Free up iPhone memory using iPhone. How to free up space on iPhone and iPad and speed them up
Apple iPhone smartphones are equipped with memory ranging from 16 to 128 GB, and without the possibility of expansion. In older models, the internal storage capacity is less than 16 GB, which does not add optimism to users and the ability to store a large amount of data. No matter how much memory there is, there is never too much of it. How to clear memory on an iPhone if it suddenly runs out? We will talk about this as part of our review and give advice on expanding its number.
Removing unnecessary applications
The abundance of applications in the AppStore leads to smartphone owners actively downloading toys, information software, online magazines, social networking applications and much more. Over time, all this accumulates in the internal storage, leading to a lack of free space. And the most interesting thing is that a good half of the applications are used a maximum of 1-2 times a quarter - the rest of the time all this stuff just takes up space.
Cleaning up excess app storage is a great way to get rid of digital clutter in your iPhone's internal storage. If you're keeping a toy just because you play with it once a quarter, it's best to take it down. The same applies to many other applications. You also need to take into account that applications tend to:
- Reduce battery charge even when they are not running (applies to all social network clients);
- Reduce the performance of smartphones;
- Fill your internal storage with digital waste from your hidden activities (for example, these can be various caches).
That is, you need to actively get rid of unnecessary applications - this will help clear the memory on iPhone 4s, 5s, 6s and other versions of Apple smartphones.
A typical example is that if you use the Facebook client once a quarter, it is better to delete it. It’s easier to go in and check your feed from your computer than to endure empty notifications and regret the lack of free space.
Deleting photos and videos
How to free up memory on your iPhone and not lose important photos? If you love taking photos and making videos, this is great. But why store all your pictures on the smartphone itself if you can download them to your computer? All you need to do is connect your smartphone with a cable, synchronize the contents with your computer, and delete copies that have become unnecessary - the memory is cleared. As practice shows, it is photographs and videos that take up the lion's share of memory on smartphones and tablets.
How then can you show the best pictures to your friends and acquaintances? For this there are:
- Computers and tablets – it’s more convenient to view pictures on a large screen;
- Online services for uploading and storing photos;
- Social networks – post your best photos here and share them with your friends.
If you really want to show photos on your smartphone, keep only the best photos in your memory, and post the rest on social networks or send them to friends and family by email - problem solved.
The worst thing is for fans of video recordings - they have to store gigantic amounts of data. And if 128 GB of memory is still enough to store a decent amount of video, then a modest 16 GB will not be enough for much. We recommend uploading the filmed videos to computers and tablets, or posting them on social networks and specialized services. For example, for storing videos there is such an excellent service as Youtube - you can store an unlimited number of videos there.
Music storage features
Cleaning memory on iPhone often comes down to sorting and deleting audio recordings. Music lovers rarely listen to all the tracks from the collected collection. Something is listened to every day, and something just takes up space in memory. Sort your music collection, remove dubious tracks and delete works that you clearly don't like. As a result, you can easily get several gigabytes of free space.
If you can’t escape your favorite music, you can use online services for listening to music tracks or online storage. For example, listening to music is available in the clients of the social networks Odnoklassniki and Vkontakte. You can also listen to your favorite tracks via iCloud, right online - fortunately, modern tariffs for wireless mobile Internet allow you to splurge on a large amount of traffic.
A wide variety in terms of the selection of tracks and their convenient storage is provided by the well-known Russian service Yandex.Music - use it if you love listening to music so much, but want to free up memory on your iPhone.
Clearing app data
How to clear the memory on an iPhone if all unnecessary data has already been deleted and important data has been transferred to external media or online services? If you're still running low on memory, try clearing Safari's history and cache. Active surfing leads to the accumulation of data remaining from visited sites in memory. A day or two on the network - and the volume of this data grows to tens and hundreds of megabytes.
In order to clear the memory on your iPhone, you need to get rid of this digital garbage. Cleaning Safari from junk data is carried out as follows - go to “Settings - Safari” and select “Clear history and website data”. Thus, you will get rid of garbage and history of visited sites. All this takes up a decent amount of space, and Regular cleaning will increase the amount of free space on your iPhone..
Another tool for removing junk data is the useful PhoneExpander application. It is designed to clean iOS devices and works on Apple computers. Use it to clean your smartphone of excess digital junk.
Expanding free space
In fact, we can store any data on our iPhone in cloud services. A striking example of this is iCloud, familiar to all owners of Apple devices. Here you can store photos, videos, work documents and much more. All this content can be safely shared with other users, so there will be no problems with “showing photos to friends.” Also, to expand your free space, you should use an account in a service such as Yandex.Disk.
This service will immediately provide you with 10 GB of free space to store everything you might need on your iPhone - music, photos, work files, videos and much more. Move rarely used files here, and leave the most relevant data in the built-in memory. If the 10 GB capacity becomes insufficient, you can use paid subscriptions and increase the available volume to 100 GB.
Another useful online data storage service is Dropbox. It provides a base volume of 2 GB, which can easily be expanded to 16 GB by inviting friends and other new users through referral links. Dropbox also offers a paid subscription that expands your free space up to 100 GB.
View memory on iPhone
How to view the memory on an iPhone and find out how much space is left in the smartphone’s memory? This is done very easily and simply - you need to go to “Settings - Statistics”. Here you will see the total amount of memory in your smartphone and the amount of free memory. Below you will see the amount of memory occupied by certain applications.
In order to see how much memory is left on your iPhone, you should use the iTunes application - connect your smartphone to your computer and check the amount of free space in the “Overview” tab. Using the iTunes application, you can transfer files from your iPhone to your computer or create a backup copy so as not to lose important data - be sure to use this functionality to free up memory on your smartphone and protect data from accidental damage or loss.
To clarify the amount of free memory in the cloud services used, use the appropriate applications - they will indicate the amount of total and available memory, and also provide statistics on data use.
Every iPhone owner sooner or later faced the problem of running out of free space, especially if the memory capacity does not exceed 32 GB. The device begins to perform worse, requests are processed more slowly and applications are opened. How to clear the memory on an iPhone of accumulated information? We offer tips and tricks that will help you complete this task without damaging system files and data from other applications.
Reboot iPhone
This is the simplest method in which all processes are terminated, freeing up RAM. In addition, the cache accumulated in browsers and applications is cleared. Rebooting will not completely get rid of the cache, although it will reduce it.
Remove unused apps and games
Before taking drastic measures to clear memory, go through the tabs of the main screen. There will almost certainly be many outdated games and programs there that have not been launched for a long time. Check old folders and destroy software junk. This way, you can clean up your iPhone's memory and free up space. There are different ways to remove programs on iPhone.
Uninstalling applications via desktop
This method is the simplest, and it is familiar to every owner of an Apple device.
Removing apps from Settings
This method is good because before deleting you can see how much a particular application takes. Therefore, your choice will not be random, but quite reasonable, since it is best to remove the most “gluttonous” programs.
Uninstalling apps using iTunes
The last method will require a computer with iTunes installed. Its essence is to cancel synchronization and automatically delete those applications that were previously canceled in iTunes.
After this, at the first synchronization (automatic or manual), applications deleted in iTunes will be deleted from the iPhone’s memory.
Reinstalling applications
An effective method will help you get rid of temporary files and cache, which accumulate in huge volumes in applications.
Clear Safari History
- In "Settings" go to Safari.
- Activate the “Clear history and data” function.
A data value of zero indicates that the web browser is completely cleared. It is worth noting that the steps suggested above will not affect Safari in any way.
Deleting messages
Perhaps not all iPhone owners know that text messages can weigh several gigabytes. Starting with the 8th build of iOS, it became possible to configure the automatic deletion mode for SMS. How to do it:
- In "Settings" open the "Messages" section.
- In the “Message History” block and click on “Leave Messages”.
- Select the desired SMS storage period: month, year or indefinitely.
The default is always set to indefinite retention. If desired, the deleted message is restored from an iTunes backup.
Cleaning iMessage
Correspondence in iMessage often includes, in addition to text messages, music, photographs, and videos, which after a while become irrelevant and continue to take up space. We offer a way to free up iPhone memory without disrupting all correspondence:
- Open a dialog with the media files you want to delete.
- Activate the “Details” item, then call up the content menu by holding your finger on some attachment and click “More”.
- Mark images to be deleted and click on the trash can.
Freeing "Photo" from old photos
Cleaning the “Gallery” of unnecessary images is another option for freeing up memory. You will have to go to the album and select the frames to delete. Starting with iOS 9, the selection procedure has been simplified. Now, to tag photos, just swipe over them. It is now possible to select groups of images in different places in the album.
Disabling photo stream
The My Photo Stream feature sends all the photos on your iPhone to iCloud, making them available for friends to view. However, if we are talking about a lack of memory, it is recommended to deactivate it. To do this you need:
- Go to “Settings”.
- Select "Photo and Camera".
- Set the “Upload to My Photo Stream” option switch to the inactive position.
Simple steps will free up megabytes of memory.
Updating iOS via iTunes
Updating an iPhone via Wi-Fi networks is very convenient, but the procedure is accompanied by the creation and saving of temporary files, which are partially deposited in the gadget’s memory. For this reason, it is recommended to install iOS via iTunes. This will free up memory as much as possible, since the firmware is unpacked on the PC.
Download the great app
This unconventional method is suitable for iPhone owners whose memory is full. Its essence is to start downloading software, a game or a movie, the volume of which exceeds the free space in the phone’s memory. Having detected that the downloaded object does not have enough memory, iOS will begin to clear its place on its own, deleting temporary files and other garbage. After installation, this software can be removed.
Radical methods - returning iPhone to factory settings
There are two ways to completely erase an iPhone: on the smartphone itself or using iCloud. Let's take a closer look at them.
Reset data on iPhone
Please note that resetting and clearing iPhone memory can take a lot of time - from 2 to 15 minutes depending on the model of your smartphone or tablet. This means that you need to ensure that the battery has sufficient charge or connect the device to the network. It is also important to remember that the deletion process is irreversible and affects all personal data, applications and settings on the iPhone. We strongly recommend creating backups immediately before resetting.
Erasing content via iCloud
If you prefer to use a computer, you can erase your iPhone using the iCloud cloud service. In this case, both the computer and the iPhone or iPad itself must be connected to the Internet.
Additionally, Activation Lock can brick your mobile device if you can't remember the correct password. Use these methods only when absolutely necessary and completely confident in your abilities.
Option for the lazy
All of the above methods will help free up memory without spending money, but will take some time. For those who don’t want to spend minutes studying the instructions and intricacies of their gadget, the network always offers a large selection of paid and free applications that will help clear the iPhone’s memory with one click of a button. The most popular of them: Battery Doctor, PhoneExpander, PhoneClean.
Many users of Apple devices notice that the iPhone and iPad work incredibly fast immediately after purchasing, but over time the speed indicators become less and less impressive. It’s not surprising, because you install it yourself, store gigabytes of photos, correspondence in instant messengers, and so on. The consequence of this is a full cache, which can cause devices to slow down.
Almost all iOS applications store cache files - in Safari this is: thanks to this, you can open the browser at any time and go to a page that you visited a couple of hours ago. Much faster than re-entering the site into the address bar and then searching for the page you need.
Other applications also have a lot of corresponding files. To see how much space the cache takes up, go to Settings - General - Storage & iCloud. Select "Manage" and go to any application. For me, for example, Spotify takes up one and a half gigabytes, and this despite the fact that the application itself “weighs” 104 megabytes. Instagram, with its size of 22 megabytes, takes up an additional 203 megabytes.
The easiest way to get rid of these “documents and data” is to reinstall the applications. In this case, you will not need third-party solutions, although user data will also be deleted: offline music in Spotify, gameplay (if the game does not upload everything to iCloud), and so on.
The best place to start clearing your cache is Safari. This can be done in a couple of clicks: go to “Settings” - Safari, where you select “Clear history and website data”.
If you don’t feel the effect as such, it’s time to use third-party applications. There are quite a lot of them, mostly such programs are monetized using advertising banners and therefore distributed free of charge. For example, Battery Saver - you can clean both RAM (Boost Memory) and temporary files (Disk - Clean Junk). We recommend using the latter function only if there is really little space on your iPhone or iPad, as user files in applications may be affected.
For cleaning, you can also use applications for Windows or OS X - the same PhoneClean. The utility will clear the device cache, remove unnecessary files and programs that you do not use. You will have to pay for this pleasure (however, there is a free version), but in the future you will be able to clean your Apple gadgets without any problems.
In general, it’s better not to let things get to this point - to do this, carefully monitor the free space on your iPhone and iPad and get rid of unnecessary junk as soon as the storage begins to rapidly decrease. You can download all the utilities that we talked about in the article using the links below. If you know any other useful programs for “cleaning”, share with other readers in the comments.
Name:
Publisher/Developer: lin tongtong
Price: For free
In-app purchases: No
Compatibility: For iPhone
Link:
Everyone has faced the problem of running out of free space on their iPhone, especially when using a device with a storage capacity of less than 32 GB. Next, we will tell you how to clear memory on an iPhone 5s (and other models) so as not to damage system files and data from other important applications.
How to clear "other" on iPhone
After synchronizing your iPhone with iTunes, you will see on the status bar how much space this or that content takes up (media files, applications, etc.). The “other” section includes various temporary files, cache and “unnecessary” information. To clean it up and free up space, follow these steps:
- Clear your application cache. The memory of WhatsApp or another messenger is released through the “Settings” menu. You can get rid of temporary data from other programs by reinstalling them.
- Disable iCloud Drive through the Settings menu. Move other data to cloud storage.
- To free up memory in Viber, delete your chat history, unnecessary sticker sets, saved voice messages and other temporary files. All this data also belongs to the “Other” section.
- Use special software to optimize free space and delete temporary files.
- Delete Safari browser history, saved passwords, bookmarks.
This will clear the cache memory and free up additional space. You can check the size of the “Other” section through the “Settings” menu or by synchronizing the device with iTunes.
How to delete temporary files in the browser
Safari automatically saves data from websites you visit. These are passwords, cookies and other temporary files. To remove them, do the following:
- Go to the “Settings” menu and at the very bottom of the list find the “Safari” item.
- A new page will open with all available options. Click on the blue “Clear history and website data” sign.
- If you want to delete other data, including bookmarks and saved pages, then in the “Safari” section, click on the “Add-ons” button (located at the very bottom of the list).
- After that, select “Site data” - “Delete all data”.
This method allows you to get rid of “junk” files and free up memory on your iPhone. To make your device work faster, it is recommended to clear your browser history at least once a month. If you use Safari too often, you should delete your history every week.
If you want to clear your RAM, then close all unnecessary applications and prevent them from running in the background. This can be done through the “Settings” menu or using special programs to optimize the device.
How to customize iCloud settings
Photos and other media files take up a significant amount of free space. If you receive a message that your iPhone's memory is full, use the following tips to save space:
- Turn off Photo Stream. This is a service that automatically collects the latest photos from your library and copies them to all connected iOS devices. To free up space and turn off photo stream, go to the “Settings” menu and find the “iCloud” - “Photos” section here. Move the My Photo Stream slider to off.
- Turn on iCloud Photo Library. After this, photos and videos will be uploaded to cloud storage rather than taking up space in the device’s memory. To enable Music Library, go to the iCloud menu through Settings. After that, in the “Photos” section, move the slider next to “iCloud Photo Library” to the on state.
Using the methods described above, you will clear the device’s memory and allocate additional space for storing other files and documents.
How to remove unnecessary applications
If you don't have enough free space on your iPhone, try deleting unnecessary games and apps. Some programs use up more and more memory over time by using temporary files. To remove an unnecessary application:
- Go to the Settings menu on your iPhone and find the General section.
- Select “Statistics” and go to the “Storage” block.
- After this, a list of installed programs will be displayed. Opposite the name it will be written how much memory the application takes up (for example, Telegram or Instagram).
- Choose the most resource-intensive programs. To do this, click on its title to access additional documents and data.
- Here, click on the red “Uninstall a program” sign.
After this, the application will be unavailable for use. In this way, you can separately delete temporary files and reinstall the desired program. The total application memory will appear at the very top of the list.
How to reset an iPhone
If you want to completely clean your iPhone, then perform a factory reset. After this, all user data, temporary files and other information will be deleted from the device. Therefore, before starting the reset, make a backup copy of your important documents. Procedure:
- Go to your iPhone settings and find the “General” section here.
- A page with available options appears. At the very bottom, find and select “Reset”.
- A list of possible options will appear. Select "Erase Content and Settings" to delete all user files.
- A system notification will appear. Confirm the action and, if necessary, enter your Apple ID account password.
After this, the smartphone screen will go dark and after a few seconds the Apple logo will appear. Depending on the device model and the amount of information stored on the iPhone, the process takes from two to twenty minutes. After that, set up your phone like new. The method helps clear internal and system memory.
To clear your iPhone's memory of junk and free up space, delete unnecessary programs and temporary files manually or using special software. If necessary, reset to factory settings, abandon offline content in favor of online listening to music, storing photos in cloud storage.
A non-obvious way using the iTunes Store.
If you have an iPhone with 16 GB of memory, you know what a shortage of free space is. Yes, part of the memory goes for the system, a little more for the necessary applications, a couple of hundred photos, videos... And at the most inopportune moment, the iPhone signals a lack of free space.
When you urgently need free memory and don’t have time to delete “unnecessary” photos and applications, try using this non-obvious advice. It will save you a couple of hundred extra megabytes without any extra fuss.
This trick works on any iOS device: iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch.
1. To make sure everything is working, first look at the memory status. Open up Settings – General – Storage and iCloud and look at the memory status.
2. Now open the iTunes Store on the page Movies.
3. Find any movie available for hire and pay attention to its size was larger than the memory in your device. This is important, otherwise you will buy something you didn’t plan on.
4. Click on download. After a few seconds, an error will appear warning you that there is insufficient memory on your smartphone. Press on Settings and check the memory status again.
There is additional space! Now repeat this trick several times and your device will get more free megabytes, and if you’re lucky, even a gigabyte.
Why is this happening. When you try to download a large movie, iOS automatically tries to find free space, getting rid of cache, settings and “unnecessary” files. Otherwise, these “device bins” can only be cleaned using specialized software.
