Samsung more accurately shows how much storage is on your phone in Android 14

Samsung was underneath fireplace from some earlier this yr when the narrative that system information on the Galaxy S23 ate up a whopping 60 GB of the overall storage. That wasn’t true, and in Android 14 Samsung has up to date its software program to make this more clear.

When the Galaxy S23 collection debuted, Samsung was criticized for displaying upwards of 60 GB of storage being attributed to “system files,” as much as virtually 25% of the bottom storage fashions of Galaxy S23 Ultra. And, at a look, it was a jarring determine to see.

However, that was by no means actually the reality.

Rather, the explanation Samsung’s software program was displaying this excessive determine was because of the nature of storage. “Gigabytes” are the measure of storage that we’re all conversant in, however “gibibytes” are the more correct method to measure how much storage is out there and what the software program makes use of to indicate it. Those are totally different programs, although, with gigabytes measured in powers of 1,024 and gibibytes in powers of 1,000. That results in a 512 GB smartphone really having 476 GiB of storage.

If you got a tool marketed as 512 GB and noticed 476 GB in the storage settings, although, you’d seemingly be offended. So, most gadgets successfully inform a white lie right here, displaying figures that may whole as much as 512 GB. The extra few share factors sometimes get grouped into one of many current classes.

On Samsung’s 2023 smartphones, this got here underneath fireplace as a result of it was all grouped into “system files.” Effectively it seemed like Samsung’s information and bloatware had been inflating the storage used on the gadget, blocking storage that will in any other case be out there to the tip person.

As noticed by our Max Weinbach, Samsung’s Android 14 replace tweaks One UI to indicate storage in another way. The storage breakdown in One UI 6.0 now lists this disparity in storage underneath “other apps,” and now accurately shows the overall storage utilized by system information as simply over 16 GB.

This undoubtedly looks as if a change for the most effective, because it higher will get throughout what’s really occurring with a person’s storage. That mentioned, it does appear to be there may nonetheless be some humorous enterprise going on, because it was calculated beforehand that system information took up round 20 GB of storage on One UI 5 – both that, or Samsung’s One UI 6 replace has carried out some main trimming.

One UI 6, primarily based on Android 14, is nonetheless in beta, however ought to launch to Galaxy S23 and different gadgets earlier than the tip of the yr.

Max Weinbach contributed to this text.

(*14*)More on Samsung:

• Samsung’s Android 14 replace makes it much simpler to reflect your display screen by way of Chromecast
• Here’s all the pieces new in Samsung’s Android 14 replace [Gallery]
• ‘Try Galaxy’ app now enables you to slap two iPhones collectively and faux it’s a Galaxy Fold