Does deleting an app after clearing data guarantee complete deletion on android ?

Basically the title I installed a game, played some, got bored and wanna delete it but then remembered that I used to have a tab long time ago and we'd mess with it by installing a ton of games , So at a point it got too hangy that we deleted every game but it still wouldn't work as good so we had to factory reset the thing which was very easy as we didn't use it for anything and didn't have to back up anything . That was a long time ago and I think the tab was running android 4 or 6 or 5 or somethin anyway I looked some online and the opinions are mixed I now run android 9 ( which I use barely ) and 11 (which I daily drive) . so if a game or app has no file or anything (at least I can't find anything ) is deleting it after wiping data return the phone to the phone to the condition it was before installing it ? If so why did the tab behave that way ? I also remember an old huwai phone doing the same .

Sorry for the long read, just wanted to explain the question and got carried on . also feel free to let me know if this doesn't belong here and just suggest another place to post it to and I will move it but don't down vote in case I can get some answers .

NeoNachtwaechter , (edited )

Two kinds of data can remain after your deletion:

  1. Things in an encrypted "secure store". Passwords, certificates etc. may be stored outside of the app's own data area, and so they survive the deletion. This is more common on iphones, but Android is catching up.

  2. Things that got synced to an online service. Your delete command didn't delete things there "in the cloud", and that data may even get synced back later (for example, after you install the same app again). I have seen this mostly on Samsung phones, but maybe others have it as well.

Shameless ,

Deleting an app from any device regardless of OS should generally remove all related files, except in cases where the app asks you if you'd like to keep certain files, such as personal data or saved game files.
However that's not to say that they always remove related files, things such as updates can leave files in particular temporary directories, some of these are not always removed as part of the update process and so they are not something which would be recognised during the removal of the application either.

These kind of temporary files and folders being left behind are why there has always been reasons behind creating apps to "boost" you device performance by removing some of these left over junk files but are also the reason that sometimes its better to just totally reset the device, clear everything out and start again.

I know there was a time I would pretty much do this on a yearly basis for my own computer to try and keep it at a close to peak performance level.

CaptainBlagbird ,
@CaptainBlagbird@lemmy.world avatar

I usually do this:

  1. Force Stop
  2. Clear Data (which also clears the cache)
  3. Uninstall

I'm always wondering if that's really necessary.

You basically did the same, so it's not like you could have done more anyway.

Edit: Just realised that if the app has file access permissions, then obviously it could modify/create files in that directory also. So if you really want to clear everything you might want to check this too.

XEAL ,

Uninstalling already wipes the data and AFAIK the app must be automatically killed for the apk to be removed.

However, some apps leave some residual data in the storage area the user has access to, but all would be gone with a factory reset.

OP's issue is probably simply more resource-hungry apps and/or some Android version upgrade. Yes, some official Android upgrades for a device can cause performance issues, because it may have higher system requirements than the previous one.

Legend OP ,

I can't find anything by searching the game's name . any directory in particular to look out for ?

PolyLlamaRous ,

What did you do OP... Just tell your SO that your best friend installed tinder on your phone as a joke...

Legend OP ,

Nah don't have an SO or intrest in dating . I just like to over think and then have to get an answer . Also what brought that thought to you lol cheers anyway .

PolyLlamaRous ,

Hey, yeah I assumed. Just looking for a chuckle.

CaptainBlagbird ,
@CaptainBlagbird@lemmy.world avatar

Not everyone is a lying/cheating bastard...

saltesc ,

And not everyone can pick up on cues for humour...

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