iPad storage is almost full... but, no, really, it's not 'almost' full at all.

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Level 1

45 points

iPad storage is almost full... but, no, really, it's not 'almost' full at all.

I have an iPad Air 2 with 16gb. 10.1 gb used and that almost full notification.

I also have an old iPhone 5s, 16gb, 12.9gb used and no notification.

The iPad has a newer version of the OS and that warning came with the update. No problem before.

I tried to reboot, remove more apps, clear the cache in chrome, erase the books downloaded, etc. the used space goes down, the warning doesn't.

Since Apple has decided I can't control the device I own, I have very limited ways to see what is happening, disable that notification, or really do anything about it.

What strategies have worked so far to remove that issue? short of reinstalling everything from scratch.

iPad Air 2, iOS 12

Posted on Jul 22, 2019 1:56 AM

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Answer 1

ThomasD3 Author

Level 1

45 points

Jul 22, 2019 3:47 AM in response to MichelPM

there is no update to do:

they're on the latest: ipad is on 12.3.1 and the problem happened when I updated to 12.3.1; before I was on 11.x and there was no space warning.

the phone is on 12.3.1, but, less free space, no warning.

they run fine:

no errors, no crashes, no weird behavior. They both have > 3gb free, so there is no operation problem.

as an experiment, I deleted even more apps:

so, with 6.6 gb free , my storage is 'full' :D

I know on this forum the assumption is that apple knows what they do and the user should just obey, but there is something obviously wrong with their definition of full.

It's far from full, I even let the OS page out apps I'm not using, etc.

in the meantime:

the phone has no warning with much less free storage...

there is clearly something wrong on the ipad side; just tried the hard reset, as suggested, no change.

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Answer 2

ThomasD3 Author

Level 1

45 points

Jul 22, 2019 4:55 AM in response to ThomasD3

Since I wanted to dig through this, I emptied more things:

6.9gb used / 16gb, so that should be about 9.1gb free

and, yet.. the storage full warning is still there.

besides, before the update from iOS 11, there was no warning..

I can remove more apps and eventually just get the bare OS, but it will most likely tell me that the device is full.. the problem is NOT that the device is full, the issue is somewhere else.

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Answer 3

MichelPM

Level 10

81,290 points

Jul 22, 2019 2:45 AM in response to ThomasD3

Both of these devices are near practical storage capacity.

The iPhone 5S is, most definitely, at its very near data storage limit.

Never, EVER fill any computer or computing device to capacity with data.

iOS needs to maintain, at the very least/very minimum between 2-3 GBs OR GREATER of internal free data storage space/

For both devices, you will need to regain approx. between 4-7 GB of usable, internal free data storage space.

Failing that, your only other option to upgrade/update iOS is to do this with your iDevices connected to a computer running the latest iTunes to do the update.

Make sure to do some sort backup of your device before doing any upgrades/updates.

Either to iCloud, iTunes on a computer, online, offsite data storage backup services, like Google Drive/Photos, DropBox, BOX, Amazon cloud drive, Flickr ( for photos and videos ONLY ) and/or other similar data storage/backup services.

Upgrades and updates done on the iPad or iPhone only, need, at least double what the data file size of the upgrade/update is for a successful install.

So, if you cannot manage that, you will need to use the computer and iTunes method for upgrading/updating your iDevices.

Best of Luck to You!

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Answer 4

MichelPM

Level 10

81,290 points

Jul 22, 2019 2:54 AM in response to ThomasD3

FYI

Practical, usable data storage on any 16 GBs iDevice is only between 9-11 GBs max.

This is why Apple, in a quiet and unannounced fashion, stopped making 16 GBs iDevice, in a quiet admission that 16 GBs devices ended up with too little data storage to do much of anythng.

Store just one movie on a 16 GBs iDevice and nearly half of that 11 GBs of usable data storage space is gone.

Never mind anything else stored on the device, like apps, music, photos/images, eBooks/iBooks, documents, PDFs or any other data from other apps.

32 GB iDevices. at least have 2-1./2 times the amount of available, practical internal storage of approx between 25-27 GBs out of 32 GBs.

Just enough storage to do more with the iOS devices, like storing more of the above.

Again, FYI.

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Answer 5

MichelPM

Level 10

81,290 points

Jul 22, 2019 3:31 AM in response to ThomasD3

That doesn’t matter.

What versions of iOS are your devices currently on as your signature states, at least one of these devices is already running iOS 12.

And re-read what I have already stated, about iOS upgrades/updates.

You may STILL NOT have enough free internal data storage space on both devices to complete the iOS installations.

The iPhone that was at near full capacity maybe still not running right.

Once you regained some storage space, did you tried a hard reset of your iPad and iPhone by holding down both the Home and sleep/wake buttons simultaneously until your iPad goes to black and restarts with Apple logo, then release the buttons?

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Answer 6

MichelPM

Level 10

81,290 points

Jul 22, 2019 4:18 AM in response to ThomasD3

The issue is operator error.

According to your iPhone screen shot, your iPhone is just about full.

Period.

That is why iOS is NOT functioning properly on that iPhine and NOT giving you any low storage warning messages.

IOS storage is past the point of having any workable room to operate!

What do you NOT understand here?!

A 16 GBs iDevice after formatting and installation of iOS and all of its apps leaves approx between 13-14 GBs.

In addition, as I will state once again, since you cannot read.

IOS needs to maintain an additional 2-3 GBs MINIMUM free data storage space, IN RESERVE for iOS to function properly at an acceptable, nominal performance level!

That iPhone is FULL and is NOT operating as it should!

It DOES NOT have 3 GBs of free. That iPhone needs to get down to between 10-11 GBs.

According to your iPad screen shot, your iPad is nearing full, too!

You have approx only 1.5 GBs of practical, free internal storage left on that iPad and no more data storage!

Both of these iDevices ARE FULL OR NEAR FULL!

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Answer 7

ThomasD3 Author

Level 1

45 points

Jul 22, 2019 4:51 AM in response to MichelPM

The phone works perfectly, not a single issue with it.

As an experiment, I filled it and I'm starting to get the warning at 1.2gb free. So, let me re-iterate: the phone works well and doesn't exhibit any weird behavior. it was happy with >1.2gb free and it giving me a warning when I went below. Removing the apps I installed remove the warning.

So, it is working as expected, now let me do a post about the iPad.

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Answer 8

MichelPM

Level 10

81,290 points

Jul 22, 2019 5:12 AM in response to ThomasD3

And NO.

Like I continually state, you actually only have 4-5 GBs of usable free data storage space and NOT 9 GBs, because you need to leave 2-3 GBs of free data storage constantly in reserve for iOS to function adequately.

A 16 GBs iDevice ONLY has a practica, usablel storage amount of 10-11 GBs and that is it!

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Answer 9

ThomasD3 Author

Level 1

45 points

Jul 22, 2019 3:04 AM in response to MichelPM

I understand the need to have some free space, but one has 5.9gb free, with a storage warning, and the other one has 3.1gb free without a warning... this is the part I don't really understand :)

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Answer 10

MichelPM

Level 10

81,290 points

Jul 22, 2019 5:04 AM in response to ThomasD3

Try another hard reset of your iPad by holding down both the Home and sleep/wake buttons simultaneously until your iPad goes to black and restarts with Apple logo, then release the buttons?

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