Android 15 Beta 2 makes your storage easier to understand

During Google I/O 2024, the Mountain View-based firm launched the second beta for Android 15. The new beta introduces a number of changes, including one that should make it easier for the user to understand the makeup of their storage.

If you go into your settings on Android and take a look at your storage, you’ll see a category called “System.” The option isn’t exactly clear for most users who want to know what’s contained in the category. Tapping on the option will just inform you that “System includes files used to run Android version 14.” But it looks like Google wants to make things a little clearer for the average user with Android 15.

First spotted by Mishaal Rahman, Android 15 Beta 2 makes a slight, but helpful change to the layout of the storage page. In the images below, you’ll see a screenshot of the old layout (left) and a screenshot of the new layout (right).

The new layout in Android 15 Beta 2 turns System into a header. Beneath the System, you can see two new categories for the OS and temporary files.

These new options should help clarify how much space is being taken up by system files and temporary files. However, Rahman points out that unrecognized files will still be considered temporary files.

This change is reminiscent of how Samsung adjusted the presentation of storage on its devices in late 2023. The change also was an attempt to provide a more accurate representation of the various partitions and files that reside within storage.