My storage is full and "Update Service" is taking up huge amounts of space

[ThereAreIssues]

I have a relatively new Samsung Galaxy J7 V phone, and lately I have been repeatedly received alerts that my storage is full and that, as a result some apps and functions could slow down or fail. Each time, I go into my storage and deleted apps that I use often, but are too big to justify keeping. I also export every scrap of data I can (ie photos, videos, etc) to my SD card. Now, despite having very few apps, and having exported everything I can, I STILL have less than a GB of free space. When looking into this I found that an app (if it can be called that, seeing as I can't actually open it or see its specific function) called "Update Service" that is an astounding 5.13 GB of data! None of my other apps even come close to breaching ONE GB let alone 5. So my question is, what is Update service, exactly (presumably it has something to do with how my phone updates apps?) and why does it take up 5 GB of space? And, more importantly, is there any way to DECREASE the amount of space it takes up?

TLDR: Update Service takes up too much space. How can i fix it?

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! That does seem pretty ridiculous.:-\ Are you able to tap the Clear Data button, or is it greyed out? (I can't quite tell from the screenshot.)

 

[ThereAreIssues]

Hi, apologies for the late reply. The clear data button is greyed out. I have found that i have the option to uninstall it, but the screen says that "administrator is active" as you can see in my attached screenshot. Considering this, I am hesitant to actually attempt this as I'm unsure of what effects it will have. I suspect the updates the title refers to are system updates (though I can't be sure) and I wouldn't want to delete those.

 

[B. Diddy]

I'd think that an official updater app would be preinstalled, and therefore not uninstallable. That makes me suspect that this Update Service app is actually related to some other app you installed, and it would also make me concerned that the developer is on the shady side. I'd deactivate the device administrator status and uninstall that app.

Can you find that app in the Settings>Apps list If so, then show us a screenshot of that app info page.

 

[Javier P]

I completely agree with B. Diddy, that's very strange and it doesn't sound like a normal system app.

As he said, search for it in settings - apps and take a screenshot. Once there scroll all the way down and see what it says under 'app details'. If it says 'app installed from Google Play Store' tap that option and see what you get.

 

[ThereAreIssues]

Thank you for your replies, and again apologies for the lateness of mine. As per your suggestion, I took those screenshots. It appears to have been installed from "Package Installer." Is that unusual? If I can safely delete the app without it affecting the rest of my device that would be wonderful.

 

[Javier P]

That's so strange. I wonder if that app is specific for Galaxy phones or your carrier, Verizon, right?

I'll ask around and see if we can get more help.

 

[B. Diddy]

I would still favor uninstalling it, then seeing if something legitimate requires it to be reinstalled. I don't see why an app that deals with updates needs permission to access your Contacts, Calendar, or SMS.

 

[Javier P]

Just a thought, see if the clear data button is available after unchecking the app as device administrator.

 

[STARGATE]

My Samsung phones (wife's GS6 edge and my Note 8) don't have that.
I'm with Sprint, maybe a Verizon app?

 

[ThereAreIssues]

Javier P, it worked! When I un-selected it as administrator I was able to clear the data, and it freed up all the space it had taken! Thanks so much to all who replied to my question with advice. For future reference though, I have one more question; what does device administrator mode do, and what is it actually intended for? I was unaware the app was, itself an 'administrator' and misunderstood the meaning when I initially saw the word in relation to the app. In all honesty I thought it meant a mode I had accidentally set my device as a whole into, or something along those lines.

 

[Javier P]

Javier P, it worked! When I un-selected it as administrator I was able to clear the data, and it freed up all the space it had taken! Thanks so much to all who replied to my question with advice. For future reference though, I have one more question; what does device administrator mode do, and what is it actually intended for? I was unaware the app was, itself an 'administrator' and misunderstood the meaning when I initially saw the word in relation to the app. In all honesty I thought it meant a mode I had accidentally set my device as a whole into, or something along those lines.

Excellent! Glad it helped! Device Administrator is a permission that gives an app special privileges to perform some actions. In some cases, like with 'Find my device', gives you remote access to your phone (add a password or wipe the device if stolen). In other cases, like with custom launchers or toggles apps, it gives permission to add shortcuts to lock the phone.

I'm not sure what's the case with that 'Update Service' app but I guess it's part of Verizon bloatware. Let it unchecked as Device administrator for now and see if you get a prompt to enable that permission again.