Running out of storage on an iPad or iPhone is not a pleasant feeling. You download a new game, take a video, or add new music, and this message pops up on your screen telling you that you're running out of space. If you're desperate, you can delete an app you rarely use or a few photos you've backed up, but that will only work for a while. Instead, you can take bigger steps that will reclaim that valuable space on your device.
This guide will show you how to permanently delete redundant media files and perform a trick that deletes cache files, helping you reclaim several gigabytes of storage space.
Prepare to free up storage space
A necessary step before freeing up space on your iOS device is to ensure that the latest version of iOS is installed:
- Go to " Parameters ">" General«
- Tap " Software update. » If you have the latest version, you will see the message: Your software is up to date. Otherwise, you will see options prompting you to download and install the latest version.
- Follow the instructions until your device restarts with the latest version of iOS. If you don't have enough storage space to update your device, follow the next three steps to recover space, before repeating this step.
Before you begin, it's a good idea to use iCloud to back up the files and pictures you want to keep.
Free up storage space
Remove unused apps
- Go to " Settings, " tap "General"
- Tap " Storage room " halfway to see your available storage space.
- Scroll down to see a detailed breakdown of all the apps taking up your space (the biggest ones appear first).
- Select apps you don't use, tap “Delete app”, then "Delete app" again. This uninstalls the app and deletes all of its data.
Remove unwanted media
To permanently delete unwanted media files:
- Open the " Pictures " app to see all your photos and videos (videos show a small camera icon).
- Tap " To select " at the top right, then tap to select the files you want to delete.
- Press the Waste icon, then press " Wipe off " 10 items (or the number you wish to remove). Your files are not deleted immediately but are moved to the Recently Deleted folder, where they will remain for 30 days (giving you the option to restore them if you wish).
- To permanently delete these files and reclaim the storage space they occupy, tap Albums at the bottom of the Photos app, then the Recently deleted folder.
- Tap Select in the top right, tap Delete all, then Clear X items. You can also delete any podcasts you've ever listened to.
Clear your cache
Another good way to free up space and potentially make your browsers and apps run faster is to clear the cache. Unfortunately, this has to be done for each app individually. The biggest storage culprit is usually Safari, or whatever browser you may choose to use. Follow these steps to clear your Safari cache:
- Go to Parameters > Safari.
- Scroll down and press Clear story et Website data.
- Confirm the deletion.
Some other apps will offer an easy way to delete some unnecessary data through the settings menu, but not all of them.
pack
There are different ways to erase a little bit of data here and there from your iOS device. When combined, they can add up to give you much needed space. Do you have any experience, tips, tricks, or questions about creating Space on an iOS device? Leave them in the comment section below!
