Does the Files App in IOS duplicate files that I have saved to other apps? I'm trying to reduce my used iPhone storage.

Question

Level 1

8 points

Does the Files App in IOS duplicate files that I have saved to other apps? I'm trying to reduce my used iPhone storage.

I use Mobile VR Station but I think this question may apply to anyone using other video viewing platforms. When I airdrop video files from my Mac to my iphone I get 2 scenarios.

1. After the transfer the video file saves in my Photos and I can view it directly from the Photos app. I prefer to view through my Mobile VR Station so I save the file to "Files" which has a subfolder for Mobile VR Station. I then delete the file from Photos and the deleted folder to save storage space.

2. After the transfer - rather than saving to Photos - I get a pop up message asking if I want to save to Files. I confirm and then get the option to save in my subfolder Mobile VR Station.

When I got to Settings>General>Iphone Storage I see the Files App using a lot of storage (60gB) and right under it the Mobile VR Station also using a lot of storage (29GB). Now I'm wondering if the Files App is duplicating the files from the Mobile VR Station during the saving process which is why so much is used. Can i offload the app without losing my video files in Mobile Vr Station? If I delete Mobile VR Station do I lose all those videos, or are they duplicated in the Files App?

I'm confused and could use some help as to whats happening here. And actually I don't know if this is the right topic to to post this question to. Thank you.

iPhone XS Max

Posted on Aug 11, 2020 5:00 AM

Reply

Answer 1

dhova Author

Level 1

8 points

Aug 14, 2020 3:10 AM in response to brenden dv

Hi Brendan - thanks for the response. After some more troubleshooting I figured out it is someting wrong with the Files app. As I deleted files from the Mobile VR Station, storage usage reduced in that app but not the Files app. In fact I went down from 30gs used to 5, and the Files app stayed at 60gs.

I decided to monitor my memory after deleting video files from the Files app directly which ended up also deleting those video files that were also saved in the Mobile VR app. The strange thing here is that the used storage space in the files app stayed the same, even after emptying the deleted files folder and restarting my phone. Finally I decided to simply to offload the Files app and then reload. This solved the stuck memory issue. I went from having less than 5 ggs of available local space in my phone to over 100gs. Clearly there is/was some sort of bottleneck but now that I've started reloading and deleting video files i'm already seeing the same issue pop up.

Strange but maybe there will be a software update to resolve the issue at some point. In the meantime I guess i'll have to keep offloading the Files app periodically to clear up the available memory.

Reply

Answer 2

LD150

Level 10

98,923 points

Aug 14, 2020 7:57 AM in response to dhova

Files app is in total opposition to the iphone philosophy that you don't need to manage any files. They are managed by apps themselves.

Useful on Android but on iOS you will be fighting all along.

Files is the first app to get deleted on my phones. I don't know why they install it.

Reply

Answer 3

brenden dv

Community Specialist

Aug 13, 2020 8:31 AM in response to dhova

Hello dhova,

Thanks for reaching out to the Apple Support Communities!

We'll do the best we can to find answers to each of your questions! We see that you're wanting to know if your files for your Mobile VR Station app are being stored in multiple locations on your device, how to view those files, and what happens when you delete or offload your Mobile VR Station app.

First, let's address potential duplicates. We suggest testing one of your files to see if deleting the video from the Mobile VR Station app itself, also removes it from the Files app. While the video should not be removed from Files, it would indicate that the Mobile VR Station app is storing the files separately in order to use them or after they are viewed. This could then be taking up a large amount of space.

If you have videos stored on your Mac and have iCloud Drive enabled for your Mac, those files could also be uploading to iCloud and then syncing into your Files app on your iPhone. This article can show you how to adjust those settings: Add your Desktop and Documents files to iCloud Drive

Next, you can visit our iCloud website in order to check the iCloud Drive folder and Photos folder to see how many videos you have and if you have any duplicates: iCloud This website is best visited on a computer or your Mac.

Offloading the Mobile VR Station app will not remove your documents and data, but it does allow you to refresh the app should you have an issue. This step is not recommended to use for clearing up storage space. If you delete the Mobile VR Station app, it will delete the app and all of the documents and data stored within the app, but your videos in the Files app will remain intact.

We're happy to work with you. Please let us know if you have any other questions.

Reply

Does the Files App in IOS duplicate files that I have saved to other apps? I'm trying to reduce my used iPhone storage.

Similar questions