GoKawiilJack Wallen/ZDNET
ZDNET key takeaways
Your Android phone keeps deleted files longer than you want.
Those files will be purged after 30 days, but don't wait.
There's a simple way to manually delete those files.
When was the last time you checked your Android recycle bin? What might be in that location housing deleted files? Photos? Files? Videos? A combination of the three?
You might be thinking, "Big deal, the files are automatically and permanently deleted after 30 days anyway." Although that is true, leaving it up to Android when to sweep those files out of existence might not be the best idea. After all, you want to keep your Android device as secure as possible. Let me set the stage.
Also: 7 apps I use to lock down, encrypt, and store my private files - and most are free
You've gone through Google Photos and deleted a ton of images and movies. Most of those images are innocuous, but a handful might contain sensitive information. For example, you might have taken a photo of the back of your router so you have access to its login information and don't have to squint to read it. You might have also taken photos of your home, which include location data. There might be photos of contracts or a W-2 form, all of which contain information you certainly don't want to get out in the wild.
Those images are deleted, but they are still hanging out in the "recycle bin" until they reach the 30-day threshold. Should someone gain access to your phone, which you could accidentally leave unlocked, they could go through your recycle bin, discover that data, and use it for nefarious purposes.
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