If you are running out of space on your smartphone, it is possible to clean up by deleting cached data, or even moving files to the Cloud.
You have no more storage space available! This unpleasant message indicates that the internal memory of your smartphone is full. It can pop up if you’ve downloaded a lot of apps, taken a bunch of photos, or even filmed for several hours. The storage problem arises particularly on models with a small amount of internal memory. Of course, it is possible to partially solve it by adding a microSD card, but first you can easily free up space by following our advice for Android 6.0 devices.
1 – Delete the apps you no longer need
To access Android settings, swipe down from the top of the screen with your finger and touch the star wheel icon. In settings, touch Storage, then Internal storage memory and let Android do the calculation of the occupied space. Then touch Applications to see the storage space used by the different apps.
To delete an app that is taking up space and that you are not using, tap the name of the app, then the button with an i in a circle and finally the button Uninstall.
2 – Clear temporary data from greedy applications
Apps temporarily store data that takes up space. To delete them, go to the section Storage settings then touch Cached data, then OK to validate the deletion.
If you have streaming apps like Netflix or Spotify, you can also delete offline data i.e. media files that have been downloaded to your smartphone to play them without being connected to the internet. In the Netflix app, tap the entry My Downloads in the main menu (three horizontal bars at the top left) to see videos stored locally. To delete a video, tap on its name, then on a small blue icon representing a V in a rectangle and finally on Delete Download.
For Spotify, you have to go to the Library (bottom right icon), then touch the settings icon (top right cogwheel). In preferences, tap the entry Clear cache + data saved. to delete the music stored on the smartphone. The operation turns out to be quite radical and then requires you to re-enter your username and password. It is also possible to delete local copies of each song by flipping the switch Available offline which is attached to them.
3 – Transfer your photos and videos to the Cloud
The photos and videos you have taken take up space on your device, but you can transfer them to online storage (Dropbox, OneDrive). In particular, Google Photos has a cloud service with unlimited space if you agree to reduce the quality of the photos. To use it, launch the Google Photos app, tap the menu icon (three horizontal bars at the top left), then Device folders. Select the photos you are interested in (long press on the image), tap the menu icon (three dots located at the top right) and Save immediately.
Finally touch Delete device copy to erase the snapshots stored locally. You can also use the function Free up space in the main menu.
4 – Use a USB key for storage
If your smartphone is USB OTG (or USB host) compatible, it is possible to plug a USB key into it to transfer files that you do not use regularly or that take up too much space. Manufacturers such as Lexar, SanDisk or Kington offer keys that have a traditional USB connector, but also a smartphone connector (micro USB or USB Type-C). Just plug in the dongle and use a file manager to transfer.
If the manager provided does not recognize the key, use an alternative application such as File Commander.
5 – Transfer the apps to a microSD card
Android 6 allows you to expand the internal memory with a microSD card, by choosing Internal memory at the time of formatting, but not all smartphones offer this option. However, it is possible to move some applications to the memory card, if the developer allows it. To move all the apps, go to Android settings, then to Storage. Touch the option Data transfer to SD card and make sure the Apps box is checked (uncheck Photos if you don’t want to transfer them). Touch the button To transfer to start the operation.
It is also possible to transfer the apps one by one, by going to the section Applications parameters and typing Storage for the app you are interested in. Tap the button To modify to move the app to the microSD card.
6 – Limit the number of emails stored locally
The Gmail app stores a certain amount of mail locally and it takes up space. To reduce this quantity, launch the app, tap on the menu icon (three horizontal bars) then on Settings. Then tap on the name of the Gmail account, then on Number of days to synchronize.
Then just reduce the number of days, for example to 6.