Smart devices, especially iOS and Android phones, have many similarities. One of the most frequently asked questions among users of both operating systems is where is the recycle bin on my phone. Well, this is not like a computer, where you have a recycle bin in a folder, and you know that, after deleting some files, you can go back to this folder to restore them.
However, this is not that simple on smartphones since they do not have an icon on the desktop called “Recycle Bin“. Anyway, there is always a solution to find deleted files.
Does Android have a recycle bin?
Unfortunately, Android does not have a recycle bin. In general, these types of smartphones do not have a folder to store trash because, having little storage space (compared to a computer), deleted files disappear. But don’t worry because you can recover the files depending on where you deleted them.
For example, suppose you have deleted photos. In that case, they will remain for a while in the “Google Photos” application, where you will find the “Recently deleted photos” option, as well as in Dropbox or the device’s File Manager. In short, you will have to dig application by application to delete junk files.
How to view the recycle bin on Android?
While we said that Android does not have a recycle bin itself, you can go through all the applications to recover files you have deleted or empty the recycle bin. Here are some tricks to view the recycle bin and, incidentally, free up space on your smartphone.
If you have a Gmail account or any other email, you should delete data to have more space available on your mobile and in your message box. Go to the application of your Gmail, Yahoo, etc., and delete all the emails that you do not think you need.
Then go to the Recycle Bin and click “Empty Trash Now“. It is done automatically every 30 days, but if you need more space before the month is up, you will have to do it manually.
File Explorer
Delete files from the recycling bin of your File Explorer application, such as ES File Explorer, Dropbox, ZArchiver, File Commander, Astro, Google Files, etc.
Google Photos
If you log in to the Google Photos app, you can access the recycle bin from the default folder. If you have Samsung, you can go to the Samsung Cloud recycle bin, and you will see the deleted photos and files. The same goes for Xiaomi Cloud and other major brands of electronic devices.
File Manager
You can enter your mobile settings and put “Trash” in the search engine. You will see all the available options (Contacts, Gallery, My Files, Messages, etc.).
To find deleted files, use your smartphone’s File Manager. Then click on “Categories” and locate the “Recently Deleted” section.
Once there, you will find the files you have deleted in the last 30 days, and you can restore them or, otherwise, empty the recycle bin.
App download history
You may have had your photos or files saved in an app that you deleted. Now, if you need to remember what that app was, you can go to your app download history and find it. Generally, if we’re talking about Android phones, you need to log into Google Play and go to your recent app downloads.
Where is the recycle bin on iPhone?
Finding deleted files and photos on an iOS device is much simpler than using an Android. Go to “Files” from your iPhone or iPad and find different apps from where you might have deleted the file in question, such as iCloud Drive (Apple), Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.
However, its recycle bin is the ideal way to find deleted items on iPhone. IPhone, unlike Android, has a recycle bin and is located under the name “Recently Deleted” in the “On my iPhone” folder. These documents or files have 30 days, so if you pass that limit, it will be much more difficult to recover these items.
How to recover a file from the recycle bin on iPhone
Fortunately, iOS can store deleted files for a month. If you enter the “Recently Deleted” folder, you will find all the deleted images and documents. Choose which file and press and hold it for 2 seconds until you get the options to proceed according to your intentions.
You can restore, permanently delete, download to a new location, and get more information about the document from your iPhone. Undoubtedly, it is much more practical to delete files on your iOS device than on Android.
Tricks to get free space on Android and iPhone
Here are some tricks to clear memory space on Android and iOS devices.
- Clear cache data.
- Get rid of duplicate files and photos.
- Delete old music or music that you will no longer listen to.
- Uninstall apps you don’t use.
- Use an external memory card.
- Use cloud storage.
- Back up your files to another location, such as your computer.