Whether you’re trying to save a couple hundred dollars on the higher storage model, or just don’t need the extra space, 16GB is never enough. While most Android devices that have a limited storage space come with expandable memory, not all of them allow you to do so. In order to survive a 16GB Android phone and still enjoy all your apps, music, and other content, here’s what you need to do.Since the release of Android 7.0 Marshmallow, devices are capable of adoptable storage. This feature basically allows your Micro SD Card to work as seamlessly as internal memory. To start off, the easiest solution to survive a 16GB Android phone is by adding external storage. However, for all of you who don’t have expandable storage, there are a couple more things to try out.
Step 1: Delete Cached data and app data
The first thing you want to do is head over to the Settings app on your device and inspect how the device currently uses the available storage. Since the OS also takes up space, the maximum storage space most phones offer is somewhere around 13GB – 14GB.Start off by heading over to the Storage section in the Settings menu and quickly go through the available storage space. You can also tap on specific sections such as Apps, Audio, and even Miscellaneous data tab to find out what content is taking up the most space.Traditionally, apps that cache data such as Spotify will take a significant amount of space, you so can clear the cached data every now and then. You can also simply select the apps you don’t necessarily use and uninstall them to reclaim some MBs.
Step 2: Add USB OTG storage
Although clearing app cache and unused data are good practices for any device, you can’t really be bothered to keep a check on it all the time. Fortunately, almost all the new Android devices now come with USB OTG technology, that allows you to connect a Micro USB memory stick to your device.USB OTG pen drives come in all shapes and sizes, ranging from 16GB to a whopping 128GB of storage space. All you have to do is plug the Micro USB memory stick to your Android device and it will recognize the OTG storage for keeping data files and even apps.
Step 3: Streaming over downloading
If you’re a movie buff or a music addict, the most amount of storage space on your Android is probably taken up by media. Although the whole ordeal of downloading media and watching it on your device is still going strong, streaming a far better and space-saving alternative.For instance, you can simply go for an app such as Plex to not only keep all you media files in one place but access them online. Without sacrificing the valuable gigabytes that you have, you can enjoy media streaming without any hiccups.Are you also trying to survive a 16GB Android phone? Which tip do you find most useful for conserving space without compromising your usage style? Let us know in the comments section below.
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What's my model number?
There are several ways to locate your model number:
Option 1
On your device, go to Settings, then "About device" and scroll down to "Model number"
Option 2
Often times you can view the model number inside the device, by removing the battery
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