Android memory full, what to do to recover

Limited memory is one of the weak points of smartphones, especially on Android phones: high definition photos, sharing multimedia files on chats and 4K videos can quickly saturate the available space.

It is not an isolated case therefore finding oneself with the memory almost full and the need to increase space in the phoneperhaps spending less than buying a new smartphone with large memory.

Let’s find out how in this guide gain available space again with various trickseven without the need to use a microSD memory card (which on many models is not even possible to insert).

READ ALSO: Increase Android internal memory

1) Check the amount of memory

To check how the space is used by an Android phone, all we have to do is go to the Settings app and search Memory o Storageoften also identified as Memory or Internal memory.

In the menu that will open (depending on the operating system in use and the manufacturers’ customizations) we will be able to find valid information on the files present on the device, so as to immediately identify the type of file that takes up the most space (usually photos and videos).

2) Clear app data and cache

A lot of additional space can be created through the deletion of data created by applicationsalthough in this case it should be noted that this data will still be recreated in a short time.

Of all the known apps we recommend using SD Maid, the most effective app for deleting obsolete files. This app is very effective, safe and allows you to automatically carry out the necessary cleaning to keep the internal memory always clean of useless files and caches of larger apps (which regenerate and take up space again).

If we have a Xiaomi phone we can avoid installing any application by opening the integrated app Safetytaking us into the menu Cleaner and letting the integrated tool act, excellent for cleaning the cache, for cleaning residual files left by both updates and apps.

We have seen, in another article, how to clear app cache and data on android. In another article we also talked about apps for clean Android from useless files that take up space.

3) Delete photos and videos

After checking the type of files that are taking up memory, we can increase the available space in the almost full memory of the Android phone deleting the photos and videos presentperhaps saving them on your PC to avoid losing them.

In other times we would have had to resort to programs to transfer photos from cell phone to computerwhich however, even if they work without cables and with a WiFi connection, are still inconvenient and require manual activity that you can forget about.

Alternatively we can completely rely onGoogle Photo appwhich alone allows you to brilliantly solve the space problem on Android. Google Photo In fact, it allows you to save your phone photos and videos online automatically.

Then, when the space in the mobile phone is running out and the memory is almost full, the app itself reports the memory problem and offers a cleaning system to free up space, deleting all the photos and possibly videos that are already safe online.

Photos and videos will still always be visible, in Google Photos, when the phone is connected to the internet and will also be visible from any computer on the Google Photos site.

While this type of backup is also available with other apps, Google Photos has the particularity of not having space limitations (we can upload photos and videos infinitely), as long as the photos are uploaded with the “High quality” option. “, i.e. with a maximum photo resolution of 16 Megapixel and video at 1080p.

4) WhatsApp videos and photos or similar

Regarding the photos, you also need to check how much space they are taking up files sent and received with WhatsAppwhich occupy a different location than the photos and videos taken with the camera.
In another article we saw in detail how delete Whatsapp images from groups and chats to free up memory.

Let’s not limit ourselves to checking only WhatsApp, but we also check the folders used by Telegram or other similar apps (Instagram for example) to be able to delete the photos that take up more space. A good app to view all system folders is File Managerwhich catalogs images in a separate category, for quick access.

5) Remove apps we don’t use

Another very effective trick to increase space on Android with almost full memory is to remove apps we don’t use.

In this regard, we have seen in other guides how uninstall android apps and above all how disable pre-installed apps.

In particular, it may be convenient to use apps that are much lighter than the official ones, especially for messaging and social media apps; in this regard we point out theapp Facebook Lite instead of Facebook e Messenger Lite instead of Facebook Messenger.

6) Install a microSD

After seeing the best tips for increasing space on Android, all we can do is recommend the best microSD cards that we can place inside phones that offer expandable memory (better to check before making a useless purchase!).

Another thing not to be overlooked is the compatibility of capacities: if on our Android smartphone it is indicated that we can expand the memorywe do not buy higher denomination microSD cards, as they may not work or result in data loss.

To learn more we can read the guides to best fastest MicroSD (SDHC) for your smartphone come on how to move android apps to sd card.

Conclusions

Freeing up space on Android is always a bit of a nightmare, also because you often don’t know where to start deleting! Before moving on to personal photos and videos It’s worth using the phones’ built-in cleaning tools or cleaning appsthus freeing up several gigabytes of unused space.

If this is not enough, we proceed to copy as many photos and videos to Google Photos or to the cloud, perhaps using a dedicated subscription (reaching at least 100 GB of space). To learn more we can read the guides to best “cloud” archives to keep photos online forever come on how to use Mega’s free cloud space.