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iPhone storage bug - wrong space

Hello everyone, for several months I have been having problems viewing iPhone Space, I have an iPhone 15 Pro Max updated to iOS 17.2.

Until iOS 17.1.2 the problem was that iPhone Space would unexpectedly close as soon as I went on it or it would bring back system data using as much as 60-70 GB. Now the problem is that is not possible to know the used and free space. Sometimes the "space bar" go "outside the layout" and other times seems correct but it's not possible to view the correct used and free above the space bar.


I have contacted Apple support who, after strange and useless verifications, proposes to initialize the phone. I do not want to do this, this is because it would not help as I also had these problems on iPhone 13 Pro Max, with the purchase of the new iPhone I did not import the backup but configured as a new device. Apple needs to understand that it has a bug.


I ask if anyone who had the problem has fixed it.


Over the years Apple has been making more and more software-side mistakes, and this seems to be one of them. These are things that didn't even happen on Android 15 years ago.



P.S.: In the attached screenshots you can see that it completely miscalculates the space, in the dark screenshot you can see that the space was not completely occupied(in reality on my iPhone I am using just under 100 GB) but that the bar "comes out" of the screen.


iPhone 15 Pro Max, iOS 17

Posted on Dec 18, 2023 11:20 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Dec 19, 2023 4:09 AM

You may try some of these steps, please check after each step...


  1. Sometimes, a simple restart can resolve temporary software glitches. Turn off your iPhone, wait for a few seconds, and then turn it back on.
    1. Restart the device. That's it.
    2. Still not solved --> Force restart iPhone - Apple Support
  2. If the issue persists, you can try resetting all settings on your iPhone. This will not erase your data but will reset all personalized settings to their default values. Go to Settings > General > Transfer & Reset > Reset > Reset All Settings and confirm the action. Note that you will need to reconfigure your settings afterward. All settings—including network settings, the keyboard dictionary, the Home screen layout, location settings, privacy settings, and Apple Pay cards—are removed or reset to their defaults. No data or media are deleted.
    1. Reset All Settings: Return iPhone settings to their defaults - Apple Support:- Return iPhone settings to their defaults
    2. You can return settings to their defaults without erasing your content.
    3. If you want to save your settings, back up your iPhone before returning them to their defaults. For example, if you’re trying to solve a problem but returning settings to their defaults doesn’t help, you might want to restore your previous settings from a backup.
  3. Make sure you have the latest updates installed.
    1. Update Over-the-Air (OTA) —> Update your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support (IN)
    2. Update using iTunes/Finder —> Update your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support (IN)


If none of the above steps resolve the issue, it is recommended to reach out to Apple Support or visit an authorized service center for further assistance. They can provide specific guidance based on your device model and iOS version.



Similar questions

6 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Dec 19, 2023 4:09 AM in response to crik91

You may try some of these steps, please check after each step...


  1. Sometimes, a simple restart can resolve temporary software glitches. Turn off your iPhone, wait for a few seconds, and then turn it back on.
    1. Restart the device. That's it.
    2. Still not solved --> Force restart iPhone - Apple Support
  2. If the issue persists, you can try resetting all settings on your iPhone. This will not erase your data but will reset all personalized settings to their default values. Go to Settings > General > Transfer & Reset > Reset > Reset All Settings and confirm the action. Note that you will need to reconfigure your settings afterward. All settings—including network settings, the keyboard dictionary, the Home screen layout, location settings, privacy settings, and Apple Pay cards—are removed or reset to their defaults. No data or media are deleted.
    1. Reset All Settings: Return iPhone settings to their defaults - Apple Support:- Return iPhone settings to their defaults
    2. You can return settings to their defaults without erasing your content.
    3. If you want to save your settings, back up your iPhone before returning them to their defaults. For example, if you’re trying to solve a problem but returning settings to their defaults doesn’t help, you might want to restore your previous settings from a backup.
  3. Make sure you have the latest updates installed.
    1. Update Over-the-Air (OTA) —> Update your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support (IN)
    2. Update using iTunes/Finder —> Update your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support (IN)


If none of the above steps resolve the issue, it is recommended to reach out to Apple Support or visit an authorized service center for further assistance. They can provide specific guidance based on your device model and iOS version.



Aug 18, 2024 11:15 AM in response to crik91

The actual discrepancy with used space is caused by iCloud as well. You have a bunch of photos uploaded into the iCloud that in total exceeds the local storage of your iPhone. The phone then dynamically frees space as you need it, on demand. The iPhone does not show the space that is actually free but the space that could be free if needed.


There are apps where actual free space will be displayed such as ProShot, which is a camera app but shows the remaining free space in the bottom left of the interface as you can see in the screenshot.


This is the one and only workaround I’ve found so far.

Jul 25, 2024 11:03 AM in response to SravanKrA

I was having the same problem plus a multitude of other problems I’m having with my 13max pro and tried all of this including Apple support they had me go to Apple Store they wiped my phone and put most recent iOS on it and I had to work from fresh vs an Apple backup from iCloud and use my phone for a few weeks, well same problems again even though I didn’t load my pics and music (I miss iPod touch), so I called Apple support back and the young lady said she’d not account for me to go to Apple Store to order a replacement phone even though I’ll be getting same problem again but once at the store nasty rep (most have been nasty snooty with bad attitudes and know it all demeanors) told me best to upgrade and wanted to run diagnostics on phone again well why buy another iPhone if it’s gonna have same problems even on bigger hard drive and come to find out the rep didn’t notate anything to my account about replacement. I don’t like android phones but am tempted to get one… I miss the way Apple used to be…so it’s still doing it and sometimes I never receive texts or calls… frustrating

Jul 16, 2024 7:23 PM in response to SravanKrA

Hi,


My husband and I took a few minutes to see if Apple has provided a solution to the intentional software bug that has plagued all Apple devices for about five years.


After reading the answer to this post, it seems pretty clear that Apple is going to lose a lot of business for not distributing working software products.


While I cannot provide a fix for iOS, the fix to this storage software bug for MacOSx are two steps:

  1. The library folder -- open terminal, type, 'open library' and you will find abnormally large application preference/configuration files that are eating up all of the space.
  2. Disable *All* Cloud services.


Doing the above has freed up approximately 60 - 90% of the drive on ten mac OSX machines that my husband, myself, family, and friends owned.


Apple has lost our business.

Sep 18, 2024 12:00 PM in response to Petitemeow9

apple's way to fix this would be to force you to backup to PC or to backup to icloud and then force you to upgrade your cloud storage. After that, they will format your entire phone and then tell you to download all the apps again and restore from your recent backup. This isn't fixing any problem at all. That is just a workaround and the same problem will exist for future iphones as well even the iphone 16. So, the major flaw is in apple's software, no fault of the user at all. I would suggest you strongly get used to android as it is much more stable.

iPhone storage bug - wrong space

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