16GB Internal Storage misery

[RavensRebel]

Pardon me while I rant for a sec.

When will Tracfone move on from 16 GB phones (actually only 10GB available space)? Grrr... in this app-driven age, 10GB is impossible to maintain. and to make matters worse, Tracfone sneaks more nonremovable apps every upgrade using up even more precious MBs.

I am always running out of space and can't even update apps until I delete something. I can move apps to the SD card, but I've heard it's not good to heavily use an SD card, that they weren't made for it (I don't know if this is true).

Back in the day when apps were in their infancy, 16GB phones were plenty enough. But now everything has an app and I just don't see that it's practical any more to have such little internal storage space. 32GB should be the new standard across all phones. Or at the very least on the middle tier J7 line and up.

I love my Galaxy J7 Crown but I HATE its poor storage space. I just activated it but I am already looking for a new phone. I want to stick with Samsungs. I am hoping TracFone comes out with a new middle tier 32GB phone some time in the near future. I do see there is a Samsung S7 that comes with 32GB but it has terrible reviews - something about a swelling battery.

Ok. Rant over

[whacker]

16 GB? I was using 8 GB devices until about a year and a half ago.

I'm afraid that in this price range or service tier, 16 GB may be the holding point for some time. I've no reason to think otherwise. They know what demographic uses this level of service and what they're willing to pay for the "branded" devices they offer. BYOD is the way out.

Just because "everything has an app" doesn't mean you have to use one for access to the stuff you want/need to use. I primarily still use mobile websites for my fun. I've just never bought in to the whole idea, and having to plan on the hungry never-ending resources all these apps require. Sure I'd like 32 GB and up, but I'm unwilling to pay for it, and keeping all of that at arm's length to me is a plus.

[hpham]

I love my Galaxy J7 Crown but I HATE its poor storage space. I just activated it but I am already looking for a new phone. I want to stick with Samsungs. I am hoping TracFone comes out with a new middle tier 32GB phone some time in the near future. I do see there is a Samsung S7 that comes with 32GB but it has terrible reviews - something about a swelling battery.

There's the new Samsung A10e with 32GB.
https://tracfonereviewer.blogspot.co...-tracfone.html

You can also go BYOP. Lots of choices.

[veriztd]

Does the phone have an SD card slot? If your internal memory is not enough, that is the best solution to that problem, short of paying for a device with more memory. For $50 more than the J7, Tracfone sells the Galaxy S7 which gives much more options.

This is not Tracfone's fault.

[advcomp2019]

The bad thing about Samsung phones is they have no adoptable storage to help with this issue. I have tried to loophole the system by using adb, but it does not work.

[rpz1]

Very well said by whacker. People on MVNOs are there for a reason and their offered "brand" phones fit the demographic. We're all free to BYOP which allot of us do when our needs are more. There are tons of phones out there to meet any needs.
I do the same as whacker. 8gb has always been plenty. I don't need an app to order my pizza.

[whacker]

Well, I was glad to get into 16 GB phones when I did. With the one I'm using now I've only used up 7.35 GB of the 16 GB! I wish I could get rid of all the unused pre-installed apps (LG Fiesta 2), but I've disabled and uninstalled updates on all the ones I've opted not to use. When I first got the phone I tried out the Facebook and FB Mssgr. apps, but I opted to revert them to their base versions (smallest stub version) and disable, and go with the Lite versions of both. Actually I don't even have FB Lite on my phone (I do on a tablet). I use Google Chrome for Android going to FB's mobile site, which for me is really quite good (for the little I use it). The full-blown FB apps are HUGE! Like over 300 MB!

Apps I do use are more small basic control and communications things, like Glimpse Notifications, DNS 66 ad blocker, Hangouts and its dialer, Google Voice, a few others. I keep Chrome up to date but do most of my surfing with Naked Browser.

[RavensRebel]

I know it is not likely right now, I just wanted to rant about it, as I recently discovered another app TracFone slipped in on me after updating.

I just wish 32 GB was the new standard instead of 16GB. I am sure some day it will be, just like how computers increased ram to match increasing need. My first computer came with 512 MB. Then 1 GB was the standard. I thought I'd hit the big time when I got one with 4 GB. That is now paltry. All things adapt in time. I just want Samsung to hurry up. I mistakenly blamed TracFone because I assumed these phones were made for them but I guess it is Samsung.

Yes, I know I can buy a Samsung S-whatever and BYOP, but I have no such need for a phone that cost hundreds of dollars. Just a decently priced phone with at least 32GB

[jerry430]

I'm surprised nobody had mentioned the Moto G6, which is a 32gb phone. Available now at QVC for $145 with shipping with 1500 buckets. It's been as low as $130.

https://www.qvc.com/Tracfone-Motorol...4.html?sc=SRCH

[hpham]

Yes, I know I can buy a Samsung S-whatever and BYOP, but I have no such need for a phone that cost hundreds of dollars. Just a decently priced phone with at least 32GB

I'm surprised nobody had mentioned the Moto G6, which is a 32gb phone.

A new Moto G6 is on sale now for $99 on TF web site. Add a $15 time card, then apply promo code NOV25 to take 25% OFF the price of the phone, bringing the total for the bundle down to $90, plus tax. Not a high price if the OP really wants a phone with 32GB.

[ST Dog]

And the Motorola (probably LG too) devices can use adopted storage.

I split a 128GB card to use part as adopted on my daughters E4. (Simple adb commands to set up)


OP, don't know where you heard that about SD cards. The chips in them are the same NAND Flash used for internal storage and even Solid State HDs on computers. SD cards were the original storage on android. And they are used as adopted. Not likely that would be an option if cards were generally ill suited to the role.

Of course, cheap low quality cards are a problem, as are counterfeit cards. But a quality brand from a known retailer should work fine.

[Hooterville]

Get the A10e from Straight Talk for $49.00 at WalMart on Black Friday. Can't beat that price.
Not sure if you can use a Straight Talk phone with Safelink or not?

[loboheeler]

I can move apps to the SD card, but I've heard it's not good to heavily use an SD card, that they weren't made for it (I don't know if this is true).

I have a 64GB MicroSDXC in my small Windows 10 notebook computer. Most of the added programs run off that because it only has 32GB of main storage. Been running without fault for almost 3 years.

[WhiteSnake91]

A possible solution is using a 16gb+ phone where you can either adoptable storage by default like Motos, or ADB command it like I've read about people doing on the LG Fiesta 1-2. I still had about ~5gb free on the 16gb Moto E4 even with all the major "big" social media apps, although I offloaded pics/mp3/vids to an sd card...in years gone by I heard it was so easy to transfer actual apps/anything to the sd cards, but starting around the 4.4 kitkat era they supposedly killed that.

I guess it is what it is though, if you want bigger baseline storage you'll have to pay for that added space, but adoptable would be a free way if the phone supports it

[gmannix]

Most apps, I should say many, can be deleted or at least disabled by : settings>apps>gboard(for example)...scroll down to bottom and see if app was installed from google play store. If so, it can be deleted. Hpoe this helps .