The “Storage Almost Full” message on an iPhone is one of the most annoying notifications, especially when it appears while trying to take a new photo or install a system update. However, in most cases, you can recover a large amount of storage space by deleting unnecessary files and organizing apps and media without getting rid of important files. The best place to start is understanding what actually consumes your phone’s storage space. Instead of randomly deleting files, you can do this through Settings > General > iPhone Storage, where the phone displays how much space is used for photos, apps, media, messages, and system data, along with customized suggestions for saving space.

Photos and videos... biggest consumers of storage

In most iPhones, photos and videos are the largest source of storage consumption. Therefore, you can start with them. One practical solution is to activate iCloud Photos with the Optimize iPhone Storage option, so that full-resolution original copies are kept on iCloud while smaller versions are stored on the phone to save internal space. However, before deleting any important photos, make sure you have a backup of them.

Delete photos from “Recently Deleted”

Even after deleting photos, they don’t disappear immediately from the phone’s storage. Instead, they move to the Recently Deleted album and remain there for 30 days. To free up space immediately, open the Photos app and go to Recently Deleted to delete the photos permanently.

Don't delete apps... use Offload

The iPhone provides a smart option to save app space without losing the data associated with it. When using Offload App, the app itself is deleted from the phone, while its documents and data remain saved. Once you reinstall it, you can pick up where you left off. The Delete App option deletes the app and its data, so Offload is suitable for apps and games that you may want to use again. You can activate the automatic removal of unused apps from: Settings > App Store > Offload Unused Apps. This way, iOS can manage storage space automatically when it starts running out.

Delete videos downloaded from streaming apps

You may accumulate files downloaded to watch offline from apps like Netflix, YouTube, Spotify, and Podcasts without noticing, consuming several gigabytes. Review the downloaded content and delete the videos or audio files you have finished watching or listening to.

Clear Safari data

You can also reclaim some space by deleting browsing history and website data from Safari. Go to: Settings > Safari > Clear History & Website Data. This step may help get rid of some temporary files and website data stored on the phone.

Review forgotten message attachments and files

There are other things that consume space without being obvious, especially old message attachments, particularly images, videos, and GIFs that have accumulated over the years. You can adjust how long messages are kept by going to Settings > Messages > Keep Messages, then choosing 30 days or one year instead of keeping them forever. Screenshots and duplicate photos can also quickly accumulate, which you can review and merge duplicates from Photos > Utilities. Don’t forget about the Downloads folder within the Files app either; it may contain old PDF or ZIP files that you completely forgot about.

What to do with System Data?

System Data refers to files like caches, logs, and temporary files created by iOS. These files typically can’t be deleted manually directly, and their size may fluctuate automatically. However, if they become unnaturally large, restarting your iPhone might help clear some of these files. In more difficult cases, you could back up your phone and restore it as a last resort.

Can buying additional iCloud storage solve the problem?

Yes, but indirectly. When you activate iCloud Photos with Optimize iPhone Storage, iCloud keeps full-resolution photos and videos, while your phone stores smaller versions of them. This can save a lot of space on your device. Therefore, increasing iCloud storage may be a practical solution, especially for those with large photo libraries.

Be warned: deleting photos from your iPhone might delete them from iCloud

This is a very important point. If iCloud Photos is activated, deleting a photo from one device will result in its deletion from all other devices linked to the same library. Therefore, it's crucial to ensure you have a backup of important photos before deleting them. However, if iCloud Photos is not activated, deleting a photo only affects the device itself. In any case, deleted photos remain in the Recently Deleted album for 30 days before being permanently removed.

Activate automatic storage management

Instead of cleaning your phone regularly, you can make your iPhone manage a significant portion of the storage automatically. The most important settings to activate include Offload Unused Apps and iCloud Photos with Optimize iPhone Storage. Additionally, set a time period for automatically deleting old messages, such as 30 days or one year. It's also beneficial to review screenshots and duplicate photos weekly or bi-weekly, and delete videos downloaded from streaming apps after watching them.

What to do if the space is full and iPhone can't update?

You may find yourself in a frustrating situation: an update requires free space, but your phone is already full. In this case, start with the fastest methods, such as deleting some large apps or using Offload, emptying the Recently Deleted album, and deleting downloaded videos and files. In some cases, providing just one or two gigabytes is enough to initiate the update. If these steps don't work, you can update your iPhone through a computer, either via Finder on Mac or the Apple Devices app on Windows, as updating in this way requires less space on the phone itself.

How much free space should you leave on your iPhone?

It's always best to keep at least a few gigabytes of free space. iOS needs this space to function, create temporary files, and install updates. If the phone is nearly full, it can affect performance and prevent the installation of updates.