Out of space

An “out of space” error means there isn’t enough storage on your phone to copy your messages. There are several ways around this problem; the simplest is usually to use date filters to make a smaller collection.

Write to help@legaltextcollector.com if you need more info.

Make smaller collections

Date filters can reduce the number of messages you collect, so the collection takes less space. For example, if you try to collect all your messages from 2019, but you get an “out of space” error, you might still be able to collect the whole year a few months at a time:

1. Tap New collection

2. Choose Jan 1, 2019 as the start date

3. Choose March 31, 2019 as the end date

4. When the collection finishes use Share to save a copy off the phone

5. Delete the collection

Deleting collections

In the collection list, long-press on a collection get the “delete” option.

It’s safe to delete collections so long as you’ve either saved a copy of the collection off the phone, or you haven’t deleted the original messages.

Then repeat with the next time period you need, starting at April 1, in this example.

Export fewer messages

If you successfully collected messages, but got the out-of-space error when you went to “share,” you might be able to export fewer messages at a time: if you tried to share the entire collection, try sharing one conversation at a time instead.

To share a single conversation, do this:

1. When viewing the messages in the collection, tap Find (bottom-right)

2. Choose the conversation you want

3. Tap Share

4. Choose This conversation instead of All conversations

Free up space

You can free up space on the phone by deleting files and uninstalling apps.

Warning

If you’re collecting messages for a lawsuit, talk to your lawyer before you delete anything from your phone.

It’s easiest to identify what’s taking space by looking in phone settings. Usually you can find what’s taking storage space like so:

1. Swipe down from the top of the phone

2. Tap the icon that looks like a gear (on some phones, you’ll need to swipe down again or to the side to find it)

3. Now you’re in phone settings, tap the magnifying glass icon to search

4. Type “storage” and choose the result that says “storage,” “internal storage,” or “manage storage”

Text Collector keeps collections on “internal storage,” or “internal shared storage.” If you see a section that says “SD card” or similar, freeing storage there will not help.

Note

The options available on your phone depend on its make and model. Search online for your specific phone to get more detailed instructions.

The “storage” section in phone settings will show a breakdown of what types of files take the most space: for example, you can see whether “apps” or “videos” take more space. Tap each category to see its details.

Typically, it helps to delete videos and pictures. To save pictures and videos, copy the ones you want to keep off the phone before you delete them from the phone.

Some apps, especially games, can take a lot of space just by being installed. When looking at how much space they take, remember that one megabyte is a thousand kilobytes, so 2MB is larger than 200KB. Identify apps that take the most space and uninstall them, but be careful not to uninstall those with data you want to keep.

If you’re using Text Collector to collect messages for a lawsuit, be sure to talk with your attorney before you delete anything from the phone.

Expanding storage

On some phones, an SD card can be used in place of normal internal storage: this is called “adoptable storage.” It is, however, an advanced option with important downsides to consider and is not available on many phones. Search online for whether your phone supports adoptable storage.