Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones often face a mysterious phenomenon: the device’s memory is filled, but in a standard storage analyzer, the most part of the volume is occupied by a section called “Other” or “System Data”, which is puzzling, since the user can not understand what exactly takes up gigabytes of free space unless there are heavy games installed or thousands of photos are stored.
The phenomenon of growth of this section lies in the peculiarities of the Android operating system and the proprietary shell MIUI or HyperOS. The system does not always correctly classify application caches, temporary update files and error logs, placing them in the general category of system debris. Understanding the nature of these files is the first step to effectively managing your gadget’s memory without having to do a complete reset.
In this article, we will take a closer look at what the Other category is really made of, why it can take up to 20-30 GB, and what safe cleaning methods exist, how to distinguish system cache from important data, and what tools are best used for diagnostics to avoid damaging Xiaomi’s work.
The Anatomy of the Other: What's Hiding Inside
When you go to Settings → About Phone → Storage, the color diagram shows the file distribution. The Other section is a kind of black box where the operating system resets everything it couldn't identify as photos, videos, music or installed apps. First of all, cached data from messengers like Telegram and WhatsApp, which often don't show up in the overall size of the app.
In addition, files left over from a firmware update fall into this category. After a new version of MIUI is successfully installed, installation packages are not always automatically deleted, taking up significant space, and this includes logs of system operation, databases of indexing media files, and temporary files created by browsers when browsing the web.
⚠️ Note: Do not attempt to delete files from system folders through root-righted file managers unless you are sure of their purpose. Android/data It can lead to unstable interface operation or loss of application settings.
It’s important to understand that Other is not a virus or bug, but a feature of the file system. However, if this partition is more than 15-20 GB, it’s a signal that there is excess digital debris that can and should be safely removed to speed up the smartphone.
The main reasons for the growth of system data
Social media and instant messengers are the main culprits of memory overloads, with apps like Telegram, Viber and Instagram aggressively cacheing images and videos they view to speed up their re-loading. Over time, this cache can reach tens of gigabytes, but in standard Xiaomi memory manager, it often masquerades as system files or "Other."
The second common reason is to work with documents and email clients, if you use your smartphone to work and open heavy loads of paper. PDF-files, presentations or tables through built-in viewers, temporary copies of them remain in memory. Offline maps of navigators, downloaded music tracks in streaming services and cache of streaming platforms also contribute to the growth of this section.
A third factor is that applications fail or file downloads fail. If the download is interrupted, the broken file can stay in the system, taking up space but not showing up in the gallery or downloads, and thumbnails of every photo and video you have ever viewed, which can weigh several gigabytes on older devices.
How to determine exactly what takes place
Before you start cleaning, you need to do a diagnostic. Xiaomi standard tools give only the big picture, so for deep analysis, you better use specialized utilities. One of the most effective is DiskUsage or Storage Analyzer, which visualizes the file system by showing the size of each folder as a map.
Once you install this analyzer, you'll see the real folder structure, and it often turns out that the lion's share of the Other is hidden in the Android/media directory or in the folders of specific applications, like tencent (for WeChat or the Chinese versions of TikTok) or telegram, which allows you to pinpoint heavy files without touching the system.
It's also worth checking the folder. MIUI/debug_log. Some firmware versions use this directory for debugging, and logs can be written continuously, taking up gigabytes. Unless you're a developer and debugging the system, cleaning this folder is completely secure and often returns a few free gigabytes.
💡
Use Xiaomi’s built-in Security app, but don’t limit yourself to automatic cleanup. Go to Cleanup → Deep Cleanup to manually select large files that the system has deemed important but that you don’t need.
Effective methods of cleaning the storage
The safest way to free up space is to use built-in cleaning tools inside the heavy apps themselves. For example, Telegram needs to go to Settings → Data and Memory → Memory Use → Clear cache. This action will not delete your correspondence, but will remove temporarily stored media files that can be re-downloaded if necessary.
To clean the system cache without third-party software, you can use Recovery Mode. Reboot your smartphone with the power and volume button, and select Wipe Cache (not to be confused with Wipe Data!). This procedure is safe for user data, but removes temporary system files that may have caused the Other partition to sprawl.
- 🗑️ Cleaning the app cache: Go to Settings → Annexes → All apps, select a heavy app (like YouTube or TikTok) and click Clear Cache. Don't click Clear All to keep logins from losing your logins.
- 📂 Thumbnails folder removal: Find the folder through the file manager DCIM/.thumbnails. Deleting the contents of this folder will free up space, but the next time you open the gallery, the system will recreate it, so it’s a temporary but effective measure.
- 🔄 Network reset: Sometimes the network settings cache also refers to "Other." Go to Settings → Connection and sharing → Resetting Wi-Fi, Cellular Networks and Bluetooth.
If nothing works, the last but effective method is to create a full backup of data to a cloud service or computer, followed by resetting the phone to factory settings, which is guaranteed to remove all accumulated system debris and return the Other partition to its original minimum size.
☑️ Safe cleaning plan
Comparison of tools for memory analysis
There are many tools available for memory management on Xiaomi, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Built-in tools are good for quick prevention, but third-party analyzers provide a deeper understanding of the file structure. The choice of tool depends on your technical training and willingness to install additional software.
Below is a table comparing popular methods of analyzing and cleaning storage on shell devices. MIUI/HyperOS.
| Tool. | Depth of analysis | Security | Recommended use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built-in analyzer | Superficial | Tall. | Daily rapid cleaning |
| DiskUsage | Deep (to file) | Medium (requires attention) | Search for specific heavy files |
| Files by Google | Medium. | Tall. | Removal of duplicates and debris |
| SD Maid | Very deep. | Medium (rights required) | Professional cleaning of "tails" |
Using third-party applications like SD Maid or Files by Google often allows you to find hidden remnants of remote applications that the standard Xiaomi cleaner ignores. However, when working with such programs, it is important to carefully read which files are planned to be deleted so as not to accidentally erase important documents.
Why didn’t the place clear immediately after cleaning?
Preventing memory overflow in the future
To prevent the Other from growing to critical size, you need to change your smartphone usage habits, first of all, set up automatic cache cleaning in messengers. In the same Telegram, you can set a restriction on the storage of media files, for example, “3 days” or “1 week”, after which the old files will be deleted automatically, freeing up space.
Regularly check the Downloads folder. Often users download application installation files (APKs), documents or images that are no longer needed, and forget about them. These files may also be classified as Other if they do not have a clear extension or type.
Newer versions of MIUI and HyperOS often include memory optimization and fixes for errors that lead to space leaks, and if you haven't updated your phone in a long time, this can be a reason for inefficient storage usage.
💡
Regular (manual) cache check of heavy applications once a month is more effective than the constant installation of “cleaners”, which consume the resources of the system.
⚠️ Warning: Avoid installing questionable “accelerator” and “cleaner” apps from banner ads. Many of them are themselves miner viruses or aggressively impose ads, slowing down your Xiaomi instead of speeding up.
Compliance with these simple rules will keep the volume of the Other partition within reasonable limits (usually 3-5 GB) and ensure the stable operation of your device throughout its life.
💡
If you are actively using a RAW camera or shooting 4K/8K video, set up automatic uploading of materials to the cloud (Google Photos, Yandex.Disk) and remove them from the device. This will prevent the proliferation of media cache, which often goes to “Other”.