Even if you have good storage capacity on your smartphone it is sensible to clear the clutter and make some space for any new apps you want to download.
Insufficient space for your media files and apps is a problem best avoided. Uninstalling what you don’t need and no longer use is the way to address that issue.
Here is a look at how to decide what to get rid of and how to make room for everything you do want to keep on your smartphone or tablet. There is an overview of how to target apps for deletion and the best way of getting rid of them. Plus a look at other storage options.
Help from Google Play
The Google Play store is great for downloading the useful real time weather app. Along with other features that that are designed to enhance your smartphone experience. It also offers to help you free up storage space by suggesting which apps to uninstall.
Google Play reviews your app usage and then comes up with a list of suggestions. Telling you which apps you hardly use and how much space you could free up by uninstalling them.
It creates the list of apps to delete based on how often you have used them recently. It also ranks these apps on the basis of their weight. Picking out the most data-heavy items for the top of the list so you can free up the most space.
Make your own mind up
It is worth saying at this point that these are only suggestions from Google Play. You should review their recommendations and then decide for yourself what you want to uninstall.
There may be apps selected for deletion that you might not have used for a while but still want to keep on your device. You might also be a bit cynical when you discover that Google doesn’t suggest removing apps and features it also provides.
For example, It won’t tell you that Google Drive or Play Music need to be reviewed or uninstalled.
Make a note of the uninstall suggestions and then think about what you want to keep before taking any further steps to free up space this way.
Do it yourself
You don’t have to rely on Google telling you what to remove. There are plenty of things you can do by yourself to check the space available and clear any unwanted data.
Cached data is your first port of call. The temporary files in your memory were created when you used an app. They can be deleted without causing any harm or losing data you want to keep.
You will need to close the application before clearing the temporary files. Work your way through the apps by tapping on the settings individually. Or you could go to the main settings and delete the entire cache in one go.
Use your SD card
A good way of boosting your memory capacity is to buy extra storage space with an SD card.
You will find that some applications cannot be installed on your SD memory card. But most apps can be stored this way.
This is a great way of freeing up extra space on your smartphone or tablet. without resorting to uninstalling more items than you are comfortable with.
Shannon Davis is a techy Mom juggling family life and work. She shares a few organizational tips and tricks around the web with her articles.
