{
  "id": 15654940,
  "title": "I freed up 10GB of storage by replacing 5 Google apps with smaller alternatives",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/i-freed-up-10gb-of-storage-by-replacing-5-google-apps-with-smaller",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-19T21:00:10.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Android Police",
    "slug": "android-police",
    "url": "https://www.androidpolice.com/i-recovered-10gb-storage-after-i-replaced-these-5-google-apps-with-alternatives/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "After purchasing a Google Pixel 9 Pro XL with 256 GB of storage, the writer quickly realized that the storage would not last long. Within a few months, nearly half of the device's storage was used up, prompting the writer to seek a solution. The writer discovered that replacing certain Google apps with smaller alternatives could reclaim a significant amount of space, without deleting personal media like photos or videos.\n\nThe writer identified YouTube Music as a primary culprit, as it consumed 5GB of storage by caching music data aggressively. To address this, the writer switched to streaming YouTube Music through a web browser, avoiding the installation of the standalone app package and associated storage consumption. The writer found that core features like skipping tracks and starting mixes were still functional, even when the phone was locked. However, background playback was not available, which was disappointing.\n\nThe writer also noted that Google Maps consumed a considerable amount of storage, taking up over a gigabyte. To mitigate this, the writer switched to Here WeGo, a lighter navigation app that took up just over 100MB of storage. The writer continued using Google Search for general queries and found the integrated mini-map in Search to be a reliable alternative to the Maps app.\n\nIn addition to replacing Google apps, the writer suggested uninstalling redundant utilities like Google Fit and Gboard, as well as using third-party keyboards. By making these changes, the writer reclaimed a total of 10GB of storage space, without sacrificing personal media or essential functionality.",
  "summary": "YouTube Music is the biggest offender",
  "key_points": [
    "Writer replaced Google apps with smaller alternatives to free up 10GB of storage",
    "YouTube Music replaced with streaming through web browser, saving 5GB",
    "Google Maps swapped for Here WeGo, reducing storage by over 1GB"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}