Android is the most present operating system in the world, being present in more than 85% of active smartphones in the world. The platform has evolved a lot over time, and as usual, its installed base weight as well. But how much do the Android versions take up? Why are you taking several gigabytes of our available space?
It is common that when we buy a mobile, not all the internal memory capacity that we have chosen is available for our use and enjoyment. This is normal, since Android is a complex operating system, which requires that space to run. However, many users do not know this when they buy their mobile, and wonder why they do not have available those 64, 128 or 256 GB that they have bought with their new terminal.
Logically, this draws more attention the less internal storage space our device has. It is not the same to have a 32 GB mobile and see that you have half available for applications, than a device with 256 or 512 GB of storage.
The weight of Android
What Android occupies on a mobile depends on several factors. The first is the version of this operating system, which has become heavier over the years. Nonetheless, Google has kept the weight at 20GB for Android 10 and Android 11 , while Android 9 Pie weighed in at 13GB . It should also be taken into account that the layers of the different manufacturers can modify this aspect up or down, depending on the degree of customization and the pre-installed apps that they want to integrate into the system.
In this space, Android needs the space for its different layers, such as the Linux Kernel where the essential resources of the system are located . Space is also reserved for the layer called HAL or Hardware Abstraction Layer, which interacts with the hardware and its drivers or the famous Android FrameWork, a toolbox to run applications and system services. Of course there is also a space dedicated to housing the native apps of the system.
How do I know what is on my mobile?
The best way to get rid of doubts is to see what Android occupies on our mobile. There is a very simple and accurate way to find out. For this we will have to enter the Settings menu and click on “Storage”. Once inside, we can see the distribution of the expenditure of our internal memory . This means that we can see how much space is taking elements such as photos or videos, applications or games, which are generally the ones that take up the most space.
If we go down between the options, we will see one dedicated to “System” and to the right the space occupied by the system so that Android works correctly. In this example, we will see how Android 11 occupies 19 gigs. We have previously mentioned how both Android 10 and Android 11 occupy 20 gigs. But this space may vary, if the manufacturer adds or removes content such as applications.