Application data storage on the device
Android devices store a lot of sensitive data through the use of apps. Although we have earlier categorized apps as system and user-installed apps, here is a more detailed split:
- Apps that come along with Android
- Apps installed by the manufacturer
- Apps installed by a wireless carrier
- Apps installed by the user
All of these store different types of data on the device. Application data often contains a wealth of information that is relevant to the investigation. Here is a sample list of possible data that can be found on an Android device:
- SMS
- MMS
- Chat messages
- Backups
- E-mails
- Call logs
- Contacts
- Pictures
- Videos
- Browser history
- GPS data
- Files or documents downloaded
- Data that belongs to installed apps (Facebook, Twitter, and other social media apps)
- Calendar appointments
Data belonging to different applications can be stored either internally or externally. In the case of external storage (SD card), data can be stored in any location. However, in the case of internal storage...
