I’m sure this sounds familiar: You’re trying to install the latest iOS release, upgrade to a new iPhone, or just download that cool app everyone’s talking about, and your iPhone says the storage is full.
You’ve already deleted every app you don’t think you need, and there’s still Not enough space on your iPhone. So you open Settings, tap GeneralIf so, iPhone StorageYou can see that your iPhone is full. Worst, your iPhone is full. huge chunk of it is just listed as “Other.” What’s that supposed to mean? How can you get rid of it all? The Other storage section is mysterious and confusing, and there’s no one answer that works for everyone, but hopefully, this guide will help you deal with this problem.
The latest iPhone release: iPhone SE (2022), iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max (2022)
The latest iOS version: iOS 16.1.1 (November 2022)
Latest iOS beta: iOS 16.2
How to view your iPhone storage
To see how much storage all your apps and data are taking up on your iPhone’s storage, open the Settings app, select GeneralIf so, iPhone Storage. Up top, you’ll see a bar graph showing your total iPhone storage and which types of data are filling it up. Beneath that you’ll find a list of applications on your phone and how much room they take up, both for the app itself and its stored data.
You’ll find your iPhone storage details a few layers deep in the Settings app.
Your iPhone may take several seconds to display the graph because it takes time to scan your storage and analyze it. Even after the chart first appears, you’ll want to wait several seconds more for it to stabilize, as the app list and storage sizes can change while your phone completes its analysis.
What is the difference between Other storage and other storage?
Your iPhone Storage menu will divide that bar up top into familiar categories like Apps, Media, Photos, and Mail, but also an “Other” category that is sometimes Very large. It’s common for Other to be in the 5-20GB range, but if it’s way over 20GB, it has probably grown out of control. You can scroll all the way down to the bottom of the app list where you will see “iOS” and “System Data” listed. Tap on “System Data” to see how much “Other System Data” is taking up.
The Other category is big and varied, because it’s a real catch-all category. It’s comprised of system caches, logs, Siri voices (if you’ve Downloaded more than oneYou can also get updates and other information. One of the biggest culprits for Other growing out of hand is streaming lots of music and video. When you have a streaming service, you can help your. Download video or music from the iTunes store, TV app, or Music app, it’s indexed as Media. But Streams have caches used to ensure smooth playback, and those are categorized as Other. We discuss How to delete any other storage on a MacIn a separate article.
Safari’s caches can start to grow pretty large, too. The caches can get quite large if you send lots of images and videos. Your iPhone is supposed to manage these caches to keep your storage from becoming completely full, but it doesn’t always do a great job.
How to reduce Other data size
You can’t get rid of Other entirely, but you can sometimes reduce its size.
First, let’s try clearing your Safari caches. Open Settings > SafariMake your selection Clear History and Website Data. If you already have an account, LotIf Safari tabs are currently open on your iPhone’s screen, you may want to close them all.
Clearing your Safari data could reduce Other’s size.
You may also want to modify Messages in order to save less old messages. Next, open Settings. MessagesScroll down to the History of Messages setting. By default, Keep the messages comingIs set to ForeverYou may change it. 1 YearOr even 30 daysTo reduce the data the Messages app caches.
If you’re a heavy texter, your Messages app might be filling up your storage with a LotData.
Next, visit iPhone Storage to view the list of apps. While most apps store data that can be categorized as Apps in their caches, some apps will also keep caches that can be categorized as Other. If, say, the Podcasts app is taking up a couple gigabytes of space, it’s likely mostly cached data. Re-downloading the app might cause a decrease in the Other category.
The nuclear option is Backup and Reset using iTunes
You can go through your iPhone trying to delete every little cache that could grow the size of Other storage, but if you really want to make it as small as possible, you need to back up your phone and reset it. This can be a slow process.
This is the best way to do it: iTunes on your Mac or Windows.
You can connect your iPhone to your computer and open iTunes. On a Mac with macOS Catalina or later, you’ll use Finder instead, but the process is the same. You might be asked to authorize access to your iPhone, and you may be required to enter your passcode. This is what you should do.
Select your iPhone by clicking on the little phone icon to the upper left. Then, under Backups, select This Computer. Check out Local backup encrypted is a good idea, so your account passwords and Health data gets backed up, too. Just choose a password you won’t forget. To activate the button Get back up.
To make it as easy as possible, create an encrypted backup.
When the backup is done, disconnect your iPhone and head to Settings > General > ResetMake your selection All Settings and Contents Must Be Removed. This will return your iPhone back to the original factory settings. When it restarts and it’s in the initial setup process, re-connect it to your computer with iTunes open, and follow the instructions on the screen to restore your device.
This is the longest and most involved way to reduce the size of Other storage, but it’s also the best; there’s just no way to get it any smaller than it will be after a fresh reset and restore.
