How do I free up empty space on 32GB tablet (Iconia A500, rooted)?

HeyRicardo

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How to free up empty space on 32GB tablet (Iconia A500, rooted)

I ask because I have no personal big files or data whatsoever; I have used extensively Clean Master both standard and advanced scanning; I have less than 400 apps, most of them of a few MB for a total installed of about 5.5 GB.
How can it be that there is 27GB of used space by Android system files (i.e. for just the OS)? There have to be something else which I am missing but unable to locate it.

Does anybody have some useful hint to free up some more space, please?

I thank you warmly in advance, I really have no idea of what else to do..
 

VDub2174

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Re: How to free up empty space on 32GB tablet (Iconia A500, rooted)

Depending on what each app does, having anywhere near 400 apps will cause a lot of memory to be eaten up.
 

dpham00

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Re: How to free up empty space on 32GB tablet (Iconia A500, rooted)

You can look at the application manager to see which apps are taking up space. Not sure how it is on your device but on my note 4,there is an option to sort by size
651d7a17dac587f96cc10a0ee06fbbe5.jpg


Sent from my Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 4
 

dpham00

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Re: How to free up empty space on 32GB tablet (Iconia A500, rooted)

You can also go into the storage section to see what is using the space.

Finally, you can use es file Explorer and Astro, go through each directory and sub directory to see what is using the space


Sent from my Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 4
 

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HeyRicardo

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Re: How to free up empty space on 32GB tablet (Iconia A500, rooted)

Depending on what each app does, having anywhere near 400 apps will cause a lot of memory to be eaten up.

In my case most of them are not running, and I am talking of sdcard space, not memory which I can keep under control.
thx for your feedback
 

Hgouck

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Re: How to free up empty space on 32GB tablet (Iconia A500, rooted)

I would recommend that if you are not using an app delete it. It is always on the Play Store ,my app, all tab so you can put them back on your phone. Also open the settings, apps tab on your phone. Click on each app that you have and delete the cache. Possibly clear data if you are not using it. Clearing data will reset the app back to when you download without your personal info.
 

HeyRicardo

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Re: How to free up empty space on 32GB tablet (Iconia A500, rooted)

That's why I am puzzled:
-from app manager as I said the total amount of space is about 5-6GB
-from internal total storage space: (I have the same layout of yours so I am reporting values)
Apps: 6.38GB
Pics, Videos: 681 MB
Audio: 260 KB
Downloads: 1.02 MB
Misc: 362 MB
Available: 456MB

Which doesnt sum up to 32GB..and from a bar diagram it is greyed as it was available, but the reported value as I said shows up as 456MB...
 
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HeyRicardo

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Re: How to free up empty space on 32GB tablet (Iconia A500, rooted)

I would recommend that if you are not using an app delete it. It is always on the Play Store ,my app, all tab so you can put them back on your phone. Also open the settings, apps tab on your phone. Click on each app that you have and delete the cache. Possibly clear data if you are not using it. Clearing data will reset the app back to when you download without your personal info.


A great deal of them are giveaways which I may decide to keep or not, after evaluating them one by one, but I don't think I can have full license should I reinstall them. The cached space is something I can double check more carefully but I don't expect that the apps I already run (and the most used are in the range of 10-20), did cache up to 25GB or so...
 

coolqf

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Re: How to free up empty space on 32GB tablet (Iconia A500, rooted)

How much is cache using up? Spotify and Gmail as examples can easily take up GBs of cache.
 

HeyRicardo

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Re: How to free up empty space on 32GB tablet (Iconia A500, rooted)

How much is cache using up? Spotify and Gmail as examples can easily take up GBs of cache.

Using a 1-tap cache cleaner App it did extimate about 25MB overall for my apps, I don't have Spotify but I can double check GMail cache; so far I only recovered 650MB of thumbnail image gallery.

However if I could backup all apps, reinstall android and restore apps and find out, is that feasible and realistic as an usual PC?
I don't see other options..but I would feel confident if someone else had the same problem and was able to reinstall everything perfectly.
 

mysweetmouth

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Re: How to free up empty space on 32GB tablet (Iconia A500, rooted)

I find the biggest hidden files are the THUMBNAIL files used by Gallery. If your using ES file manager go to settings and select " show hidden files" then look in your DCIM folder you'll see the hidden folder .thumbnails, mine was over 2GB, of course I take a lot of pics. Delete the folder, Android will rebuild it as needed.
 

charles777

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Re: How to free up empty space on 32GB tablet (Iconia A500, rooted)

Check Dropbox if you use it... on my device it was caching each pic locally as well as in the cloud and it ate up a lot of space.
 

HeyRicardo

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Re: How to free up empty space on 32GB tablet (Iconia A500, rooted)

what's is your os?! I think we have the same problem

I'ts Android 4.0.3 (edit: mistyped as 4.0.4)

I suppose, though not 100%, this problem arised (or at least I realized it and had to deal with it) when I started having problem with updating apps, getting the message that there was not enough space.
This, I repeat not sure 100%, in coincidence with install of Link2SD (Edit: NOT app2sd (appmgr III)) and enabled something on the app. When I removed the app the problem stayed, then I reinstalled it once again and changed back that setting (referred in some web page, about this problem). So I could update apps, but now I am basically in the same water. I am just confused.
 
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HeyRicardo

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Re: How to free up empty space on 32GB tablet (Iconia A500, rooted)

to charles777:
I didn't even know dropbox can do that on android, I only use dropsync with a selected folder and have control on what I strictly need and get.
 
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HeyRicardo

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Re: How to free up empty space on 32GB tablet (Iconia A500, rooted)

I find the biggest hidden files are the THUMBNAIL files used by Gallery. If your using ES file manager go to settings and select " show hidden files" then look in your DCIM folder you'll see the hidden folder .thumbnails, mine was over 2GB, of course I take a lot of pics. Delete the folder, Android will rebuild it as needed.

Using cleanMaster it was able to find 650MB of cached thumbs, so I'd expect it did an audit space for any and hopefully every hidden file, automatically.
 

hg1027

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Re: How to free up empty space on 32GB tablet (Iconia A500, rooted)

I keep thinking of helpful replies, but they all get shouted down in my head by the 400 apps. Unless you're counting system processes.
 

HeyRicardo

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Re: How to free up empty space on 32GB tablet (Iconia A500, rooted)

I keep thinking of helpful replies, but they all get shouted down in my head by the 400 apps. Unless you're counting system processes.

Thank you, very appreciated. Apps count is for downloaded apps.
Here's my update:
what I did not and do not understand is why I am bounded by a few gigs, out of 32 (or so), as available space for installing apps. Ok, I may uninstall 10 apps and free say 100-150MBs and hopefully be able to install something else. But, what is using the remaining space, if I don't have any media file (just docs for few hundred MBs not more)?
Is there an app partition for apps that is full? probably. Is it separate for those other 25-27 gigs then?
What is there, then?

Also, I have never been able to make Link2SD function, as it always says: mount script error
(whatever fs I select; the only thing I haven't done is to format the external SD from recovery, rather than using PC and minitool partition wizard, making 2 primary partitions).

Using cleanMaster it is able to locate biggest files, so I am pretty sure there can't be some forgotten folder of bulky stuff.

Last resort: using some appropriate backup program, would I be able to install from scratch android, or a custom rom (first time, possibly), and then restore my apps with their license and data (this comes from google backup probably)?
 

hg1027

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Re: How to free up empty space on 32GB tablet (Iconia A500, rooted)

I use an app called Disk Usage that gives a good view of what's going on. I only have a dozen apps between 50 and 150 mb, as shown in Storage/Apps :

83c7c1f1c7125704c59d114c1c2a10df.jpg


But my total apps size is showing as 3+ gb:

3f0c8b2179bbf95d9a7dd0b4fd973825.jpg


Disk Usage lets me see that Chrome is using 378 mb, when android shows much less:

fe63fe88d6f00a892e4267e17c53afac.jpg


You could use it to find the worst offenders and clean them up first.

I don't understand what you mean by giveaway apps that you can't get back if you delete. If they are on the play store, and you have them legally (not judging, just pointing out), even if you got them at a discount or free, you can delete and re-download for free later.

If they are not on the play store, there are apps like App Sharer that let you save an APK to email, cloud, etc, so you can then delete and reinstall later.
 

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