Ever gotten this message when attempting to install or update an app?
This is simply a result of your device not having enough free storage in the app's primary installation location, which is the /data partition for user apps (and the /system partition for system apps--we're not really addressing the installation of system apps here, however).
"Enough" appears to be at least ~512 Mb of free space in the /data partition (for user app installs).
(edit: for older, smaller devices, this threshold is likely to be proportionally smaller depending on how much overall space the device has for it's internal memory)
This appears to be a strategy and restriction of the Google Play Store app to ensure your device has enough free space for normal operations.
The warning says "download" but it clearly doesn't always mean just that since you may indeed have enough free space to download and for the .apk file to be "expanded" (i.e., the base.apk, any library files, and expansion packs to be downloaded) and installed--you're simply bumping-up against an artificial limit/threshold set by the Google Play Store app.
You will not be able to install any new apps (or likely update any currently installed ones) until you've freed-up enough space on the /data partition.
Strategies for freeing-up space in the /data partition [2] include:
You can use the Storage Truth app or the Linux shell's "df /data" command to display how much free space you have in the relevant app installation partitions (i.e., /system for system apps and /data for user apps).
Edit: please note that there will undoubtedly be some folks who DO have enough (or more than enough) free space in the /data partition and yet will still be unable to successfully install or update an app. Please see my comments in post #3 below regarding this.
Cheers and I hope this helps (or at least helps explains things).
Other notes and final thoughts:
[1] Testing Details
[2] Makeup of the /data partition
[3] I used to think that the ~512 Mb free space limit in /data was limited to Samsung devices, but this is clearly not the case and seems to apply to ALL devices, given that I've seen the same free space restrictions on my stock Nexus device
[4] The ~512 Mb threshold is approximate as I'm unsure if Google is using 1024*1024 or 1000*1000 to calculate a megabyte (Mb)
[5] This threshold limitation is not new information for a lot of folks here at AF, but I wanted to test this out on a stock device that initially had plenty of free space in the /data partition an no other known issues w/app installation problems
[6] I've scanned the AOSP sources (i.e., the package installer code) for information or references with regard to a disk space threshold value and didn't find any; this and the fact that the Google Play Store app (com.google.vending) contains many references to the "insufficient storage" message and the wide variety of devices we've heard about this issue on indicates it's not an OS or device specific threshold, but something common to the Google Play App
[7] FYI, here are the string references to the various storage-related warnings I found in the Google Play Store app:
Insufficient storage
This device doesn't have enough space to download "<appname>".
Consider deleting apps or content you no longer need and try again.
This device doesn't have enough space to download "<appname>".
Consider deleting apps or content you no longer need and try again.
This is simply a result of your device not having enough free storage in the app's primary installation location, which is the /data partition for user apps (and the /system partition for system apps--we're not really addressing the installation of system apps here, however).
"Enough" appears to be at least ~512 Mb of free space in the /data partition (for user app installs).
(edit: for older, smaller devices, this threshold is likely to be proportionally smaller depending on how much overall space the device has for it's internal memory)
This appears to be a strategy and restriction of the Google Play Store app to ensure your device has enough free space for normal operations.
The warning says "download" but it clearly doesn't always mean just that since you may indeed have enough free space to download and for the .apk file to be "expanded" (i.e., the base.apk, any library files, and expansion packs to be downloaded) and installed--you're simply bumping-up against an artificial limit/threshold set by the Google Play Store app.
You will not be able to install any new apps (or likely update any currently installed ones) until you've freed-up enough space on the /data partition.
Strategies for freeing-up space in the /data partition [2] include:
1. Removing / un-installing user apps (will free-up space in /data/app, /data/dalvik-cache, and /data/data)
2. Clearing app cache (will free-up space in /data/data)
3. If your device symlinks the "SD card" to an internal location, removing files from your "SD card" (/sdcard) should free-up space in /data/media
4. If you're trying to update and already-installed app and are getting the no free space warning, a full uninstall and a new install may help, but be aware that you may still likely need more than ~512 Mb of free space in your /data partition
5. Failing the above, can take the "nuclear option" of performing a Factory Data Reset (be sure to backup any "SD card" or other data first off to a safe, off-device, separate location); this will uninstall / remove / reset all of your user apps, settings, and data to the same state it was when it was first purchased
2. Clearing app cache (will free-up space in /data/data)
3. If your device symlinks the "SD card" to an internal location, removing files from your "SD card" (/sdcard) should free-up space in /data/media
4. If you're trying to update and already-installed app and are getting the no free space warning, a full uninstall and a new install may help, but be aware that you may still likely need more than ~512 Mb of free space in your /data partition
5. Failing the above, can take the "nuclear option" of performing a Factory Data Reset (be sure to backup any "SD card" or other data first off to a safe, off-device, separate location); this will uninstall / remove / reset all of your user apps, settings, and data to the same state it was when it was first purchased
You can use the Storage Truth app or the Linux shell's "df /data" command to display how much free space you have in the relevant app installation partitions (i.e., /system for system apps and /data for user apps).
Edit: please note that there will undoubtedly be some folks who DO have enough (or more than enough) free space in the /data partition and yet will still be unable to successfully install or update an app. Please see my comments in post #3 below regarding this.
Cheers and I hope this helps (or at least helps explains things).
Other notes and final thoughts:
[1] Testing Details
- tests were done on my 16 GB, 2012, first gen Nexus 7 running Android 5.1.1 (stock, rooted)
- I initially started with 5.6 GB of free space in the /data partition
- I manually created new, large files in /data to reduce the free space down to about 600 Mb
- I tested installing new apps while gradually reducing the free space (again, by creating new files and with the space that the new apps used-up)
- apps continued to install just fine as long as the initial free space was above ~512 Mb
- once you got below that ~512 Mb threshold, I would start receiving the "Insufficient storage" message
- freeing-up space to above that ~512 Mb threshold allowed new apps to be installed once again
- you can install a large app that will take you to (well) under the ~512 Mb threshold, but you likely will not be allowed to install additional new apps until you've gone back above the ~512 Mb threshold; for example, installing the HBO Go app took me down to 446 Mb of free space in /data, but could not install any new apps after that
- you can see that the Google Play Store app also logs messages to the system log
- I initially started with 5.6 GB of free space in the /data partition
- I manually created new, large files in /data to reduce the free space down to about 600 Mb
- I tested installing new apps while gradually reducing the free space (again, by creating new files and with the space that the new apps used-up)
- apps continued to install just fine as long as the initial free space was above ~512 Mb
- once you got below that ~512 Mb threshold, I would start receiving the "Insufficient storage" message
- freeing-up space to above that ~512 Mb threshold allowed new apps to be installed once again
- you can install a large app that will take you to (well) under the ~512 Mb threshold, but you likely will not be allowed to install additional new apps until you've gone back above the ~512 Mb threshold; for example, installing the HBO Go app took me down to 446 Mb of free space in /data, but could not install any new apps after that
- you can see that the Google Play Store app also logs messages to the system log
E/Finsky (25047): [1] InstallerTask.startNextDownload: Cancel download of com.HBO because insufficient free space
D/Finsky (25047): [1] InstallerTask.cancelCleanup: Cancel running installation of com.HBO (null)
D/Finsky (25047): [1] PackageInstallerImpl.cancelSession: Canceling session 1298837349 for com.HBO
D/Finsky (25047): [1] InstallerTask.cancelCleanup: Cancel running installation of com.HBO (null)
D/Finsky (25047): [1] PackageInstallerImpl.cancelSession: Canceling session 1298837349 for com.HBO
[2] Makeup of the /data partition
There are usually four directories on the /data partition that take up the most space on your device:
There are indeed many other subfolders/directories in the /data partition other than ones listed above. However, these usually consume much less space and don't really need to be considered.
Also, you typically can't see any details or contents of the first three of the above directories unless your device is rooted.
/data/app
this is where your user app's .apk file and libraries are extracted to after download/installation; note: the files under here can be significantly larger than the size shown in the Play Store listing; it appears that the size given in the Play Store listing is for just the base .apk file; other files like any libraries (.so files) it needs can significantly add to the size of what is actually downloaded to your device during installation; for example, the HBO Go app is listed as 22.12 Mb in the Play Store, but actually consumes 48.4 Mb due to 26.28 Mb of library files
/data/dalvik-cache
this directory stores the Android runtime executable (dex/oat/art) counterparts for the apps on your device (system and user)
/data/data
this is the "home" (or $HOME) folder for each of your apps on your device (again, user AND system); the app's cache and any files that are not explicitly stored or directed elsewhere (such as the "SD card") get stored here; this folder structure can obviously also consume a LOT of space on your device, but is wholly dependent on the makeup/mixture/use of these apps
/data/media
if your device does not have an external "SD card", it likely mounts (or symlinks) the external storage to a location on your /data partition, such as /data/media; this is likely also known / seen as /sdcard or /mnt/shell/emulated or /storage/emulated
There are indeed many other subfolders/directories in the /data partition other than ones listed above. However, these usually consume much less space and don't really need to be considered.
Also, you typically can't see any details or contents of the first three of the above directories unless your device is rooted.
[3] I used to think that the ~512 Mb free space limit in /data was limited to Samsung devices, but this is clearly not the case and seems to apply to ALL devices, given that I've seen the same free space restrictions on my stock Nexus device
[4] The ~512 Mb threshold is approximate as I'm unsure if Google is using 1024*1024 or 1000*1000 to calculate a megabyte (Mb)
[5] This threshold limitation is not new information for a lot of folks here at AF, but I wanted to test this out on a stock device that initially had plenty of free space in the /data partition an no other known issues w/app installation problems
[6] I've scanned the AOSP sources (i.e., the package installer code) for information or references with regard to a disk space threshold value and didn't find any; this and the fact that the Google Play Store app (com.google.vending) contains many references to the "insufficient storage" message and the wide variety of devices we've heard about this issue on indicates it's not an OS or device specific threshold, but something common to the Google Play App
[7] FYI, here are the string references to the various storage-related warnings I found in the Google Play Store app:
This device doesn't have enough space to download "%1$s". Consider deleting apps or content you no longer need and try again.
Can't download "%1$s", insufficient storage.
"%1$s" can't be installed in the device's default install location. Review your device's storage and try again, if the problem continues, <a href=%3$s>get help troubleshooting.</a> (Error code: %2$d)
"%1$s" can't be downloaded. Insert an <a href=%2$s>SD card</a> or USB storage with sufficient storage, and try again.
Can't download "%1$s", not enough external storage.
Uses one or more of: files on the device, such as images, videos, or audio; the device's external storage
It seems like you're low on space. You can manually remove apps below to free up storage.
App requires external storage
Not enough external storage
Insufficient storage available.
Insufficient storage
This device doesn't have enough space to download "%1$s". Consider deleting apps or content that you no longer need and try again.
Uses one or more of: files on the device, such as images, videos or audio; the device's external storage
install_failed_insufficient_storage
Can't download "%1$s", insufficient storage.
"%1$s" can't be installed in the device's default install location. Review your device's storage and try again, if the problem continues, <a href=%3$s>get help troubleshooting.</a> (Error code: %2$d)
"%1$s" can't be downloaded. Insert an <a href=%2$s>SD card</a> or USB storage with sufficient storage, and try again.
Can't download "%1$s", not enough external storage.
Uses one or more of: files on the device, such as images, videos, or audio; the device's external storage
It seems like you're low on space. You can manually remove apps below to free up storage.
App requires external storage
Not enough external storage
Insufficient storage available.
Insufficient storage
This device doesn't have enough space to download "%1$s". Consider deleting apps or content that you no longer need and try again.
Uses one or more of: files on the device, such as images, videos or audio; the device's external storage
install_failed_insufficient_storage
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