Owners of the low-end but robust Redmi smartphones often face the same problem: the device’s memory is filled with the mysterious “Other” category. On the Xiaomi Redmi 8A, which initially has less internal storage, it becomes critical. The system stops working correctly, apps fly out, and space-short notifications appear at the most inopportune moment. What is behind this name and why is it so greedy about absorbing gigabytes?
The Other category is not a virus or bug, but a system folder where Android stores temporary files, app cache, remnants of deleted programs, and instant messenger data. Unlike photos or music, these files are often hidden from the user's eyes in a standard file manager. The bulk of this category on Redmi 8A is usually taken up by Telegram and WhatsApp cache, as well as system update logs. Understanding the nature of this data is the first step to successfully cleaning without risking damage to the operating system.
In this article, we'll look at safe ways to free up space, how to use the built-in MIUI tools, how to access hidden system folders, and what actions you can't do to prevent the phone from becoming a brick, and we're not going to use questionable software-cliners that consume resources themselves, but we're going to use proven manual methods.
Memory analysis using standard MIUI tools
Before you manually delete anything, you need to know which apps are taking up the most space. The MIUI shell on the Redmi 8A has a built-in analyzer that works better than many third-party analogs, and it allows you to see the real picture of the distribution of data.
To get started, open the Security app (green shield icon) and select Clean. After scanning, click on the Recycle Bin icon or go to the storage settings. Here you will see a diagram where the Other category can occupy up to 40-50% of the total volume. Click on it to see the app details.
Now, look at the size of the app list, and it often turns out that social media and messengers have swelled to a few gigabytes. Cache is temporary data that speeds up applications, but eventually becomes ballast, and removing them is safe for the program to work, although it will require re-uploading some images the next time you log in.
⚠️ Warning: Do not delete files with system folder names such as Android, data or obb unless you are sure of their origin.Deleting critical system files can lead to unstable Redmi operation 8A cyclic-reset.
Use the Deep Clean feature in the same menu. The algorithm will prompt you to delete old APK installation files, advertising junk, and large video files you may have forgotten in your download folder. It's a quick way to free up a few hundred megabytes in a couple of clicks.
Clearing the messenger cache: Telegram and WhatsApp
The biggest memory eaters in the Other category are messengers. Telegram and WhatsApp store every photo and video you view in the device's memory. On the Xiaomi Redmi 8A, with its modest 32 or 64GB, this is quickly becoming a problem. Standard cleaning through the phone's settings often doesn't delete media inside apps completely.
For Telegram, the solution is most elegant. Inside the app, go to Settings → Data and Memory → Memory Use. Here you will see the Clear Cache button. Press it boldly, your chats and important files will stay in the cloud and reboot as needed, freeing up gigabytes of space instantly.
WhatsApp is more complicated because it stores backups and media locally. Go to Settings → Data and Storage → Storage Management. The app will show the files that take up the most space and suggest removing them. Pay special attention to the WhatsApp/Media/WhatsApp Images/Sent folder where the images you send are stored.
- 📱 Open the settings of a particular application in the smartphone menu and select Memory» → «Clear the cache».
- 🗑️ In the file manager, find a folder. Android/media Check the amount of data messengers.
- 🔄 Enable autodelete media files in the settings of the messengers themselves (relevant to Telegram).
- 📂 Manually remove old database backups if they are stored locally.
After clearing messengers, the category “Other” should decrease significantly, and if this does not happen, then the volume is formed by system temporary files or residues of remote applications that require more in-depth analysis.
☑️ Checking messengers
Manual removal of system mussar through the Conductor
If automatic tools don't work, you'll have to use a manual method. The Wire Explorer built-in on Xiaomi allows you to see hidden folders where garbage is often hidden. However, you need to be very careful: you can only delete what you are 100% sure of.
Open the Explorer app, click on the menu (three bars) and turn on the hidden files display. /storage/emulated/0/. Search for folders with names of previously deleted games or applications. Often, after deleting the program, its tails remain as empty or log-filled folders.
Pay special attention to the folder MIUI/Gallery/Cloud (if you do not use the cloud) and Tencent (remnants from the Chinese versions of applications or games). Files with the extension.log or.tmp in the root of memory can also be deleted - these are error logs and temporary data that the system no longer needs.
⚠️ Note: Never delete the folder. Android/data It stores game progress and settings for many programs, and only remove folders with the names of specific applications that you have already removed or are not using.
For more advanced users, it is possible to connect the smartphone to the computer in file transfer mode (MTP). Through the Windows or macOS interface, it is easier to sort files by date and size, identifying forgotten archives or duplicate documents that may also belong to the category “Other”.
Use of debugging mode and ADB (For Advanced)
For Redmi 8A owners who are not afraid of technical terms, the most powerful cleaning method is the use of ADB debugging (Android Debug Bridge), which allows you to delete the system cache and files that are not available to the average user even with superuser rights in some cases.
First, activate Developer Mode. Go to Settings → About Phone and quickly click on MIUI seven times. You’re a developer notification will appear. Then go to Advanced Settings → For Developers and turn on “Debugging on USB.”
Connect your phone to your PC, install ADB drivers, and start the command line. Type a command to clear the cache:
adb shell pm trim-caches 999999999This command forcibly trims the cache of all applications to the lowest possible value, which is especially effective for cleaning the category "Other", which has been inflated due to system updates, after completing the command, the memory statistics will not be updated immediately, you may need to restart the device.
What to do if your computer can’t see your phone?
Comparison of Memory Cleaning Methods
The choice of method depends on your technical training and the desired result. Below is a table that will help determine the cleaning method for your Xiaomi model.
| Method | Efficiency | Risk of data loss | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard cleaning (Safety) | Low (200-500 MB) | Absent. | Minimum |
| Clearing messenger cache | High (1-5 GB) | Low (media only) | Low. |
| Manual removal through the conductor | Medium (500 MB - 2 GB) | Medium (User error) | Medium |
| ADB teams | Maximum (up to 10 GB+) | High (with error in commands) | Tall. |
As you can see from the table, for most users, the best option is to combine the first two methods, which give a good result without having to climb into the wilds of the file system, and use ADB is only justified in critical situations when the memory is full and the phone is slow.
Remember that after any major cleaning, it is recommended to restart the device, which will allow the Android system to re-index files and correctly display the real amount of free memory.
Prevention: How to avoid overcrowding in the future
The Other problem tends to come back if you don't change your smartphone usage habits. On the Redmi 8A, with its limited memory capacity, prevention is more important than cure. The main enemy is the automatic storage of everything you see online.
Configure autoload settings in instant messengers. Turn off saving photos and videos to the gallery for all chats except a select few. This will prevent duplicate files: they will be stored inside the application (in the cloud or cache), but will not occupy space in the shared gallery and category “Other” until the moment of viewing.
- 📅 Once a month, review the download folder and delete the old ones. APK-file.
- ☁️ Use cloud services (Google Photos, Yandex.Disk) with the function “Free space”, which deletes local copies of already uploaded files.
- 🚫 Avoid installing Play Market accelerators and cleaners – they often create garbage and display ads themselves.
Also keep an eye out for system updates. Xiaomi engineers periodically release patches that optimize the file system. However, before a major MIUI update, always free up at least 2-3 GB of space to make the process work.
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Use the Memory Extension feature in your settings if it is available for your version of MIUI. This will allow you to use part of the internal memory as virtual RAM, which indirectly helps the system manage the cache more efficiently.
Regular hygiene of the digital space is the key to a long and fast work of your Xiaomi Redmi 8A. Do not wait until the phone starts to brake, and control the volume of the category “Other” preventively.
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Regular cleaning of the messenger cache and disabling auto-save media are the most effective ways to combat the proliferation of the “Other” folder on smartphones with a small amount of memory.