Sony Ericsson Xperia arc memory always full. Help!

[overthemill]

Have less than 2 years old phone and it is always telling me the memory is full. I can't update apps and constantly can't get texts. Really fed up - I don't have many extra apps that I've installed and I don't understand how to stop it. I have moved everything possible onto the Dd card. But no good. Any ideas?

[HabbaDabbaDoo]

Some apps, when they crash, produce an error log. Often it's just a text file full of geek speak that would aid tech support in resolving the bug. Over time this can take up a lot of space.

Also, when I click an MN link I often end up with a PDF document being downloaded onto my phone.

You should have an standard app called 'File Manager'. You can use that to explore your memory, to see if there any obvious files that can be deleted.

You can look to see how many active apps you have. If you checked the weather 10 days ago for eg then that app will probably be still active. If you have too many apps open then that will chew up memory as well. Within 'settings' you should see 'Apps'. This will list them.

Then there is your browser. Clear away the history and the cache. You be surprised how much memory that eats up if you don't regularly clear it down.

[NetworkGuy]

While the spec for that phone is pretty hot, the area where it seems to have been lacking is storage (320 MB). I have recently started using another (cheaper) Xperia model, the Xperia Tipo. It was launches around 15 months later than the Arc, has lower 'quality' features in a number of areas, but is more 'up to date' in a few areas such as wi-fi / storage, and has Android v4 instead of v2.3 (and the bonus part was that because the price has come down as it is now classed as an 'old mobile', it was only 50 quid).

See these comparisons: GSMarena (for technical specs) and Compare Cellphones (for pros and cons of each).

I was getting "low on storage" nagging messages all the time on my various (cheap-ish) Samsung mobiles (Ace, Europa and Mini) but all those complaints stopped when I got the Xperia Tipo. While I agree with HabbaDabbaDoo that there may be some storage that can be freed, I think it might be time to 'bite the bullet' and consider a replacement phone.

Much depends on which network you are with, but the Xperia T (which was launched around 2012Q4 and consider "out of date" by 2013Q2, so has been reduced considerably as networks want to get them out of warehouses) may well be worth looking at. It's in a similar price range on the GSMarena scale, has better specifications in almost all areas (apart from battery life if playing music).

See the comparisons (GSMarena and Compare Cellphones) and then look for the best price deals (for example on buymobilephones.net, where you can get the Xperia T from about 14 pounds a month (limited minutes etc, on O2) to 25 quid (Three, unlimited data, 2000 minutes, + 5000 "3 to 3" minutes, and 5000 texts) or pay more each month, and get a "free" gift like an iPod Touch etc...

[overthemill]

Thanks to you both. Will take a look. Think next phone has to wait until this contract ends but I will look at tipo if I can get it. I don't have high requirements! Just mumsnet, facebook and the guardian plus odd bit of looking stuff up.

[NetworkGuy]

What network are you on, and (roughly) what do you pay and get in terms of minutes, texts, and data ? Only ask because the Tipo is really not likely to be available in a few months time (the way they seem to bring out newer mobile phones so fast these days...) so if you want one, you might need to consider buying it as a PAYG (and even getting it unlocked).

First one I bought was a refurbished model on O2 (with a view to getting a Tesco Mobile SIM Only deal, because it was running a later version of Android and had more storage) and then 2 months ago I had a series of problems with my T-Mobile service, and in case it was my mobile phone, I got myself a second Tipo, this one on T-Mobile. But I had to go to three EE shops before I could find one (and got their last off the shelf).

Understand you would not want to start a fresh contract if you have several months to go on this, but also, did you really mean you'd consider the Tipo and not the Sony Xperia T (which is a better phone).

If you went for the Tipo, then yes, storage issue will likely go away but it has a smaller, poorer screen, fewer colours and not such a good camera (whereas the Sony Xperia T has better in all those categories, and it has bags of storage).

Sorry to stress the differences, but I'd see switching to the Tipo (from the Xperia Arc) as a retrograde step if you've been using a better phone (albeit with some limitations).

[CruelAndUnusualParenting]

I have a phone that regularly runs out of memory. Uninstalling and reinstalling some of the big apps seems to free up some memory.

[overthemill]

Networkguy, I would consider switching to ,'worse' phone because I really don't use it as a phone for calls but just for texting and checking emails, bit of internet. Where we live the mobile signal is so poor that I have never used more than about 15 mins total a month of calls. Can hardly ever receive calls, get put straight to voicemail, and have pretty much given up on anything other than texting! At home we have poor landline too :-(

[NetworkGuy]

Ah, OK then - I was just wanting to be sure that at the end of switching mobiles, you didn't find the Tipo to be a "disappointment" in comparison.

Can I be nosy and ask roughly where you are? If a 'rural' area then sometimes there can be unusual hazards that affect the services (such as electric fences giving interference into the phone network). Also, unused phone extensions (passing near mains cables, pumps, etc) can cause problems (and not just in rural areas!) by picking up noise and degrading the broadband.

Hopefully the Tipo will perform with the apps you want and be well worth 50ish pounds. You don't mention which network you are using but I can recommend looking at HotUKdeals.com and searching for "SIM Only" because if you can find a Tipo (perhaps needing unlocking) it is far more likely that you'd match up a PAYG Tipo and a SIM deal (for whichever network you use) than finding the network offering the Tipo in a contract (and if you do, then it's likely to cost you more than 50 pounds when in a minutes + texts + data + phone contract).

What I'm failing to explain clearly is how buying separately in this case (with the relatively low price of the Tipo) may be cheaper than trying to get it within a combined (phone + airtime) contract.

[overthemill]

I understand the payg/contract thing and will buy next phone sim free.
We live in rural Bedfordshire. Lovely, peaceful, great walks. Crap infrastructure!
Tried all the simple stuff and would love ideas for improving it. Even landline is dreadful and have now swapped to cheapest provider , crap service but no worse than most expensive!