Despite the fact that mobile OSs were originally designed for cell phones with touch screens, from the point of view of the architectural structure and features of interaction with hardware, they are quite close to desktop ones. Many functional elements of desktop and mobile platforms are the same, almost copying them from each other. Therefore, it should not be surprising that users often look for the functions in the firmware of their smartphones that they are used to on computers. For example, a basket. But is it worth doing?
Recycle bins are almost never found in Android smartphones, but here and there you still come across them
How to clear Yandex history on an Android phone
Oddly enough, a shopping cart in the familiar understanding of this term to most users is practically never found on Android. That is, if you are looking for a system partition where all files are sent after deletion, in most cases you will not find it in a single or, rather, universal design. This feature dates back to the depths of times when smartphones did not have as much memory as they do today.
How to empty the trash on Android
Via phone gallery
Don't know how to empty the trash on Android? No problem, we'll help you. This is the best method considered: it does not require the installation of third-party software and is striking in its simplicity. New Androids use Google Photos to view images by default. If your phone has a separate Gallery application, the following instructions will be similar, but not identical - the names and locations of the buttons may differ from those presented below.
- Swipe from the bottom of the screen to the middle to open a list of installed software;
- Open the Photos app (Google Photos);
- Go to the “Library” tab by swiping to the right several times or by clicking the corresponding button at the bottom of the screen;
- Tap the “Cart” button;
- Click the three dots icon located in the upper right corner;
- Select the “Empty Trash” action and confirm the action in the window that appears.
As you can see from the screenshots, the built-in gallery program deletes images after 60 days from the moment they go into the trash. The storage period for photos varies depending on the software used and may be significantly shorter than indicated above.
ES Explorer app
One of the most popular file managers has its own recycle bin, which contains documents cleared from the device through this program. It has nothing to do with the folder that can be opened through the “Gallery”, and is empty by default.
- Download “ES File Explorer” by following this link and clicking “Install”;
- Once the download is complete, launch the program;
- Grant permission to interact with files stored in the device’s memory;
- Check out the benefits of the utility or tap “Skip”;
- Expand the side menu;
- Click "Trash";
- In the settings menu that opens, select “File Manager”;
- Grant access to your usage history by moving the corresponding toggle switch to the right;
- Return to ES Explorer. There is no option for mass file cleaning, so you will have to work with each document separately. Open the list of actions opposite the specific name;
- Click "Delete".
ES File Manager also has a sufficient set of features to free up free space on your device. The feature present here, called “Junk Clean,” will help get rid of empty directories, system cache and applications, installers. It serves as an analogue of the popular Clean Master and CCleaner.
Dumpster app
A utility with a self-explanatory name was created as an option for restoring deleted content. It really copes with this function, and allows you to return even images and videos that were cleared before downloading. The obvious disadvantages of Dumpster include poor translation and a large number of advertisements - viewing them is required for restoration and cleaning. But earlier, for example, we told you how to remove ads on Xiaomi and what you need for this. In general, the procedure for working with Dumpster is as follows:
- ;
- Open the application after installation is complete;
- Choose a tariff plan: annual subscription with 7 days free or limited version with advertising;
- Allow Dumpster to work with the device’s memory;
- You will immediately see the contents of your Dumpster cart. As is the case with ES Explorer, here it is independent of the system directory. Tap the button with three dots located at the top right;
- Click "Empty Trash";
- Confirm your actions by clicking "Empty".
The instructions above deliberately do not indicate the steps “Watch the advertisement”, but they are still present, and intrusiveness can be considered a minus of the program.
Recycle Bin App
Several programs have been released under the name Recycle Bin. Below we consider the most popular solution presented by the developer AA - Android Apps.
- Download the Recycle Bin program;
- Open the application when possible;
- Allow interaction with files saved on the device;
- The functionality of the utility is activated automatically, as indicated by a notification in the curtain. Try to delete a file - it will immediately appear here. To make the document permanently disappear from the device, press the button with the cross icon.
Please note that for data to appear in this recycle bin, the program must be active - check if there is an alert in the quick access panel. If it is not there, launch Recycle Bin and tap the “Play” button (triangle) at the top of the screen.
Shopping cart in cloud services
Google Drive, Yandex.Disk, OneDrive and similar services also have recycle bins, which can be cleaned in much the same way as with the “Gallery” of a smartphone. The “clouds” themselves can act as a remote content storage if automatic backup is enabled.
Google Photos can be used as such a service if its settings include duplicating images to Google servers. The procedure for removing pictures from there has already been discussed in the text.
Using “clouds,” even free ones, will serve as a good analogue to a recycle bin, because with their help, files can be safely removed from the device and later downloaded from storage servers.
Recovering Deleted Files
To return data to your smartphone, you must:
- Open the Recycle Bin with deleted files.
- Tag the image.
- Click on “Restore”.
The path to the trash can differ slightly in different versions of Android, but it is always located in the “Gallery”. For users who frequently download and delete audio, books, and other types of data, it is better to install a separate file management application.
Problems and solutions
Cart is empty
If documents immediately disappear from the device’s memory after deletion, you do not need to follow any instructions presented in the text - recovery becomes impossible immediately. This behavior is typical for many firmware running on old Android.
In third-party programs, the recycle bin is empty by default, but Dumpster displays contents that have not yet completely disappeared from the device’s memory.
Files are restored after cleaning
If you deliberately use programs designed to return images, you will see thumbnails - greatly reduced and low-quality versions of the pictures. Clearing the cache through ES Explorer, CCleaner or built-in functions will help you get rid of them.
The recycle bin is present in modern firmware by default. If it is not there, third-party software available in the Play Market can act as a replacement. Forced cleaning of documents queued for deletion is performed without any difficulties and helps free up free space for downloading new software and games; shooting video and photos; audio recordings.
Dumpster
According to the developers, Dumpster can recover deleted photos and videos in seconds. During our testing, we found that Dumpster was only able to recover some images
This is a serious problem, because there is a possibility that it will not be able to restore something really important. Although it has a Deep Scan feature, in testing it also failed to recover some files
Despite this, it is worth giving Dumpster a chance, but it is advisable to make backup copies before checking. In addition to the Recycle Bin feature, there is an "Automatic Cleanup" that completely deletes files without the possibility of recovery. Dumpster supports 14 languages and syncs with cloud storage, allowing you to safely store important documents online. Storing data in the cloud frees up built-in memory so you can use it for other purposes. But this function is provided only in the paid version.
