The situation when Xiaomi smartphone suddenly reports a shortage of space, familiar to many owners of devices MIUI and HyperOS: You delete the photo, transfer the video to the memory card, but the indicator of storage occupancy still burns red, and the system claims that the memory is occupied by “other”.
This is not a counting error or a firmware bug, but a feature of the Android architecture in conjunction with the shell from the Chinese manufacturer. The system partition, marked as “Other”, often hides gigabytes of temporary files, residual debris from remote applications and, most importantly, the cache of messengers.
Understanding the nature of these files is the first step to freeing up space. Unlike the standard app cache, which is easy to clean with standard tools, the Other section requires deeper analysis and manual intervention in the device's file system.
What’s Behind the “Other” Section in Android
When you go into storage settings, the system categorizes files into categories: apps, images, video, audio, but there is a layer of data that Android can't uniquely identify or classify as system.
Most often, this term hides archives of updates that were not deleted after installing the new version of MIUI, as well as error logs, memory dumps and temporary files created during the work of heavy games or graphics editors.
⚠️ Note: Auto-cleaning through standard utilities often ignores the largest files in the Other section, as they may have system attributes or be busy with active processes.
Obb and game data are special. If you delete a game but the cache folders are still there, they will continue to take up space and appear as unknown data. Sometimes the volume of "Other" inflates video communication applications, storing call logs in hidden directories.
It is important to understand that the Other partition can take up to 30-40% of the total storage capacity on devices with a small built-in drive if not monitored regularly.
Messengers: Telegram and WhatsApp as the main culprits
The most common reason for the growth of the “Other” section is messengers. Telegram and WhatsApp tend to accumulate media files that the system perceives as part of the application’s data, rather than as separate photos or videos.
Telegram has a caching mechanism that by default has no strict restrictions, GIF-The animations and the files sent are stored in a local database, and over time, this cache can reach tens of gigabytes.
- 📱 Telegram: Files are stored in a folder Android/data/org.telegram.messenger/files, which is often not cleaned by standard means.
- 💬 WhatsApp: Backs up databases locally, old versions of which can stay in memory for months.
- 📸 Viber: Stores thumbnails and stickers in hidden system folders, increasing the volume of “Other».
To solve the problem, you need to go to the settings of the messenger itself. In Telegram, this is the Settings section → Data and memory → Memory Use. Here you can set a cache limit, for example, 1 GB, and clean the current cache manually.
WhatsApp doesn’t have flexible cache settings, so you have to delete old backups through the file manager or clean up the application data before saving important correspondence.
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Use the built-in Cache Clearing feature inside Telegram settings, not through Android settings – it is safer and more efficient to remove junk files.
System cache, updates and residues of remote programs
The MIUI and HyperOS shells are heavily buffered to speed up the interface. Dalvik Cache and ART Cache files are essential for fast application loading, but they can take up significant space.
Another source of heavy debris is the MIUI folder at the root of the internal drive, which stores themes, screenshots of the Mi Video editor and, most importantly, installation packages for system updates.
| File type | Location (path) | Can I remove it? |
|---|---|---|
| Update packages | /data/local/tmp/ or /downloaded_rom/ | Yes, if the update is installed |
| Cash sketches. | /DCIM/.thumbnails | Yes, they will. |
| Logs of debugging | /MIUI/debug_log/ | Yes, it's safe. |
| Temporary files | /Android/data/.temp/ | Carefully. |
If you have recently updated your firmware, check for an updated.zip file or similar archives in the root of the memory. Once the system is successfully installed, these files are no longer needed, but are not automatically deleted.
Also worth noting is the tails of remote applications, some programs leave their folders in the Android/obb or Android/data section when uninstalled, and manually removing them is safe if you are sure that the application is no longer needed.
What is a.thumbnails folder?
Manual cleaning through file manager and conductor
For deep cleaning of the built-in application, Security is often not enough. You will need a more advanced tool, such as Files by Google or built-in Explorer from Xiaomi with the inclusion of hidden files.
First, activate the hidden folder display. In a standard Xiaomi Explorer, click three dots in the corner and select the appropriate item. Now you see all system directories starting from a dot.
⚠️ Note: When manually cleaning, never delete files from folders Android/obb and Android/data It's the whole thing, if you don't know exactly which app they belong to, and it can cause you to reset your game progress.
Find the folder. MIUI And you can study the contents carefully. debug_log They often contain gigabytes of junk, and check the Download folder, which often has forgotten installers for years. APK documents.
Sort by file size. Most file managers can sort files by volume, so you can instantly find the heavyweights that are in the Other section.
☑️ Manual cleaning algorithm
Using ADB for Advanced Cleaning
For users who are not afraid of a computer, the most effective method is to use USB debugging and the ADB (Android Debug Bridge) utility, which allows you to delete files that are not accessible to ordinary applications.
First, turn on Developer Mode. Go to Settings → About Phone and quickly click on MIUI build number seven times. Then activate Debugging by USB from the “Additional” menu.
adb shell pm clear com.android.providers.downloadsThis command will clear the download cache, which is often mistakenly classified by the system as "Other", and you can also use commands to search for large files:
adb shell ls -lSh /sdcard/ | head -n 20Using ADB gives you complete control over the file system, but it requires caution: One incorrect command can lead to unstable system operation or loss of personal data.
There are graphical shells for ADB, such as Xiaomi ADB/Fastboot Tools, which simplify the process and allow you to safely remove system debris and cache without manually entering commands.
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Using ADB is the most powerful tool, but it requires a PC connection and debugging enabled. Use it if standard methods didn't work.
Cardinal measures: Resetting and flashing
If the Other partition is critical and does not shrink after all the cleanups, it is possible that the file system is corrupted or has accumulated indexing errors.
In this case, a full factory reset helps, and before that, be sure to back up important data to the cloud or computer, as all files will be deleted.
Once reset, the system will create a new, clean file structure, and if the problem was file system errors, the volume of the Other will return to normal values (usually 5-10 GB for the system and basic applications).
In extreme cases, especially on older devices, flashing through Recovery or Fastboot mode with full Wipe All Data helps, ensuring that any hidden partitions and debris are removed.