What's Actually Eating Your iPhone Storage (And How to Fix It), by SamCambetis on YouTube. 14 min 49 s.
- Video length
- 14 min 49 s
- Time to do it
- 15 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 10
What you need
Steps
Open Settings, tap General, then iPhone Storage. Wait for the coloured bar and app list to load, which can take a minute on a full phone.
Read the bar to see which category is biggest: Photos, Apps, Media or Messages. Tap Show All to sort apps by size instead of name.
Scroll to Recommendations and use the suggested fixes: Offload Unused Apps, Review Large Attachments, Auto Delete Old Conversations. Tap each one and confirm.
Offload an app you rarely use instead of deleting it. Tap the app, choose Offload App, which frees space but keeps its documents and login data.
Delete apps you no longer need. Tap the app, then Delete App, and remember this removes the app's data along with it.
Clean your Photos library. Open Albums, then Videos and Screenshots, and delete long clips and old screenshots you do not need.
Empty Recently Deleted in Photos and Files. Items sit there for 30 days and still count against your storage until you remove them.
Check inside your apps. In Messages, open a chat, tap the contact name, then Photos to delete large attachments. Clear downloads in Podcasts, Spotify, Netflix or WhatsApp.
Tap your name in Settings, then iCloud, then Manage Account Storage to see what fills your free 5 GB plan.
Move big files off the phone. Copy videos and photos to a computer or external drive, then delete the originals on the iPhone.
Tips and common mistakes
Restart the phone and install the latest iOS update, since temporary system files often shrink after a reboot.
Deleting a photo is not final until you clear Recently Deleted and any shared albums it sits in.
Streaming music and video uses far less space than downloading, so keep downloads to what you need offline.
Keep at least a few gigabytes free so iOS can install updates and apps have room to work.
Questions
Does offloading an app delete my data?
No. The icon stays on your home screen greyed out, and your documents and logins come back when you reinstall it.
How much free space should I keep?
Aim for at least 5 GB free. That gives iOS room to install updates and stops apps from slowing down.
Will deleting photos on my iPhone remove them from iCloud?
Yes, if iCloud Photos is turned on. Deleting a photo on the phone deletes it everywhere, so export a copy first.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
