Recent generations of smartphones have considerably increased internal storage space, and those models with a microSD slot offer even more flexibility... but that capacity is not infinite, and sometimes it seems to vanish as if by magic. Huge apps, forgotten games, MP3 files we never listen to, and thousands of photos gathering digital dust are very good reasons to carry out a cleanup on our smartphone.
"The available space is running out". Despite being a warning that appears less and less frequently, the truth is it's still there, and it's as inconvenient as ever. With an average of 16 gigabytes, our basic mobile storage needs should be satisfied, but we have entered an era of giant applications, almost as complex as their desktop counterparts. More than once we have said that a smartphone is "a computer in our pocket", and many developers take it that way, but with 16 or 32 GB of storage, and the tendency of manufacturers to eliminate support for microSD cards, we must perform one of the most basic maintenance tasks: free up space.
Find Out What's Eating Your Space
No attempt to free up space can succeed without detailed information. Blaming one or two apps is easy, but there may be something that escaped visual inspection and we completely ignore. Both iOS and Android offer built-in "managers" in their most recent versions, identifying the most demanding apps. If you want more data, there are always one or two external solutions to consider. On the Android side, I think DiskUsage is an excellent tool, as it presents a very easy-to-read visual report.
Cleaning Cache and Other Extras
We recently mentioned several methods to reduce data consumption in our data plan. The idea goes beyond placing all the load on WiFi, and also involves storing additional content on the device... which can become a problem. Once again, the keyword is "balance". Something tells me you won't need two or three gigabytes of maps, but saving space shouldn't harm the functionality you expect from the device. If you want to do this through an app, remember that (for example) Piriform has a CCleaner equivalent for Android 4.0 or higher.
Bloatware and the Use of the microSD Card
Bloatware doesn't deserve any tolerance: it's something that shouldn't be on our smartphones, and it has to go. Besides improving your device's performance, removing bloatware will help you recover space, not much, but space after all. Dealing with bloatware requires root access in most cases, though that access also enables another resource (on older devices at least), which is moving applications to the microSD card to free up internal space. Not all apps allow that maneuver (anything that generates notifications, like WhatsApp, should stay on the phone), but there are many things that can be moved. Link2SD and Titanium Backup appear at the top of the list for this section of the tutorial.
Photos, Music and Videos
I'm sure that concert you went to in September 2013 was great... but the 212 photos you took could be stored elsewhere besides your smartphone. Backing up our multimedia content is one of the most logical decisions we can make. Smartphones are not eternal, and losing all that content hurts. It doesn't matter if it's in the cloud, on an external drive, a USB stick, or a DVD. The goal is to preserve data and free up space on the smartphone at the same time. iOS and iTunes handle all the synchronization automatically, so it's best to adjust the options according to each case. If it's Android, I personally use AirDroid a lot to move/back up/delete photos and/or music.
As you can see, there is no overly complex science in cleaning a smartphone. Except for those that have undergone a "jailbreak" process, iOS devices don't give much flexibility beyond their integrated tools, but Apple provides effective enough control to keep the most gluttonous apps in check. In contrast, Android is a different beast. Recent versions of the operating system have expanded the mechanisms that allow us to manage space, however, any device still running Gingerbread 2.3.x (or any pre-Jelly Bean build) will need the help of external apps, and very likely root access for a deeper cleanup. Good luck!
