Apple has revolutionized smartphone photography by offering professional-quality photos with the latest iPhone cameras. However, this advanced feature comes with a significant trade-off: storage space.
High-resolution media files consume substantial storage, and while iCloud offers a solution, it also has constraints. In this article, we present effective strategies to help you manage iPhone storage.
How to Free Storage on an iPhone?
1. Delete Apps
Are you running out of storage space on your iPhone? Here’s a straightforward method to identify and remove apps that occupy significant storage. By navigating to Settings > General > iPhone Storage, you can see a list of apps sorted by size and the last time you used them.
When you spot an app you want to remove, simply swipe left on it and select Delete App.
For those in a rush and looking for a quicker solution, you can also delete apps directly from the Home screen. The process varies slightly depending on your iOS version:
Latest iOS Versions:
- Press and hold the app icon until a menu appears.
- Tap Remove App.
- A confirmation window will pop up; select Delete App to finalize the removal.
Older iOS Versions:
- Press and hold the app icon until it (and others) starts to wiggle, indicating Edit Mode.
- Tap the X in the top-left corner of the app icon to delete it.
2. Automatic Storage Cleaner App
You can use iPhone storage cleaner, which will automatically analyze the memory and find junk files in it. If you download CleanUp App, you get an application based on artificial intelligence, which identifies data quite accurately.
This free iPhone cleaner app removes duplicate photos, videos, contacts, and temporary data. Plus, CleanUp can create a secure section in the memory, where you can store important data.
3. Get Rid of the Message
If you’re not one to keep conversations for nostalgia or legal purposes, consider deleting all texts like “running late” or “What do you want for dinner?” to free up storage space. You’ll save even more room if you frequently send videos, photos, or audio files via Messages.
Feeling adventurous? Set your texts to auto-delete. Navigate to Settings > Messages > Message History, and select whether you want to keep messages for 30 days or one year.
4. Clear Browser Cache
If you frequently browse the web on your iPhone using Safari or Chrome, it’s important to be aware that your device may accumulate caches and other unnecessary data over time.
You might be astonished at how much storage space can be reclaimed by simply clearing your browser cache.
Clearing Safari Cache:
- Navigate to Settings.
- Locate and select Safari.
- Choose Clear History and Website Data.
Clearing Chrome Cache:
- Launch Google Chrome on your iPhone.
- Tap the Options menu (the three dots) and go to Settings.
- Scroll down to Privacy and Security.
- Select Clear Browsing Data.
- Choose the data you wish to clear and tap Clear Browsing Data.
5. Delete Offline Content
Apps like YouTube, Netflix, and Spotify can occupy several gigabytes of storage on your iPhone.
Why waste precious space on episodes of Stranger Things you downloaded back in 2017 or on an old playlist you’ve long forgotten?
Let’s begin with Netflix. Here’s a straightforward guide to removing Netflix movies and TV shows you’ve saved on your iPhone:
- Open the Netflix app.
- Navigate to Downloads.
- Tap the pencil icon at the top right corner.
- Select the red ‘X’ to delete the video.
Now, let’s tackle YouTube. To remove downloaded YouTube videos, follow these steps:
- Open the YouTube app.
- Go to Library > Downloads.
- Tap the three dots next to the video you want to delete.
- Select “Delete from downloads.”
- Repeat for each video you wish to remove.
6. Remove Books
Do you have multiple iBooks downloaded on your iPhone? Are they all necessary? Deleting them won’t mean they’re gone forever; they’ll remain accessible on iCloud for future downloads. Consider freeing up some storage space by removing the novel you’re currently reading on your iPad from your iPhone.
To delete data from the Books app, follow these simple steps:
- Open the Books App: Launch the app on your iPhone.
- Navigate to Library: Tap on the ‘Library’ tab to see all your books.
- Start Editing: Tap on ‘Edit’ to enter the editing mode.
- Identify Cloud-Stored Books: Books not stored on your iPhone will have a cloud logo beside them.
- Select Books to Remove: Tap on the books you wish to delete from your device.
- Delete the Books: Tap on the Trash icon at the bottom left corner.
- Confirm Removal: Tap ‘Remove Downloads’ to finish the process.
Conclusion
Cleaning your iPhone memory is a regular process, even if it is a brand-new device. With the help of these tips, you can maintain the optimal performance of your device and manage memory wisely. Use them regularly, and your iPhone will work normally.