Not enough space

[Falcon_77]

I bought a Tab A 7.0 (SM-T280 Android 5.1.1) a few months ago and it's been frustrating to use at best. I'm constantly trying to juggle apps since I run out of space all the time and can't delete apps like CNN and Samsung Kids, which I care less about.

I got a 64GB SD card, but I can put few apps on it.

8GB internal seems to be a horrible limitation on it with all the bloatware.

I don't want a larger tablet. 7" is the perfect size, but I see no models in this size with more Internal memory. Is it so hard to put 64GB on these things?

Thank you for any suggestions.

 

[KeepItReal]

Google how to disable apps. Buried in your settings, application or apps, and find apps you might not use. Hangouts...select it, then select storage, delete cache and then delete data. Then select uninstall update, then after that's done, select disable. Google+, all the Google movies, books (i love Google music)...only do those apps in your app drawer list...no system apps. Get familiar with your Samsung File Manager...its like Windows File Explorer. You can moves things like Download, mp3 music files, items, to your SD card. If you have everything backed up, you could perform a Factory Reset. That's another story....on Google. You'll be a pro in no time!

 

[hallux]

Disabling apps that are never used is going to net you VERY little in terms of free space. If the app isn't used, clearing the cache and data for it won't free up much space, and disabling it will free up nothing as well.

Yeah, 8 GB is paltry.

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! You could probably find a 2013 Nexus 7 with 32 GB for pretty cheap. It's old, but at least it's updateable to Android 6.0.1. Mine still works great.

 

[Falcon_77]

Thank you for the input! So, a 4 year old tablet is the best? There are no successor models? How strange.

I see there's first and 2nd generations, but that's it. I'm sure I'd want 2nd (2013).

Does it have a micro-SD slot? Does it support 5GHz WiFi?

It seems pretty expensive online for 4 years old. I wonder what this says about the tablet market.

 

[Falcon_77]

Also, is rooting worth considering? It looks like the only way to lose the bloatware. The instructions I've found are confusing though.

 

[B. Diddy]

There are currently no successors to the 2013 Nexus 7. There are, of course, the Nexus 9 and the Pixel C, but those are bigger than 7". There have been constant rumors about a new Nexus/Pixel 7, but still nothing definite.

The 2013 N7 does not have a microSD slot, but it does support 5 GHz wi-fi.

I think part of the reason why it's hard to find what you're looking for is that the tablet market has really diminished over the past couple of years. Even iPads don't sell very well any more. People are relying more on their large-screen phones, and as for Google, there is a lot of anticipation that Android apps on touchscreen Chromebooks will essentially kill traditional tablets.

Rooting your Tab A is certainly an option, but I don't have any experience with that. You'd have to be careful about what you're doing, and make sure you back things up beforehand.

 

[KeepItReal]

To clarify: yes disabling unused apps can save you up to 1/2gb or a little more depends on vendors added apps. Significant enough. Unfortunately, if you Factory Reset...you must reset again.

 

[B. Diddy]

One of the advantages of disabling an app is that it doesn't update -- and updated versions of apps are often significantly larger than older or factory versions.

 

[Falcon_77]

Thanks! This saved about 800MB. Enough to perhaps make this device usable.