Many owners of modern smartphones are faced with a mysterious category in storage called “Other”. This section can occupy tens of gigabytes, causing panic and a desire to immediately delete all content. On devices Samsung with a shell One UI the situation is complicated by the fact that the system does not always show the direct path to the files, hiding them deep in the system partitions.
In fact, “Other” is a hodgepodge of application caches, temporary files, residual data after deleted apps and system logs Understanding where this data is physically located and how to safely access it is critical to keeping your device running smoothly. In this article we will analyze all available methods, from standard settings to advanced analysis tools.
It is important to note right away that blindly deleting files without understanding their purpose can lead to unstable operation of the operating system. Content Analysis before cleaning is the golden rule that will save your data. We'll look at how to distinguish important system cache from useless digital junk that has accumulated in memory for years.
What's Really Hidden in the Other Section
When you see the "Other" category ballooning to incredible proportions, it rarely means there's one giant file. Most often we are talking about a collection of thousands of small objects that the system has classified as unrecognizable or temporary. First of all, these are media cache messengers. Telegram, WhatsApp i Viber save viewed photos and videos in hidden folders to speed up re-downloading, but often forget to delete them.
The second important component is the remnants of deleted applications. Even after uninstalling the app, configuration files, error logs and temporary databases may remain on the system. This data is not deleted automatically, as the developers Android assume that the user may want to restore progress when installing again.
⚠️ Attention: The Dalvik and ART system cache is critical to the performance of application launches. Removing it completely will cause the system to rebuild the cache every time it starts, which will temporarily slow down the phone.
Also, this section often contains firmware update files that were not deleted after successful installation, and data from offline maps of navigation services. Debug logs and error reports generated by the diagnostic system Samsungcan also take up significant space if not cleaned for months.
Use the built-in storage analyzer to see a graph of space distribution by category - this will help visually assess the scale of the problem.
Standard search methods through Samsung settings
The safest and most accessible way to start research is with built-in memory management tools. The shell One UI provides fairly detailed statistics if you know where to look. Go to Settings → Device maintenance → Memory. Here you will see the general picture, but for details you need to click on the analysis button or the “Other” category if it is clickable in your version of the software.
The system will offer to clean up unnecessary files, but often this tool works superficially. For a deeper dive, use the "Applications" section. Sort the list by space size. It often turns out that the lion's share of "Other" is the data of a specific application, for example, a browser or a social network.
- 📱 Open the settings and go to the "Applications" section.
- 📊 Click on the sorting menu (three dots) and select "By size".
- 🔍 Select the leading application and go in "Memory Usage".
- 🧹 Click "Clear cache" to delete temporary files without losing personal data.
It is important to distinguish between the "Clear cache" and "Clear data" buttons. The first deletes only temporary files, the second resets the application to the state immediately after installation, deleting logins and settings. Be extremely careful with the second option.
Using the My Files application for deep analysis
Built-in file manager My Files (My Files) from Samsung is a powerful tool that is often underestimated. It is able to show the folder structure in more detail than the standard settings menu. Launch the application and go to the "Storage Analysis" section. Here files are grouped by type, but you can also find the “Large Files” or “Duplicates” section.
To search for hidden folders, you must activate the display of system files. In the application menu (three dots in the corner), select "Settings" and turn on the "Show hidden system files" switch. After this, folders starting with a dot will become visible in the root of the internal memory, for example, .thumbnails or .temp.
Pay special attention to the folder Android/data. Application data is stored here, including caches of games and streaming services. In new versions Android access to this folder is limited, but through "My Files" you can still see which applications are taking up the most space.
| Folder Type | Location | Deletion Security | What contains |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thumbnail cache | /DCIM/.thumbnails | Safe (recoverable) | Photo and video thumbnails |
| Temporary files | /Temp or /Tmp | Safe | Installation logs, temporary data |
| Application data | /Android/data | Danger (resetting applications) | Game cache, offline maps, music |
| Logs systems | /Log or /Logs | Conditionally safe | System error reports |
When working with the file manager, use the sorting function by size. This will allow you to instantly identify giant files that could be lost in the depths of directories. Often forgotten downloads or forgotten video files take up gigabytes, masquerading as system data.
Clearing the cache of instant messengers and social networks
Messengers are the main culprits in the bloat of the “Other” section. The working mechanism Telegram or WhatsApp implies saving all viewed media files locally. If you have hundreds of chats with active exchange of photos and videos, the cache can grow to 10-20 GB or more, appearing as “Other” in system statistics.
There is a built-in cache management tool that is much more effective than system cleaning. Go to Telegram There is a built-in cache management tool that is much more effective than system cleaning. Go to Settings → Data and memory → Memory usage. Here you will see the exact size of the cache and can configure automatic cleaning. For example, set the timer “Keep media: 3 days.”
For WhatsApp the situation is more complicated, since the application stores backups and media files in a shared file system. You need to manually check the folders WhatsApp/Media and WhatsApp/Backups. Deleting old backups from a folder Databases can free up a significant amount of space.
☑️ Cleaning messengers
⚠️ Attention: When clearing the messenger cache through the Android settings (and not inside the application itself), you may lose important authorization settings or secret chats. Use the built-in cleaning tools inside the applications themselves.
Don't forget about social networks like Instagram i VK. They cache viewed feeds and stories. Periodically clearing the cache of these applications through system settings (without deleting data) helps keep the size of the “Other” partition under control.
Advanced methods: debugging mode and ADB
For users who are not afraid of technical terms, there is a method of clearing through a computer and USB debugging. This allows you to delete files that are not accessible to normal applications, even with superuser rights in some cases. You will need the utility ADB (Android Debug Bridge) and developer mode enabled on your phone.
First you need to activate developer mode. Go to Settings → About phone → Software information and click 7 times on "Build number". Then, in the Developer Options menu that appears, enable USB Debugging. Connect your phone to your PC and launch a command prompt with administrator rights.
adb shell pm list packages -fThis command will list all packages and their APK file paths. To clear the cache of a specific system application, you can use the command:
adb shell pm clear com.android.browserReplace com.android.browser with the name of the desired package. This method allows you to specifically delete data from system services that bloat the “Other” section, but requires care. An error in the package name can lead to the deletion of data of an important system component.
How to find the package name?
To find out the exact name of the application package, install any application manager from the Play Market (for example, App Inspector) and look at the "Package name" line in.
Third-party utilities for disk space analysis
If the built-in tools seem insufficiently informative, specialized analyzer applications come to the rescue. They build a visual memory map, showing which folders and files take up the most space. One of the best tools is DiskUsage or Storage Analyzer.
These applications scan internal memory and present data in the form of rectangles or graphs, where the size of the figure is proportional to the file size. This allows you to instantly find “hidden” huge files that could have been created by an erroneous application or a system crash.
- 📉 DiskUsage - a classic tool with a tree structure, ideal for deep analysis.
- 🗑️ Files by Google - a smart cleaner that itself finds duplicates and temporary files.
- 📊 SD Maid - a professional tool for cleaning "bodies" deleted applications and system garbage.
The use of such snails greatly simplifies navigation through the file system. You immediately see that the folder log of some application weighs 5 GB, and you can safely delete its contents directly from the app interface.
Data visualization is the fastest way to find hidden files taking up space in the “Other” section.
Prevention and automation of cleaning
To prevent the problem of overflowing the "Other" section from returning regularly, it is worth implementing a prevention system. Android i One UI allow you to set up automatic maintenance. In the "Device Maintenance" menu, enable auto-optimization so that the phone itself clears the cache and closes background applications at night.
It is also useful to change your habits of using instant messengers. Disable autosave of media to gallery for group chats. This will not only save space in “Other”, but also prevent duplication of files in different memory sections.
Regularly restarting the device (at least once a week) also helps the system reset accumulated temporary files and logs, which sometimes get stuck in RAM and permanent memory. This is a simple but effective measure to maintain file system hygiene.
Is it possible to delete the Android folder completely?
No, you absolutely cannot delete the Android folder itself - this will lead to the system not working. You can only delete content inside the data and obb subfolders, but with caution.
Why is the space not freed up after cleaning?
The system may display data with a delay. Try rebooting your device. It is also possible that space was freed up for the cache, which the system immediately began to fill again.
Does the Other section affect the speed of operation?
Yes, if the partition is 95-99% full, the data writing speed drops, which causes interface lags and slowdowns in applications. Free space is necessary for normal operation of flash memory.
How to clear the DNS cache on Samsung?
Go to Settings → Applications, click the filter (three dots), select "Show system ones". Find the "DNS server" or reset the network settings in the general settings.