Question

Why I have little space in Android partitions? Why the applications that come with the terminal does not occupy space until the upgrade?

Answer 1

Many complaints of Android, especially in some former or current low-end terminals, come by the limited memory available to install applications. And this complaint is quite justified. If I have a mobile phone of 512 MB ​​of space, why I have really only 100 MB to install applications? Why do you say that in the internal memory is only 192 MB of space? 

The key to all this are the partitions. Android's internal storage is divided into several partitions, and we can use only which is reserved for data, which also has to live with all the space used by applications to store data and the operating system. Let's see in detail what are the partitions and what they do. 

 

Partitions Android 

Android partitions are named as in Unix operating systems as Android is based on Linux. So do not use letters like in Windows, but you have to use special commands for viewing on your mobile phone. Nor is it very important to know this nomenclature to understand what comes next: 

 

/ boot: This partition contains the data necessary to boot the Android mobile. Includes bootloader and Linux kernel. Without this mobile partition unbootable. When you install a ROM data to partition are replaced with new ones. 

 

/ recovery: This partition contains an alternate boot / boot. If you start here you have access to the console and can perform certain advanced tasks, especially if you install a different recovery program from the factory, as ClockworkMod. We may here, for example, delete all data from the terminal, install an update or new ROM. Many advanced features such as having a recovery other than the one from the factory require root. 

 

/ system: This partition contains the operating system (except the kernel and bootloader) and the applications that come by default in the terminal. If you delete the contents of this partition does not boot the phone. Of course, we can always go into recovery and install a new ROM. 

 

/ cache: Temporary data of the operating system. For example here is where to download an OTA update prior to installation. You can safely delete the content that regenerating. 

 

/ misc: Contains important data terminal configuration. Beware touch. 

 

/ data: Here downloaded applications and application data are stored. For example, contain messages, contacts, emails from Gmail ... to levels that you can play Angry Birds. Deleting this partition would leave the terminal as it came from factory (Factory Reset). This is the partition that shows the terminal when the occupied and free space says.

Answer 2

Why the applications that come with the terminal does not occupy space until the upgrade? 

 

 

And here is the explanation of why the applications that come with the terminal no space. These applications, which come with the phone, take up space on / system (specifically in / system / app). And so no space in / data that is where there are problems. As a consequence, if we do root to remove some application system did not use, do not recover space (not entirely true, retrieve the data space of the application, as this space itself that deals in / data) 

 

Now, if an application update that came standard with the phone, for example Gmail, Google Maps, Google search, then go on to occupy some space. This is because these applications are updated when they start taking up space on / data. These applications can not be uninstalled (without root), but uninstall updates, so the application that will be used is the one in / system, and no longer take up space in / data (excluding data associated with execution).

Answer 3

Ice Cream Sandwich: all this is over 

 

As we discussed at the time, since there is Ice Cream Sandwich this limitation partition no longer exists (if the manufacturer wants). From Android 4.0 Android terminals can operate on a single partition, where all the data in lower versions are in / data and / system are stored. 

That is, we will not lose more space by having almost empty partitions while / data is packed. This has a downside, is that you can not use the phone like mass storage. But I think this issue is much more detailed input on Ice Cream Sandwich.