These overlooked storage hogs could be taking up gigabytes on your phone
Free up your phone's storage in minutes
Your phone's storage can fill up quickly without realizing it, even if you don't take many photos or download large games. While apps and media files are easy targets, hidden storage hogs can take up space you may not expect. Messaging apps, browser caches, streaming downloads, and files in trash folders may surprise you with the amount of storage they consume.
You don't have to delete important photos or remove favorite apps to free up space. By knowing where to look and what can be safely removed, you can reclaim gigabytes of storage.
Android's AICore system service, introduced in Android 14, manages Gemini Nano, Google's on-device AI model. AICore supports various features like smart replies, advanced proofreading, speech transcription, and scam detection. Running these AI models locally requires storage, so if AICore is taking up unusual amounts of space, check its storage usage in Settings > Apps > AICore.
Messaging apps contribute significantly to storage clutter on Android phones. Photos, videos, GIFs, voice notes, and documents sent through apps like Telegram, Messages, or WhatsApp may not be manually saved but can still download automatically. Group chats and individual conversations can pile up files in your phone's storage. You can check auto-download settings for MMS attachments and MMS in Messages settings.
Streamed movies, TV shows, music, and podcasts can take up several gigabytes each. After watching, delete individual titles from the Downloads section in the streaming app, or clear all downloads to reclaim space.
Streaming apps like Spotify and YouTube Music store downloaded content locally for offline use. Spotify allows you to review and clear downloaded albums, playlists, and podcasts in Settings > Settings > Data saving and offline. YouTube Music enables you to manage downloaded songs through Settings > Settings > Downloads and storage.
If you use YouTube's offline viewing feature, go to Settings > Downloads > Delete all downloads to remove all downloaded videos. Apps like Instagram, Facebook, Chrome, and Reddit constantly download images, videos, thumbnails, and temporary files to improve loading speed. These cached files can accumulate and take up hundreds or even thousands of megabytes of storage.
Clear the cache for each app individually without deleting your account information or personal files. Access the cache by opening Settings > Apps > See all apps, selecting an app, tapping Storage and cache, and choosing Clear cache. Clearing browser cache is similarly done in Chrome: open the browser, tap the three-dot menu, select Delete browsing data, choose a time range, and tap Cached images and files before deleting them.
Deleted photos, videos, and documents may remain in your phone until explicitly removed from the Trash or Recycle Bin folder. These folders hold deleted files for a short period, typically 30 days for Google Photos. To permanently free up space, review and empty the Trash folder in your gallery or file management app. By addressing these overlooked storage hogs, you can ensure your phone's storage remains ample for your needs.
Written by urgent.news from Android Police's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
