If you’re running out of space on your iPhone, you only have a handful of options: you can of course delete videos, documents, apps and other files on your existing phone or you can buy a new one. phone with more internal storage. And none of these options are great, because you might not want to get rid of anything on your phone or spend money on a new one – that’s why you should take advantage of some iOS features to free up storage space without having to delete anything. .
It’s true. There are two built-in iOS features that can help you clean up a significant amount of storage on your iPhone — one permanent and the other temporary — so you can install the latest software updates, take more photos, and download more. photos, videos and apps. Here’s what you need to know.
If you want more tips on getting more iPhone storage, check out how to free up space on your iphone with these simple tricks and the best cloud storage options in 2022.
Optimize your iPhone photos and videos
It’s not always easy to just delete what’s in your camera roll, so if you want to keep your precious memories, or even just your screenshots, but still want to free up space from storage on the device, the easiest way to do this is to optimize the photos and videos already stored on your device.
By default, every time you take a photo or video, it’s saved in full resolution to your device. If you capture photos and videos in the highest resolution possible, they can take up a lot of space. A minute of video shot in 4K at 60 fps takes up about 400 MB, or nearly half a GB. It is quite important.
To optimize your photos and videos, go to Settings > Pictures and activate Optimize iPhone Storage (for this to work you must have the iCloud Photos setting above enabled). Depending on how many photos and videos you have on your iPhone, this might take a little while, but when it’s done, you should see a lot more space on your device’s storage.
For this to work, you need to turn on the iCloud Photos setting.
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All of your full-resolution photos and videos are then transferred to your iCloud, while smaller, lower-resolution versions are kept on your device, to take up less space. If you want to access your high-res photos and videos, you can go to the Photos app and download any file that’s being optimized, but it requires a decent internet connection. Your more recently taken photos and videos can exist in full resolution, so you won’t need to download every photo or video.
If you don’t have enough iCloud storage, it’s easier to upgrade your cloud than buying a new phone. In the US, you can upgrade to 50 GB for just a dollar a month, or you can go further: 200 GB for $3 a month or 2 TB for $10 a month. Prices vary depending on your country or region.
To update your iCloud on your iPhone, go to Settings > (your name) > iCloud > Manage account storage > Buy more storage. Choose a plan, then follow the instructions. If you upgrade to a paid iCloud subscription, you’ll have access to iCloud+, which also offers iCloud Private Relay and Hide My Email features.
You can spend as little as $1 per month for more iCloud storage.
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Offload your biggest apps
You are not using all the apps stored on your iPhone. Many of them stay there, like apps for your favorite airlines, third-party cameras, and music production. And even if you only use them occasionally, you probably don’t need constant daily access to most apps, which is why you should consider offloading apps in case you desperately need them. of storage.
Say, for example, you want to download and install the latest iOS update. If it’s a major update, like iOS 16, you might need a little more than 5GB to properly install the software. If it’s a one-time update, like iOS 16.1, you’re looking at around 1 GB. And if you don’t have enough storage space to update, you can quickly offload the apps, which which is a happy medium between keeping and deleting your apps.
Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage and check which apps are taking up the most storage space. Some built-in apps like Photos and Messages can’t be offloaded, so be warned. If you find an important app that you want to offload, tap on it and tap Download the app. Wait a bit and the app should then be removed offline, while your documents and data will remain saved on your device.
You need to double tap Offload App to “delete” the app.
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If you need temporary storage, for a software download, just go through the list and offload all the apps you can. The amount discharged for each app varies, but you should see the number next to App size. Ignore the number next to Documents & Data, as it will remain on your device. The only way to get rid of it is to delete the app.
Offload as many apps as needed until you have enough storage space. Obviously, you can’t use an offloaded app, but if you want to recover an offloaded app, go to your App Library and tap the iCloud button to redownload it. If the offloaded app is on your home screen, just tap it to download it. You won’t have to log in again or anything – you’ll have access to the app as if it had never been deleted.