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📦 5 ways to free up space on your iPhone

Published about 2 months ago • 2 min read

Hey Reader! 👋

For this tutorial, I’m going to show you 5 ways to free up gigabytes of space on your iPhone so you can make more room for other apps, photos, videos, and media.

😖 The issue

Have you ever run out of space on your iPhone just when you needed it most?

If you're anything like me, it's usually when I'm trying to take photos on vacation or at a family event. It can be SO frustrating to run low on iPhone storage space.

To see what your iPhone storage looks like, open the Settings app. Then choose the General category, then iPhone Storage. This shows a visual at the top showing how much of your total space is used, followed by a break down of apps and categories below.

Aside from always buying the next storage tier when you upgrade to a new model, here 5 ways to free up space on your iPhone right now.

👇 Give it a try

1. Optimize Photo Library

Open the Settings app. Then choose the General category, then iPhone Storage and then enable Optimize Photos.

By doing this, your photos and videos are safely stored in iCloud in it’s highest resolution and quality. Your iPhone will use a smaller size version to store them on your iPhone and can download them on-demand as needed.

If you're really desperate for storage, this can free up dozens of gigabytes.

2. Automatically Delete Messages after 30 days

Open the Settings app. Then choose the Messages category. From there, find the Message History option and Keep Messages and choose 30 Days.

By doing this, all Messages older than 30 days will be deleted.

I was shocked to see my Messages data was taking up over 3 GB of storage!

3. Streaming Media: Remove Offline Downloads

Open the Settings app. Then choose the General category, then iPhone Storage. Look for streaming media apps like Netflix, Disney+, and Apple TV+. Chances are, you might have downloaded TV shows and movies that you can remove.

If you're a movie buff like me, this could really free up some storage by removing old downloads!

4. Offload Unused Apps

Open the Settings app. Then choose the General category, then iPhone Storage and then enable Offload Unused Apps.

By doing this, your iPhone will automatically offload unused apps when you're low on storage, like when installing an iOS software update. All of your documents and data are saved though.

After completing an iOS software update, your apps will automatically download again and the data is put back in place.

5. Clear App Data for Social Media

Open the Settings app. Then choose the General category, then iPhone Storage and then scroll to a social media app like Instagram, Threads, or Facebook. Choose the option for Offload App.

By doing this, it will delete the app and free up storage used by the app while keeping the documents and data.

After offloading an app, you'll see the option to Reinstall App, which will download a clean copy of the app from the App Store and all your documents and data will still be there.

Social media apps are notorious for accumulating HUGE temporary app storage.

🗳️ Poll

✨ One more thing

Deciding which Mac to buy for college can be overwhelming but it doesn’t have to be.

For most students, the MacBook Air M3 is a fantastic computer for college.

However, there are some nuances in the buying process that are important to understand before clicking the ‘Buy’ button.

With over 14 years working in higher ed IT, Tom Anderson has deployed over 20,000 MacBooks and iPads to students.

Discover the best Mac for most college students, what to do before you buy, money-saving tips, and why you should get AppleCare+!

​

Until next time, see ya! 👋

Gannon

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Simple Apple Tutorials

Gannon Nordberg shares simple tutorials to help you become a smarter Apple user in 3 minutes or less. Every 2 weeks, you'll get 1 actionable tutorial on how to use your Apple tech to be more organized, productive, and stress-free. Former Apple Certified Consultant and Mac Technician of 7 years.

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