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Help Internal Storage Space, Why so Low?

norweger

norweger

Well-Known Member
The phone runs on Android 2.3.3, which take up a bit of space. Yet with almost no apps installed on the internal phone memory, it's pretty much full. Here's the apps.

Third Party Apps
3G Watchdog, 8.61 MB
Amazon Kindle, 11.2 MB
ColorDict, 1.9 MB
Docs to Go, 9.56 MB
Docts to Go Key, 0,19 MB
Dropbox, 20.32 MB
FBReader, 3.25 MB
Gmail, 5.58 MB
Google Play Store, 20.07 MB
Google Play services, 53,41 MB
Messenger, 17.64 MB
Mobisle Notes, 10.13 MB
Opera Mini, 3.02 MB
Podkicker, 9.35 MB
Quizlet, 15.75 MB
Misc. 7.5 MB
Wordfeud, 7.42 MB
Youtube, 14.96 MB

Added up it's almost 220 MB. The phone has a little over 1000 MB, so that should leave 780 MB for the operating system (Android 2.3.3) and various pre-installed apps.

The cache of the internet browser that comes with the phone is cleared. Every app that can be moved to the (large) SD card, is moved. Every non essential app / not used app is uninstalled. Any way to get more free internal storage space?
 
It says it only has 122 MB of free internal storage space when I go to settings > Storage space on phone
When I go to settings > apps > installed apps, it says there's 125 MB of free space on the internal memory
 
Install this simple little app, it will tell you how much space you actually have for apps:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=sa.storagetruth

To make space you can:
Delete some texts or emails. If you have lots, this can help.
Uninstall app updates.
Uninstall apps.
Clear caches, but will only make temporary space.

Unfortunately, your phone has very, very limited memory. Probably the only satisfactory fix is another phone.
 
You have not made clear how much space you have for the Operating System (/system), system cache (/cache) and user-installed apps, app updates and app data (/data). So we don't know whether that 1GB was the total of these or just the /data space, nor (from your post) how much is left (you list what you think is used, and what you think is the total, but not what is left).

But chances are that the problem is the device. If you are prepared to root there are ways of extending app storage to sd, but old devices often had very little internal space and a newer device is a better solution than trying to patch an old model if you have that option.
 
Hadron said:
You have not made clear how much space you have for the Operating System (/system), system cache (/cache) and user-installed apps, app updates and app data (/data). So we don't know whether that 1GB was the total of these or just the /data space
Click to expand...

I just downloaded ES File Explorer to take a look.
/system takes up 317 MB (1307 files, 155 folders)

It won't display /cache and /data (says 0 bytes, 0 folders when I click on properties in ES File Explorer).

I guess the phone is supposed to have a total of 1024 MB internal storage space (both Os and apps), but when I go to the settings and then apps, it says it has used 1000 MB and there's 122 MB to go, before installing the latest app.

P.S. After installing ES File Explorer right now, I found - on the SD card - many folders for apps I have uninstalled a long time ago, one of them called "MatPrat", taking up 45 MB. Not that it matters, since it's on the SD card, but I think the programmers should have designed their app so an uninstall rips the entire app out from the phone, and doesn't leave remnants.

Hadron said:
[We don't know] (from your post) how much is left (you list what you think is used, and what you think is the total, but not what is left).
Click to expand...

I posted what's left a couple of minutes after the original post.
 
norweger said:
I just downloaded ES File Explorer to take a look.
/system takes up 317 MB (1307 files, 155 folders)

It won't display /cache and /data (says 0 bytes, 0 folders when I click on properties in ES File Explorer).

I guess the phone is supposed to have a total of 1024 MB internal storage space (both Os and apps), but when I go to the settings and then apps, it says it has used 1000 MB and there's 122 MB to go, before installing the latest app.

P.S. After installing ES File Explorer right now, I found - on the SD card - many folders for apps I have uninstalled a long time ago, one of them called "MatPrat", taking up 45 MB. Not that it matters, since it's on the SD card, but I think the programmers should have designed their app so an uninstall rips the entire app out from the phone, and doesn't leave remnants.



I posted what's left a couple of minutes after the original post.
Click to expand...
You don't have to guess about your app storage or whether the phone is being truthful about app storage.

http://androidforums.com/threads/qu...e-is-your-storage-truth-read-me-first.906249/

As mentioned by @Crashdamage.

/system/app is where your built-in apps are, the OS itself is primarily in /system.

/data/app is where your apps and app updates go (including for /system/app updates), and all primary app data goes into /data.

Storage Truth is THE truth.
 
Last edited:
EarlyMon said:
You don't have to guess about your app storage or whether the phone is being truthful about app storage.

http://androidforums.com/threads/qu...e-is-your-storage-truth-read-me-first.906249/

As mentioned by @Crashdamage.

/system/app is where your built-in apps are, the OS itself is primarily in /system.

/data/app is where your apps and app updates go (including for /system/app updates), and all primary app data goes into /data.

Storage Truth is THE truth.
Click to expand...

Storage Truth shows these data
/system
size: 558668K
used: total,
free: 398448K

/data
size: 1178068K
used: total,
free: 1059612K

Device info:
Android 2.3.3
 
jvook said:
It's just not enough space. Nothing you can do
Click to expand...

It used to be enough space just a month ago, and I haven't installed any new app since. If it has some 140 MB of free space, then it's got enough to run everything as it should.
 
norweger said:
It used to be enough space just a month ago, and I haven't installed any new app since. If it has some 140 MB of free space, then it's got enough to run everything as it should.
Click to expand...
You can also use your toaster to make eggs a couple of times, then it stops working. Try deleting some of your apps. Or else you have to upgrade
 
The system has to maintain a minimum of empty space for normal operation, for temporary files, caches, stuff like that. Without it, the system becomes unstable or worse.

It's similar to an ordinary PC when the hard drive is nearly full. The computer gets unstable, crashes, blue screens, bad things happen.
 
jvook said:
You can also use your toaster to make eggs a couple of times, then it stops working. Try deleting some of your apps. Or else you have to upgrade
Click to expand...

A toaster to make eggs? I have an old Android phone, built for an old os, and the apps are all old (not-updated). It does what it's built for, so it's hard to see how that's similar to using a toaster to make eggs.
 
norweger said:
It used to be enough space just a month ago, and I haven't installed any new app since. If it has some 140 MB of free space, then it's got enough to run everything as it should.
Click to expand...
OK, so you're facing a couple of issues.

Any of your system apps that update are cutting into /data - and any apps that you've moved to your SD card didn't move in their entirety.

Apps are compact because the apk files that they come in are compressed. Even installed to the sd card, they're going to unzip a part of themselves to the /data partition.

As you use them, they're going to build up a cache to speed themselves up - exactly like the browser you use on your pc. That's going into the /data area as well.

Then the worst part - a lot of apps generate far more data than the cache and code put together and that can grow over time. You guessed it, with few exceptions, that's all going into /data as well.

Today's apps are less and less sympathetic to the storage issues presented by the earlier device hardware and Android revisions. Features are constantly evolving without regard for the fact that not everyone needs the new features and not every device can let itself be hogged by them.

That's where you are and why.

You have four choices.

First, if you have spare money, get a newer device with more storage.

Second, install a file manager with a built-in app backup. Back up your least-used apps to the sd card, uninstall them, and then just restore whichever one you need until done with it and uninstall it again. That won't back up data and will present an issue for games where you're saving progress and they don't use the sd card for that but for a lot of apps that strategy works out pretty well.

Third, you may be able to properly root your phone and transfer the /data partition from internal storage to the sd card. Link2SD will help you pull that off after you're rooted. Absolutely use a good root backup solution if you go that route because if your SD card fails, you're in for a headache without a working /data area.

Fourth, freeze your configuration wherever you're at, take no more updates and live with the restrictions.

Those are the choices, sorry, but there it is.
 
Crashdamage said:
The system has to maintain a minimum of empty space for normal operation, for temporary files, caches, stuff like that. Without it, the system becomes unstable or worse.

It's similar to an ordinary PC when the hard drive is nearly full. The computer gets unstable, crashes, blue screens, bad things happen.
Click to expand...

Yup. That's the problem.

I have lots of valuable stuff on the phone, like highlights from e-books, that's cumbersome to export, and I don't have all that many options when it comes to buying a new phone, since what I value the most in a phone is the combination of an Android operative system and a slide out QWERTY keyboard, and currently that niche isn't being filled by anyone, and it might not be for a long time. The current phone is *perfect* for my use, if it wasn't for the recent storage issues.

I have deleted text messages, as you suggested.
I use the Gmail app, so I guess the emails I receive aren't stored locally as well as in the cloud, although I am not sure.
Every update that can be deleted, is deleted. Deleting the updates for Facebook worked wonders a while back. I have uninstalled all non-essential apps, and cleared the cache of the built in browser.

Rooting is an option, if it could free up more space. Deleting Twitter and all the other built in apps I never use...

There's 7 GB left on the SD card, and I could clear 10 more GB without any issues.
 
Deleting built-in apps is usually a zero sum game.

Those are in /system/app, not where your immediate problem is.

Some people try to move user apps into that area - and some you can but not all. And they're still going to use /data just as they would if moved to the sd card.

I miss my sliders on a lot of days, even now, so I totally hear you on that one. Maybe Project Ara will bring it back. Hope so.

Best luck, hope you've gotten the information you need to look at all of your choices - and thanks for trying Storage Truth. :)
 
Project Ara looks fascinating, and I think that can turn into a small revolution. All the info is much appreciated. Some people reach pretty high typing speeds with Fleksy, so I decided to try a non-QWERTY phone and get familiar with the various keyboard apps. Anything above 75 wpm, and I am satisfied; especially if it can be done with a transparant keyboard layout.
 
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