have a phone eligible for an Android 8 upgrade, you have a couple of brand new tools to manage space on your phone.

1. Open up the Settings app and tap on “Storage and memory.” Here you’ll find a button labeled “Free Up Space.”

2. Tap this button and your device will scour its innards for files and apps it can delete. Generally, it will scrub your phone for forgotten downloads and infrequently-used apps. When it’s all done, it will present you with a list of files it has targeted for deletion. Here you’ll have the opportunity to de-select any files you wish to keep.

3. If you want to have a little more say in the process, you can skip tapping on the “Free Up Space” button, and you’ll find that underneath the button, there is a list breaking down what’s taking up space on your phone. Categories include things like “Music,” “Photos” and “Apps.”

4. Tapping on any of these categories will bring you to another screen which will list the apps chewing up space under that category.

5. Tap on any of the apps and select “Manage Space.” On this screen you’ll be able to clear the data from that specific app with the “Free Up Space” button.

Turn on Storage Manager

Oreo also includes a new feature called “Storage Manager.” This automatically deletes the photos and videos from your device after they are backed up to Google Photos. To enable Storage Manager:

1. Open the Settings app and tap on “Storage.”

2. Directly underneath the “Free Up Space” button, you’ll see the “Storage manager” option. Simply flick the toggle on, and it will do its thing.

3. If you tap on the three stacked lines on the left, you can specify how frequently the automatic deletion of your photos and videos takes place. You can opt for 30, 60 or 90 day intervals. Keep in mind that even if you don’t have Oreo and the Storage Manager feature, you should still get in the habit of deleting space-hogging photos and videos – you’ll just have to do it manually.

Delete Unwanted Apps

There’s no better way to reclaim useful storage on your device than to remove old, unwanted apps or games. If you have been using your phone for a while, the chances that you’ve accumulated a lot of junk apps on your device is rather high, so take some time to remove the stuff you don’t need so that the space gained can be put to better use.

1. Launch the “Settings” app on your device.

2. Scroll to “Applications” and tap on it.

3. Tap the app you want to remove.

4. Tap “Uninstall” to remove it.

Unfortunately, you cannot remove pre-installed apps using this method.

Clear the app cache

Most apps cache some data on your phone’s internal memory, and as time passes the size of your cache will increase. In fact, while writing this article, I noticed my cached data has grown to over 1GB in size.

Just click the “Cached data” option to clear the cache of all your apps or visit the applications menu to delete cached data on a per-application basis.

Delete Offline Maps

Google Maps is one of the most reliable and accurate navigation apps available, and if you have used its offline navigation feature, you are bound to have maps that take up huge chunk of your storage space.

Some of the maps that you download and forget about can be hundreds of megabytes, if not gigabytes! Obviously, you’re going to want to delete any old maps that you don’t need anymore.

To do so, open Google Maps and tap the menu button in the top-left corner. Select “Offline” to see which maps you’ve downloaded as well as how much space they take up. Tap on any maps you don’t need to bring up the option to delete them.

Clear Your Downloads Folder

We may call our Android devices “phones,” but they’re so much more than that. Most of us use our phone in much the same way as we would a computer. Of course, this means that we download stuff to our phones constantly.

PDFs of restaurant menus or concert tickets, documents for work, ZIP files, you name it, and you’ve probably used your phone to download it at some stage. The question becomes how often do you go into the downloads folder on your phone and delete those files? Open “Files” (or “Downloads” on older devices) to see what files are hiding in there.

Keep an Eye on Downloaded Music and Podcasts

The Google Play Music app is a great way to manage all of your audio in one spot. In addition to being an online retailer, it also gives users access to their personal libraries in one of two ways. Either you can stream content that you own or you can opt to download it directly to your device for offline use.

Google Play Music can be configured to automatically download songs you have purchased or uploaded. Furthermore, it is set to automatically download the next three episodes of any podcast you’re subscribed to by default. All of these automatic downloads can quickly contribute to a bloated device. Fortunately, you can change these settings quickly. Simply open the Google Play Music app and tap on the menu button (three stacked lines) in the top-left of the screen. Tap on “Settings” and select “Manage downloads.”

Don’t Forget About Google Drive

Finally, don’t forget that everyone gets 15GB of cloud storage for free. If your Android device is running low on space, and you can’t bare to delete, consider moving it!

How do you free up space on your Android device? Let us know in the comments!