A reader asks:
“Why is my Android phone crying for memory just after a factory reset?”
That’s not much to go on, but here are some ideas:
1. Resetting a phone will remove temporary files and random junk files that may have accumulated, but doesn’t otherwise free space or shrink your files. Unless you’ve done real data-housecleaning — deleting unneeded apps, moving some files off the phone (say, into cloud storage), and so on — then restoring the phone after a reset may simply get you back to where you were before, more or less, with no great increase in space.
2. Does your phone have an add-on memory card? If so, and if you’ve previously set things up so that much of your data (e.g. photos) are stored on the card, you’ll need to set it up the same way again after the reset. Otherwise, data-restoration services (e.g. Google) may try to restore files that used to be on the card back to the phone’s main memory, creating a space crunch.
3. Each version of Android gets a little larger than the last. If your phone is very old, and/or was a low-RAM budget model, it may have run out of space because the OS is consuming more of the memory. Or, the phone’s memory system could be suffering breakdown or other malfunction, making some of the memory unusable. Check your phone’s memory settings to see if the phone is showing the full total memory (apps + system) it’s supposed to. If the OS is just taking up too much space, or if your phone can no longer “see” its full rated complement of it’s built-in RAM, it’s time for a new phone!
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the cell phone market seems to be using the same business model that the PC industry used 20+ years ago. each operating system and program update would require more and more resources, and so you were continuously having to update your hardware even though it was relatively new and completely functional. at least with PCs you could sit out upgrades and get by fine for at least a few years. but i’m not so sure that’s an option with cell phones these days, as the OS and apps are so tied to the cloud which is also continually changing and thus pretty much forcing you to continually upgrade.
I hear you, Lee — it can be frustrating.
When a new OS version adds new security functions and features, I think it’s worth it. When it adds new usability features, it *may* be worthwhile, depending on the features. When an update merely allows the vendor to pack in more bloat, it just ticks me off.
So far, the Android upgrades have been worthwhile for me; mostly adding useful features and improving security. Google has also gotten much better at segregating security updates from feature updates. That means you can obtain the latest security updates without having to replace the whole OS, so that even older phones can stay safe. These security updates are offered every month or so, unlike the major updates which (with some vendors) seem to take forever to be released.
As long as you have the latest security patches for your phone, you can (if you wish) skip a round or two of the wholesale OS updates with minimal additional risk. That should help you keep good, but older, hardware in use until you decide it’s time for a change. That’s a good thing!
Thanks for writing!