How to free up space on the Nothing Phone (2a)

Where is the storage screen on the Phone (2a)?

The Phone (2a) launched in March 2024 with Android 14 and Nothing OS 2.5. On that software the storage screen is Settings > Storage. Nothing promises 3 years of Android updates, 4 years of security patches, so menu names can change after updates.

How much space do Phone (2a) photos take?

Phone (2a): 50 MP main sensor, 12.5 MP by default, plus 50 MP ultrawide. 1,000 default Phone (2a) shots take about 3.8 GB.

Switching the Phone (2a) to its 50 MP mode makes each shot about 12 MB, roughly 3 times a default photo, so 200 of them use 2.4 GB. Recording at 4K 30fps, the Phone (2a) writes about 350 MB a minute, so a ten-minute clip takes 3.5 GB, the same as 921 default photos. Selfies from the 32 MP front camera are about 7.7 MB each.

What is specific to the Phone (2a)?

Sold as 8+128 or 12+256 GB with no card slot. Nothing's help page for this model points to Google Photos' Bin for deleted photos.

Where do deleted photos go on the Phone (2a)?

On the Phone (2a), Nothing Gallery's Recently Deleted holds them for 30 days (Gallery > Albums > Recently Deleted). It launched on Android 14, so it also has Android's system trash.

How much of each Phone (2a) storage option does a big gallery use?

On the 128 GB Phone (2a), every 10 GB you free holds about 2,632 more default photos, and a gallery of 20,000 photos would fill 59% of it. On the 256 GB Phone (2a), every 10 GB you free holds about 2,632 more default photos, and a gallery of 20,000 photos would fill 30% of it.

Which built-in cleaners did the Phone (2a) ship with?

Out of the box on Nothing OS 2.5, the Phone (2a) has Free up space (one-tap clean) (Settings > Storage > Free up space > Clean), Clean by category (Settings > Storage > Free up space > Clean > Internal), Google Photos: Free up space on this device (Google Photos > profile picture > Free up space on this device) and Files by Google cleaning suggestions (Files by Google > Clean). How each works is in the Nothing guide.

Can you add a memory card to the Phone (2a)?

No, the Phone (2a) has no microSD slot, so its 128 GB and 256 GB is all the space there is.

How does the Phone (2a) compare with other Phone (a) phones?

Against the Phone (3a) (March 2025), the Phone (2a) has the same 128 GB starting storage. Against the Phone (3a) Pro (March 2025), the Phone (2a) starts lower, at 128 GB instead of 256 GB. Against the Phone (3a) Lite (October 2025), the Phone (2a) has the same 128 GB starting storage; only the Phone (3a) Lite takes a memory card.

What will GalleryJury do on the Phone (2a)?

GalleryJury, coming soon for Android 11 and later, will pick the best shot of each burst. At about 3.8 MB a Phone (2a) photo, its $5 pack of 5,000 photos covers roughly 19 GB, after 50 free.