Every smartphone owner sooner or later faces a scary notification that the storage is full. You delete old photos, empty the gallery trash and transfer music to the memory card, but the treasured gigabytes do not return.
A mysterious category appears in the memory settings, which often takes up more space than all your applications and media files combined. This is the so-called “Other”. What is hidden behind this name and can it be deleted?
In this article we will analyze in detail the nature of system files, identify hidden space eaters and offer specific steps to free up space on your device without losing important data.
The nature of the “Other” section in the Android system
The "Other" section, which may also be called "System Data" or "Miscellaneous", is a collection of files that the operating system Android cannot clearly classify as applications, images, videos or music. This is a kind of “gray area” of the file system.
This includes the cache of installed apps, temporary update files, system operation logs, as well as data that applications store in their protected directories. For example, downloaded maps in a navigator or offline playlists in streaming services often fall into this category.
System cache is the most voluminous part of this section. It is created to speed up applications so that they do not have to download data from the network or recalculate graphics every time. However, over time, this cache can grow to inadequate sizes.
Cache is not garbage in the full sense of the word. It speeds up the launch of applications, but if memory is critically low, it is safer to delete it than to delete personal photos.
Sometimes “orphan” files also fall into the “Other” category. This is data remaining after deleting applications that the developers forgot to properly clear during uninstallation. They lie like dead weight and take up space for years.
The main consumers of hidden space
To effectively deal with lack of space, you need to understand who exactly occupies the space in the “Other” section. Most often, the culprits are instant messengers and social networks. Telegram and WhatsApp have the habit of saving all viewed media files in their internal cache, which the system sees as system data.
Streaming services such as Spotify or YouTubealso contribute. When you listen to music online, the tracks are cached. If you downloaded an album for listening without the Internet, this file may be counted in the “Other” section, and not in the “Audio” category.
- 📱 Messenger cache: Thousands of photo thumbnails, voice messages and forwarded videos that you did not even open.
- 🗺️ Offline maps: Navigation applications store maps of entire regions in hidden folders.
- 🔄 Update files: Remains from installing a new version of Android or security patches.
- 🎮 Game resources: Additional data packages for games downloaded after installation from Google Play.
Particular attention should be paid to the folder Android/obb. Heavy resources for games are often uploaded here. If you deleted a game, but this folder remained untouched, it will be listed in the “Other” section.
Storage analysis using built-in tools
Before grabbing third-party utilities, you should use what is already in your smartphone. Modern shells from Samsung, Xiaomi i Huawei have quite advanced memory analyzers.
Go to the settings and find the “Storage” or “Memory” item. The system will analyze the disk and offer to clear the cache or delete large files. However, the standard analyzer is often superficial and does not show a detailed folder structure.
For a more in-depth analysis, you can use the “Cleanup” function in the device settings. She will offer to delete temporary files and duplicates. This is a safe first step and can free up 500 MB to 2 GB of space.
⚠️ Warning: Built-in cleaners sometimes suggest removing “rarely used apps.” Check the list before confirming so as not to accidentally erase an important banking client or work tool.
If standard tools do not provide a complete picture, you will need to connect your smartphone to a computer or use specialized software to visualize the file system.
Use specialized analyzer applications
When built-in tools are powerless, applications that build a visual map of your storage. They show which folder has swelled to gigantic proportions.
One of the most popular tools is Files by Google or DiskUsage. These apps scan memory and display files as rectangles: the larger the file, the larger the square on the screen.
Using this approach, you will immediately see that, for example, the folder .thumbnails occupies 5 GB. This is a cache of gallery thumbnails that you can safely clear. Or you will find a forgotten folder with logs from a game deleted six months ago.
☑️ Checking the storage with third-party software
Be careful when deleting files through such utilities. Do not touch system folders whose names you do not know. Delete only what clearly relates to user data or the cache of specific applications.
Manual cleaning through a file manager
For advanced users, the best way to deal with the “Other” section is manual cleaning through a file manager. You will need access to the root directory of the internal memory.
Go to the folder Android. Inside you will find two key directories: data and obb. The first stores user application data, the second stores additional files. Clearing a folder cache inside these directories is safe.
Path to clear the cache:
/Internal Storage/Android/data/[application_name]/cache
It is also worth checking the root of the internal memory for folders from deleted applications. Often, after uninstalling a messenger or game, the folder with its name remains in place.
| Folder | What it contains | Is it possible to delete |
|---|---|---|
DCIM/.thumbnails |
Photo thumbnails | Yes, but they will be created again |
Download |
Downloads from the browser | Yes, after checking the files |
Android/data |
Application data | Only the cache subfolder |
LOST.DIR |
Recovered files | Yes, if the files are not needed |
Manually deleting files from the Android/data folder gives the greatest effect, but requires care not to reset the settings of important applications.
Resetting settings as a radical method
If nothing helps and the “Other” section continues to take up the lion’s share of memory, perhaps critical errors or logs that are invisible to the user have accumulated in the file system.
In this case, the only effective solution is to completely reset the device to factory settings. This action completely clears the data section, removing absolutely everything, including hidden garbage.
Before this procedure be sure to create a complete backup of all important data to the cloud or to your computer. After the reset, the phone will be like new, and the “Other” section will occupy the minimum possible volume.
⚠️ Attention: Resetting your settings will delete all your accounts, photos, contacts and applications. Make sure you remember the password for your Google account, otherwise your phone will be locked after resetting.
To reset, go to Settings → System → Reset settings. Select the "Delete all data" option. The process will take from 10 to 30 minutes depending on the amount of memory and processor speed.
What to do if the reset did not help?
If even after a complete reset the “Other” section takes up an abnormally large amount of space (for example, 10 GB when empty) phone), this may indicate a physical malfunction of the memory controller or a bug in a specific firmware version. In this case, only flashing the device via a computer or contacting a service center will help.
Prevention of memory overflow
To prevent the problem from returning in a month, it is worth changing your smartphone usage habits. Set up automatic cache clearing in popular applications.
V Telegram, for example, you can go to settings and set a limit on cache use. Specify that the cache should be cleared if it has not been used for 3 days, or limit its maximum size to 200 MB.
Check your Downloads folder regularly. Often APK installation files that are no longer needed after installing the app, or documents that you have read a long time ago are downloaded there.
- 🗑️ Set up auto-clearing of the cache in messengers.
- 📸 Use cloud galleries with the “Free up space” function.
- 📦 Don’t store application installation files after installing them.
It is also recommended to carry out “spring cleaning” once every six months: delete unused applications and clear the cache manually through the settings of each of them.
Enable the “Smart Storage” function in Android settings (if available). It will automatically delete old backups and files from the trash that are more than 30 days old.
Why is the "Other" section growing faster than I use the phone?
This is due to aggressive content caching. Apps preload videos, pictures, and data so they open instantly. If you scroll through your social media feed a lot or watch videos, the cache grows exponentially.
Is it possible to delete the Android folder completely?
No, you cannot delete the entire folder Android . This will break all installed applications. You can clear only the contents of the subfolder cache inside it.
Does clearing the “Other” section affect the speed of the phone?
Yes, freeing up space has a positive effect on speed. When the memory is more than 90% full, the system begins to work slower due to the way flash memory works.
Where do the files go after clearing “Other”?
They are permanently deleted from the drive. This is temporary data that applications can re-create if necessary, but your personal photos or documents will not be affected if properly cleaned.
Are root access required for complete cleaning?
For basic cleaning, root access is not needed. However, to remove some system logs and deep garbage from pre-installed applications, superuser rights may be required.