Android Basics: How to free up device storage with Google Photos

With the phones in our pockets getting larger cameras that are capable of taking higher resolution images and videos, it is no wonder why people are running out of storage space. Thankfully, with Google Photos, it is possible to backup your favorite pictures and videos and then have them automatically deleted directly off of your device…

With photos and videos being one of the leading reasons why your phone might be out of storage, it’s nice to have an app that will safely backup your files before swiftly removing them. By following the below steps, you will be able to have Google Photos detect which files have already been backed up to the cloud and then delete them off of your device.

1. Open the Google Photos application
2. Either tap on the menu button in the upper left-hand side corner or swipe in from the left-side of the screen
3. Scroll down to the bottom of the menu and select Settings
4. Click on Free up device storage
5. Google Photos will then scan your phone for photos and videos that have already been backed up
6. A dialog will then ask you to select the Remove button to delete the number of items that have already been backed up
7. After the videos and images are deleted, a dialog at the bottom of your screen will show you how much space was saved from your device