Sometimes when downloading apps on Google play store or updating existing applications, we can see Insufficient storage available error message. Although there is a plenty of enough free space on your internal memory, including “/data/” partition. This is a permission related issues and it’s rather different from error code during application install error.
In this situation, when the Google Play store starts the application installation, it fails to delete the existing files on “/data/app-lib/”. Then it displays that error message. There are mainly two ways to fix this error. Delete the /data/app-lib/ files and folders is a simple and quick way. But it need to the root permission. Another method is factory reset the device (not the setting resetting). If you don’t have the root, you can go for the factory reset method. But it’s a costly method, it will erase all the data on your Android device internal memory and user apps with data.
In this tutorial, first I’m going to show you how to manually delete the “/data/app-lib/” files and folders to fix this Insufficient storage available error. This method we need a root enabled file manager.
Fix Insufficient storage available Google Play Store Error.
- First install the root browser or what every root enabled file manager. If you can’t install it from Google Play, download the apk from here.
- After installing the application, grant the root permission.
- Then navigate to “data/app-lib/ “directory. In there, you can see different name folders with apk name. For an instance SuperSU application folder called as “eu.chainfire.supersu”. After the eu. or com. you can see the application name.
- In here, you don’t need to delete all the folders in data/app-lib/ directory. Most of the cases you can see this issue, when you are trying to install previously uninstalled or update existing apps. Therefore, carefully search the correct folder that we need to delete.
- In my situation, I face this error, when I try to install Hotspot Shield VPN app. Therefore, I have to delete “hotspotshield.android.vpn-1” and “hotspotshield.android.vpn-2” folders.
- Open the “data/app-lib/” correct folder. You can’t delete the main folder at once (eg:- hotspotshield.android.vpn-1). Open the folder that you want. Then you can see there are sub folders, delete all the sub folders contain files. Next, delete sub folders and finally delete the main folder (eg: – hotspotshield.android.vpn-2).
- If there is more than one folder with same name, delete all of them. For an instance, in my situation, you can see above screenshot, there is hotspotshield.android.vpn-1 and hotspotshield.android.vpn-2 folders. I have to delete two of them.
- After deleting, reboot the phone, tablet.
