Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face cryptic notification of space shortages, even though the gallery and file manager all folders look empty. The culprit is usually the “Other” section, which can grow to tens of gigabytes, taking up valuable space. This system container accumulates temporary files, remnants of remote applications, messenger cache and system logs, which the standard analyzer does not always correctly classify.
Cleaning this section requires a cautious approach, as mindlessly deleting system files can lead to unstable operating system operation or loss of important data. Unlike simple photos or music, the content of the Other category is often hidden from the user's eyes and requires the use of special tools or manual analysis through file managers with advanced rights. Understanding the storage structure of data based on Android and the shell MIUI or HyperOS will be the key to freeing up memory.
In this article, we will discuss in detail the safe ways to free up space, ranging from regular system tools to advanced methods of cleaning the cache of applications. You will learn to distinguish useful system files from digital garbage that can be painlessly removed. Proper memory hygiene of the device will not only speed up the interface, but also prolong the life of your smartphone drive.
What is hidden in the category Other on Android
The system partition is a kind of black box of the file system, where Android dumps everything that it could not put into the standard categories like Images, Videos or Apps. It can store social network cache data that is not deleted by standard cleaning, as well as temporary update files and remnants of deleted programs. Often users do not even suspect that this folder stores gigabytes of viewed videos from instant messengers.
Special attention should be paid to the thumbnails that create sketches for the gallery, and over time, the database of these thumbnails can grow to unimaginable sizes, occupying 5-10 GB of disk space, and often hide error logs and usage reports that system services create for debugging, but forget to delete.
⚠️ Note: Some files in the Other section are critical to the system's operation. Deleting unknown system libraries can lead to a "boot loop" (cyclic reboot) of the device.
Content analysis shows that the lion’s share of the garbage is in multimedia caches, messengers like Telegram and WhatsApp store downloaded media in hidden system folders, which the conductor labels as “Other”. No deep cleaning through the settings of the applications themselves or a file manager with access to the /Android/data/ These files will stay forever.
Use of the built-in Security application
The easiest and safest way to start the fight for space is to use the regular Security app, preinstalled on all Xiaomi smartphones, which automatically scans the device for junk files and suggests that they be deleted. Launch the application, select Cleanup and wait for the analysis to be completed. The system will determine the files that are safe to delete.
However, standard cleaning is often superficial and does not affect deep caches. For more detailed work, go to the Cleanup section and click on the Deep Cleanup button (if available in your version of MIUI). Here you can manually select large files that rank in the Other category and delete them selectively.
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Periodically run deep cleaning through the regular application to prevent the growth of system debris to critical volumes.
It is important to understand that the built-in tool does not always see the cache of streaming services or browsers. Therefore, after automatic cleaning, it is recommended to check the result in storage. If the volume of the Other has decreased slightly, you will have to resort to manual methods.
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The regular utility only removes safe debris, but often skips the application cache requiring manual intervention.
Manual cleaning through File Manager
For advanced users, manual cleaning is available through the standard File Manager. Open the app and go to the display settings to enable the display of hidden files. You need to find the MIUI or Android folder, where the remnants of remote applications are often hidden. Be extremely careful: delete only those folders whose names correspond to already deleted programs.
Pay special attention to the cache folder inside the application directories, which stores temporary data that can be deleted without fear. For example, the /Android/data/com.whatsapp/cache path can contain gigabytes of temporary images. By clearing these directories, you free up space that the system considers occupied by "Others."
☑️ Manual cleaning algorithm
Don’t touch folders with system service names like com.android.providers.downloads or com.miui.home. Deleting their content can reset desktop settings or interrupt downloads.
Analysis of storage by third-party utilities
If the built-in tools don't give you a complete picture, specialized applications for analyzing disk space come to the rescue, leaders in this field are DiskUsage, Storage Analyzer or Files by Google, which build a visual map of the occupied place, allowing you to see which file or folder inflated the "D" section.
Using these gates can reveal anomalies, for example, you might find that the listening app played every track ever played in the cache, or that the navigator saved offline maps of all countries in the world. Visualization helps you instantly find memory eaters that are hidden in the back of the file system.
Why is DiskUsage better than a standard analyzer?
When working with third-party analyzers, remember access rights. On new versions of Android, access to the /Android/data/ folder is limited, and the application can request special permission through the system window, which is normal system protection, and it must be confirmed for full analysis.
Cleaning the cache of messengers and social networks
The main source of growth of the category “Other” is messengers. Telegram, Viber, WhatsApp and Instagram cache every photo and video viewed. Telegram’s settings, for example, have a built-in tool “Memory Use”, which allows you to clear the cache with a single click without deleting correspondence.
WhatsApp is more complicated: it stores media files in a shared folder, and clearing the cache through the phone settings may not help, but it’s better to use the built-in Storage Management feature inside the app itself, which will show the largest chats and allow you to delete media files selectively or en masse.
Social networks like VK or Facebook are also aggressively cacheing content. Regularly cleaning the data of these applications through the Settings menu → Apps → All apps → [Title] → Storage → Clearing the cache works wonders. This returns the gigabytes to free space, which instantly cease to appear as "Other."
Comparison of Memory Cleaning Methods
The choice of cleaning method depends on your willingness to risk data and the depth of the problem. Below is a table comparing the effectiveness and safety of different approaches to cleaning the Other section on Xiaomi devices.
| Cleaning method | Security | Efficiency | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Staff cleaning | Tall. | Low. | Minimum |
| Cleaning up the app cache | Tall. | Medium | Low. |
| Third-party analyzers | Medium | Tall. | Medium |
| Manual deletion of files | Low. | Maximum | Tall. |
As you can see from the table, regular maintenance and cache cleaning are sufficient. Manual deletion should only be used when there is a critical shortage of space and backup. Combining methods gives the best result.
Prevention of memory overflow
To keep the problem of overflowing the Other section from returning, it is important to set up automatic cleaning. Many apps have an option to auto-delete the cache in their settings. For example, Telegram can set the cache to auto-delete in 3 days or a week, which will prevent the accumulation of gigabytes of garbage in the future.
Files downloaded from the internet often stay there forever, taking up space and falling into the “Other” category if the system can’t determine their type. Regular sorting of downloads is a good habit for any Android user.
⚠️ Warning: Don’t install the dubious accelerator apps from the Play Market. They often generate garbage and display ads themselves, slowing down the system instead of speeding up.
Using cloud storage for photos and videos also reduces the load on internal memory. Set up sync with Google Photos or Yandex.Disk with Free Space function, which will delete local copies of files, leaving them available online, which will significantly reduce the amount of space occupied.