"Low on space" warning with over 50% free

Question

I recently started getting the following notification:

Low on space: Phone storage space is getting low.

When I click on the notification, it takes me to the "All" applications screen listing how much space each application takes, and at the bottom it shows:

Internal storage: 296MB used, 452MB free

Why is it complaining about low space when only 1/3 of the internal storage has been used?

Edit: This is on an HTC Incredible both before and after the upgrade from Froyo to Gingerbread.

Edit 2: Looks like it's not just me:

http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=20201&q=low%20memory&colspec=ID%20Type%20Status%20Owner%20Summary%20Stars

http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=20014&q=low%20memory&colspec=ID%20Type%20Status%20Owner%20Summary%20Stars

http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Google+Mobile/thread?tid=02216e9b3aed01ad&hl=en

etc.

Edit 3: Called Verizon about the issue (expecting to get the standard "do a factory reset"), but instead got escalated to Tier 2. The Tier 2 person looked up the issue in their system and said it was a known bug and that HTC is requesting all people with the bug not do a factory reset but instead call their tech support at 866-449-8358. I called them and they told me a fix (via OTA update) has been released and will upgrade the Android version to 4.08.605.2 (I currently have 4.06.605.3). Last night my phone did try to do another OTA update, but after restarting it complained that it could not install it due to low memory. The HTC rep told me to remove applications from the phone until the low memory warning went away, then dial the following number to force the phone to check for system updates (it normally only does it once a week or so):

*#*#2432546#*#*

I did this and still haven't received notification of a system update, but hopefully within a week I'll get pushed the new version...

Edit 4: Called again (both HTC and Verizon) to see if there was any other way to force the update again, but they told me all I could do is try a factory reset. A lot of people are running into this, more references:

http://gadgetian.com/27505/htc-droid-incredible-vzw-gingerbread-update-4-08-605-2-dwonload/

http://androidforums.com/incredible-support-troubleshooting/183963-low-space-phone-application-storage-notification-12.html

http://community.htc.com/na/htc-forums/android/f/91/t/14260.aspx?PageIndex=5

http://forums.androidcentral.com/verizon-droid-incredible/134223-second-gb-update-patch-reboot-issue-error-log-message.html

Answer 1

Got these instructions from http://gadgetian.com/27505/htc-droid-incredible-vzw-gingerbread-update-4-08-605-2-dwonload/?replytocom=18668#respond It worked for me. My update is installing as we speak. :)

"Here is the fix for those of you still stuck in limbo between the Gingerbread Rollout and the patch, and have not gotten another OTA announcement again.

Clear borked upload from cache

1.Boot into recovery •Press and hold Power, Choose “Restart” option •When screen turns off, press and hold Volume Down and Power

2.When the white HBOOT screen appears, use the volume button to move down to “RECOVERY.”

3.Press the Power button to select “RECOVERY.”

4.When the triangle and exclamation appears, hold the Volume Up and Power button at the same time.

5.Using the volume button, scroll down to “Wipe cache partition” and select it.

6.Select “Reboot system now”

You can now wait for the update to show up again or you can follow steps below to force an update check:

Manually change the date on your phone to one year ago. This will trigger an automatic check in with the update servers and you will get the appropriate update.

1. Menu > Settings > Date and Time

2. Un-check Automatic to prevent the date and time from automatically updating

3. Change the date to one year ago (under Set Date)

4. Uncheck Background data from settings menu under Accounts & Sync (don’t really know if it makes a difference, but I did it anyway)

5. Go back to the main settings and select About Phone > Check For Update and follow the prompts (I had to do this about three or four times.) It went MUCH smoother over Wi-Fi

Caution…when clicking install and reboot, it will stay at the Droid Eye screen after reboot for a while (~5 mins), but eventually, it did get installed.

Read more: http://gadgetian.com/27505/htc-droid-incredible-vzw-gingerbread-update-4-08-605-2-dwonload/#ixzz1gUZiGs1H"

Answer 2

Alright, finally got it after spending a while digging through Android forums.

This thread explains how to clear the /cache partition. After doing that, this thread explains several ways to get the update to trigger again. The one that worked for me was to temporarily set the date one year in the past.