# What is the Other category in Android storage? — Adinand Auto File Sorter

Last reviewed: October 7, 2026. HTML version: https://adinandsorter.com/answers/what-is-other-in-android-storage

**On a Samsung Galaxy, "Other" is app data that does not fit any of the named rows: Samsung lists system files, cached data and temporary files, and says you cannot delete it directly.** Google's own help sends you to the same Settings › Storage screen, so the useful questions are what each company writes about the row and how you can see what is behind it.

## Samsung's definition <p>Samsung UK has a support article for exactly this question. In its words, "The “Other” storage category contains data from apps you have installed on your smartphone or tablet. It includes items such as system files, cached data, and temporary files that do not fall into any other storage categories." The next sentence sets the limit: "The data contained in the “Other” storage category cannot be deleted directly from your device. However, you can clear some of it by deleting cache or app data" ([*What is Other Storage on your Samsung phone*, Samsung UK](https://www.samsung.com/uk/support/mobile-devices/what-is-other-storage-on-your-galaxy-phone/), read 7 October 2026; page "Updated : 4th August, 2026"). The breakdown it refers to sits in **Battery and device care**, the UK name for the screen Samsung US calls Device care.</p>

## What Google's pages say: nothing <p>Google's general storage article tells you to open Settings, tap **Storage** and "Select a category", and lists what you can remove, but none of its sections names an Other or System category or describes what such a row holds ([*Free up storage on your Android device*, Android Help](https://support.google.com/android/answer/7431795?hl=en), read 7 October 2026). The Pixel version is silent on it as well ([*Free up space on a Pixel phone*, Pixel Phone Help](https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/2840863?hl=en), read 7 October 2026), and so is Files by Google's page on checking storage, which only reports used and available space ([*Check storage space*, Files by Google Help](https://support.google.com/files/answer/9750920?hl=en), read 7 October 2026). The Android article does concede that "Settings can vary by phone" and points to "your device manufacturer" for details. So if your phone shows an Other row, the maker's own help is where its definition lives, and on a non-Samsung phone we did not find one.</p>

## When Other looks bigger than it is <p>Samsung's article describes a display quirk worth checking before you worry about the number. "There may be an “i” symbol next to “Apps” in Storage in Battery and device care. If this is the case, the amount of storage used by “Other” will seem larger." Its fix: tap the "i" next to Apps, tap Settings, "Scroll down and tap the switch next to My Files", go back, and "You will now see how much storage is occupied by apps and how much is occupied by Other" (the Samsung UK page above). The page does not explain why that switch changes the split; it gives only the steps.</p>

## Why it grows <p>Samsung's article gives no reason for growth and no typical size; on both it is silent (the Samsung UK page above). Our reading of its definition: because the row is made of apps' system files, caches and temporary files, it tends to follow the apps you use most, and heavy media or messaging apps are the first place we would look. That is an inference, not something Samsung states.</p>

## Looking inside it <p>You cannot open Other as a folder, so the documented routes all go through the apps it belongs to.</p> <ul> <li>**Samsung, per app:** Settings › Apps › the app › Storage › "Clear cache or Clear data", with Samsung's own caution that "if you delete files from an app you often use, the app will run slower" (the Samsung UK page above). Our advice: treat Clear data as the drastic one — [what it wipes](https://adinandsorter.com/answers/where-to-find-app-data-on-android).</li> <li>**Files by Google, ranked by app:** under Categories, tap **Apps**; "You can find the amount of storage of each app", once the app usage permission is on ([*Check the storage space of the apps*, Files by Google Help](https://support.google.com/files/answer/11349611?hl=en), read 7 October 2026). This is the quickest way to see which app is likely behind a large Other figure.</li> <li>**Pixel, files outside the named rows:** Google's tip is to open Settings, tap Storage, then **Free up space** and **Browse** "To see more files that are using space on your phone or tablet" (the Pixel page above).</li> </ul> <p>If a cleaner app offers to empty Other for you, read [what those apps actually do](https://adinandsorter.com/answers/what-is-a-junk-cleaner-on-android) first. A System row is a separate case that you mostly cannot shrink — [here is why](https://adinandsorter.com/answers/free-up-system-space-on-android).</p>

## In short <p>The definition comes from the phone maker's help, not Google's. Samsung defines it as app data with no better home and points you to per-app cache and data; Google's Android and Pixel articles linked above leave it undefined. Check the Apps switch on a Galaxy first, find the biggest app, and decide app by app.</p>

Related: [Where to find app data on Android](https://adinandsorter.com/answers/where-to-find-app-data-on-android) · [Free up system space on Android](https://adinandsorter.com/answers/free-up-system-space-on-android) · [What is internal storage on Android?](https://adinandsorter.com/answers/what-is-internal-storage-on-android) · [Why is my phone storage full?](https://adinandsorter.com/answers/why-is-my-phone-storage-full)