Voice memos is taking up 13 GB even if I permanently deleted all the recordings and the app.

Hi there wnffldkrla,

We agree, this is certainly unexpected behavior, especially after deleting your voice memos.

Let's start with some basics:

1. If you have a compatible iPhone model, the latest version is iOS 15.4. You can verify this within Settings > General > About. Here's a link that'll show how to first back up, then Update your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
2. When did you first notice this occurring?

Cheers!

Hi,

If you have already updated to iOS 15.4.1 and the issue persists, you will need to reinstall iOS.

This can be done by placing your iPhone in recovery mode, then connect it to a Mac or PC.

On the pop-up, select restore. On the next pop-up, select restore and update.

This erases the device and removes iOS, then reinstalls the latest version after iTunes/Finder downloads it.

You can restore from an iCloud backup after its complete. IF the issue persists after restoring from a backup, repeat this process and instead on the setup assistant, select the option to ‘Set up Manually’. Do not restore from a backup.

For iCloud backups, once you sign in with your Apple ID to iCloud Settings, content stored with iCloud will manually appear on the device.

This should resolve your issue.

• If you can't update or restore your iPhone or iPod touch
• Restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod to factory settings
• Restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch from a backup

Hi,

Sorry to hear you are having issues.

First, I’d recommend updating to iOS 15.5 if you have not already.

This can be done within Settings > General > Software Update > Download & Install.

Update and confirm if the issue persists. If it does, you will absolutely need to reinstall iOS using a Mac or PC.

Note: If you are unable to update iOS due to device storage capacity being too full, or any other reason, dont try to update. Just proceed with the reinstall.

This is a software issue; and i admit I have never seen Voice Memos consume that much device storage capacity on a device that does not have the allotted storage size to store the content.

TO reinstall iOS, first backup your iPhone in Settings > Name > iCloud > iCloud backup > backup now.

Make sure to be connected to wifi and your iPhone plugged into the charger in order for the backup to complete in a timely manner.

Once the backup is complete, open iTunes on your PC, or Finder on your Mac.

Now you will need to turn off your device, and then place it in recovery mode as you are plugging into the computer.

If you have an iPhone that uses Face ID:

1. press and quickly release the volume up button
2. press and quickly release the volume down button
3. press and hold the power button until ‘slide to power off’ appears > proceed to slide and power off.

Note: you can also follow If you forgot your iPhone passcode for further instructions.

Once the iPhone has been powered off, press and hold the side/power button and plug your iPhone into your Mac or PC. Keep holding the side button until you see a computer icon on your iPhone. This is known as recovery mode. You can now release the side button.

If you have an iPhone that uses Touch ID:

Note: This varies based on your iPhone model, reference If you forgot your iPhone passcode for further instructions.

1. Press the appropriate button based on your iPhone model until you see the option to slide to power off > Slide to power off.
2. once the iPhone has been powered off, press and hold the home or side button based on your iPhone model and plug your iPhone into your Mac or PC. Keep holding the button until you see a computer icon on your iPhone. This is known as recovery mode. You can now release the button.

You should then see a pop-up alert appear on your computer that says something along the lines of “there is a problem with this iPhone that requires it to be updated or restored.”

You will be presented with the following options:

• Update
• Restore
• Cancel

Select Restore.

Next, you will see another pop-up alert prompting you to Restore & Update. Select Restore & Update.

From here, keep your iPhone plugged in until the restore and reinstall is complete. Your Mac/PC will now download the latest iOS from the server and then proceed to erase your iPhone, remove the currently installed iOS that is causing issues, and then install the latest iOS it just downloaded from the server.

It is normal for your iPhone to restart a few times, as well as see the Apple logo with a progress bar. Do not unplug your iPhone. Once your iPhone has completed the restore & reinstall, you will see another pop-up alert on your computer confirming that the process is complete, and advising you to keep your iPhone plugged in as it restarts.

Once your iPhone restarts, you should see it pop-up on iTunes/Finder, the ‘hello’ screen for the setup assistant should appear on your iPhone, and you may see ‘iPhone locked to owner’ if you have activation lock enabled on the device. You can enter your Apple ID and password on your computer, or on your iPhone to proceed with setting up the device.

From here, when you reach the ‘Apps & Data’ screen, you can select ‘Restore from iCloud backup’, and then restore from the latest backup, which should be the first one listed. This is the backup we did prior to erasing your iPhone.

Restoring from your iCloud backup can take some time, depending on your Wifi network connection and the amount of content being restored. In order for this process to complete as quickly as possible, make sure the following are met:

• reliable wifi connection
• iPhone plugged into power, whether it be the computer, or a working and reliable charger
• the screen locked

You can check the progress of restoring from your iCloud backup by opening Settings. At the top, underneath your Name, you will see information regarding the restore and how much data is left to restore before it is complete.

Once complete, confirm if the issue persists with your device storage in Settings > General > iPhone Storage.

Hope this helps.

Hi,

If your preferred method of backing up is via Finder/iTunes, and the issue has been replicated on multiple devices, i would absolutely assume that the backup itself is corrupt.

• If you can't back up your iOS or iPadOS device to a computer or restore it from a backup

I know you mentioned you do not have iCloud Storage available to complete a backup, and then setup your new iPhone. To resolve this, you can get free temporary iCloud Storage to backup your iPhone; this temporary storage is offered for the sole purpose of setting up a new iPhone.

• Get temporary iCloud storage when you buy a new iPhone or iPad

This will enable iCloud backup for that device & create a new, encrypted backup that will be separate from the corrupt one.

• Restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch from a backup

Note: make sure you have everything that you want included in your iCloud backup enabled in Settings > Name > iCloud > prior to starting the backup.

• What does iCloud back up?

Once you have restored your new iPhone from the iCloud backup, confirm if the issue persists with your voice memos in Settings > General > iPhone Storage.

Hope this helps. Keep us updated!

Dear k_p95,

This is literally the first useful response I've read related to this issue.

I don't know if it will work, but at least you have tried to address the actual problem in a way that clearly makes sense.

I'll probably try restoring my phone using the method you've suggested. Hope it works. Thank you!!

I've had the same issue on iPhone with 32 GB of storage, Voice Taking 748 GB. Could not back up to computer or to iCloud because of backup file too large. But here is the procedure that enabled me to successfully back up and later restore from that backup:

• go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage
• go to Voice Memos
• tap on 'Delete App'

This will delete the app and all its data, including the large ghost files with impossible size. After this step, I was able to back up on my computer and later to restore from that backup.

Note that after deleting the app, iPhone Storage still reports that Voice Memos uses large amount of storage, but now with gray icon -- luckily this does not prevent making backup and after restore everything is back to normal.

Now you can reinstall Voice Memos from the App Store.

Also note that you will loose all your voice memos with this procedure.

Going to answer this as I've experienced in my 52 terabyte case...

Since discovering that any action will take at least 2+ hours for the phone to process things, I have now been trying lots more stuff, and the consistent error is "there's not enough space at [the destination]", even when there is always clearly plenty of space. Keep in mind I have a 256 GB iPhone, and I know there is less than 50 GB of actual space taken up on the phone. Note that in my screenshot above, the colored bar and Voice Memo totals are incorrect, but the number right underneath the bar indicates that only 46.4 GB is used and that matches my guess of how much is actually consumed.

1. I left a Finder/iTunes backup running overnight, and the next morning it said there was not enough space on my drive to do the backup. My Macbook has over 600 GB of free space, certainly enough even if my iPhone was actually full.
2. Tried another Finder backup on a friend's Mac with over 500 GB free space - same error - not enough free space on the Mac.
3. Then I tried iTunes backup on a Windows computer with over 350 GB free space - same error - not enough free space on the hard drive.
4. I then tried to transfer to another blank 256 GB iPhone using the normal "bring your old iPhone close to this one" flow. I left it overnight, and lo and behold, the next morning it said the new phone doesn't have enough storage to transfer my data.
5. I tried another libimobiledevice backup on Ubuntu, which again hung at the same spot as the log I shared in my previous post, telling me that I would need 52 TB more free space on my computer in order for the backup to even begin. I let it sit for another 8 hours and nothing changed (presumably, libimobiledevice just doesn't know to translate this into a message saying "there's not enough space to take the backup").

I haven't yet tried an iCloud transfer to the new device, but would like to avoid that, especially if it's going to actually try to upload 52 TB of garbage data (I don't think my internet connection is fast or stable enough for that to be feasible). I also don't have an iCloud subscription in order to try a full iCloud backup, but I would like to avoid paying for any tier just to have it tell me that either I need the highest tier for my ghostly 52 TB of voice memos or simply that the backup can't be completed, especially if it's then likely to fail because of my internet speed/instability.

I haven't yet tried deleting my voice memos data/app yet either, because I don't want to do that when most people in this thread are reporting it didn't solve the issue. I am assuming - and hopeful - that the issue will need to be resolved by an iOS update, and would rather wait for that than start losing data on this phone.

Once again, any help is super appreciated!! Hoping these details can provide some useful information :) Thank you!!!!

I have been on and off the phone with Apple support folks since yesterday, and this problem persists. I can't even make a back up of my phone, because it somehow it is trying to create a backup that is over 400gb large, due to the voice mails on my phone adding up to 447.48 gb, even though my iPhone capacity is only 64gb. This is completely screwed - even the last support agent told me he's never seen anything like this:

Help???

I def think I got you beat on the size it’s saying my voice memos are. Especially since I deleted all of my voice memos and the app. Lol however it appears to have something to do with the documents & data related to that app.

Same issue - voice memos supposedly consuming a whopping 52 terabytes, making a successful backup completely out of the question.

The issue started after I upgraded to iOS 15.5.  I successfully took a backup prior to upgrading.  The update worked great, at least until I tried to make another iTunes backup and had to cancel it after it was stuck for several hours (unusual).  I then tried to get the iPhone Storage screen to load, but it never did, even after leaving it plugged in and open to it (saying “Calculating…”) for several hours.  I tried multiple backups and attempts to load this screen, with restarting or force restarting the iPhone in between each attempt.  I finally started deleting as many apps as I comfortably could, restarted, and let it sit overnight, after which it left me with the attached screenshot.

I only used Voice Memos once after the upgrade to 15.5, during which I recorded a single voice message.  The app still correctly shows this voice message as 4.2mb in size, and several prior recordings I checked also indicated similarly reasonable sizes.

I tried a libimobiledevice backup and captured the backup logs with idevicesyslog.  The MediaDomain segment took almost two hours (vs a couple minutes total for everything else).  Key snippets of this log are below.  Notably, the suggestion that my MediaDomain has 2.37 million files is ludicrous - I have less than 4K items in camera roll, very few edits, and less than 200 Voice Memos.  Also unsure what “clones” is all about but it smells related to the bug.  Best of luck and thank you for the assistance!!!!

Beginning of MediaDomain backup:

Jun 26 11:21:20 BackupAgent2[334] <Notice>: Found 10000 files (MediaDomain)

Jun 26 11:21:47 BackupAgent2[334] <Notice>: Found 20000 files (MediaDomain)

Jun 26 11:22:14 BackupAgent2[334] <Notice>: Found 30000 files (MediaDomain)

End of MediaDomain two hours later:

Jun 26 13:08:15 BackupAgent2[334] <Notice>: Found 2360000 files (MediaDomain)

Jun 26 13:08:43 BackupAgent2[334] <Notice>: Found 2370000 files (MediaDomain)

Jun 26 13:09:04 BackupAgent2[334] <Notice>: Finished scanning domain MediaDomain - size:52468600450038/0/306901045, files:2377693, dirs:1801, clones:2377109/471/53, hardLinks:0, symLinks:0: (null)

End of the backup, where it obviously failed (473gb is correct for free space on my target drive):

Jun 26 13:09:07 BackupAgent2[334] <Notice>: Finished scanning all domains - size:52483561154181/0/1403009052, files:2406184, dirs:13779, clones:2377746/8470/386, hardLinks:8, symLinks:79: (null)

Jun 26 13:09:07 BackupAgent2[334] <Notice>: Scanned in 6574.128 s

Jun 26 13:09:07 BackupAgent2[334] <Notice>: Starting to prepare for preflight

Jun 26 13:09:07 BackupAgent2[334] <Notice>: uploadSize:52483365537581, uploadFileCount:2405599

Jun 26 13:09:07 BackupAgent2[334] <Notice>: Free disk space on drive: 473809108992

Jun 26 13:09:07 BackupAgent2[334] <Notice>: Need extra space on host: 52009690646317. Requesting host to purge now

That was the last thing it spat out before it hung.

Update to iOS 15.6. This should resolve this issue.

• About iOS 15 Updates - Apple Support

Just want to add my voice to the chorus! My phone says I'm only using 50.4 GB out of 64 GB but the purple bar goes all the way across and says my voice memos app is using 92.32 TB!! When there are two brief voice memos saved in it! Also, it's taking hours (literally) for the storage to even load - it says "Calculating category sizes" for the whole time. And then when it does load, I can't click on any of the apps, including Voice Memos to delete/offload/etc.

I’m on iOS 16 now and Apple still didn’t address the issue. Voice memos is taking up 2.7 TB on my 128 GB 13 Pro max. From all this backup trying (leaving the phone connected to computer or charger) I think my Battery health went down from 96 to 93 in 13 days!

I tried anything but I don’t think there’s a solution except restoring your device without a backup. I’m very disappointed from Apple having such an awful issue and not fixing it for weeks. If anyone found any miracle solution I would be so thankful.

I did sort of a bit of this step - upgrade my operating system. What I think it is is that I have an old phone in storage I haven't turned on for ages and it might be hogging part of iCloud that won't budge as long as my current device is synced..

Hi,

That would not be the reason for the storage mismatch on your device.

Although iCloud provides the ability to access all your information across devices signed in with the same Apple ID, it would not affect the device storage capacity after offloading or deleting an app, all the contents, and then reinstalling it.

This is because the contents and data that have been deleted and synced with iCloud have now been deleted across all devices signed in with the same Apple ID.

This is a software related issue.

I noticed you mentioned you updated to the latest iOS and the issue persists. I would highly recommend reinstalling iOS on a Mac/PC. This removes the currently installed version of iOS from the device, erases the device, downloads a new version of iOS from iTunes, and then proceeds to install the newly downloaded iOS on the iPhone.

Hope this helps.