How to Free Up Space on Your iPhone

Are you tired of constantly receiving notifications telling you that your iPhone storage is full?

Don’t worry, you’re not alone. It’s a common issue faced by almost every iPhone user. The good news is that there’s plenty you can do to free up space and maximize your device’s performance. In this article, you’ll learn how to clean up your iPhone and prevent storage issues in the future.

Step 1: Determine What’s Taking Up Space on Your iPhone

Before you can start cleaning up your iPhone, you need to know what’s taking up space. To do this, navigate to Settings > General > iPhone Storage.

This will give you a breakdown of how much space each app is using on your device. You’ll also be able to see a list of your largest files and the amount of space they’re using. This information will help you identify which apps and files are taking up the most space on your iPhone.

Step 1.1: Delete Unnecessary Apps

• Uninstall apps that you haven’t used in a while or don’t need anymore. To do this, press and hold the app icon until the app starts shaking, then tap the “x” in the corner of the app icon. Confirm that you want to delete the app, and it will be removed from your device.
• You can also go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage and select an app to see how much space it’s using. If it’s taking up too much space, you can delete it from there.

Step 1.2: Clear Safari Cache and History

• Safari stores various types of data, such as cache and cookies, which can take up space on your device. To clear this data, go to Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data.
• You can also enable “Block All Cookies” to prevent websites from storing cookies on your device, which can also help save space.

Step 1.3: Remove Unused Messages and Attachments

• Messages and attached files can take up a lot of space on your iPhone. To clear them out, go to the Messages app and select a conversation. Swipe left on any message or attachment you want to delete, and then tap “Delete.”
• You can also go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage > Messages to see how much space your messages and attached files are using. From there, you can delete conversations or specific attachments to free up space.

Step 2: Use iCloud to Store Photos and Videos

Photos and videos are some of the largest files on your iPhone and can take up a lot of space. Using iCloud to store your photos and videos can help free up space on your device.

Step 2.1: Backup Your Photos and Videos to iCloud

• Go to Settings > iCloud > Photos and enable iCloud Photos.
• Your photos and videos will then be uploaded to iCloud, and you can access them from other Apple devices signed into the same iCloud account.
• You can also enable “Optimize iPhone Storage” to store smaller, optimized versions of your photos and videos on your device, further saving space.

Step 2.2: Delete Photos and Videos from Your Device

• After backing up your photos and videos to iCloud, you can safely delete them from your device. To do this, go to the Photos app and select the photos and videos you want to delete, then tap the trash can icon in the bottom right corner.
• If you’re hesitant to delete them entirely, you can also transfer them to your computer before deleting them from your iPhone.

Step 3: Offload Unused Apps

Offloading apps is a feature introduced in iOS 11 that allows you to keep the app’s data and documents but delete the app itself. This can be a great way to free up space without losing app data.

Step 3.1: Offload Apps Automatically

• Go to Settings > iTunes & App Store > Offload Unused Apps and enable the feature.
• Your iPhone will automatically offload apps that you haven’t used in a while, but their data and documents will still be available if you re-download the app in the future.

Step 3.2: Offload Apps Manually

• You can also manually offload apps by going to Settings > General > iPhone Storage and selecting an app. From there, tap “Offload App” to delete the app but keep its data and documents.
• If you want to completely delete the app and its data, tap “Delete App.”

Step 4: Disable Automatic Downloads

iOS has a feature that automatically downloads and installs app updates, which can take up space on your device. Disabling this feature can help prevent unnecessary files from taking up space on your iPhone.

Step 4.1: Disable Automatic App Downloads

• Go to Settings > iTunes & App Store and disable the “App Updates” toggle.
• This will prevent your iPhone from automatically downloading and installing app updates.

Step 4.2: Manually Update Apps

• You can still update your apps manually by going to the App Store and tapping the “Updates” tab. From there, you can update apps individually or update all of them at once.
• By manually updating your apps, you can ensure that you only download updates for apps that you use and avoid taking up unnecessary space on your iPhone.

Step 5: Conclusion

By following these steps, you can free up space on your iPhone and prevent storage issues in the future. Cleaning out your iPhone can also help improve its performance and make it run faster.

Step	Action
1	Determine what’s taking up space on your iPhone
1.1	Delete unnecessary apps
1.2	Clear Safari cache and history
1.3	Remove unused messages and attachments
2	Use iCloud to store photos and videos
2.1	Backup your photos and videos to iCloud
2.2	Delete photos and videos from your device
3	Offload unused apps
3.1	Offload apps automatically
3.2	Offload apps manually
4	Disable automatic downloads
4.1	Disable automatic app downloads
4.2	Manually update apps

FAQs

1. What happens when I offload an app?

Offloading an app deletes the app from your device but keeps its data and documents. This means that if you re-download the app in the future, its data and documents will still be available.

2. Can I recover deleted photos and videos from my iPhone?

If you’ve backed up your iPhone to iCloud or iTunes, you may be able to restore deleted photos and videos from your backup. However, if you haven’t backed up your device or have deleted the photos and videos from your backup, they may be permanently lost.

3. Why is Other taking up so much space on my iPhone?

“Other” is a category of data on your iPhone that includes system files, cache, and temporary files. It’s normal for “Other” to take up some space on your device, but if it’s taking up a significant amount of space, it could be a sign of a problem or an issue with your iPhone’s operating system.

4. How can I prevent storage issues on my iPhone?

To prevent storage issues on your iPhone, regularly check your storage usage and follow the steps outlined in this article to free up space. You can also enable “Optimize iPhone Storage” for iCloud Photos and regularly transfer files and data to your computer or other storage devices to keep your iPhone’s storage under control.