What does "other" usage consist of on my iphone 7?

Stuff that isn't in any of the usual data categories like caches.

If it is a few GB then it is normal.

The 13.6.1 update was created to address excess Other (like 20-80GB) but this article has further options

:--> Clear Other storage on your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support

Thanks.

Yes pretty sure it is a dynamic location, even processing deletions which is possibly where iOS13 fell down not clearing the deleted files.

Mine was 6GB when I opened the iphone storage page but dropped to 4 after a minute or so.

Thats why I asked about data-busy social apps that I steer clear of myself. I delete the Files app immediately on getting a phone. I have nowhere to store zip files or pdfs on the phone, I would use a cloud for that. All media is sync'd from the mac. Keep the thing clean! I use less than half of my 32GB..

I do have some ZIP files, and some documents outside their usual App-assigned folders.

However, I am not certain that I don’t have any «“unnecessary”» “Other” storage, since we are limited in our ability to “look under the hood”.

(I don’t do much social media involvement.)

It has been quite a while since I performed a wipe-n-restore operation. In fact, I don’t believe I have ever performed such.

Fortunately, I have 256 GB on this 2nd gen. iPad Pro, 12.9”.

Actually, even while typing this, my “Other” storage category went down to 12.36 GB, while my Apps and Media storage categories shot way up!

The lesson: Just because the bars are populated, doesn’t mean the Operating System (OS) has finished its attempt to try and categorize everything on your system!

Just because it shows a large portion of “Other” storage, at some point, doesn’t mean that is the final “tally” or answer!

By the way, peter_watt, you do know that the storage categories (with the exception of System) do not correspond with «location[s]». Right?

(That seems to be a common newbie misconception, that we wouldn’t want to propagate.)

By the way, peter_watt, I don’t believe I have ever seen my “Other” storage category drop below 10 GB.

Maybe it was back in the early days of my owning it (I did get it used, but properly reset), but I never payed any attention before my more recent frequenting of this forum.

I, on the other hand, peter_watt, have used the Files App quite a bit, ever since it became available.

Of course, I’m a Hacker—not to be confused with a Cracker, even though the media seems to have no understanding of the distinctions. So I’m always curious about what’s going on “under the hood”.

Out of interest Halliday as your Other is not "unnecessary" Other because you know your stuff, do you have a lot of social media history, TikTok, Insta etc that might make it up?

This is but one of the “great mysteries of life”, Hay2675. 😁

The first basic is that the so-called “Other” storage category is but a “catch-all” for anything and everything that doesn’t fit into any of the other Named storage categories.

So, if there isn’t another Named category that would properly account for a particular file type, then, that file type is most likely listed under “Other”. (Log files, installers, ZIP files, etc., are all likely listed under “Other”.)

(Incidentally, there are likely a few, entire, filesystem Volumes that are, likewise, listed under “Other”.)

As of right now, my “Other” storage category is taking up over 46 GB.

About the minimum it tends to take up is somewhere between 5 and 10 GB, and depends upon the device.

Prior to iOS (and iPadOS) version 13.6.1, there was an error in the Operating System (OS) that caused the “Other” storage category to get, shall we say, “out of hand”.

See Clear Other storage on your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support.