Sometimes it can happen that your internal memory is full and apparently has nothing. However, maybe it does and you haven't noticed it. Now we will analyze the places where the largest amount of heavy data tends to accumulate, filling up your memory and causing your device to slow down or make it impossible to download more apps or updates, also compromising the security of your system.
Folders where to check that there is nothing
There are some folders on your mobile where you could have more files than you imagine and they are taking up quite a lot of space, even though you haven't directly saved anything there. For that reason, you should especially watch these three:
This directory usually accumulates databases of whatsapp backups which can be from 100MB to more than 1GB in some cases. And there are usually several of them, not just one version. In addition to this, all the GIFs, images, files, videos, and voice notes that you share on WhatsApp or that others have sent you are also stored. That means a lot of busy data that you could delete if you want to free up some space on your drive. Well, for this, you must first know where to find these folders with all this data, and they are in:
- Older mobiles: go to the internal memory and there you will find the WhatsApp folder, inside which is Databases with the backups and also Media, which is where the shared files are located. If you want, you can delete all of that to free up space.
- Most current mobiles: Go to your internal memory to Android > Media > com.whatsapp > WhatsApp and there you will find the two directories mentioned in the previous point, with all the information that you could delete.
Telegram
In a similar way to what happens in WhatsApp happens on Telegram, if you have it installed, or in any other instant messaging app. Because of that, you can also free up a lot of space on your flash drive by:
- Your internal memory.
- Telegram.
- And inside you will see the Audio, Documents, Images and Video folders, which you can imagine what they store. In these cases, they are files that you have sent or that have been sent to you. And a large number of them accumulate over time.
Downloads
In this other directory that appears in internal memory as Download, also tend to accumulate large amounts of data. Perhaps not very heavy in all cases, but the sum of all of them can be heavy. It is the directory where web browsers, among other applications, download data. So if you've downloaded anything, even if you don't remember it, it's probably still there if you haven't deleted it.
Installed apps and updates
Another thing that stealthily fills up the internal memory without you realizing it is the apps you have installed. If you are one of those who accumulate a large number of them, it may be time to uninstall the ones you no longer use. You may think that perhaps when you installed them they did not take up all the space, but keep three things in mind:
- Updates: they are constantly updated, downloading patches that add more and more megabytes to the installation, so little by little they become heavier and occupy more internal memory.
- Data: Apps also accumulate data that is used within them, be it settings or otherwise. For example, if you have a video editor, it will surely store all the edits you have finished in some folder.
- Cache: Of course, if you go to Settings > Applications > Manage applications and tap on one in the list, then you will see that below you can Clear data or clear cache. This would also allow you to gain space, although it would mean losing some settings or the app going a little slower at first. Therefore, you must do it at your own risk.
Use the cloud, an SD card or USB OTG to free up space
Finally, whether the problem stems from data you had that you didn't know was there but want to keep as if it's in the apps, chances are you can find some solutions that don't involve uninstalling or completely deleting something:
- Upload it to a cloud storage service to have the data whenever you want.
- Transfer apps or data to your SD memory card if you have one.
- Use the USB OTG port (if supported) to connect an external USB flash drive or hard drive and put everything you need there.