Android still installs the apps on the internal memory and dumps the data on the SD card. So, you are deprived of installing any further apps if your phone has a scarcity of internal storage, like. Same idea - onboard or memory-card storage - but with a Wi-Fi rather than Lightning connection. The Western Digital MyPassport Wireless, for example, comes in 1TB and 2TB flavors.
- Media Storage on Android FAQ
- 4 Ways to Recover Deleted Media Storage Data on Android
What Is Media Storage on Android
Media Storage is a system process that is needed when you view, download, play, and stream images, videos, audio files, and other media files. As a system service, it is not available from your phone desktop. Then where is Media Storage in Android? You can access it from your phone:
Step 1. Go to 'Settings' > 'Apps'.
Step 2. Click the 'More (three dots)' button and choose 'Show system processes'. (the options may be slightly different on different phone models).
Make full use of SD card to save space. The Galaxy S9 and S9+ have a SD card slot to let users. On your Android phone or tablet, swipe down from the top of the screen once or twice, then tap the Gear icon to open the “Settings” menu. Next, select “Storage” in the “Settings” menu. On a Samsung Galaxy phone, you will need to tap “Device Care” first to get to the “Storage” option.
Step 3. After you open 'Media Storage', there are always several options shown, like Disable and Force Stop (when 'unfortunately app has stopped' error occurs, you can try to force stop it). If you click 'Storage', you will see another two options: Clear Data and Clear Cache.
Without knowing the details about these options, some users attempt to disable Media Storage or clear data in Media Storage, aiming to free up space on Android or save battery, only to find that their device cannot work properly or some files are missing. Can you disable Media Storage? Will clear data delete your photos, videos, or audio files? Read on to get the answer.
How To Clean Sd Card On Android
Frequently Asked Questions About Media Storage on Android
Many users feel confused about the options in Media Storage, here we will explain some of them in detail.
1. Can You Disable Media Storage?
No, you can't. As mentioned, this system process is needed when you download, play, or stream media like videos and audio files. If you disable the options, you won't be able to do things like viewing photos/videos, playing videos/music, and taking photos. Therefore, you cannot disable Media Storage with the purpose of extending the battery life of your device.
2. How to Enable Media Storage on Android?
If you have disabled Media Storage on your Android phone, you should re-enable it to make sure you can use your device as normal.
To enable Media Storage on Android:
Step 1: Go to 'Settings' > 'Apps' (> 'Apps').
Step 2: Click the three dots in the top-right corner and choose 'Show system processes'.
Step 3: You can search for 'Media Storage' and click the option.
Step 4: Click 'Enable' to re-enable the service.
3. Will Clear Data Remove Your Media Files?
No, it won't. When you click 'Clear Data' in Media Storage, all the app's data, including the files produced during the using of the service, settings, accounts, database, and more will be deleted permanently (if you want to recover the deleted files, you can use the Android data recovery software - EaseUS MobiSaver to have a try). It WON'T remove the media files stored on your device like your photos, videos, and audio files. If the media files are gone or missing after you choose 'Clear data', it's probably because you have accidentally disabled Media Storage. Have a check on the option and make sure Media Storage is enabled.
How to Recover Deleted Media Storage Data on Android?
If you are sure that your media files are lost after your misoperation under Media Storage, don't worry. You still have the chance to recover them. Here we've listed 4 methods, try them one by one to recover your deleted Android data.
Method 1: Restart Your Android Device
If you're trying to get back all the sounds, simply restart your phone and this will bring all ringtones and gallery pictures back. It's a matter of the Android OS restoring metadata during the restart.
Method 2: Sync Lost Data from Your Google Account
Tap on 'settings' > 'Applications' > 'Accounts' > 'Google account', uncheck the boxes for sync and check the boxes again. In this way, the cleared data is synced again and will reappear in Media Storage.
Method 3:Find Cleared data in lost.dir folder
If reboot your Android device does not help you find lost data files back, you can try to locate lost.dir folder and look for the lost files there.
Method 4:Download Android data recovery software
Still, none of the methods above finds your lost media files? It's time to apply the best Android data recovery software to recover deleted files from media storage.
How To Clear Storage On Sd Card
Option 1: Recover Lost Files from Android SD Card
If the files lost are saved on your Android SD card, you can apply the hard drive recovery software - EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard to recover them.
Step 1. Run SD card recovery software and scan the card.
Launch EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard on your PC and select your SD card. Then click 'Scan' to start finding lost data on your SD card.
Step 2. Check found SD card data.
After the scanning process, you can click 'Filter' to quickly find wanted files.
Step 3. Restore SD card data.
You can check and preview found files by double-clicking each one of them. Then click Recover to save found SD card files to a secure location on your PC or external storage.
Option 2: Recover Lost Files from Android Internal Storage
To recover your lost photos, videos, or songs from the internal storage of your Android phone, you will need the Android data recovery software - EaseUS MobiSaver. (The prerequisite to recovering data from your Android device is that the phone has been rooted.)
Step 1: Download and install EaseUS MobiSaver for Android on a Windows PC.
Step 2: Connect your Android device to the computer with a USB cable.
Step 3: Run EaseUS MobiSaver for Android and click 'Start' button.
Step 4: Scan Android to find all lost data files.
Step 5: Browse the files in the categories of Gallery, videos, audio and more, and click 'Recover' button to get them all back.
The Bottom Line
Knowing the importance of Media Storage, you won't easily disable this system process next time you want to clean up your Android phone or save battery on your device. To prevent yourself from disabling needed system processes, you can hide the system processes via Settings. Hope the information presented in this article is useful to you.