Smartphone owners Samsung Galaxy often face a mysterious situation: the storage is full, but when analyzing the occupied space, the lion's share is occupied by the “Other” category. This section becomes a “black hole” where gigabytes of free space disappear, and standard cleaning tools do not always help to understand its contents. The user sees that 20 or even 40 GB is occupied by something unidentified, but the system does not give a direct answer as to what exactly is stored there.
In fact, the “Other” section is not a system error, but a collection of system files, application caches, error logs and temporary data that the shell One UI cannot classify as photos, videos or documents. Understanding the nature of these files is the first step to freeing up valuable space on your device without losing important data.
In this article, we will look in detail at what this hidden volume consists of, which built-in diagnostic tools Samsung will help identify the culprits, and how to safely remove the excess. We will consider both software cleaning methods through settings, as well as radical reset methods that are guaranteed to return memory to its original state.
What is hidden behind the “Other” category in reality
The category "Other" in the storage settings is a collection container for all files that do not fall under the standard definitions of media or documents. This includes social media cache files, offline maps, downloaded firmware updates that were not removed after installation, and system operation logs. Often the volume is inflated due to messengers like Telegram or Viber, which store correspondence history and media files in their own folders, invisible to the gallery.
Another reason for the growth of this section may be the remains of deleted applications. If you uninstalled apps incorrectly or they had system access rights, their data folders could remain in the root of the internal memory. Also included here are files with the extension .tmp and various archives that the file manager by default does not consider user documents.
⚠️ Attention: Do not try to delete files from system folders manually through third-party file managers with root access without a precise understanding of their purpose. This can lead to unstable operation One UI or a complete failure of the system to boot.
It is important to note that algorithms for calculating space in Android may produce errors. Sometimes files that you just deleted are still shown in the statistics until the next reboot or index recalculation by the media scanner. Therefore, if you cleared the cache, but the numbers did not change instantly, do not panic - give the system a few minutes to update the data.
Before starting a deep wipe, be sure to back up important contacts and photos to Samsung Cloud or Google Drive to eliminate the risk of accidental data loss.
Using the device's built-in diagnostics
The safest and most effective way find the source of memory fill - use the standard maintenance tool built into every smartphone Samsung. This service analyzes the state of the device and offers optimizations that often automatically clear a significant part of the “Other” section.
To run diagnostics, go to the menu Settings → Device maintenance → Memory. Here you will see a detailed breakdown of file types. Click on the button "Clear now"to delete temporary files and application caches that the system considers safe to delete. This process can take from a few seconds to a couple of minutes, depending on the amount of accumulated data.
If automatic cleaning does not give the expected result, it is worth delving into the analysis of specific applications. In the same “Storage” section, scroll down to “Applications” and sort them by size. It often turns out that one specific application, for example, a browser or a streaming service, takes up an unreasonably large amount of space precisely due to data that falls into the “Other” category.
☑️ Storage diagnostics
Please note the “Storage Analysis” function available in some versions One UI. It visually shows which folders take up the most space, allowing you to specifically remove unnecessary downloads or old backups that are bloating the system partition.
Manual clearing of cache and application data
When automatic means are powerless, you have to resort to manual cleaning. This method requires more care, since you will be working with the settings of each application separately. The main goal is to find apps with a bloated cache and clear it.
Go to Settings → Applications and select the leading application in memory consumption. Inside the application menu, find the section "Storage". Here you will see two buttons: “Clear cache” and “Clear data”. The first deletes temporary files (pictures, scripts), the second resets the application to the state of the original installation, deleting logins and settings.
- 🧹 Cache: Safe to delete for any application, this frees up space without losing personal data.
- 🗑️ Data: Delete only if you are ready to reconfigure the application and enter the password.
- 📂 Files: Check the “Files” tab inside the application settings, downloaded documents may be there.
- 🔄 Updates: For system applications, the data clear button is often unavailable without superuser rights.
Pay special attention to instant messengers. In Telegram, for example, built-in cache clearing is located inside the application itself in the Settings → Data and memory → Memory usagesection. Clearing through Android settings may not affect downloaded media files if they were saved to the gallery but remained in the application cache.
⚠️ Attention: Clearing application data WhatsApp or Viber will delete your entire chat history if you do not have a recent backup in Google Drive. Proceed with caution.
Why is the cache growing again?
Cache is temporary data needed for applications to run quickly. After cleaning, it will begin to accumulate again as apps are used; this is normal system behavior, not a virus.
Working with the file system via a computer
Sometimes it is more convenient to find hidden files not from your phone, but by connecting it to the computer. In file transfer mode (MTP), you get access to the root structure of the internal memory, where the “tails” of deleted apps and forgotten downloads are often hidden.
Connect your smartphone with a cable to the PC and select the “File Transfer” mode. Open the internal storage and pay attention to folders with the names of deleted applications or strange files with the extension .log or .tmp at the root of the directory. Also check the folder Download i DCIM/.thumbnails —the latter contains photo thumbnails and can take up gigabytes of space.
For advanced users, it is possible to use debugging by USB. By enabling developer mode (by tapping the build number 7 times in About Phone), you can access deeper levels of the file system via the command line ADB. This allows you to delete files that are not visible through a regular explorer.
adb shell pm list packages -fThis command will display a list of all installed packages and the paths to their apk files, which will help identify the remains of deleted apps. However, using ADB requires caution: one wrong command can delete a critical system component.
Connecting to a PC is the best way to visually assess the folder structure and find forgotten heavy files that are not displayed in the standard phone file manager.
Resetting settings as a radical solution
If none of the methods helped reduce the size of the “Other” partition, and it continues to occupy a critical volume, errors or damaged indexes may have accumulated in the file system. In this case, the only effective solution is to completely reset the device to factory settings.
Before performing this procedure required save all important data to an external drive or to the cloud. The reset will delete absolutely all user data, including photos, contacts, applications and settings, returning the phone to the “as from the store” state.
To perform a reset, go to Settings → General settings → Reset → Reset data. Confirm the action and wait for the process to complete. After the first boot, the new “Other” section will be minimal, since the system will recreate the file table again.
| Cleaning method | Efficiency | Risk of data loss | Complexity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built-in optimization | Low/Medium | No | Low |
| Clearing application cache | Medium | Minimum (settings) | Medium |
| Removal via PC | High | Medium (error user) | High |
| Factory reset | Maximum | Total data loss | Low |
⚠️ Attention: Menu interface and item names may vary slightly depending on the version Android and model of your Samsung. If you do not find the specified button, use the search in the settings.
Prevention of memory filling in the future
To prevent the “Other” section from growing to critical sizes in the future, it is worth changing your smartphone usage habits. Regularly rebooting the device (at least once a week) helps the system automatically delete temporary files and reset frozen processes that can generate unnecessary logs.
Set up automatic cache clearing in instant messengers. For example, in Telegram you can set the downloaded files to be automatically deleted after 3 days or a week. This will prevent the accumulation of gigabytes of videos and pictures that you watched once and no longer need them.
Also keep an eye on system updates. Engineers Samsung regularly release patches that correct errors in the file system and optimize data storage algorithms. The current version One UI often works more stable and uses less space.
Use a memory card microSD to store media files if your model supports this function. Transferring photos and videos to external media will free up internal memory for system needs and application cache, making the device more responsive.
The myth about viruses
Users often think that the “Other” section is filled with viruses. In 99% of cases it's just cache and logs. Antiviruses rarely help clean this partition, since the files are not malicious.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Why does the “Other” section increase immediately after a system update?
After the update Android or One UI the system stores installation packages and backup copies of old firmware versions in case of a rollback. Usually these files are deleted automatically after a few days, but sometimes they need to be deleted manually through the recovery menu or they disappear after the first reboot.
Is it possible to delete the Android folder completely?
No, you absolutely cannot delete the entire folder. Android . It stores data from all installed applications. Deleting will cause apps to stop launching or be reset to factory settings with loss of progress and logins.
Does filling the “Other” section affect the speed of the phone?
Yes, if the internal memory is more than 90% full, this can significantly slow down the smartphone. Flash memory requires free space for writes and endurance. A clogged storage causes freezes and long application downloads.
Will installing third-party cleaners like Clean Master help?
In modern versions Android such applications are often less effective than built-in tools Samsung. They can aggressively close processes that the system will immediately launch again, using up battery power, but not freeing up real space in the “Other” section.