iPhones have become a basic need for most people. Whether they wake you up in the morning, save important messages or help you navigate your way to new destination, they have proven to be very handy – in more ways than one. However, there is one downside. Like most things in life, even iPhones have their limits. With all the apps that already come with a brand new phone, there never seems to be enough space for storing all your images or downloading new apps.
If your phone is not letting you take that picture of your delicious paleo breakfast, there’s no longer a need to fret. Thankfully, the phone gods have finally answered our prayers.
The following was originally published on iflscience.com:
iPhones slowly creeping to a standstill with a full memory seems like an inevitable part of life. However, one tech-savvy Redditor has shared a way to free up some precious space, without the need to delete Candy Crush.
First up, it’s best to check how much memory you actually have left on your iPhone. You can find that by going into “Settings,” then “General,” then “Storage & iCloud Usage.”
The Reddit post by eavesdroppingyou goes on to explain: open up the iTunes app and find a movie to rent that has a file size larger than your remaining data. The bigger the file, the better. So wrack your brain for long films, preferably in HD quality. Once you tap “Rent,” you’ll get a message saying you don’t have enough data to download the film along with two options saying “OK” and “Settings.” All you have to do then is simply click “Settings.”
If you then go back and check your data storage you’ll find your iPhone miraculously has more memory. This process can be repeated around four to five times.
It’s a bit of a mystery what’s behind this little trick. The Reddit post speculated that it could be deleting unnecessary cached data from other apps (data that is stored so future requests for that data can be served faster). However, one Redditor said he tracked where the freed up data was coming from, yet most of the cached data remained.
Another solution to increasing storage space comes from our friends at lifehacker.com. Here’s what they suggest:
Backing up your iPhone or iPad to iCloud is a good idea, but when you upgrade phones, you might end up with multiple backups, including ones you don’t need anymore. OS X Daily shows you how to delete them.
By default, iCloud backs up all your iOS devices. If you set up a device as new, or your don’t restore from an iCloud backup, you can end up with multiple backups of the same data, which takes up a lot of space. Thankfully, they’re easy to remove.
- Open Settings > iCloud > Storage > Manage Storage
- You’ll see all your backups, select one you no longer need
- Tap Delete Backup to remove it from iCloud
Now, you should have a little more space on iCloud. Just make sure you keep around backups for any devices you still have and use.
Next time your phone appears to be running out of space, try one of the suggestions above.
