Why can't I delete most of my Android app data?

nottsphil

Here's an example...



I've no idea why Google Play keeps accumulating data when I don't even open it. Anyway, when I tap 'manage space' it only presents me with about a fifth of the data. This is a 16GB phone so I'm getting desperate for the space!

KO

k_man

Google Play Services is an integral part of most versions of Android (aside from fully open source versions don't have Google apps).
It is a back end service that links the other Google apps and services.

So you don't explicitly use or open it, but lots of other apps and services on your mobile do.

You can't (easily/safely) delete it, as it if effectively part of the operating system.

As an aside, services like this used to be part of the system itself, not separate apps, but more have been moved to apps, to make it easier for updates to be applied (without require an updated Android version).


Unfortunately 16GB is not a lot if space on a mobile, and the basic operating system will use most of that.
Could be worse,my first Android mobile had 1GB of storage, and only 320MB for apps!

bat999

Hi
The big numbers that you see...
Total 681MB
App 342MB
Data 338MB

That's info about your installed apps.
It's those apps that keep accumulating data.
Goole Play services just displays the big numbers.

You need to clean out excess data from some of the apps.
Or get rid of any apps that you don't really need.

My phone has 16GB RAM too.

nottsphil

bat999 said:

My phone has 16GB RAM too.

 

Hi.
As well as whose? Mine only has 3 GB 😁
The problem is that apart from the Google apps, all the others only have pawltry amounts of data to clear, even the ones you might to have more...

bat999

OK

You said "This is a 16GB phone" and " Mine only has 3 GB".

So I suppose you mean that you have only 3 GB that is "available".

But if you were able to delete *all* of that stuff in Google Play services it would still only give you 3.681 GB.

RumRat

Deleting unused apps.....Deleting Files and photos if any are stored on the phone, would probably free up more space....
You don't say what phone it is....Guessing it's fairly old with just 16GB of space on it.

nottsphil

bat999 said:

OK

You said "This is a 16GB phone" and " Mine only has 3 GB".

So I suppose you mean that you have only 3 GB that is "available".

But if you were able to delete *all* of that stuff in Google Play services it would still only give you 3.681 GB.

No, RAM is random access memory which is only temporary - all data disappears from your RAM seconds after you turn your phone off. Sounds like you might have been confused by phone cleaning apps, some of which will mix RAM in with storage MBs, possibly to dupe the uninitiated as to the extent of its cleaning. So the phone has 16 GB of storage plus 3 GB of memory.
If I did have the luxury of 3 GB available then I wouldn't be on here, but you are right that app data is the culprit as I have over 5GB of it. The problem is, I can only identify a small fraction of it.