Rooted Froyo phone, deleting apk files doesn't free up internal memory

Question

I am constantly running into storage problems on my 2.2 Froyo Samsung Galaxy Ace. I decided to delete some memory intensive stock apps that I didn't need, and deleted the .apk files using Root Browser Lite. I also tried uninstalling via Titanium Backup.

However, deleting / uninstalling these apps has had no impact on my storage. eg Swype.apk (which I don't use) weighs in at 20mb. Is there anything else I need to do to benefit from this?

Answer 1

If you get an error like "insufficient memory", "storage low", or the like, this usually refers to the /data partition. That is not only where user-installed apps go to, but also their data.

You tried to free some space by deleting "pre-installed apps". They are usually referred to as "system apps", as they reside on the /system partition. So deleting them usually does not free up space on /data (to be more precise: it only frees up little, as those apps store their configuration and data there). Which explains why your "delete operations" had not the desired effect.

Following the insufficient-memory tag, you will find a lot of questions dealing with this issue. I heartly recommend you visiting its tag wiki first, which gives you some "first aid". For more information, check the highest frequented questions next. If there are still remaining points, feel free to ask a new question addressing those.

PS: This 3-step of "tag wiki", "tag faq" and "remaining questions" fits in many places. Unfortunately, our tag wikis don't receive the attention they deserve...

Answer 2

You mentioned using Titanium Backup for removing apps, but another nice but not so well known feature is TB's ability to give you a breakdown of what's taking up space and where.

1. Open TB
2. Click the 'Overview' button at the top, if you're not already there
3. At the bottom of that screen you'll see a chart of your storage items and usage.
4. Press your finger anywhere in that section and you'll be brought to the 'Overview of app storage use' screen.

From there you'll see a breakdown, per app, of what's taking up the most space, in what areas. Since you're already in TB, anything you want to uninstall you can just click and do so right there.