iPhone 16 Pro storage and battery issues after upgrade from iPhone 13 mini

Question

Level 1

56 points

iPhone 16 Pro storage and battery issues after upgrade from iPhone 13 mini

I upgraded from an iPhone 13 Mini (favorite size) (128) (iOS 18.6.2) to an iPhone 16 Pro (128) (iOS 26) and SO SURPRISED to be getting storage problem errors? Plenty of room on the 13 Mini, with the only real issue on the older phone being short battery life.

iPhone 16 Pro, after clearing off 3 gigs, STILL continues to generate storage errors. Many apps were never actually downloaded (they look like they are there, but then must download when you go to use) where this storage issue isn't going away anytime soon no matter how many megs/gigs get cleared. (Tell you what, I am now pretty upset...and have been burning hours between all the time it takes to get things like cards added back to the wallet etc.)

Then, after going from an old phone with a small battery to a new phone with a larger new battery (and turning off always on display and other battery draining functions) - the iPhone 16 Pro battery continues to drain way too fast.... only a marginal improvement over the old 13mini. Regretting the upgrades.

Anyone else running into these issues?

----

Topics for another day.... Siri, AI, Homekit

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Original Title: Upgraded from iPhone 13 Mini (128) to 16 Pro (128) and .... no storage? low battery? You too?

iPhone 12 mini, iOS 18

Posted on Oct 26, 2025 7:40 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

lobsterghost1

Community+ 2026

Level 10

211,208 points

Oct 26, 2025 8:09 AM in response to PixelRogue1

Honestly, 128 GB isn't really enough storage anymore. Apple now ONLY sells new iPhone with 256 GB of memory and I am now only buying iPhone with 512 GB of storage. Add to that you now have an iPhone capable of Apple Intelligence and all the associated features and your iOS has grown significantly over the iOS you had on your 13 Mini.

Once purchased, there isn't anything you can do to add memory to an iPhone, so what you need to figure out is what is using the most memory and remove things accordingly. Open Settings > General > iPhone Storage and a full list of everything which using memory will populate so you can see for yourself what using your memory. You may need to delete things you don't need or use, which could include Photos, Music, Files, Apps, Messages, Email, etc.

The same can be seen in terms of Battery usage. Open Settings > Battery and you'll see what is consuming your battery listed. Often 3rd party apps, like Instagram, Messenger, Facebook can be battery hogs. Read this link about Maximizing Battery Performance --> Batteries - Maximizing Performance - Apple

On a final note, when was the last time you Force Restarted your iPhone? This simple procedure can help a lot with battery performance and is something I do after EVERY iOS update --> Force restart iPhone - Apple Support

Reply

Answer 2

LD150

Level 10

105,248 points

Oct 26, 2025 5:53 PM in response to PixelRogue1

PixelRogue1 wrote:

Katana - by ‘us’ do you mean Apple?

No, nobody here works for Apple.

We mean do you want help or just to complain?

Try thus to get rid of a whole bunch if caches...

Back up the phone, Erase all content & settings, Set up the phone again, restoring the backup.

Resources:

Backing Up: How to back up your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support

Restoring: Restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch from a backup - Apple Support

Then add back credit cards, sign back into accounts etc.

Reply

Answer 3

PixelRogue1 Author

Level 1

56 points

Oct 26, 2025 1:53 PM in response to PixelRogue1

Yes, recommendations above are part of the standard for us, and hard reboot the phone about once every 3-5 days.

Feeling appled by Apple. Since this bitter discovery I am seeing hundreds of related complaints and I would have never updated to 26 had I known. Yes, I take some responsibility making the leap of faith (vs. normal pre-sales research) that a new iPhone (not 17, but recent) and iOS would naturally support one another (and 128 has been plenty.)

This change has exhausted all excitement for this new iPhone 16 Pro and feel nothing but restriction and regret that we'll be living with for years to follow.

----

[Edited by Moderator]

Reply

Answer 4

Katana-San

Level 10

98,989 points

Oct 26, 2025 10:29 PM in response to PixelRogue1

Hello~ No…I do not mean Apple. Us…your fellow forum members. This is a technical forum…questions are asked and we try to assist each other. I didn’t see a question from you and merely asked for some clarification.

~Katana-San~

Reply