Here are several tips to get some more storage on your Android (focus is on Samsung Androids since they hold 70% of the market).
So many apps
Now that you have an idea of what you’re working with, the first item on your housecleaning list should be removing third-party apps. To delete apps, go to Settings and click Apps. A list of all the apps on your phone will appear.
Select the app you want to delete but before you hit uninstall, scroll down to Storage, click it and clear cache and data. Then go back and hit the uninstall button.
Also, focus on apps that take up a lot of storage, such as Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Snapchat, Tinder and most news apps. Other space hogs are weather apps, like the Weather Channel or Accuweather.
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Clear your cache
While you’re going through your list of apps to uninstall, this is a good time to clear out the cache of the apps you’re keeping. You’re already on the app list anyway.
In this instance, scroll down to Storage, click it and only clear the cache.
Getting rid of the bloat
One of the major downsides of Androids is that they come with a lot of pre-installed apps, or bloatware, that are just sitting around taking up space. You can disable them but not get rid of them.
There is really no way to get rid of bloatware with a third-party app unless you have root access to your phone. If you don’t know what root access is, you’re safer just clearing the caches and disabling the bloatware.
Upload photos, videos, audio to cloud storage
Photos, videos and audio probably take up the most space on your phone. But you don’t have to delete them.
Instead, store them in cloud programs. DropBox is great for your videos and music. For photos, Google Photos is the way to go. Once you download the app you get 15GB of free cloud space. Additional space is moderately priced.
After installing Google Photos you can turn on settings in the app that will allow you to pick which photos to upload, such as photos taken with your camera, downloaded photos or named files of collections. Every time you add a photo, it is moved automatically to the cloud.
Clean up your emails and messages
Another space saver is deleting all text messages. A trick on older Androids is to limit the number of text messages that are saved, with the older ones automatically being erased.
Click your Text Message app, tap the three vertical dots, click Settings, click More Settings and toggle on Delete Old Messages. Newer Android phones allow you to auto-delete all messages after you have read them.
For emails, start by deleting older emails with attachments.
Back up your device and SD card
If you’re afraid you might delete some file or document you might need later, you can backup your phone’s data onto your computer and another external hard drive. First, you’ll need some tools:
Start by installing the Android Mobile Manager. The program is available for Windows and Mac After you have downloaded the program follow the instructions to properly install it.
Next, link your Android to the computer by using USB cable and run the program. Your device will be detected after you enable USB debugging and install USB driver on the computer.
Once the Android is detected, you can begin to transfer the files. Click the folders you want to backup and click Export.
You can also select the Super Toolkit option from the top menu and then choose Backup. Click all the folders and select a location to save the files. Then click Backup to transfer the files to your computer.
To move your Android’s data to an external hard drive disconnect your phone and then connect an external hard drive to the PC by using the USB cable. When the external hard drive is recognized by the computer, an icon will appear on the desktop. Double click it to open, and copy the data transferred from your phone to the PC and paste them in the external hard drive.
Get a new SD card with more storage space
If you don’t want to go through all the steps to clean out your Android, just buy a new MicroSD card to add additional storage space. Many of the most popular Android models come equipped with a MicroSD slot.
Turn off your phone, and install the new MicroSD card. After you insert it and power the phone back on, you can specify what data is supposed to be stored automatically on the card, such as photos and videos. For instance, to set photo/video location storage, go to Settings, then Apps and tap Camera. Look for Storage Location and tap Device or Memory Card.
To copy files to an SD card, open Settings, tap Storage & USB and click Internal storage. Next, pick the files to move to your new SD card. Touch and hold the files you want to move, tap More then Copy to. Under Save to pick your SD card and tap copy.
If you’re confused at to what kind of microSD card to buy, here are some suggestions:
Samsung EVO Select
The Samsung EVO Select is reliable and fast. It’s available in 32GB to 512GB capacities, with write speeds for the 128GB and up.
SanDisk Ultra
The SanDisk Ultra isn’t the most powerful card but it’s exactly what many people need. The card has up to 100MB/s read speeds for accessing downloaded movies and music, and you can purchase it in sizes from 8GB up to 512GB. We suggest the 128GB card.
PNY PRO Elite
This PNY U3 Elite Micro SDXC card has read and write speeds of more than 90MB/s. It’s a great choice for those who record 4K video. It’s available in capacities from 32GB to 512GB.
Getting more storage space on your Android can be done in many ways. You just have to assess how much more space you need before moving forward.