Android Private Space is a separate profile, not just a hidden app drawer. Learn what happens to app instances, notifications, VPN routing, backups, sharing and background activity.
Android apps often receive URI permission to user-selected documents rather than permanent file paths. Learn why access can disappear after reboot, file moves, reinstall, migration or provider changes.
Modern Android restricts ordinary access to other apps’ Android/data and Android/obb folders. A file manager can show little or nothing even while apps use substantial private storage.
Saving an APK preserves an installable package, not the private databases, settings, authentication state, downloads or cloud records the app created after installation.
Moving to a new Android phone can reinstall apps and restore supported data, but local-only files, logins, offline downloads and excluded app data may need separate handling.
Android can back up supported app data, but developers control important backup behavior and some local files, cache, accounts and oversized datasets may not return.
Clearing cache removes temporary files; clearing app storage/data is much more destructive and can erase local databases, settings, downloads and sign-in state.