Jimmy's Blog

Android Market error on downloading (Error Downloading. There is insufficient space on the device.)

by jimmy on Oct.15, 2011, under English, My Life

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Today suddenly when I want to download an application from my Android tablet, I receiving this error : “Error Downloading xyzxyz. There is insufficient space on the device.”
It’s only displaying the error on downloading application with big size.

After browsing around, I found out that the cache folder (that I assume used by the market) is using small partition (around 20mb in my case).

So to solve this we need to change it to bigger partition.

  1. You gonna need Android Terminal Simulator or equivalent terminal app. This will also require your Android rooted.
  2. Type ’su’ (root permission request will be showned, you need to approve it).
  3. Type ‘cd /’
  4. Type ‘umount /cache’
  5. Type ‘mount -o rw,remount -t rootfs rootfs /’ (to set the folder access to rw – read write)
  6. Type ‘rmdir /cache’ (delete cache folder)
  7. I personally using root explorer to do point 5-6
  8. Type ‘mkdir /sdcard/cache’
  9. Type ‘ln -s /sdcard/cache /cache’ (to link cache folder to /sdcard/cache – which shoud have bigger partition size)

Done.
Try to rerun your Android Market and download big applications

Related posts:

  1. Got Android [Gingerbread] and want to run J2ME JAD/JAR (emulate J2ME app)?
  2. Jimmy’s Blog – AB Slide Puzzle for Android
  3. Jimmy’s Blog – Adding AdMob’s ads to Android Application
  4. Android Application – Spy Camera OS (Open Source)

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43 Comments for this entry

  • Dragos

    Hi,

    Any workaround for unrooted phones?

    Thanks!

  • DuckyVader

    Whenever I type in umount /cache and hit enter, It says can’t umount /cache: Device or resource busy.

  • jimmy

    @Dragos: mount/unmount will require root access, no idea about workaround for unrooted phone..

    @DuckyVader: strange, have you try restart the android then directly go to terminal.. and make sure there’s no service running accessing the folder

  • JS7

    @DuckyVader
    Just do the forced unmount option: umount -f /cache

  • Wrexx

    I tried the above steps, I get the error can’t forcibly umount cache: Device or resource busy

  • JS7

    @Wrexx

    Try a lazy unmount. ‘umount -l /cache’

  • Wrexx

    I tried that too, didn’t end up working for me either… I ended up blowing up the phone and installing a fresh/recent CM7 nightly build for my phone. Then the first thing I ran was this, and all is fine now… :) Thank you for the assist though…

  • AD3

    Whenever I get to the line where I have to enter “unmount /cache”, it says, “unmount: not found”. I have tried with both the -f and the -l, but neither of these work for me. Any ideas?

  • JS7

    @AD3

    Yes sir, it is umount, not unmount! Hope this helps!

  • AD3

    Thanks so much for the correction! ;-) It works now!

  • Damien

    Thanks man. Great solution very clearly laid out for linux noobs like me :-)

    well, actually 20 years ago I knew my way around unix… but have been since Redmondofied ;-)

  • Bjarke

    Hi I’ve tried this, and now I am unable to pull updates from Android Market, it just closes down, or it says theres a download error, and after that, the programs I have tried to update is listed under uninstalled programs in the market, despite they are still installed on my phone. Do you have a solution for this?

  • jimmy

    @Bjarke:
    is it happen to all application?
    how if you reinstall the application?

  • Bjarke

    I suppose it has happened to all my app’s, so far it has been alle the app’s i’ve tried to update.

  • Damien

    Hi,

    This worked.
    … then however, A week later I had the same error come up. I repeated the steps above and it fixed it again.

    Can you think of anything that would have reset the settings? I wonder if “Market” does it?

  • Joe

    Thank you! This fixed my issue with the “insufficient space” error. Thanks so much!

  • jimmy

    @Bjarke:
    Not sure how to solve it since I don’t experience that. Update on my Galaxy Tab 7 is normal

    @Damien:
    Same as above this issue might on specific device/rom only

  • shah

    guys all went gud for me bt im unable to go thru 6th step.
    whenevr i got thru rmdir /cache it always says rmdir failed for /cache,Read-only file system.

    can any1 help me on dis plz…
    im facing dis problem for so long tried everything written on other posts but cudnt find a solution.
    plzz help!!!!!

  • yoong

    Do I need to type the symbols too? arghh…It makes me crazy enough! All I have type and I press enter it says: not found. someone please help me TT

  • bking007

    It worked temporarily. After the reboot, same problem again. Any permanent fix for this?

  • 3la2

    it worked with my HTC Inspire but it effected my “Aptoide” application, it stopped downloading, until i rebooted the phone when the Android Market stopped working again and got my “Aptoide” back. any idea how to fix it permanently (even after rebooting)and keep both markets ?

  • jimmy

    @yoong: you can try hacker keyboard or other keyboard that have ‘tab’ it will help you autocomplete the command/directory name

    @bking007 & @3la2: what’s your phone? From the comment I see some is experience like you guys, it got reset after reboot which I don’t experience.
    Not sure about this Aptoide application strange behavior though

  • gabe

    I have an HTC Evo 4g, and started receiving this problem two weeks ago(had myy phone for over a year). The steps above work wonders, but like bking007, I have to repeat this after a reboot, and am also wondering of a permanent fix.

    This didn’t start for me until I upgraded to the “Google Play Store” from the “Android Market.” Could it be coincidental?

  • Guedan

    Thank you Sir! I’ve been looking for a solution for this problem for like 2 months, but nothing was realy helpfull as you tip up there. Worked like a charm in my Coby Kyros 7022. Much apreciated.

  • Adrian

    Thanks, your solution worked for me, much appreciated.

  • hardk

    i tried this and it worked. but after a reboot, google play went back to the same error.

    should i do this every time i turn on my phone?

  • Mgeas

    At final step (ln -s /sdcard/cache/ /cache) I got this error: link failed File exists

  • jimmy

    @Mgeas: You need to remove /cache folder or file. have you execute rmdir /cache (or try rm /cache)

    @hardk: I’ve received comment these kind of issue happen to some device. I think the solution is to create script to create symbolic link everytime android boot up.

  • Mindwin

    thanks for your solution. i have reposted it with credits on http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/27083/google-play-error-downloading-app-insufficient-space

    for future reference, with backlink to your blog post. Hope you don’t mind.

  • Nex

    Hello,

    I have a rooted my HD2 (originally comes with WinMo, currently running Android 2.3.2).
    Using another app I saw that my cache partition is only 10MB so I can not install even applications like Skype :(

    I tried the suggested fix in your post above – everything went smoothly, no errors while executing commands. Tried running the Market, but when I started downloading an app it simply crashed (Force close). Cleared data/cache – same. After a reboot the changes reverted :(

  • Tire

    df -h
    says that /cache has only 52,0K free, so it’s obviously a large error here :)

    I had the constant problem with umount /cache failing because it was busy.

    It seems like it’s enough to do:
    cd /cache
    mv download download-old
    mkdir /sdcard/cache
    mkdir /sdcard/cache/download
    ln -s /sdcard/cache/download download

    This will redirect the /cache/download to your sdcard.

  • Terry

    I am stuck on the last step! It keep saying In: not found when i type in the code In -s /sdcard/cache /cache ! Help me

  • kuldeep

    Thanks A LOT man!!! It Worked :)

  • Ross

    done but still not working. cache in sdcard and removed from root and pointing to it. still not working when trying to install angry birds star wars…. any thoughts?

  • AJ

    Thanks a lot. This helped me go through 3 days of research trying to flash and reflash ROMs to get it working on Optimus Max v2 ROM. U rock…

  • A J

    This works for some time and then again it goes back to same problem.. Any permanent fix?

  • jimmy

    @A.J : you can try installing Lucky Patcher. In its menu select Troubleshooting – Remove fixes and backups. It works for some people.

  • jimmy

    @Mindwin: sure. you’re welcome

  • jimmy

    @Terry: are you sure you type the command correctly? it’s ‘ln’ not ‘In’

  • andy

    hi there thanks for this amazing info it currently says -s not found im on the last step lol any ideas buddy?
    cheers mate its a galaxy ace plus :O)

  • andy

    sorry about that i missed the ln -s lol anyway for some reason it still says error 498 totally unsure why? any ideas mate?cheers buddy

  • petar

    actually its screwing the phone cahce … have tried many times… i think ill have to reinstall dalvik-cache now.. try keeping dalvik there ??? somehow ? without mobing everything

  • ooStuStu

    you need to break this down like you would for your great grandpaw for me. I downloaded A “terminal emulator” app and i attempted the commands but i only get ’su’ not found or su not found or “su” not found so please help this old fart…..I really think they program stuff like this so you will just buy a new phone

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