Those who own the Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P or the Pixel C will be pleased with the news of the arrival of Android 7.1 Nougat on their handsets in December.
Android 7.1 Nougat brings with it a handy Manage Storage feature, which lets users free up space on their device. The Manage Storage tool has two options for freeing up space: Smart Storage and Manual.
Users of the Google Pixel XL and Pixel smartphones may be familiar with this functionality.
We run you through how to deploy the Manage Storage tool effectively free up space on your Android 7.1 Nougat-powered mobile device.
What Is Smart Storage?
Android 7.1 Nougat brings with it the new Smart Storage feature, which aids users who are looking to free up precious space on their mobile device.
This feature essentially works in the background and will automatically get rid of old files such as photos and videos that are backed up. As a result, this tool is pretty effective in clearing space on the drive.
Even though the Smart Storage tool removes files, these will be backed up in the cloud so that a user can access them if and when required.
Benefits Of Using Smart Storage
This option essentially saves the user the hassle of perennially having to agree to the prompt from Photos to free up space when one's Android 7.1 Nougat-powered smartphone or tablet is running low on storage.
Smart Storage removes photos/videos from one's mobile device in 30 days, 60 days or 90 days as selected by the user. One need not worry about losing the precious files as they are only removed once they have been backed up to Google Photos in the cloud.
How To Use Smart Storage
Step 1: Navigate to Settings and select Storage option on your Android 7.1 Nougat device.
Step 2: On the top right side you will see Manage Storage. Click on this and you will see two options - Automatic and Manual.
Step 3: Toggle on the Smart Storage option, which is under automatic.
Step 4: Select the "Remove backed up photos & videos" option available. This will let you select how old the videos and photos need to be before they are eligible for auto deletion.
Step 5: Select from the over 30 days old, over 60 days old or over 90 days option.
It must be remembered that Smart Storage does not automate all the storage solutions for Android 7.1. Manual cleanup tool is also available, which clears space and works in tandem with Smart Storage.
How To Perform A Manual Cleanup
Step 1: Navigate to Settings and select Storage on your Android 7.1 Nougat device.
Step 2: Navigate to Manage Storage and select Manual.
Step 3: Click on the "Free up space now."
Step 4: This opens up a list of items that a user has not used in a while and can remove. These include photos and videos, as well as downloads and apps. One can sort these on the basis of space they take up, type of file and the last time these were used.
Step 5: Select the apps or files you wish to delete manually by checking the box next to the category.
Step 6: Select the free up button and you have purged the content!
