If you have a 16 GB iPhone, you’ve probably received a “storage full” message numerous times. Despite deleting photos that you no longer need, or songs that you no longer listen to, you might discover your phones’ storage issues still remain. This is a common issue that many iPhone users face. If you are unsure why your phone cannot accommodate any more apps or data, here are a few things you can do to free up some space.
Ensure You Have the Latest Software
Old software on your phone can sometimes cause storage issues to pop up, even if you have plenty of room left. Give yourself a half hour to complete an update to the software on your phone. Apple has recognized this as an issue with past iOS versions and is working on a solution. If you find that you do not have enough storage to complete an update, plug your phone into a computer and complete the update through iTunes.
Delete Apps & Unused Notes
Look at the apps you do and do not use on a regular basis. Any apps that you do not use at least twice a week should get deleted from your phone. Certain apps that are loaded in to your phone, like stock tips, maps, and weather can be removed.
Notes can also use a large amount of data, especially if you have larger ones stored on another device. Go through them once every two weeks and see which ones you no longer need.
You can also figure out what apps take up the most room. Go to Settings -> General -> Storage & iCloud Usage. Then, tap “manage storage.” You will see the apps taking up the most space at the top of the page. You can then go into each app and see what takes up space in your phone and delete in-app downloads or saved data from your apps.
See What’s Stored in iCloud
If you have family sharing enabled or more than two devices on one Apple ID, this could be wasting a significant amount of space within your phone. Go to your settings and then select iCloud -> Storage & Backup -> Manage Storage. You can then select the app that you would like to manage. Swipe from right to left to reveal the delete button, and then delete the app. Apple only provides 5GB of space, which can fill up your iCloud account easily. Consider backing up anything in iCloud onto a desktop, laptop, or external hard drive.
Turn Off Photo Stream
Photo Stream imports images that you have saved on other Apple devices. While these images aren’t high-resolution files, they still take up a significant amount of space. Shut off photo stream by going to Settings -> Photos & Camera. Then, tap the green button – “my photo stream”, to shut it off. This will mean that your phone won’t automatically update photos.
Restore Your Phone to Factory Settings
If you are still unsure why your phone is nearing the end of its storage capacity, this will clear out your phone’s memory entirely. Back up everything to an external hard drive or other Apple device before taking this step, as you will lose your data when restoring your phone to factory settings. Consider adding apps, photos, and music through iTunes one at a time to ensure that your phone does not fill up again.
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