How to Monitor Android Device Storage Space Using Flutter

As developers, it’s important to keep an eye on device storage, especially when building applications that handle large files, such as multimedia or downloaded content. Flutter offers a straightforward way to check both internal and external storage on Android devices using the flutter_storage_info package.

In this blog post, we’ll walk through how to use the flutter_storage_info package to monitor storage space on Android devices, providing a step-by-step guide and practical examples.

Step 1: Add the Dependency

First, you need to add the flutter_storage_info package to your project. Open your pubspec.yaml file and add the following line under dependencies:

dependencies:
  flutter_storage_info: ^0.0.5

Then, run flutter pub get to install the package.

Step 2: Import the Package

After adding the dependency, import the package into your Dart file where you intend to use it:

import 'package:flutter_storage_info/flutter_storage_info.dart';

Step 3: Retrieve Storage Information

You can now use the FlutterStorageInfo class to get details about the device’s storage. Here’s an example of how to retrieve and print the total, free, and used storage space:

void main() async {
  final flutterStorageInfo = FlutterStorageInfo();

  // Get total, free, and used disk space
  double totalSpace = await flutterStorageInfo.getTotalDiskSpace;
  double freeSpace = await flutterStorageInfo.getFreeDiskSpace;
  double usedSpace = await flutterStorageInfo.getUsedDiskSpace;
  
  // Print the results
  print('Total Space: $totalSpace MB');
  print('Free Space: $freeSpace MB');
  print('Used Space: $usedSpace MB');
}

In this example, the storage space values are returned in megabytes (MB). This allows you to monitor the device’s storage and potentially alert users when space is running low.

Step 4: Working with External Storage

The flutter_storage_info package also allows you to retrieve information about the external storage (e.g., SD card). You can use similar methods to get the total, free, and used space of external storage:

double totalExternalSpace = await flutterStorageInfo.getTotalExternalDiskSpace;
double freeExternalSpace = await flutterStorageInfo.getFreeExternalDiskSpace;
double usedExternalSpace = await flutterStorageInfo.getUsedExternalDiskSpace;

print('Total External Space: $totalExternalSpace MB');
print('Free External Space: $freeExternalSpace MB');
print('Used External Space: $usedExternalSpace MB');

This flexibility allows your app to manage data more effectively, especially in scenarios where external storage is available and should be utilized.

Step 5: Advanced Storage Operations

The flutter_storage_info package also provides more advanced operations, such as calculating the size of a specific directory or determining whether the storage is below a certain threshold:

String directoryPath = '/storage/emulated/0/Movies/MyFolder/';
double directorySize = await FlutterStorageInfo.getSizeOfDirectoryInMB(directoryPath);

print('Size of MyFolder: $directorySize MB');

DeviceStorageType storageType = DeviceStorageType.internal;
bool isBelowThreshold = FlutterStorageInfo.getIsStorageTypeBelowThreshold(storageType, 0.96);

print('Is storage below threshold? $isBelowThreshold');

Permissions Required

To access storage information, make sure you have the necessary permissions in your AndroidManifest.xml file:

<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE"/>
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE"/>

These permissions are essential for the plugin to function properly on Android devices.

Conclusion

Using the flutter_storage_info package, you can easily monitor and manage storage space in your Flutter applications, ensuring that you have the necessary control over both internal and external storage on Android devices. This can help you build more robust and user-friendly applications, particularly in environments where storage is a critical factor.

If you encounter any issues or have feedback, consider reaching out to the plugin’s repository to help improve this useful tool.

Happy coding! 🚀