Are internal phone storage fluctuations normal?

[carraser891]

When i got my samsung epic 4g, i had about 460MB of storage. since then, ive downloaded about 7 apps and now im down to around 420MB. but what i have noticed is that sometimes it will randomly go down or up. for example, if i use the browser, after im done, i will have less (like around 417MB). then when i leave it charged overnight, it goes back up to 420MB in the morning. is that normal?

 

[Chris Kerrigan]

Completely normal. A lot of that usage is from application cache, and particularly in the browser's case the cache, browsing history, cookies, and etc. These all use storage space on your phone. You can clear application cache by going to Settings > Applications > Manage Applications > Select App > Clear Cache

 

[carraser891]

ok thank you. i thought it was a memory leak

 

[lrn2swim]

if i'm not mistaken, which i very well may be, memory leaks only refer to an issue with programs using up RAM, not ROM.

 

[DroidXcon]

ok thank you. i thought it was a memory leak

Also you can use SkyFire as a browser, once downloaded and installed you can hit the circled down arrow in the upper right hand corner, a menu will drop down, select settings scroll down and select browser settings , then select privacy and security and check the box next to clear cache on exit.

this will auto clear your browser every time you shut it down, preventing you to have to do it manually

 

[egeorge1]

Completely normal. A lot of that usage is from application cache, and particularly in the browser's case the cache, browsing history, cookies, and etc. These all use storage space on your phone. You can clear application cache by going to Settings > Applications > Manage Applications > Select App > Clear Cache

Besides browsers, what other apps might need to have cache cleared?

sent from Epic 4G via Tapatalk

 

[dchawk81]

Besides browsers, what other apps might need to have cache cleared?

sent from Epic 4G via Tapatalk

Pretty much anything that uses the data connection.

 

[eerongal]

if i'm not mistaken, which i very well may be, memory leaks only refer to an issue with programs using up RAM, not ROM.

Nope, you're right. a memory leak is when a program uses memory (RAM) but is unable to release it when its done with it, nothing to do with storage space.

Note that when talking about computers, memory rarely actually refers to storage, and usually refers to RAM. (they both can be technically called memory, but there needs to be a distinction to tell them apart since their functions are pretty different.)

 

[dragonol2]

Also you can use SkyFire as a browser, once downloaded and installed you can hit the circled down arrow in the upper right hand corner, a menu will drop down, select settings scroll down and select browser settings , then select privacy and security and check the box next to clear cache on exit.

this will auto clear your browser every time you shut it down, preventing you to have to do it manually

I'm not sure about the stock browser, but I'm pretty sure that most of the other various browsers that you can download from the Market have the option available to clear cache upon exit... Dolphin HD most certainly does (my browser of choice), as does the Opera Mini Browser...

 

[Chris Kerrigan]

I'm not sure about the stock browser, but I'm pretty sure that most of the other various browsers that you can download from the Market have the option available to clear cache upon exit... Dolphin HD most certainly does (my browser of choice), as does the Opera Mini Browser...

Yep, they basically all do except the stock browser.

Besides browsers, what other apps might need to have cache cleared?

sent from Epic 4G via Tapatalk

Like dchawk said, basically any app that uses your data connection will more than likely have some sort of cache stored.

 

[egeorge1]

Thanks. I cleared the cache on quite a few apps and cleared nearly 30mb of space. Very helpful until app to sd.

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[carraser891]

Thanks. I cleared the cache on quite a few apps and cleared nearly 30mb of space. Very helpful until app to sd.

sent from Epic 4G via Tapatalk

i did the same and got 10MB back but the thing is once i started using the apps again, the 10MB i got back disappeared again.