Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face a nasty situation: the device’s internal memory is filled, even though the user did not download huge files. The mysterious category labeled “Other” appears in storage, which can take up tens of gigabytes, which causes confusion and questions about what exactly is stored there and why the system does not allow to delete this data by standard methods.
It can be difficult to understand the structure of MIUI or HyperOS storage, because Android has its own features of disk space accounting. Files falling into this category are not corrupted, they simply are not recognized by the system as standard media or documents. Understanding the nature of this data is the first step to freeing up valuable gigabytes on your device.
In this article, we will take a closer look at what the Other partition is made of, why it grows to giant sizes, and what safe cleanups exist. We will look at both the standard system tools and the more advanced methods available to each user. The Other section is mainly about the cache of applications, residual files after deleting programs, and messenger data.
Anatomy of the “Other” section in Android
To effectively combat space shortages, you need to understand what’s hidden under that name. Android classifies all files by type: images, video, audio, apps and documents. Anything that doesn’t fall into any of these well-defined categories is automatically sent to a shopping cart called Other (sometimes labeled System or Missionaneous).
First of all, it's the app cache: Social networks, browsers and streaming services save temporary data to quickly load content. Over time, these files accumulate and cease to be useful, but the system continues to consider them important for the operation of programs. For example, Telegram or VK can store gigabytes of viewed photos and videos in this section.
Also, residual files are included, and when you delete an application, its folders with settings and temporary data often remain in memory, and the Other section may contain:
- 📂 System update files that were not deleted after installation.
- 📂 Error logs and system performance reports.
- 📂 Data from offline maps and navigation applications.
- 📂 Temporary files of photo and video editors.
⚠️ Warning: Do not attempt to delete files from system folders through root-righted file managers without understanding their purpose.This can lead to Android instability or a cyclical device reboot.
Why does memory fill up so quickly?
Today’s apps are becoming increasingly heavy, and messengers have become multimedia platforms where every sticker, gif, and video you watch is cached, and if you actively use WhatsApp or Viber to work, chat with colleagues, and share documents, the amount of hidden data can grow exponentially.
Another reason is the MIUI algorithm. Xiaomi's shell aggressively caches frequently used applications so they open instantly. This is convenient for performance, but detrimental to memory, especially on models with 64 or 128 GB of internal storage. The system does not always correctly label these overgrown caches, enlisting them in "Other".
Also, many users forget about the “Autoload” feature in the cloud services. Photos can be deleted from the gallery after synchronization, but their temporary copies or thumbnails can remain in the system folders. Also worth mentioning are streaming services like YouTube, Netflix or Spotify, which save data for offline listening in hidden directories.
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Check Auto Cleaner settings regularly in the Security app. Installing a weekly cache cleaner will help keep the Other section under control without you being involved.
Basic cleaning with MIUI and HyperOS
Before you resort to radical measures, you should use built-in optimization tools. Xiaomi smartphones have a powerful app “Security” that knows how to find and remove garbage.
For a deeper cleaning, go to Settings → Memory, where the system will offer analyzed space. Click on "Other" or "Applications" to see the details. The system will show which programs occupy the most space. Often, messengers and social networks are at the top.
Inside each application, there's a "Clear Data" or "Clear Cache" button, and it's important to distinguish between these two concepts:
- 🗑️ Cache Clearing: Deletes temporary files without affecting your logins and settings.
- 🗑️ Cleaning up data: resets the application to the state immediately after installation. you will lose correspondence (if there is no backup) and authorization.
It is recommended to start by clearing the cache of the most “heavy” applications, which often allows you to free up 1 to 5 GB of space instantly, and if this does not help, you can try to clean up the data of a particular application, previously saving important information.
☑️ Quick cleaning algorithm
Deep cleaning through application settings
A regular memory analyzer doesn't always show the real picture inside applications. For example, in Telegram, the cache can take 10 GB, but in system analysis it will be displayed simply as the data of the applications.
Consider Telegram, which is the leader in memory clogging. Go to Settings → Data and Memory → Memory Use. Here you will see a cache slider. Click Clear Cache. You can also set up automatic cleaning, such as storing media for only 3 days or a week.
Similar to YouTube and TikTok, these apps accumulate huge amounts of temporary files to seamlessly play video, and they also have data cleanup options in their settings, and Instagram and Facebook (owned by Meta) are more complicated: They often don’t have a built-in cache clearing button, so you have to use the App’s system menu. → Application management.
⚠️ Before clearing the data of messengers, be sure to back up your correspondence in the cloud (Google Drive or iCloud), otherwise you risk losing an important message history forever.
Use of file managers and PCs
If standard methods fail, file managers will come to the rescue. Xiaomi’s standard Explorer or advanced File Manager+ let you look into hidden folders. Look for folders with application names (e.g. com.telegram.messenger) or system folders like Android/data and Android/obb.
Be careful in the Android folder. Deleting unnecessary files here can result in resetting game settings or losing progress. It is better to look for folders with the names of deleted applications or obvious junk files (for example, logs with the.log extension or temporary.tmp files).
The most reliable way is to connect to a computer. USB-cable (MTP) You can visually size folders. On a PC, it's easier to sort files by size and date. You can find forgotten downloads in the Download folder or heavy videos in hidden messenger folders.
What to do if the Android folder is protected from deletion?
Radical measures: Resetting and reflashing
When the Other takes up half the memory and nothing helps, the last resort is a full factory reset, guaranteed to remove all the garbage, file system errors and digital junk that has accumulated over the years, but it requires full preparation.
Before the Hard Reset procedure, you need to save all the important data to an external medium or to the cloud. After the reset, the phone will be as new, and the Other partition will be reduced to the minimum system values (usually 2-4 GB).
The discharge process looks like this:
- Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
- Select “Erase all data”.
- Confirm the action with a password or PIN-code.
- Wait for the process to be completed and the initial setup.
An alternative might be to flash the device through the computer with data saved (the option “Clean all” without saving, unfortunately, deletes data, but sometimes helps to recreate memory parts more correctly than a simple reset).
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A full factory reset is the only way to guarantee 100% cleanup of the Other, but it takes time to reset the phone and install apps.
Table: Comparison of cleaning methods
To make it easier for you to choose the right method, we have prepared a comparative table of cleaning methods for the Other section.
| Method | Efficiency | Risk of data loss | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleaning the cache in settings | Low/Mediocre | No. | Low. |
| Cleaning within applications (Telegram, etc.) | Tall. | No (unless you clear the data) | Low. |
| File Manager (Manual Search) | Medium | Medium (can be removed extra) | Medium |
| Reset to factory settings | Maximum | High (needs backup) | Tall. |
Prevention of memory overflow
To prevent the Other problem from returning too quickly, change your smartphone usage habits. Check the Downloads folder regularly and delete unnecessary ones. APK-Set up automatic cache cleanup in the Security app to weekly mode.
Use cloud storage for photos and videos by activating the “Free Space” feature in Google Photos, which will delete local copies of media files already stored in the cloud, and try not to store offline maps and music for years unless you use them constantly.
Keep an eye out for MIUI and HyperOS updates. Xiaomi engineers regularly release patches that optimize the file system and improve garbage removal mechanisms. The latest version of the software is the key to stable memory performance.
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Install the Memory Clearing widget on the home screen, and one tap on it once a week will help keep things in order and keep the Other section from critically filling.