Full storage? Here is how to free up your space        

It’s all too common, especially if you have an Android phone to have full storage: you try to install a cool new game or an intriguing new app one day, and you can’t. You’ve run out of room.

Don’t freak out. If you don’t want to buy a new phone and your current one doesn’t have a handy microSD slot for extra storage, you can probably still free up some space with some simple house cleaning. Here are some ideas for reclaiming some of that storage space.

Use Android’s “Free up space” tool

• Android includes a tool that allows you to increase the amount of usable storage on your phone. It’s simple to locate:
• Navigate to your phone’s settings and tap “Storage.” You’ll see how much space is being used as well as a list of file categories.
• Select the “Free up space” option.
• You’ll be taken to Google’s Files app, specifically its “Clean” feature, which offers advice on how to free up space by removing junk files, deleted screenshots, large photos, backed-up media, and unused apps, among other things.

You can find other useful tools in the “Storage” section. You can, for example, determine how much space each of your apps consumes:

• Tap on Apps in Storage. You’ll see a list of all your apps, as well as how much space each one takes.
• Tap the app’s name. You can now see the app size, how much of the available storage is taken up by user data, and how\Check your apps

(Note for newcomers: clearing the cache is usually safe. However, before you click “Clear storage,” make sure you know what your user data is. You don’t want to delete any important media or documents by accident.)

Finally, there is a hidden toggle for a feature “Smart Storage,” which allows your phone to delete backed-up photos after 60 days. It will also automatically delete backed-up photos and videos if your device’s storage is less than 25% full. You activate it (or deactivate it) using Google’s Files app.

• Tap the three parallel lines in the upper left corner to open the Files app.
• Choose Settings.
• Look for the Smart Storage option and enable it.

Check your apps

Make sure you’re not clogging up the works with apps you haven’t used in months to save space. It’s all too easy to download an app, try it out, and then move on to other things.

If you’re wondering how long it’s been since you used certain apps, here’s how you can find out:

• Select your Play Store app.
• Select “Manage apps & device” by tapping on your personal icon in the upper right corner.
• Navigate to the Manage tab. The Installed button should be highlighted on the line below that; if it isn’t, tap on it.
• The sorting icon is located to the right of the Apps heading. Select “Least used” by tapping on it.
• The apps that you’ve only used infrequently (if at all) are now at the top of the list. You won’t necessarily want to get rid of them — an app is sometimes useful to have around just in case — but you may come across some that you no longer require.

Store your photos online

Photos and videos can take up a lot of storage space on your phone. Fortunately, if you have an Android phone, you’re probably already uploading your photos to Google Photos and can thus remove them from your phone.

First, ensure that you are backing up your photos to your Google account.

• Launch the Photos app.
• In the upper right corner, tap on your personal icon. If you’re backing up your photos, a “Backup complete” entry should appear in the drop-down menu.
• If you aren’t already backing up your photos, go to “Photos settings” > “Back up & sync.”
• Make sure the “Back up & sync” toggle at the top of the page is turned on. Check to see which account is listed under “Backup Account.” If you have multiple accounts, you can use whichever one you want.

There are additional options. You can, for example, select the quality of the photos you want to upload and whether you want the phone to upload pictures while using cellular data.

You can delete your photos from your phone now that you have backed them up. It’s very likely that the notice at the top of the Photo app’s front page offers to free up memory from your device; if not, it’s simple to do.

• Tap “Free up device storage” in the “Photo settings” menu.
• You’ll see a window stating how much memory will be removed and how many items will be removed. At the bottom of the page, click “Free up XX.”

Are you still running out of room? Then, unfortunately — or fortunately, if you’re looking for an excuse — it may be time to consider a new phone, one with more storage space and possibly the ability to offload your data onto a micro-SD card.

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