If you possess an iPhone, you will concur that this particular device has become an essential companion. iPhones have become multifunctional devices that fulfill various roles such as serving as cameras, entertainment hubs, communication tools, and more. It offers a wide range of capabilities and possibilities for users to explore and accomplish various tasks. The continuous arrival of photos, videos, apps, and files can rapidly deplete the available storage space on your device, forcing you to choose between preserving important memories and ensuring your device operates at its best performance. In most cases, it is necessary to select the latter option with some reluctance to avoid the inconvenience of a malfunctioning device. Consequently, iPhone users frequently encounter the need to acquire supplementary storage for their devices at an affordable cost.
This guide outlines various effective methods for freeing up and optimizing the storage capacity of your iPhone, without experiencing any difficulties or financial limitations.
How to Get More iPhone Storage
The following are steps on how to get more iPhone storage for free:
#1. Delete Unused Apps
Open your iPhone’s home screen and locate the app you want to delete. Press and hold the app icon until all the icons start shaking, and an “x” appears on the top-left corner of the app icon. Tap the “x” icon to delete the app. A confirmation pop-up will appear. Select “Delete” to remove the app from your device. Repeat this process for other unused apps you want to delete.
#2. Clear Safari Cache
Go to “Settings” on your iPhone and scroll down and tap on “Safari.” Scroll to the bottom and select “Clear History and Website Data.” A pop-up will appear asking you to confirm. Tap “Clear History and Data” to proceed.
#3. Offload Unused Apps
Open “Settings” on your iPhone and tap on “General.” After that, select “iPhone Storage,” then wait for the list of apps to load. Once it’s done, scroll through the list to find apps you don’t use frequently. Tap on an app you want to offload, and then tap “Offload App.” This will remove the app from your device but retain its data. To automatically offload unused apps, enable the “Offload Unused Apps” toggle at the top of the iPhone Storage page.
#2. Manage Photos and Videos
You can use iCloud Photos to store your photos and videos in the cloud, freeing up space on your device. Go to “Settings” on your iPhone and tap on your Apple ID name at the top. Select “iCloud,” then “Photos,” and enable “iCloud Photos” and choose either “Optimize iPhone Storage” (to keep smaller versions on your device) or “Download and Keep Originals” (to keep full-resolution photos on your device).
#3. Use iCloud Storage
Go to “Settings” on your iPhone and tap on your Apple ID name at the top. Select “iCloud,” then “Manage Storage” or “Storage.” Here, you can see what data is taking up space on your iCloud account. To manage your backups, go to “Backups” and tap on the device’s name to see which apps are included in the backup. You can toggle off certain apps if you don’t need their data to be backed up.
#4. Delete Large Attachments
Open the “Messages” app on your iPhone and find a conversation that contains large photos or videos you want to delete. Then tap and hold the message bubble containing the attachment. Once that is done, in the pop-up menu, tap “More…” to select multiple messages at once. Then tap the trash can icon to delete the selected messages or attachments.
#5. Clear App Cache
Some apps accumulate cache over time. You can often clear the cache within the app’s settings. App cache can be cleared from within individual apps (if the app provides this option) or by reinstalling the app. For example, Safari cache can be cleared as mentioned in point
#6. Manage Downloads
Open the app where you have downloaded music, podcasts, or videos for offline access (e.g., Apple Music, Podcasts, or TV app) and find the downloaded content you no longer need, and remove it. For Apple Music: Go to the Library tab, find the song or album you want to delete, swipe left on it, and tap “Remove.” For Podcasts: Go to the Library tab, find the podcast episode you want to delete, swipe left on it, and tap “Remove Download.” Then for the TV app: Go to the Library tab, find the downloaded TV show or movie, swipe left on it, and tap “Remove Download.”
#7. Delete Old Messages
Open the “Settings” app on your iPhone and scroll down and tap on “Messages.” Under the “Message History” section, tap on “Keep Messages.” After that, choose a time duration for which you want to keep messages (e.g., 30 Days or 1 Year). If you select 30 Days, older messages and their attachments will be automatically deleted after 30 days.
#8. Check Storage Usage
Go to “Settings” on your iPhone and tap on “General,” and then select “iPhone Storage.” You’ll see a detailed breakdown of how your iPhone’s storage is being used. The list will show the amount of storage each app consumes, as well as other categories like Photos, Messages, Mail, etc. Identify the apps or content categories that are taking up the most space and take appropriate actions to manage them, like deleting unnecessary data or offloading apps.
#9. Optimize Storage (Apple Music)
If you use Apple Music, you can enable “Optimize Storage” to automatically remove downloaded music you haven’t played in a while. Open the “Settings” app on your iPhone and scroll down and tap on “Music.” Enable the toggle for “Optimize Storage.” With this setting on, your iPhone will remove downloaded music when it’s running low on storage, keeping only recently played songs on the device.
#10. Use Streaming Services
Instead of downloading music, podcasts, or videos, consider using streaming services to access content online without taking up space on your iPhone. Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and other streaming platforms allow you to stream content directly without the need for local downloads. For video content, apps like Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and others offer a wide selection of TV shows and movies for streaming.
#10. Delete Offline Maps and Manage Email Attachments
If you use maps offline, delete unused offline maps in the Maps app. Lastly, clear out email attachments and old emails with large wings.
How to Buy More iCloud Storage
We’ll be looking at how to buy more iCloud space for Mac, iPhone, and iPad. But we’ll be starting with iPhone and iPad:
#1. How to Buy More iCloud Storage On iPhone or iPad
The following is how you can buy more iCloud storage on iPhone or iPad:
- Open Settings: Locate and tap the Settings app on your home screen. It looks like a gear icon.
- Tap on your Apple ID: In the Settings app, you’ll see your name and Apple ID at the top. Tap on it to access your Apple ID settings.
- Select “iCloud”: Tap on the “iCloud” option from the list of Apple ID settings.
- Manage Storage: Under the “iCloud Storage” section, tap on “Manage Storage.” This will show you a breakdown of how much storage each app or service is using in iCloud.
- Choose a Plan: You’ll see a list of available storage plans along with their corresponding prices. Tap on the plan that suits your needs. Here are the standard iCloud storage plans as of my knowledge cutoff in September 2021:
- 50GB
- 200GB
- 2TB
- Tap on the one you want to purchase.
- Select Buy: After choosing a plan, tap on the “Buy” button at the top right corner of the screen.
- Authenticate Payment: You might be prompted to enter your Apple ID password or use Face ID/Touch ID for authentication. This is to ensure the security of your account.
- Confirm Payment: Follow the on-screen instructions to confirm your payment details. You may need to choose a valid payment method, such as a credit card associated with your Apple ID.
- Complete the Purchase: Once you’ve completed the payment process, your iCloud storage will be upgraded to the selected plan.
#2. On Mac
To buy more iCloud storage for your Mac, do the following:
- Open System Preferences: Click on the Apple logo in the top left corner of your Mac’s screen and choose “System Preferences” from the dropdown menu.
- Click on Apple ID: In System Preferences, click on the “Apple ID” icon, which looks like an Apple logo with your name next to it.
- Select “iCloud”: In the left-hand column of Apple ID settings, click on “iCloud” to access your iCloud settings.
- Manage Storage: Under the “iCloud Storage” section, click on “Manage” to view a detailed breakdown of how much storage each app or service is using in iCloud.
- Choose a Plan: You’ll see the available storage plans with their respective prices. Click on the one you want to purchase.
- Select Buy: After choosing a plan, click on the “Buy More Storage” button to proceed with the purchase.
- Authenticate Payment: You may be prompted to enter your Apple ID password for security purposes.
- Confirm Payment: Follow the on-screen instructions to confirm your payment details and select a valid payment method if necessary.
- Complete the Purchase: Once the payment is confirmed, your iCloud storage will be upgraded to the selected plan.
Can I Upgrade My iPhone 11 from 64GB to 128GB?
Sorry, but you can’t possibly upgrade iPhone memory. The expansion of iPhone memory capacity is not a feasible option. In the case of alternative smartphones, the augmentation of storage capacity typically entails the provision of expandable storage options, such as the utilization of an SD card.
How Much Does It Cost to Add Storage to an iPhone?
You can’t add storage to an iPhone; you can only upgrade your iCloud storage. The Apple One plan offers customers the choice between three tiers of iCloud storage: 50GB, 200GB, or 2TB. Additionally, it includes access to Apple Music, Apple TV+, and Apple Arcade. Users also have the option to subscribe to Apple News+ and Fitness+ as part of their Apple One plan. The monthly prices vary between $16.95, $22.95, and $32.95.
Is 64GB Enough for an iPhone?
Well, if what you intend to do with your iPhone’s storage capacity isn’t much, then it’s OK, you’ll have to depend on iCloud storage, which comes at a monthly fee.
How Do I Free up Space on My iPhone Without Deleting Everything?
Generally, it’s a good practice to regularly clean up and manage your iPhone’s storage to ensure smooth performance and avoid running out of space. Freeing up space on your iPhone without deleting everything is possible. Here are some effective tips and methods to help you achieve that:
#1. Offload Unused Apps:
Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage. Tap on any app listed under “Recommendations” to offload it. This removes the app but keeps its data. The app icon remains on the home screen, and the data will be re-downloaded if you reinstall the app later.
#2. Clear Safari Cache
After offloading your unused apps, you’ll have to clear your Safari cache> To do this, simply go to Open Settings and then Safari. Scroll down and tap on “Clear History and Website Data.”
#3. Manage Photos and Videos
Use the “Optimize iPhone Storage” option in Settings > Photos. This stores full-resolution photos and videos in iCloud and keeps device-optimized versions on your iPhone. Regularly back up your photos and videos to a cloud service like iCloud, Google Photos, or Dropbox, and then delete them from your device.
#4. Review and Delete Large Files
Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage. Scroll down to the “Documents” section to see which apps are taking up the most space. You can delete unnecessary files from these apps.
#5. Delete Unused Messages and Attachments
Open Messages, go into a conversation and tap the “i” icon in the top-right corner. Review attachments and photos in the conversation and delete what you don’t need.
#6. Manage Offline Music and Podcasts
Use the “Optimize Storage” option in Settings > Music to automatically remove downloaded songs that you haven’t listened to in a while. For podcasts, set your app to automatically delete episodes after they’re played.
#7. Review App Usage and Delete
Regularly review your installed apps and delete those you no longer use. Simply press and hold an app icon on the home screen until the icons start shaking, then tap the “x” icon to delete an app.
#8 Delete Unused Downloads
Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage. Under the “Other” section, check if there are any app downloads, email attachments, or files that you can delete.
#9. Check for System Updates
Sometimes, system updates include optimizations that can free up space on your device. Go to Settings > General > Software Update to check for available updates.
#10. Use Cloud Services
Store documents, files, and data in cloud services like iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive to free up local storage.
Why Is Storage Full Even After Deleting on the iPhone?
The presence of cached data is often responsible for causing low storage problems. The previous iCloud backup: If iCloud backup is enabled and the available iCloud storage is exhausted, users will encounter the “iPhone storage full” notification on their device. This notification may appear even if the local iPhone storage is empty or if large files have recently been deleted.
Why Can’t I Buy More Storage on My iPhone?
The storage capacity of an iPhone cannot be expanded beyond its original configuration at the time of purchase. You can only buy more iCloud storage space.
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