Are you tired of feeling like your phone’s memory is a cluttered closet, hiding valuable storage space under a mess of files and apps? It’s time to tidy up and get your digital life in order!
Phase 1: Identify the Culprits
Like a detective on the hunt for clues, investigate your phone’s storage by following these steps:
- Head to Settings > Storage > Internal Storage (or System Settings on older iOS devices)
- Check the total storage capacity and available storage space
- Sort files by size or date modified to find the biggest offenders
- This video on how to do this could be helpful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzuGsGMyg40
Phase 2: Purge the Unnecessary
It’s time to take out the trash! Remove the following digital clutter:
- Duplicate or low-quality photos and videos
- Unneeded files in your Downloads folder
- Unused or duplicate apps
- Old emails, documents, or presentations
Phase 3: Clear App Caches
It’s time to clear out the digital cobwebs! App caches are where apps store temporary files that may speed up operation, but do so by using up space.
- Review app storage and clear cache for rarely-used apps
- Tap Storage > Clear Cache to free up space
Phase 4: Upgrade Your Storage Game
Ready to level up? Consider upgrading your storage with Expandable storage. If your device has a microSD card slot, consider purchasing a microSD card. Instructions below will guide you in installing the SD card:
- Insert the new SD card > Tap Setup > Select Use as internal storage. The card will be formatted and all its data lost (but it was new, so there’s nothing on it! Beware if using an older card)
- Choose to Move now or Move later. Might as well choose later, who has the time, right?
- Rejoice in the new-found freedom of extra storage space!
Phase 5: Move your files somewhere else
Right, you’ve tried it all but you still have way too many photos and videos you want to keep. Plus you’re worried that if you loose your device, you will loose all your data! Time to backup your data to another computer:
- USB data cable: If you have a laptop or
desktop computer, plug your phone into it using a standard USB
data cable, then:
- enable file transfer on your phone (on Android click the “Charging via USB” notification and select File transfer, for iPhone open iTunes app on your PC).
- Copy the files you want to backup onto your computer, then you can delete some of these files from your device to free up space.
- USB OTG cable: Using a special USB cable
called an OTG (on-the-go) cable, you can connect a thumb drive
directly to your phone for data transfer:
- Get the right type of OTG cable for your device, e.g. micro-USB or USB-C on one end, and a USB-A socket on the other end that you can plug a thumb drive into. Search your favourite online store for “OTG cable” to find them, they are quite inexpensive.
- Plug in a thumb drive or externally powered hard drive.
- Use the Files app to access the drive and copy your data over.
- Note that not all phones support OTG, but most do.
- Wireless transfer: Use a wireless file
transfer app like AirDrop (for Mac) or Files by Google (for
Android). Make sure you are on a secure WiFi connection when
doing this (not public WiFi).
- On your iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > General > AirDrop (or Settings > Connected devices > Files by Google).
- On your computer, enable AirDrop (for Mac) or Files by Google (for Android) on your device.
- Follow the app’s instructions to establish a connection and transfer files.
- Cloud storage: Providers like Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud, or Nextcloud Hosting provide storage subscriptions that offload data from your phone to a server with vast amounts of storage. This way, not only do you get way more storage space, your data is also securely backed up onto the cloud. Simply install the app for the provider and use it’s settings to upload your media and files to the server. Nextcloud for example allows you to choose which folders to keep in sync, enable auto-upload of photos you take, and choose to only use Wifi and wait till the phone is charging, to make sure you don’t waste your mobile data or battery life!
The Result: A Sleek, Streamlined Phone
With these 5 phases, you’ll be saying goodbye to storage woes and hello to a digital life that’s efficient, organized, and free. So, take control of your phone’s storage and transform it into a digital dream!