Couldn't restore iPhone after factory reset... not enough space...

Question

Couldn't restore iPhone after factory reset... not enough space...

Back in 2022 I purchased an iPhone 11. When transferring data over from my old iPhone xr, the system ended up with about 35GB of mystery system data.

Even the Apple rep didn't know why there was so much. He suggested to back up my iPhone to my Mac, factory reset the iphone, and then redownload the backup again. He seemed to think this would eliminate the large amount of mystery system data.

The 35GB of mystery system data didn't bother me until now, when I've finally run out of storage space.

So, today I backed up the iPhone to my Mac, factory reset it, and then tried to redownload the backup onto the same phone.

I get this error message.

Apparently, there isn't enough space to download my backup again- on the same phone i just backed the data off of! What?

In looking, the file on my Macbook that says the backup is actually 130GB! How is this even possible if my phone was only 128GB?

What to do next? Is the only way forward to purchase another phone with more storage space, in hopes that I will be able to download the backup on the new phone?

Should I try an extractor service that allows me to at least get my photos from the backup. Anyone have experience with these?

iPhone 11, iOS 15

Posted on Apr 26, 2024 10:38 AM

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Answer 1

FelipeV

Level 6

12,071 points

Apr 26, 2024 11:03 AM in response to patriciaoprea

I suggest you should restore as new. Old data and multiple restores from previous iPhones causes the accumulation of "junk" data (which might include old needed profiles or software).

Restoring as new requires you to backup files and photos. You might want to download fresh copies of your apps when you restore.

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Answer 2

Apr 26, 2024 10:51 AM in response to patriciaoprea

Good morning patriciaoprea

Free up space on your iPhone: Before attempting to restore the backup, try to free up as much space as possible on your iPhone by deleting unnecessary files, apps, photos, and videos. You can also offload unused apps or enable the "Optimize Storage" feature for photos to save space.
Check backup size: It's unusual for a backup to be larger than the storage capacity of the iPhone itself. Double-check the size of your backup file on your Mac and ensure that it's not corrupted or unusually large due to some unexpected data. You can do this by inspecting the backup file size directly in Finder or iTunes.
Use iTunes/Finder for restore: Instead of restoring the backup directly from the iPhone's settings, try using iTunes (on macOS Mojave and earlier) or Finder (on macOS Catalina and later) on your Mac to restore the backup to your iPhone. Sometimes, this method can be more reliable for large backups.
Consider selective restore: If the backup file size is indeed larger than your iPhone's storage capacity, you may need to selectively restore specific types of data from the backup rather than restoring the entire backup. For example, you can choose to restore only your photos, contacts, messages, etc., instead of everything.
Contact Apple Support: If you're still unable to resolve the issue, consider reaching out to Apple Support for assistance. They may be able to provide further guidance or troubleshoot the problem with you.

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Answer 3

Apr 26, 2024 11:57 PM in response to Pisun_bobra

Thank you for the response. Apple support couldn't help as indeed the IOS file on my computer says 130GB.

So, I am unable to restore from this finder file. 

Can you give me some more information on selective restore? Do I need a third party app to do that?

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Answer 4

Apr 26, 2024 11:59 PM in response to FelipeV

Maybe that is what the 30GB is after all. Though, I've only restored from 2 other iphones in the past 6 years... but you never know.

Checking out a data extractor app suggests the backup had 20,000 pictures stored, whereas my actual phone only had 12,000. That may be the cause wherein my phone had old, undeleted files and caches?

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Couldn't restore iPhone after factory reset... not enough space...

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