Smartphone Honor 8, released in 2016, still remains a popular device due to its stylish design and balanced characteristics. However, time passes, and modern applications are becoming more and more resource-demanding. Owners are often faced with a situation where the internal storage is filled to capacity, which leads to interface slowdowns and the inability to install new apps.
The problem of lack of space is aggravated by the fact that the basic version of the device often has only 32 or 64 GB of internal memory, part of which is occupied by the system EMUI. When free space drops to a critical minimum, the phone begins to become unstable. In this article, we'll look at proven methods for freeing up gigabytes without losing important data.
You'll learn how to properly manage your cache, transfer media files, and use built-in optimization tools. We will not recommend dubious cleaning apps that themselves consume a lot of resources. Instead, we will focus on the standard capabilities of the shell and competent manual file management.
Analysis of storage capacity
Before deleting anything, you need to understand what exactly is taking up space. The shell EMUI from Huawei and Honor has a built-in tool that clearly shows memory allocation. Go to Settings → Storageto see detailed statistics on space usage.
The system will divide the data into categories: applications, images, video, audio and more. It often turns out that the lion's share is occupied not by the apps themselves, but by their cache or forgotten downloads. Pay attention to the “Miscellaneous” item - remnants of deleted apps or temporary update files may be hidden there.
If you see that the “Applications” category takes up a disproportionate amount of space, you should go to the list of installed apps. Sort them by size by clicking on the appropriate sort icon in the menu. This will identify the “heavyweights” that you rarely use, but which continue to consume gigabytes.
- 📊 Check the total capacity and available space in the settings menu.
- 📂 Pay attention to the “Downloads” folder, where forgotten files often accumulate.
- 🗑️ Identify the leading applications in terms of space consumption in the list of apps.
⚠️ Attention: Do not delete system applications marked with a robot icon or located in the folder
Systemif you are not sure of their purpose. This can lead to unstable operation of the phone.
Clearing cache and temporary files
The fastest way to free up space is to clear the application cache. Cache is temporary data that apps save to speed up work, but over time they grow to enormous sizes. This is especially true for social networks and browsers.
For global cleaning, you can use the proprietary “Phone Manager” utility. Launch the application, select “Cleanup”, and the system will automatically find unnecessary files. However, for deeper cleaning, it is better to act manually through the settings of each specific application.
Go to Settings → Applications → Manage applications. Select the desired app, for example YouTube or Instagram, and click on the “Memory” item. There you will see a “Clear cache” button. It is important not to confuse it with the “Erase data” button, as it will delete your logins and settings inside the application.
You can clear the browser cache even faster by going to your browsing history and selecting “Clear history” with a checkmark next to “Images and other files saved in cache."
The regular procedure frees up from several hundred megabytes to a couple of gigabytes of space. This is especially true for messengers like Telegram or Viber, which store media files in their internal memory and not in the general gallery.
Clearing the cache is safe and does not delete your personal photos, contacts or correspondence, only temporary files are deleted to speed up loading.
Manage media files and gallery
Photos and videos usually take up the most space on a smartphone. The camera Honor 8 records in good resolution, and one minute video can weigh tens of megabytes. The first step is to check your deleted items folder, as they continue to take up space for 30 days.
Open the Gallery app and find the Recently Deleted album. Clear it completely if you are sure that the necessary photos will no longer be needed. It is also worth checking the folders of screenshots and downloaded images from instant messengers, which are often duplicated.
An effective solution would be to transfer media files to a memory card microSD. In the camera settings, you can immediately set to save new pictures to an external card. For existing photos, use the file manager: select the files, select “Move” and specify the path to the memory card.
| File type | Approximate size | Recommended action |
|---|---|---|
| Photo (JPEG) | 2-5 MB | Transfer to PC or cloud |
| Video (Full HD) | 100-300 MB/min | Delete excess or compress |
| Screenshots | 1-3 MB | Delete outdated ones |
| RAW (professional mode) | 15-25 MB | Process and delete original |
If you don’t want to buy a memory card, use cloud services. Google Photos allows you to upload pictures to the cloud and automatically delete them from the device, freeing up space. The “Free up space” function in this application does all the work for you.
Setting up instant messengers and social networks
Messengers are hidden memory hogs. WhatsApp, Telegram and Viber save by default All received photos and videos are stored in the internal memory of the phone. Over time, these folders can grow to 5-10 GB or more.
In the settings of each messenger, find the section responsible for data and storage. In Telegram, for example, there is an excellent function for automatically clearing the cache. You can configure the deletion of downloaded files if they have not been used for more than 3 days or a week.
Telegram Settings → Data and Memory → Memory Usage → Auto DeleteIt is also recommended to disable autosaving of media to the gallery. Then the files will be available only within the application and will not be duplicated in the system folder DCIM. This will significantly organize your storage.
Where to look for hidden messenger folders?
In the file manager, messenger folders are often located in the root of the internal memory or in the Android/media folder. For example, WhatsApp stores data in the WhatsApp/Media folder.
⚠️ Attention: Before clearing messenger data, make sure that you have a backup copy of important correspondence, as some actions may be irreversible without a backup.
Transferring applications to a memory card
Although modern versions Android limit the ability to transfer apps to a memory card, to Honor 8 with a shell EMUI this function is partially available. This allows you to move the application body and part of its data to an external drive.
Go to Settings → Applications → Application management. Select the app you want to move. If transfer is possible, the Move button will be active. If it is gray, it means that the application developer has prohibited this operation.
Some system utilities and widgets cannot be transferred under any circumstances. However, games and heavy applications often support this feature. After transfer, the application icon may take longer to appear at startup because the reading speed from the memory card is lower than from the internal flash memory.
☑️ Preparing to transfer applications
It is worth noting that when you remove the memory card, the transferred applications will stop working. Therefore, use this method if the card is installed in the phone permanently.
Radical measures: Reset to factory settings
If none of the above methods helped, and the phone still signals a lack of space, a last resort remains. A complete data wipe will return the device to a “store-bought” state, removing absolutely all the garbage accumulated over years of use.
Before this procedure, it is critical to make a backup copy of all contacts, photos and documents. Use Google Account or a app HiSuite on your computer to save data. Without this step, you risk losing all personal information forever.
To reset, go to Settings → Recovery and reset → Reset settings. Confirm the action and wait for the reboot. The process may take several minutes. After turning on, the phone will be clean, and you can configure it again, installing only the applications you need.
⚠️ Attention: Resetting settings is irreversible. Make sure you remember the password for your Google account, since after resetting the phone will require you to enter it to confirm ownership (FRP protection).
A full reset is the most effective way to deal with software errors and accumulated system garbage that cannot be removed by other methods.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the memory fill up even if I don't download anything?
This happens due to background processes and caching. Applications are updated, save temporary files to quickly load content, and the system generates error logs and reports. Messengers can also automatically download content from group chats.
Is it possible to delete the Android folder on Honor 8?
It is strictly forbidden to delete the entire folder Android entirely. It stores data from all installed applications. Deleting this folder will cause apps to stop running, and some may be removed completely. You can clean only the subfolder cache inside it.
How to find out which application consumes the most battery and memory?
Go to Settings → Battery → Charge consumption to analyze energy consumption. For memory, the path is: Settings → Memory. There you can sort applications by the size of the space they occupy and identify the leaders.
Will installing cleaning applications like Clean Master help?
In modern versions of Android, such applications often do more harm than good. They run in the background, consume battery, and display intrusive advertising. Built-in tools EMUI are quite enough for proper cleaning.