Owners of the smartphone series Galaxy A from the Korean giant often face a lack of free space after a year and a half of active use. The model Samsung Galaxy A51, having an initially modest 128 GB of built-in storage, quickly fills up with system updates, heavy photos and messenger caches. When the memory indicator turns red, the device starts to work slower, applications crash, and installing new apps becomes impossible.
Solving a problem does not always require buying a new gadget or visiting a service center. There are a number of software and hardware methods that can significantly relieve internal storage. We will look at both standard operating system tools Android 10/11/12and advanced techniques for working with external drives. Proper file management will return your phone to its former speed.
Analysis of occupied space and system cleaning
Before deleting files blindly, you need to understand what exactly is “eating up” gigabytes. The shell One UI has a built-in powerful analytical tool that visualizes the distribution of data. Go to Settings → Device maintenance → Memory. The system will show a chart where colored sectors indicate applications, images, videos, audio and system files.
Users are often surprised to find a huge amount in the “Other” or “System” category. This could be an update cache or temporary files from failed downloads. Clicking the button Clean now in this menu will safely delete only temporary data without affecting your personal photos or contacts. However, this is not enough for deep cleaning.
⚠️ Attention: The “Clean memory” function in the settings does not delete the user’s personal files. It is intended only for system garbage. Do not expect to free up more than 1-2 GB in this way.
For a more detailed analysis, it is recommended to use third-party utilities, such as Files by Google or the built-in file manager My Files. They allow you to sort documents by size and date. Deleting old installation files .apkthat are left behind after updating apps can instantly free up several hundred megabytes.
Turn on Smart Cleaning in the My Files app so that your phone automatically suggests removing duplicates and blurry photos.
Transfer applications on an SD memory card
One of the main advantages of the model Samsung A51 is the presence of a dedicated slot for memory cards microSD. This allows you to physically increase the amount of available storage up to 1 TB. However, simply inserting a card is not enough - you need to properly configure the system to work with it.
Not all apps support transfer to external media. It's up to app developers to decide whether they can be moved. To check the transferability, go to Settings → Applications, select the desired app and find the item Storage. If the button Edit is active, you can select the "SD memory card" option.
- 📂 Media content: Photos, music and downloaded videos are best stored on the card, freeing up internal memory for the system.
- 🚀 Performance: Applications launched from an SD card may work a little slower than those installed in the internal memory, especially if the card is of a low speed class.
- ⚙️ System restrictions: Messengers like WhatsApp or Telegram often do not allow transfer the entire amount of data on the card without using special functions inside the applications themselves.
When formatting the card as portable storage, the data on it is encrypted and becomes accessible only to this smartphone. If you remove the card and insert it into the computer, the files will not be read without special software. This is a security measure to prevent data theft.
Setting up the camera and saving photos to SD
The camera Galaxy A51 creates high-resolution files that quickly fill gigabytes. By default, all pictures and videos are saved to internal memory. You can change this scenario in the settings of the Camera application itself. This is a critical step for those who like to take a lot of photos.
Open the camera app, click on the settings gear in the corner of the screen and find the switch Save location. Activate it by selecting "Memory card". Now all new frames will be automatically recorded to an external drive. Old photos will remain in the internal memory, they will need to be transferred manually through the file manager.
| File type | Average size | Recommended location | Impact on speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Photo (JPEG) | 3-5 MB | SD card | Minimum |
| Video (4K) | 300+ MB/min | Internal memory | High (fast recording required) |
| RAW (DNG) | 25-40 MB | SD card (UHS-I) | Average |
| Continuous shooting | Depends on the quantity | Internal memory | Critical |
⚠️ Attention: When shooting video in resolution
4Kor when using the “Slow motion” mode Shooting" it is recommended to save files to internal memory. The recording speed of regular microSD cards may not be enough for a stable data stream, which will cause the camera to freeze.
If you are using a memory card of class U1 or lower, be prepared for the fact that the camera interface may slow down when saving heavy files. For comfortable work, invest in a card marked U3 or V30.
What to do if the camera does not see the card?
Make sure that the card is inserted until it clicks. Try formatting it through the phone menu (this will delete all data!). If the problem persists, check the card on another device - it may be damaged.
Clearing the cache of instant messengers and social networks
The most voracious applications on Android traditionally are instant messengers. Telegram, WhatsApp and Viber save every viewed image and video to a local cache. Over time, this folder can grow to 10-20 GB, taking up space for system needs.
In Telegram, the situation is solved most elegantly. Go to Settings → Data and memory → Memory usage. Here you can configure automatic deletion of downloaded media files. Set the storage period, for example, “3 days” or “1 week”. The application will automatically delete files from the phone's memory, but they will remain on the server and will be downloaded again when viewing is needed.
In WhatsApp, the mechanism works differently. You will have to go to the chat settings and select Storage and data → Storage management. Here you can delete large files or media from specific chats. It is also useful to regularly clean the folder WhatsApp/Media/.Statuseswhere the statuses of contacts that you have not even opened are saved.
- 🗑️ YouTube cache: Videos saved for offline viewing take up a lot of space. Check the “Downloads” section in the application.
- 📸 Instagram: The cache of this application is difficult to clear using standard Android tools without losing your login data. It is better to use the “Clear cache” function inside the application settings, if available, or reinstall it.
- 🎵 Streaming services: Spotify and Yandex.Music cache tracks to save traffic. Limit the cache size in the settings of these applications to 1-2 GB.
Regularly clearing the messenger cache is the most effective way to maintain free space without deleting important applications.
Using cloud storage and auto-sync
If physical memory expansion is impossible or you don’t want to carry cards with you, cloud technologies come to the rescue. The ecosystem Samsung Cloud is integrated into the system, but solutions from Google Drive, Yandex.Disk and Megaare also popular. They allow you to store files on remote servers, freeing up local space.
Set up automatic uploading of photos and videos. In the Gallery application, you can enable synchronization with OneDrive or Google Photos. Once the files are uploaded to the cloud, use the Free Up Space feature, which will remove local copies, leaving only thumbnails for viewing.
This method requires a stable connection to Wi-Fi. When you first turn on syncing, your phone may become warm and consume a lot of power. It is recommended to run this process overnight with the device connected to a charger.
⚠️ Attention: Before deleting local copies of photos, make sure that synchronization is 100% successful. Check the availability of files in the cloud through a browser on your computer to avoid permanent loss of memorable pictures.
Advanced methods: USB-OTG and debugging mode
For users who need extreme amounts of memory, there is technology USB On-The-Go (OTG). The smartphone Samsung A51 supports connecting external USB drives via a Type-C adapter. You can dump heavy movies or archives onto a flash drive and turn it off when you don’t need it.
There is also a method of forcing applications to be transferred through the developer menu, but it requires caution. By activating developer mode (by clicking 7 times on the build number in Settings → About phone), you will have access to the option Allow saving to external memory. However, modern versions of Android often ignore this flag for system stability.
adb shell pm set-install-location 2This command, entered through the computer with the installation ADB, attempts to force a change to the default installation location to external card. But remember: if the card is removed, applications will stop working and their widgets will disappear from the desktop.
☑️ Preparing to use OTG
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Why does the memory quickly fill up again after cleaning?
The Android system constantly creates new temporary files for applications to run. In addition, messengers continue to accumulate cache. This is normal behavior. It is recommended to carry out preventive cleaning once every 2-3 weeks.
Is it possible to make a memory card the main memory on the Samsung A51?
The Adoptable Storage function (combining the card and internal memory into one volume) in the One UI shell is disabled by the manufacturer. You can only transfer individual applications and files, but not merge partitions.
Is it safe to delete the Android/data folder?
Deleting the contents of this folder will reset many applications and delete the cache. This is safe for the system, but you will lose progress in some games (if it is not saved in the cloud) and app settings.
How to find the real speed of my memory card?
Use free applications like A1 SD Bench or CrystalDiskMark for Android. They will show the read and write speed. For 4K video, the recording speed must be at least 30 MB/s.
Does memory fullness affect Internet speed?
Directly - no. However, if there is a critical lack of space, the system cannot create temporary files for the browser and a cache of network requests, which can indirectly slow down the loading of pages and the operation of online services.