HTC adds ability to delete temporary files on the 8X and 8S with latest OS and firmware update

By Daniel Rubino
last updated

One issue that has been bugging some users for a while now is the inability to delete temporary files on their Windows Phone 8 devices.  Nokia got around this by building in their Storage Check app and even Huawei is reportedly making an app to do the same.

Now, after reports of the GDR2 (and firmware) update rolling out for unbranded HTC 8X owners today, the ability to delete temporary files is evidently built right into the OS.

HTC Temporary file deletion

We’re not sure if this is a Microsoft fix or an HTC one. We can say our Nokia Lumia 925, with GDR2, does not have this on board, but perhaps that is because it would be redundant. Therefore, this may either be an optional configuration for all OEMs or HTC did some fixing here to enable this feature.

The option reportedly works by heading into your Settings > Phone Storage area and tapping the storage progress bar. A new area, called “temporary files” is now revealed along with a “tap to clear” option, allowing users to regain some space. It's unclear is the will have an affect on "other storage" or is just for temporary files, akin to the earlier mentioned app Shrink Storage.

Certainly a nifty feature and one we look forward to finding on other Windows Phones.

Update: The trick to enable this feature is you must also have the "Make More Space" app by HTC installed. Thanks, @TuanDesomerChu, for the tip!

Thanks, Dennis A., for the tip and screenshot!

Daniel Rubino
Daniel Rubino
Editor-in-chief

Daniel Rubino is the Editor-in-chief of Windows Central, head reviewer, podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been covering Microsoft since 2007 when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, laptops, next-gen computing, and for some reason, watches. Before all this tech stuff, he worked on a Ph.D. in linguistics, watched people sleep (for medical purposes!), and ran the projectors at movie theaters because it was fun.

77 Comments
  • Noway!  I am sooo glad!  Finally!!  Ok now hopfully VZW gets it soon!  I already hard resetted once and don't want to do it again.
  • athough my personal HTC 8X is on ATT, I do hope that Verizon gets this update out ASAP as I just activated and trained our Attorney and Fire chief on the Verizon HTC 8 X devices I purchased for them. Guess what, the attorney is an iphone user (Personal) and says she loves the windows phone better! I'm doing my part to bring user to windows phone as I don't give my client users a choice, I have a combination of 822, 928, and 8X that I've distributed here (88 devices)....Guess what, no complaints or questions, it just works..... WP 4 Life!!!!
  • That's good to hear. Microsoft and other companies was all for NSA until someone blew the whistle, now its, I don't know you time. Now release the 3 or 4 GB Other Kraken. Nokia don't have nothing to clear this space? Why would they? They're in bed with them (Navtec).
  • Haven't used that phone for quite some time now, have you Dan? :)
  • Well my friends htc 8x has GDR2 but does not have that option. Plus store won't let me download apps.
  • Have them install the HTC app "Make More Space". That is evidently needed in conjunction with today's update to enable this feature.
  • NO WAY! This makes me even more want the 8S as a nice budget phone, holy darn!
  • u can have mine 
  • Finally!!! Now all I have to do is wait for the rollout to hit Colorado
  • The most positive thing about this is that it shows that HTC is making a good effort to support the platform. I'm glad HTC and other manufactuers are able to customize the OS as much as Nokia can. This mean it's fair game, and it's up to them to compete.
  • If only they 1) launched as many phones as Nokia, and 2) supported their phones in terms of HTC exclusives. Do those things, and im happy. Still, I agree with you. This is definitely good news. +8
  • I think the point is....this is progress and maybe HTC is trying to change as a company...maybe...
  • Just because they don't churn out exclusive third party apps doesn't mean HTC doesn't support their phones. I got Portico first on the 8X before my 920 and today I got GDR2 as well.
  • Getting an OS update provided by Microsoft first isnt any real indicator of support, bringing new features like Nokia is doing with their Amber update on top of the OS update is what support is all about.
  • I completely agree, but it would really help with the fan base, and it'll turn heads for sure. Like, "WHOA, HTC cares about us?!?!"
  • I currently carry an HTC 8x and love it, but HTC could be so much better if they help bring apps/developer to the platform like Nokia. I also carry a Nokia 822, I know what both Nokia and HTC bring to the table! There's only a few things I wish HTC would do:
    1. Improve the battery life on the HTC 8X
    2. Provide accessories, like a snap-on ext battery pack, not an external
    3. make the 8X in a 5 - 5.2" screen for those who need it (a competitor to the Galaxy series); I personally view and edit office document regulary as I am an IT manager, so I'm on the go all of the time; I make good use the skydrive.
    advertise the 8X, 8S, 8Xs......They could be killin-it with their WP devices!!!!
     
  • Yay, maybe they even fix the god damn error which is preventing to install this god damn update?
    Tried six times to install this update but it drops me a windows which says "fk you" so far.
  • You mad bro?
  • Mad? Mad? Oh bro i ain't even mad, im just happy bro.
    Im so happy to get fk*d in the a$$ by Microsoft, next a$$ is yours.
  • LOL! Calm down everyone is waiting for the updates.
  • Lol!
  • Nothing happened on my gdr2 8x, it's carrier-based?
  • Hey Daniel, sorry for the dumb question but what do you mean by "it would be redundant" for the 925 to have this feature?
  • They already have that option on there phone
  • Oh, so having unnecessary temporary files is a non issue on the 925, hmmm interesting. So this resolve's the "other" issue as well, right?
  • Nope, the "others" issue is an entirely different beast.
  • :(
  • WHY nokia where is my AMBER for L620
  • Woohoo my second tip today :P
    But the article is wrong. I meant the "make more space" app from HTC. That's were the function is, not in system settings.
  • Ahahahaha lol, Daniel has to fix that :DD Oh god what a mess ;_:
  • I tap and nothing happens. XD
  • No such option in GDR2 distributed to my HTC 8X by Orange in Poland :(
  • As mentioned above, download Make More Space from HTC in their Store. That is reportedly needed to enable this feature.
  • Ah, yes. I didn't pay enough attention, thank you for pointing this out.
    However, this is one of the most useless apps I've ever seen. It's been available for at least a month already and it doesn't do a thing. My Other folder is about 2GB and this app only shows 260.50 MB of temp files and after tapping was able to reduce it by 0.9 MB which - you must admit - is ludicrous comparing to 2 GB...
  • It will be interesting to see how much of the Temporary Files this HTC version clears. The one from Nokia does not clear all of the Temp Files, also doesn't touch what is superglued in Other.
  • I've just updated my 8X and that option isn't there.
  • Make more space from HTC apps
  • The only thing is that pressing the button doesn't actually do anything lol, it hasn't cleared any space at all
  • Guys the option is in the app from HTC called "make more space" and not in system settings.
  • Nothing on my UK unbranded 8X either.
     
    Edit: Yes, it's the previously useless "Make More Space" app, not settings -> storage.
  • Looks like some Taiwanese company is ahead the game...
  • Good going HTC.
  • I don´t have that option on my HTC 8X after my GDR2 update here in Sweden. Just that other Store.
  • Install the make more space app from HTC
  • Pressing the button to clear space, clears nothing lol. Well done HTC for providing the option to delete temp files but it not actually working ha!
  • Go HTC!!! Glad to see them supporting their phones, now they just need to be more vocal about their plans.
  • It seems like they are the real ones with a "shut up and ship" approach. Good for the users who felt left out on the whole Nokia domination.
  • Its the make more space app. Its exclusive to HTC. So its a HTC update and not the OS fix
  • Got it here in Denmark. But tapping temporary files does'nt work. Still 410 MB there!
  • Also got it in Portugal, and nothing similar to that.
  • My version of Make More Space doesn't have that option. Must be an update for GDR2 users?
  • I checked my phone phone for an update, not nothing. ?
    T-Mobile HTC 8X
  • Damn Samsung Ativ s ... Lost 5gb cause of think and shrink storage app does nothing... :(
  • Yup, it's in the Make more space app. Weird thing though, it shows 178,38 MB used by temporary files, but when I click on it to remove them, nothing happens.
  • Just updated to GDR2.... NO memory cleanup option. This options is in an HTC exclusive app called make more space. But it doesn't work wen you tap on the clean memory button. I have 1.29 gb temporary files. After taping the clean button, i still have 1.29gb temporary files.
  • Same thing here bro .. No obvious reasons for this but still a step on the good way.
  • It will clear temp files that are inactive only. I've got 266mb of active temp files that remains.
  • My 8X is GDR2, got FM Radio. My 8S is still updating... My Ativ S is still waiting for its update.
  • Coolknight1968, I am looking for a smartphone with an FM radio receiver (air waves - not Internet data).  Are you implying this phone has an FM radio?  Thanks!
  • "We’re not sure if this is a Microsoft fix or an HTC one. We can say our Nokia Lumia 925, with GDR2, does not have this on board" Its clearly an HTC fix especially if you need an app made my HTC !
  • HTC showing some support!
  • Got this option in the " make more storage" app but it seems that taping on it makes nothing at all.. Not sure what's the problem
  • Got mine. Orange UK
  • For those stating the clear temp files button doesn't work it does. It stated I had 5mb of temp storage and upon clearing it, it still said 5mb. However going back into settings I noticed that my "Other storage" had deflated by over 1gb. Free space on my HTC 8X went from 3.1gb to 4.5gb. That's pleased me enough until MS fix this permanently.
  • There really isn't happening anything... I don't have the "temporary files" option in the "Phone Storage" settings page, but only in the "Make more space" app. Tipping on the temporary files entry has no effect. The size of the temp. files stays the same (1.83GB) and the "other storage" also does not shrink (stays at 4.9GB). It's a pity...
  • Your other storage is already quite small. Mine was at 6.4gb and went down to around 5gb. I gather some files in other storage are simply required.
  • Sorry. I mixed this up. Other Storage is 4.9 GB and the temp files are 1.83 GB.
  • Got'cha. This needs a fix as I can't install any other large games.
  • We hv apps fr that already :-D
  • I have a HTC WP 8X, with my Others folder eating up over 8GB.
    It's getting frustrating, considering that this so called great update, didn't fix the issue.
    Although I can see the temporary folder, when I click on it, it does absolutely nothing, so I'm still stuck with over 50% storage being unusable.
    I was recommending Windows Phones to my friends and colleagues before I actually bought the HTC 8X. Now that I have one and see this bug is not getting fixed, I stopped recommending them HTC WP8 devices (it seems Nokia somehow is behaving better with Other storage - although problem is still there) Thank you Microsoft for caring so much about your customers, considering this bug will be soon 1 year old!!!!!
  • The best thing you can do is to reset your phone. The "other" file will clean itself entirely. If you do the system backup, you will be able to return some of the phone settings, sms and apps. The cache files of all the aplications will be deleted though, so as the game records etc. 
    I did a reset of my phone (HTC 8s with 4GB of storage) and the "other" file went from 1.34 gb to about 200 mb (now 700 mb). I guess reseting the phone is the only option to get some free storage.
  • Never thought I'd say this but I wish I had a HTC phone. Its just because they got the update before Nokia..damn I hate my Lumia! ;)
  • Nobody likes people who don't respond to their texts
  • Also GDR2 now allows WAV files to be played. I can finally listen to my Vonage voicemails on my Windows Phone.
  • Does anyone know when Wind will release the update?
  • I didn't press anything and my "other" space cleared automatically :)
  • when i tap to remove the temp. files it does nothing!!!!! VERY FRUSTRATING to get the "low storage" message all the time. :( especially when i first got the phone i had tons of apps, now only have a handful (& do not want to delete anymore!!) why can't you save apps to sd card???? i love my HTC Windows 8 phone, but this is making me want to switch back to an android device.