How to Free Up Space on iPhone, iPad (iOS 17.4 Update)

Get Fix iPhone storage full bug 2024. Mostly before installing the major updates, your iPhone or iPad needs at least 5GB of Free Storage.

To update iOS, you need enough free space on your iPhone. If you’re getting an error message, follow our tutorial to free up storage. Many people wonder if updating iOS will delete everything, including pictures. Also, some are worried about storage damage and deleting old updates.

Check out my personal guide and tips on how to free up storage space while downloading and installing the latest iOS over Wi-Fi.

Apple automatically optimizes iOS device usage, but it’s best to not rely on it for important data. Take a Full backup using iTunes or iCloud.

Wait and update iOS after 5 to 7 minutes: iPhone backup is important!

There is no expandable storage option like an android memory card, but you can use Best External Flash drive, Temporary or permanently copy Media to External drive available in 32GBs, 64Gbs, and 128Gbs.

Free Up Storage Space Before Updating iOS: Make a Big Room for Quick Installation

Before going down, we would recommend you determine where is the iPhone storage used. How much storage is occupied by Apps? Photos? Other? And then decide what should be deleted to free up storage as to install iOS.

  • Open the Settings > General > iPhone Storage.
Launch the settings app tap on general tab click iPhone storage on iPhone

1. Delete Worthless Screenshots on iPhone

With the increase in storage space, we are forgetting the habit of deleting useless photos, videos, and screenshots. And later, end up with Storage Almost Full error on iPhone. So, it’s time for you to take out a few minutes and figure out what screenshots to be deleted and what to be kept.

Delete all at once:

1. Open the Photos app. Tap on Album [Tab] and scroll the screen Screenshot on your iPhone.

Open the photos app tap on albums scroll the screenshots on iphone

2. Click Select and tap on Select All.

Tap on Select Click on Select All on iPhone

3. Tap on Delect Iocn > Delete Photos.

Select All images Tap on Delete icon Select Delete All Photos on iPhone

2. Remove or Offload Apps

As we’ve shown you how to check the iPhone Storage above, use the same path and evaluate which apps are taking more space and of no use at all. Nowadays, it’s no surprise that the app is consuming storage in GBs, therefore, removing unused applications could do a lot, and free up storage on the iPhone. If you feel, to keep the app, but don’t want to use it, then Offload the app. Offloading apps will keep all the data, documents, and settings while it will remove the apps. So the next time you install the app, the app can take over from the same data.

How to Remove/Offload App from iPhone?

  1. Launch the Settings App. Tap on General Tab. click iPhone Storage on your iPhone.
Launch the settings app tap on general tab click iPhone storage on iPhone

2. Scroll the screen WhatsApp App > Offload App or Delete App.

Tap on Whatsapp Click on offload app on iPhone

How to Enable App Offload on iPhone?

You have two options to offload an app on iPhone, Manually and Automatically. When you select Automatically, the iPhone will detect the apps that are not used in the past few days, and it will offload automatically. Alongside, at the time of enabling Offload, iPhone will show you how much storage will be released.

  • Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage > Enable Offload.
Offload Unused App on iPhone
Offload Unused App on iPhone

3. Turn on iCloud Photo Library

On enabling the iCloud Photo Library, all of the photos and videos are stored on the iCloud storage, which can be accessed on any device with the iCloud Account. The photos/videos transfer only when the iPhone is connected to the Wi-Fi network and charged enough. Besides, the iCloud Storage should be empty enough, otherwise, it will not work.

1. Navigate to the Settings app.
2. Tap on your name. Tap iCloud.

Launch the settings app tap on apple id profile name then select iCloud on iPhone

3. Scroll the screen Photos App. Turn toggle on next to the Sync this iPhone.

Click Photos turn on Sync this iPhone on iPhone

4. Optimize iPhone Storage

The optimized photo will stay on iPhone and the Original photo move into the iCloud library. Turn on Optimize iPhone Storage option in Settings > Your Name > iCloud.

Open Settings Tap Apple ID Name Click iCloud On iPhone

Tap on Photos > Optimize iPhone Storage. (Optimize iPhone storage options will not show if iCloud Library turned off).

Tap on Photos Select Optimise iPhone Storage on iPhone

5. Delete Unwanted Music

Music library all grown up? No worries, deleting songs, could also free up a considerable amount of space. The songs can be deleted from the Settings as well as directly from the Music app.

From Settings app

  1. Navigate to the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Click General.
  3. Tap on the iPhone Storage.
Launch the settings next tap on general then select iPhone storage on iPhone
  1. Tap Music App.
  2. Scroll down and remove the songs/Artists (swipe to left) that you no longer need.
  3. Click on Delete.
Tap on Music Swipe right to left Artist to Delete Tap on Delete on iPhone

Other than this, if you are using any third-party Music app like Spotify and downloaded some songs offline, then also remove them.

6. Remove the Recently Deleted Album from iPhone

Whenever you delete photos or videos, it gets removed from the album and appears in the Recently Deleted Album, which equally consumes the local storage of the iPhone.

  1. Launch the Settings App.
  2. Tap Albums
  3. scroll down to tap on Recently Deleted on iPhone.
Open Photos App Tap on Albums Click on Recently Deleted on iPhone
  1. Click on Select Option
  2. Tap More (three icons).
Tap on Select Select More Icon on iPhone
  1. Select Delete All
  2. Tap on Delete From All Devices.
Tap on Delete All Select Delete From All Devices on iPhone

7. Delete Downloaded Podcasts

Deleting a few episodes of Podcasts can free up to GBs of storage. So, check the list of downloaded podcast episodes and remove them all at once or one by one.

  1. Open the Settings app
  2. Select General.
  3. Tap on iPhone Storage.
Launch the settings next tap on general then select iPhone storage on iPhone
  1. Tap Podcasts App
  2. Tap on Edit Option.
Tap on Podcasts Select Edit on iPhone
  1. Tap on Red (-) to remove the Podcasts.
  2. To delete a particular podcast from your local storage, please click on the “Delete” option.
Tap on - to remove the Podcast Select Delete on iPhone

Troubleshooting: after deleting files and data, failed to make free up space

The same error “storage full but nothing on phone” is displaying on download iOS, because you need GBs of blank space on the iOS device local drive. Do know we can check Available storage space on iPhone, iPad.

My iPhone says I have no storage but I deleted everything

if you have deleted all your photos and still have no storage iPhone? Don’t worry, Follow the bottom guide to fix an issue or contact the nearby Apple Store.

Update using iTunes after a clean restore, Connect your iPhone to iTunes. Take the latest backup on iTunes. Now Go to the Summary page on iTunes > Click on the Update now button.

Above all the quick tips that we should use to Free up Storage Space before Update to iOS on iPhone and iPad.

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Karly Wood

Karly Wood, a Wellington-based journalist, excels in covering Apple and tech trends. With a diverse background in public safety, government, and education reporting, her insights bridge multiple disciplines, offering readers a well-rounded perspective on today's technological advancements. Contact Her Team:- [email protected] [OR] [email protected]

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