7 Hidden Areas On Your Pixel Phone Secretly Hogging Storage Space

We store all kinds of data on our phones, from apps to photos to important files. However, all too often, that pesky “Storage Full” notification pops up, forcing you to delete something to make room for new data. While numerous Google Pixel phones are known for great storage management, hidden data can accumulate in some areas. Here’s where to look on your Pixel phone to clear extra storage space.

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7 App caches

An app cache is a temporary area where data, files, or resources are stored to speed up an app’s performance. While app caches generally speed up the performance of an app, the cache can get bloated after a long period of usage. The cache can reach a point where the amount of stored data outweighs the benefit it provides in terms of loading times. This means it’s a good idea to clear the app cache regularly for apps you use often.

Clearing the cache for an app on a Pixel device is simple. Go to Settings > Apps > See all apps and select the name of the app for which you want to clear the cache. Then, tap Storage & cache > Clear cache to clear the cache.

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6 Downloaded files

People download numerous files on their phones, whether it’s photos a friend sent, documents that need to be filled out, or restaurant menus to choose what to eat. However, people often forget to delete these files after they finish using them, which eats away at the device’s storage space.

To avoid this issue, find your downloads and delete files you no longer need. To do so, go to Settings > Storage > Documents to find the files you downloaded to your device. You may see a few tabs at the top telling you where you downloaded the files.

5 Backups and synced data

Backing up data and photos is important to make sure you still have them when you need them. Android also allows you to sync data from services so that they can be accessed when you’re offline. Both features make sure you always have access to what you need when you need it, but they can also take up space on your device if not set up properly.

For Google Photos, this means making sure your photos are backed up automatically so you can delete photos from your device after they’re backed up. To change these settings, go to Google Photos, tap your profile picture, and select Photos settings > Backup. Here, turn on the backup option and select the folders and image quality you want backed up. After backing up all your photos, you can delete them from your on-device storage and still have them accessible whenever you need them.

Google Drive also has offline settings, which allow you to access Drive files when you’re offline. However, syncing too many files to your device can eat away at your device’s storage. To access these settings, go to Google Drive, tap More (three lines in the upper-left corner), and select Offline. Here, you’ll see the files you selected to access offline. You can select one to remove its offline access and save storage on your device.

There may be additional apps that save data for offline access or sync data that you can delete from local storage. These apps could include music services like Spotify that save music offline, YouTube that saves videos for offline access, or Google Maps that saves map data for often-traveled routes. Go through your apps and check these settings to save space.

4 Temporary files and system cache

In addition to app-specific caches, system caches store data to make it function better. While these files are useful and generally managed automatically, they can build up over time and take up space. There’s a quick fix: restarting your phone. It’s a good idea to regularly restart your phone to remove these temporary files and decrease the size of the cache to free up space on your phone.

3 Website data and cookies

Like apps and the system, websites store information to speed up page loading times and enhance your experience. However, like caches, this data can be bloated and take up space on your device. Regularly clear the website data and cookies from your web browser on your device to save space.

The default browser on Pixel phones is Chrome. To clear this data from Chrome, go to Chrome, tap More (three dots in the upper-right corner), and select Delete browsing data. Here, you can select which data you want to delete, including the websites you want to remove data for, how far back you want to delete data, and which data you want to remove. Removing cookies, site data, cached images, and files removes items that take up the most space.

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2 Unused apps

Source: Lucas Gouveia/Android Police | GoodStudio/Shutterstock

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There are millions of apps on the Play Store that you can download. These apps do everything from messaging to helping you create a workout plan, letting you customize your phone, and more. Many people, including me, find a cool app, download it, and never open it. However, keeping these apps on your Pixel phone can take up space that apps and services you use could take advantage of. There may also be pre-downloaded apps that Google installs that you may never use and take up space.

It’s a good idea to go through the apps on your Pixel occasionally and make sure they’re apps you use. If you don’t use the app, delete it from your phone to save space. To do this, go to Settings > Apps > See all apps. Here you’ll see the apps installed on your device. Browse the list and remove apps that take up space.

1 Files by Google

The Files by Google app is a great way to find other areas where you may lose space. This app helps you access your device’s storage. It also has a clean function that finds areas where you can save space. After downloading the app, tap More (three lines in the upper-left corner), and select Clean to see the app’s suggestions for cleaning space on your device, such as removing duplicate files, large files, older screenshots, unused apps, and more.

Save space on your Pixel

Pixel phones are some of the best Android phones due to their user-friendly interface, great features, and solid hardware. However, like any phone, they can get clogged with pointless items that take up storage space. The list above explains where to look for items that may take up unnecessary storage space on your device that can be better used elsewhere. As you’re clearing space on your Pixel phone, check the health of your Pixel’s storage chip.