Local storage on smartphones has become extremely valuable these days, since most flagship and mid-range phones have dropped microSD support. The app itself can consume hundreds of megabytes, and that’s not counting games and other files like photos and videos. If you choose a smartphone with a large capacity, there should be no problem. For others, you may also consider archiving unused apps to free up space.
App Archive was introduced to the Google Play Store as a feature in 2022 and is now included in Android 15. This allows you to offload approximately 60% of your app to free up significant space, but retains the app icon and data. and other login information. If you have a cheap Android smartphone or a baseline Pixel with just 128 GB of storage, here’s how to easily archive your apps and regain lost storage in Android 15.
How to manually archive unused Android apps on Android 15
1. setting Mobile phone app.
2. Go to the option called . app.
3. Tap the app you want to archive.
4. Another (and faster) way to get here is to long-press the app shortcut on your home screen, then tap . App information.
5. Tap the first option below the logo. archive.
6. To return the app to its previous state, simply grayed out icon Overlay the download symbol from your home screen or restore options from setting App.
Note: You can’t archive Google’s preinstalled default set of apps. Only manually downloaded apps (such as Google Keep) can be archived. When you restore an app, it will be re-downloaded from the Play Store. This may take a few seconds.
How to prevent apps from being automatically archived on Android 15
1. Follow the steps above. App information page.
2. Scroll down until you find the option. Managed apps (if not used)[未使用のアプリの設定]It’s in the subsection.
3. This is enabled by default. Just disable the toggle button.
Note: We found that in Android 15, this toggle is enabled by default even if automatic archiving is not enabled in the Play Store settings.
How to automatically archive apps on any Android version
1. Play Store App.
2. Scroll to the bottom and tap setting.
3. Tap the first option. commonClick to see an expanded menu.
4. Enable toggle button Archive apps automatically.
Note: When your phone runs out of storage, rarely used apps will be automatically archived.
Why archiving Android apps is better than uninstalling them
Uninstalling an app essentially removes all traces of that app from your phone. This includes login information, any personal data, and the complete app itself, including icons and support files. If you need to use it again, you’ll have to set everything up from scratch, which can be time consuming.
Android’s App Archive feature only temporarily removes all parts of the app that can be done without deleting it, leaving behind modified app icons and important data such as login information and other progress-related data . The Play Store essentially replaces your app’s original APK with an “archived APK” that is much smaller in size.
Restoring an archived app essentially re-downloads all the deleted parts with the latest version available in the Play Store. One thing to note is that restore only works if the app is still available in the Play Store.
Cheap Android smartphones under $200 usually don’t have a lot of storage. Many products have a microSD card option, but built-in storage is generally faster than the storage you add. These phones can greatly benefit from enabling Android’s archiving feature from the Play Store. If you’re using Android 15, this feature should be automatically enabled for all apps that are downloaded.
Custom Android skins like those on Oppo and OnePlus phones have long included the ability to “pause” or “freeze” an app’s state after a period of inactivity. This didn’t exactly free up storage space, it just made sure there was no memory left in your phone’s memory, leaving you with more free RAM.
Premium smartphones like the Pixel 9 still only come with 128GB of base storage. Enabling app archiving on Android can greatly reduce storage issues by automatically “deleting” apps you don’t use.
