If you’ve been using your iPhone (or any phone) for a while, it’s only natural that your device starts to slow down as it ages. This could mean it’s time to say goodbye to your current iPhone and buy a new one (after trading in), but other times the issue of a slow iPhone may be within your control. The solution may be as simple as cleaning up your storage space, among other possibilities. No no that storage space. Your iPhone’s “Other” storage.
If you’ve run out of storage before and tried to free up space manually, you may already be familiar with the next storage space. If not, let’s explore what it is before diving into how to reduce this pesky category.
What is the other iPhone storage?
The “Other” section is a mysterious and attractive corner of your iPhone’s storage. Think of it as a place to store things like system files and Siri voices. But it can also be a memory hog, and that’s mostly because of caching. Your cache stores elements of apps or websites so they load faster the next time you use them. The cache collects items while you browse the web, stream videos or movies, and when you send text messages with pictures or videos. In apps like Google Maps and Chrome, cached data may soon begin to run out of available storage space in the device.
To check how much space is using other storage space, you will need go to SETTINGS > general > iPhone Storage. After iPhone does its math, you’ll see a bar graph of the categories taking up your iPhone’s storage space. The next storage section is usually the gray area on the far right of the chart. Assuming that your “Other” memory is taking up more space than it should, here are some things you can do that can help you change it.
iOS 11 introduced new ways to free up space, including the option to download apps you don’t use regularly.
Downloading applications
Not to be confused with deleting an app, downloading an app means that the app is removed from your device, but all data is held, for when you decide to reinstall it. Take advantage of this trick, especially if you have apps like Google Maps that use a lot of space but don’t store much data. To download an app, go back to iPhone Storage in Settings > General, tap the app you want to download, and then Downloading the application.
Here’s a tip: In the iPhone Space section, there’s a list of apps with a number next to each name that shows how much storage they’re using. You can immediately get an overview of which applications are accumulating memory or taking only a little. This can help you decide which one to download.
Read more: Want to try iOS18 now? Here’s everything you need to know about the Public Beta
Clear Safari cache and close tabs
If you use Safari frequently, your iPhone may be storing web history and data that you simply don’t need. To clear the Safari browser cache, go to Settings > Safari AND Clear history and website data. If you’re a Chrome user, here how to clear cache in google browser.
Closing tabs also helps free up storage space and keeps your device running smoothly. You can manage how often Safari closes open tabs by going to SETTINGS > Safari > Close tabs. You can continue to close tabs manually or let Safari close tabs that haven’t been viewed for a day, a week, or a month.
Stop saving texts forever
By default, your iPhone stores all the text messages you send and receive forever. This is convenient if you need to ask for a 15-month conversation, but not so convenient if you need your storage space. To stop your phone from saving messages forever, open SETTINGS and tap posts. Scroll down until you find Message History and tap it Keep messages. AmENdmENT Forever THE 30 days OR 1 year. A popup will ask if you want to delete old messages; tap Clear to continue.
Reset your iPhone
If all else fails, a safe way to dispose of a large portion of the garbage contained in other storage is by restore your iPhoneeven if you can’t empty it completely.
For more iPhone Tips and Trickscheck out these hidden features of iOS 17, iPhone settings to change ASAPAND how to make your iPhone feel more like your old Android phone. Plus, we have tips to make your phone last longer before you need to replace it.