Xiaomi smartphone owners often face a nasty situation: there are few apps and photos in the cloud, and the space on the internal drive is running out. When you try to figure out the details through a standard storage analyzer, you see a frightening category called “Other”, which can take up tens of gigabytes, this space turns into a “black box” where the system hides files that can not be classified as media, applications or documents.
This problem cannot be ignored, as a crowded system partition causes a critical slowdown in the interface, failures in installing updates and even inability to take new pictures. Understanding the nature of this data is the first step to optimizing a device. In this article, we will discuss in detail what this volume consists of, why the system does not delete it automatically, and what are the safe methods for releasing valuable gigabytes.
It's worth noting that the filesystem algorithms in the MIUI shells and the new HyperOS have their own caching features, and what appears as "cache" in one firmware version may be referred to as system data in another. Let's see what's behind that label and whether you should panic when you see a 20GB or 30GB figure.
Nature of the mysterious category in the vault
The Other category is a collection of various file residues that the Android operating system failed to classify as standard data types, including temporary files created by apps to speed up their work, remnants of deleted programs, error logs and messenger data, often a streaming service cache that the system perceives as an unknown format rather than a video.
System data is a special place in this category, for example, if you use your navigator or listen to music online, maps and album covers can be stored in hidden directories. Over time, these folders grow, and the standard Xiaomi cleaner stops seeing them as junk, considering them important system data, which is why a simple reboot does not always help solve the problem.
⚠️ Note: Do not attempt to manually delete files from system folders through root-right file managers without understanding their purpose.
It is important to understand the difference between app cache and user data. Cache can be deleted almost painlessly, but messenger data (corresponding history, files sent) can be lost when cleaning the category "Other" if it was not marked correctly by the system. So always back up important information before radical actions.
Space analysis: what exactly takes gigabytes
To effectively combat the problem, you need to know the enemy in person. Most often, the lion's share of hidden data is multimedia files from messengers. Telegram and WhatsApp have a habit of storing all the images and videos they receive in the shared memory of the device, but not always marking them as "Gallery." For the system, it is just a stream of bytes in an unknown folder that falls into the "Other".
The second major source is the remnants of system and application updates. When you update your MIUI firmware, the old install package may not be automatically deleted, and it also includes offline navigator map files and YouTube cache that, in certain use cases (such as incognito or third-party viewing), is not cleaned by standard means.
The third category is orphaned files, where if you delete a game or an application but you don't clean it completely, folders with textures, music or saved profiles are left dead weight, and the system sees files but doesn't see the owner of the application, so it classifies them as unknown.
- 📱 Social media cache: TikTok, Instagram and Facebook store gigabytes of watched videos for fast scrolling.
- 🗺️ Offline maps: Yandex.Navigator and Google Maps can take up to 5-10 GB if entire country maps are downloaded.
- 📦 Update Packages: Files APK System components left over after successful installation of new OS version.
- 🎵 Streaming cache: Temporary buffers from Spotify, Yandex.Music and other audio services.
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Use the built-in Cleanup feature in the Security app, but read carefully before you start what exactly will be deleted. Often there you can choose to selectively clean the cache.
Standard cleaning methods through Xiaomi settings
The first thing you should do for a Xiaomi Redmi or Poco owner is to use the regular optimization tools that are secure and don't require a deep knowledge of the file system, starting with the Security app, which is pre-installed on every device of the brand, and it can find obvious duplicates and large files.
But standard cleaning is often superficial, and to get to the Other category, you have to go to the storage settings. → The phone. → The storage. This is where the system will suggest cleaning up the garbage, but for a deeper job, you should use the Applications section.
So if you sort apps by size, you might find that a particular service (like a browser or a social media client) has swelled to an unimaginable size, and in this case, Clear Data inside the app card helps, and this action will put the program back in state right after installation by removing all the accumulated junk.
☑️ The algorithm of regular cleaning
Radical measures: cleaning through a computer and ADB
If the built-in tools are powerless, more advanced methods come to the rescue. Connecting your smartphone to your computer in file transfer mode (MTP) allows you to see the real structure of folders. Often, at the root of the internal drive, you can find folders with the names of applications that have been deleted long ago or system directories like MIUI, Android, Tencent.
For users who are ready for more complex manipulations, there is an ADB tool (Android Debug Bridge) that can delete files that are hidden from the average user. However, this method requires debugging over USB and installing drivers on a PC. Commands like adb shell pm clear com.package.name allow you to completely clear the data of a particular application, even if the button in the interface is inactive.
adb shell pm clear com.whatsappThis command, for example, would completely reset WhatsApp data, freeing up space that the system thought was "Other," but remember, this action is irreversible without a pre-built backup. Use this approach only if you are confident in your actions and understand what the specific package is responsible for.
⚠️ Attention: When working through ADB or file manager with permissions to system folders be extremely careful with the folder /data. Removing key files can make your phone unusable without flashing it.
Specificity of the work of messengers and their contribution to the “Other”
Telegram, for example, stores all media history in the app’s cache by default. Even if you cleared the chat, files can remain in memory. Telegram’s own settings have a Data and Memory section → Memory Use, where you can force the cache to be cleared. This often frees up 1 to 10 GB of space, which was displayed as “Other” on the system.
WhatsApp is similar, but there's a nuance with backups. Local backups created daily can take up a significant amount. If you use Google Drive for backups, local files in the Databases folder inside Android/media can be safely deleted or archived on your computer.
Many users are unaware that viewing “disappearing” messages or secret chats also leaves traces in the form of thumbnails and temporary files. Regularly cleaning the cache inside the applications themselves is the best prevention of the growth of the “Other” category.
Why didn't the cache clear immediately?
Comparison of cleaning methods and their effectiveness
Not all methods are equally useful and safe, and so you can choose the best option for your situation, we have prepared a comparative method table that will help you weigh the risks and the potential benefits of each action.
| Cleaning method | Efficiency | Security | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| State Cleaning ("Security") | Low (1-2 GB) | Tall. | Minimum |
| Cleaning up the app cache | Medium (3-10 GB) | Tall. | Low. |
| Removal via PC (MTP) | High (5-20 GB) | Medium | Medium |
| ADB Teams/Root | Maximum | Low (risk of failure) | Tall. |
As you can see from the table, the middle ground is manually cleaning up heavy applications through phone settings, which gives you a significant boost in free space without the risk of damaging the system, and using a computer is effective if you want to flip photos and videos, but takes time to analyze folders.
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Regular prevention (once a month) takes less time than dealing with overcrowded storage when the phone starts to brake.
Overcrowding prevention and final recommendations
To prevent the Other problem from coming back too often, change your smartphone usage habits: enable automatic cache clearing in your browser and messenger settings; and stop storing large amounts of music and video in local memory by switching to cloud services or streaming.
It is also recommended to check Downloads regularly, often with APK installation files, presentation PDFs and images from the Internet that you no longer need, and automate this process with third-party analytics applications such as Files by Google or Total Commander, which can find duplicates and forgotten large files.
Remember that the full is almost complete. SSD-The drive is slower. Try to keep it free at least. 10-15% This will ensure stable operation of RAM and virtual expansion system, if it is enabled on your device.