I ended up in a situation like that too, except the update auto-downloaded taking up most of my free space, but not leaving enough to install it. I didn't figure out how to reclaim the space so I spent months stuck without being able to install apps or updates before I gave in and bought a higher end phone.

Back up or sync important contacts and data, and then do a factory reset to restore the original OS. Make sure to turn off auto-updates as it will keep downloading them after the restore. It's a shame that phones keep losing features like micro SD.

> It's a shame that phones keep losing features like micro SD.

Phones keep losing features like micro SD (and like end-user replaceable batteries) because too many purchasers do not value those items highly enough to refuse to buy any phone that lacks an SD card slot or a user-replaceable battery.

Start refusing to buy any phone which lacks a micro SD slot, and the manufacturers will bring back the micro SD slots (granted, purchasers need to send the makers feedback that they refused to buy phone X due to lack of a microSD (and lack of a user replaceable battery)).

But buying a phone (any phone) which lacks one or the other simply signals to the makers that it is ok to drop those features, because the phone still sells.

I bought a brand new Android phone about 4-5 months ago. It has both a microSD slot (now holding a 128G SD card) and a user replaceable battery. I picked it because it had those features and I valued their presence. If enough others would get fed up with the lack of one or both, and start refusing to buy any phone without one or both, things would turn around.

I don't think that's so clear cut. I'm looking for a new phone now and I refuse to look at anything without a headphone jack. I've been repeatedly told online and by my friends that I'm weird - the headphone jack is dead, the ship has sailed, it's too late now etc etc. But how else can I vote on this if not with my wallet? I want a phone with a headphone jack but the choices are becoming narrower and narrower - and it seems that even picking up something with a jack does not necessarily send a right signal. Look at the original Pixel - it was Google's pride and joy that it still has a headphone jack while the iphone doesn't. Fast forward to today - Pixel 2 doesn't have a jack and no one cares.

> Pixel 2 doesn't have a jack and no one cares.

And this is exactly the problem. That no one cares. If enough cared, the first phone without a jack (iPhone, right?) would have been a sales flop, and maybe the message would have gotten back to leave the jack in the phone.

Instead, it sold, which tells the makers that dropping the jack was no big deal, people still bought it anyway.

Why would people value an SD card if the apps all refuse to use it?

The entire thing is a shit storm, every player seems to be against the end user (that is paying for everything, go figure). There's a protection racket on the form of patent rights enabling the shit to go on, but it can not reasonably survive on this shape for very long.

> Why would people value an SD card if the apps all refuse to use it?

Valid point, but the apps may just be refusing because most phones don't have an SD card anymore, and the authors are either being lazy or don't care (I don't know which) and simply failing to code in support for something they think seldom exists anywhere.

Although in my case, all my apps that I care about using the SD card are using the SD card. But then again I have 98% FDroid apps installed, so those may just be better behaved apps.

Curious, what phone was it?

Motorola Moto E4 (unlocked version).

Both of Samsung's flagships have microsd. I just wish they had a swappable battery and a flat screen.

Well even the existence of a Micro SD slot isn't enough. My girlfriend's phone had a Micro SD slot ... yet most apps refused to install there or write data there so everything was crammed into the 4GB built-in storage.

Ahhh Android - I only use iOS because I hate it slightly less

Samsung deserves a special shout-out for making their impossible-to-remove apps also impossible to move to remote storage, so their useless garbage takes up a solid amount of device storage even while disabled. It's frustrating how often smartphone customization/upgrading feels like an actively hostile process.

I recently switched from iOS to a Galaxy Note 8, and the sheer amount of garbage on the phone at setup is astounding.

I try to comfort myself by believing that sponsored app deals help keep device costs down, but it doesn't really work. I get that a few core apps (e.g. device-maker registration) are going to be permanent, but the deals for random unremovable crap like the NFL app are just insulting.

This is where Google should have a little foresight and mandate that new Android devices will need to have at least 32GB of on-board storage, for instance. I remember hating HTC for making phones with only 200 MB of free storage in the early days, while giving you an additional 2GB microSD card on which you couldn't install apps anyway. That hatred could have been avoided if either Google mandated a reasonable amount of on-board storage at the time (like 2GB).

If that happened, I wonder how soon apps will fill to expand the space. "Well, the user has at least 32GB on their phone, so we can take 30 of those, right?"