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Galaxy S4 "Miscellaneous" Files: 6.39GB (what are they, and why are they there?)

I was checking out the storage usage on my S4 and see that "miscellaneous" files takes up 6.39GB--almost half of the available storage. I checked with a few other folks who have S4s, and the other guy who has a Verizon S4 also has 6.39GB used by miscellaneous files. The guys who have AT&T or T-Mobile are using a couple hundred MB. Tapping on the Misc section only shows a few MB of files--nowhere near the 6.39GB being used.

After some searching around, it seems that there are a lot of Verizon subscribers who have very large "miscellaneous" files, though I haven't been able to figure out quite why. Can someone chime in on what these might be, and why they are there? Yes, I know I can get an SDmicro memory card (I plan to use the one from my old TB, actually), but I'd still like to know.

Also, what are other S4 users seeing for miscellaneous files?

Comments

Klue

I don't have the S4 yet, but what was the free space available on your internal memory when you got the phone. The phone comes with 16Gb of memory. If you havent loaded anything on to the internal memory then the misc files would probably be Software and Aps that Samsung and Verizion loaded onto your phone before purchase. I don't think it is possible to ID each and everyone on the files that are marked Misc.

chris_k1

The 6.39GB of miscellaneous files were there from the start. That seems like a pretty insane amount of storage for "software and apps" that don't show up under apps. Maybe that's why it took VZW so long to release the S4--they had petabytes of "miscellaneous files" to load!

Klue

What else is listed under storage usage besides Misc??

chris_k1

Applications, Pictures & Video, Audio, Downloads--none of which takes up any appreciable space.

Verizon_Support

Dear Chris_K,

Good morning. Congrats on your recent purchase of the Samsung Galaxy S4. I know the importance of ensuring you have available memory. I would be more than happy to address your equipment concerns.

The Miscellaneous memory on the Galaxy S4, holds pre-installed applications that come with your device. Shoud you need additonal memory than what is available on the device, you may purchase a memory card up to 64GB. In addition, the Samsung Galaxy S4 offers a feature called Samsung Smart Switch. This feature immediately transfers photos, videos, contacts, and apps in one clean sweep. For more information on this feature please visit samsungsmartswitch.com. Should you have further questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to us. We would be more than happy to assist you.

Thank You,

MichelleS_VZW

VZW Support

Follow us on Twitter @VZWSUPPORT

kgirl58

Michelle, your response is the same uneducated and misleading info that was given to me when I purchases the S4 last week. It's the reason that I'm returning it w/i the 14 day period and cancelling the new contract that I entered into when I bought it.

You can't transfer apps to an SD card. So the "expandable" phone that your sales rep sold me is truly not expandable, and when you consider that 6.42 GB of a 16 GB phone is being taken up by the "Misc. Files" that are nothing more than Verizon bloat, it's an appalling low amount of storage for something sold as "The Next Big Thing". I'll go to AT & T for the 32GB, and, if not available, I'll stick with the S4 but get it from Sprint, which has the unlimited data plan so I don't need to use up my data plan (or make sure I have access to wifi and remember to use it) everytime I remove and then reload an app to get around the storage problem. Not to mention that I save the $50 early cancelling fee that I would have paid Sprint plus get $150 off the price of the phone. It's not like Verizon offered me anything to switch over anyway.

Honestly, Verizon should be ashamed of itself.

chris_k1

Thank you for the reply, Michelle. After doing additional research, I think your answer might be misleading. It would be more accurate to say that the miscellaneous files are comprised of the Android OS, as well as other software added by Verizon.

The "applications" on my phone, about 300 of them, take up about 2GB (or about 6MB per app). It would take almost 1,100 additional "other applications" to use up 6.39GB--which surely can't be the case.

From what I can see, the majority of the fault for the misleading storage claims appears to be Samsung's--although Verizon appears to to be carrier that adds the most after-factory "bloatware."

Alao

I have some to the conclusion that Verizon is probably the worst phone company in the world. Not only do you limit my S4 by removing features that other people have from different networks "Blocking Mode" then you install your bloated crap that uses up half my memory?!?!?!? I paid full retail price for my phone and I expect to be able to do what the hell I want with it. if I wasn't grandfathered in for an unlimited data plan I would of left verizon a long time ago.

>>Post edited to comply with Discussion concerning rooting, jailbreaking, or modding is not permitted in this forum<<

Message was edited by: Verizon Moderator

Klue

You can apply the latest Android update, that will allow you to install apps to the sd card. That will give you all the memory you could ever use.

Oh you didn't know about missing features that are available with other carriers. I did by doing research before buying, that is why I'm more than satisified with my S4, no surprises.

You can do anything you want with your phone but all carriers provide you with a service and you use that phone within the parameters the carrier provides. But then you already know that by being a Verizion subscriber for many years.

Jax_Omen

My T-Mobile S4 has a similar amount of storage consumed by Samsung/T-Mobile software.

Even the Google Play Edition Galaxy S4 (which has no carrier/manufacturer bloatware at all) has nearly 4gb of storage allocated for system use.

w1s3k1d

I think there is some misunderstanding here. I have a 16gb GS4. The phone is advertised as having 16GB of storage. About 6GB is being used up by Android OS, and verizon and samsung bloatware. So theoretically, we should have about 10GB to play with. On my phone, when I looked at storage usage, I only have about 3GB free to use, from the get-go. Upon inspecting the 9.5GB of usable space that we should have, about 6.5GB of it is "miscellaneuos files" and when I go into that, there is about 6.45gb used up by "system data", and I can't get any more detailed info than that. This is really frustrating. Thoughts anyone?????

Ann154

w1s3k1d wrote:
I think there is some misunderstanding here. I have a 16gb GS4. The phone is advertised as having 16GB of storage. About 6GB is being used up by Android OS, and verizon and samsung bloatware. So theoretically, we should have about 10GB to play with. On my phone, when I looked at storage usage, I only have about 3GB free to use, from the get-go. Upon inspecting the 9.5GB of usable space that we should have, about 6.5GB of it is "miscellaneuos files" and when I go into that, there is about 6.45gb used up by "system data", and I can't get any more detailed info than that. This is really frustrating. Thoughts anyone?????

Out of the box, the S4 has about 9-10 GB free. If you have only 3 GB free, then you have other files filling the space.

dakjackso

I did some digging on my S4 and found it was mostly apps that were taking up this space. Primarily the Gmail app. It was set to sync 30 days of emails and download attachments automatically. This meant that EVERY one of my gmail categories along with images for EVERY email were being synced and attachments downloaded automatically, hundreds of email updates and even spam folders every day. Once changing this option to 14 days of email and manual downloads of attachments I gained 8gb of free space. Also deleted google hangouts kept an absurd amount of texts along with images and media messages in the misc file memory for fast access. Facebook app also keeps a huge amount of previous posts for fast scrolling through the app. All of these combined ate away at the phone storage. There is still some bloatware but it is nowhere close to 16gb.

BUS_IMAGES_PLUS

Thank you kgirl58. I had started the phone, chat, send to app run around too. I agree. Its not fair that Verizon take up over a third of my internal memory for apps I dont even use. Unethical business practice, especially since a customer cannot expand internal memory nor delete the unwanted apps. Its like my equipment is being held hostage due to some business collab Verizon has with these vendors. I havent loaded more than five apps that are low in size before encountering memory issues.

Verizon_Support

We are sorry to read that you are having issues with your phone's storage. While we do have apps on the device that may take up space, these apps will not equal 6 GB of storage. Have you tried clearing the cache on your device?

PedroM_VZW

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