Why do the app files remain after uninstallation?

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Why do the app files remain after uninstallation?

Asked 6 years, 10 months ago

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I was reading about storage on Android, I realized that there is the internal app (/data/data/package/files) and the external (that needs permission).

On the outside, we have the public and private mode (Android/data/package/files).
In private, from external storage, while uninstalling the app all that is erased, but in internal is not (as is said in this reply). Why?

This can’t keep eating extra Android storage space?
In what cases use one or the other? And in case the user wants he can force these files to be deleted?

I think for eventual reinstallation it can rescue user preferences...

– Jefferson Quesado

2018/02/22 at 16:18
1

I believe it is precisely for the sake of backup, think about it, the author wants to remove the app by failing or by having it installed from another source, so he will install from a new source or try to reinstall to fix, imagine if he lost all the data, That would be annoying, wouldn’t it? The android itself I believe also has backup system, so even if remove the device may be possible to restore later.

– Guilherme Nascimento

2018/02/22 at 16:19
So in that case it is recommended to put in the internal only files that you want to remain after reinstalling, right? preferences files and things like, I didn’t know it and I ended up doing a backup system for my app’s database, I’ll see if I pass to internal memory of the same app

– underfilho

2018/02/22 at 16:21
Where you read that internal files are not deleted while uninstalling the app?

– ramaral

2018/02/22 at 16:27
@ramaral, in the first answer of this question https://answall.com/questions/48196/datasavingEm-android, and also in my app I had a photo saved inside and when I cleaned the data of the app it was still there (I am now testing again, but no longer taking the photo while wiping/uninstalling data, I don’t know if it is being deleted even or the app hasn’t run getImg method yet())

– underfilho

2018/02/22 at 16:35
1

What is said in that answer is wrong.

– ramaral

2018/02/22 at 16:46
1

@ramaral, it was translation error, I realized now in the source that he indicated that the text says exactly the opposite, error in the translation of a word that damaged the whole text

– underfilho

2018/02/22 at 16:48

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by ramaral • **44,197** points · Answer 1 · 2018-02-22T16:42:54+00:00

I don’t think you read the documentation because, contrary to what you say, the files stored in internal storage are deleted after uninstallation of the app.

The same goes for external storage if using a private storage directory calling getExternal().

If you want the files to survive uninstalling from the app you should save them to external storage using getExternalStoragePublicDirectory() to obtain a public directory.