My phone storage is always full even though I have deleted everything I can find. Where is the hidden storage going

[DodgyCoder]

Q: 128GB phone, says 118GB used. I have deleted apps, cleared obvious photos and videos, but cannot find where 80-plus GB is hiding. The storage breakdown in settings shows apps using 15GB, photos 12GB, other 91GB. What is the other category and how do I clear it

Android phone, running Android 15

[Cheeky Shaun]

The Other category on Android 15 is the mystery category that catches everyone. It includes cached data, offline downloads, downloaded files in app-specific folders, WhatsApp media stored locally, and files apps have put in locations that do not show up in the gallery

[StringTheory51]

First stop: Settings, Storage, then tap into each category and look at what is there. The Files app also has a Clean function that identifies deletable files Google has flagged as safe to remove

[Ruby_50]

WhatsApp is the most common single culprit. Check WhatsApp Storage in the app settings. Video messages and media you have received but never viewed can accumulate to tens of gigabytes without showing in your main gallery

[GhostRider]

Downloaded content from streaming apps is the other big one. Netflix, Spotify, YouTube Premium offline content all sits in app-specific storage that does not show in photos or documents

[WearyCoder]

Use a file manager app like Files by Google and browse to your Downloads folder. Apps dump files there that most people never look at

[Kieran88]

Podcast apps, Google Maps offline areas, and games with downloaded content packs are other common large storage users that do not appear obviously in the standard breakdown

[Q]

Go to Settings, Apps, then sort by storage size. Anything unexpected at the top of that list is worth investigating. Some apps accumulate enormous caches

[Cheeky Shaun]

Android 15 has a built-in storage analyser in Settings that is more detailed than the basic breakdown. Look for Storage, then the bar chart breakdown, and tap each segment for detail

[ParallelSelf90]

If none of the above finds it a factory reset with a fresh start is the nuclear option. Backup everything first and the hidden storage usually turns out to have been app data that accumulated over years