Major Storage Bug After iOS 26 Update — Losing Dozens of GB for No Reason

To resolve this issue, you can backup to a Mac and then erase your iphone and restore from the backup. If you don’t have access to a computer (it can be done on windows too), backup your iphone to iCloud, erase your device and then restore from your iCloud backup.

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

JerBear61 wrote:

Why should we have to back up and erase all contents and data. Why can't Apple just resolve this issue in one of their updates, perhaps maybe iOS 26.2? This is "System Data" bloating our devices after all. I don't see why we need lose our data off devices we use everyday. This is on Apple to fix

There's no way to resolve an issue like corrupt data in System Data via a software update, which is most often the cause of bloated System Data. Apple has no access to the data on your phone. Further, the data on your phone is fully encrypted. This is also not a system wide issue, meaning the vast majority of users don't have any corrupt data in System Data. But for someone who does, a backup/restore will fix it. So that's why you have to do this. Or live with the issue, which doesn't seem like a very optimal solution.

A final note: If system data is causing issues because it has grown too much, then the user doesn't own a phone which meets their storage needs. Once purchased, iPhone Storage is fixed and can never be increased. People often don't pay enough attention to how much storage they will need, not just when they get a new phone, but what their storage needs may be over the long haul. Here, on this forum we recommend buying a phone with the most storage someone can afford.

JerBear61 wrote:

Yeah I had to eventually erase all data but I still don’t understand why that’s necessary. Why can’t they just fix whatever cache bug is causing their OS to bloat devices?

If System Data becomes bloated, it's always because you have some corrupt data. Data, which is on your phone only. Most people don't get any corrupt data. But if you do, the ONLY want to remove it is to restore your phone and that isn't something Apple has any ability to control for you.

I e read- not verified that if you do the update via ov using iTunes it can actually reduce cache, possibly from prev updates ( we’ll never know).

others have said they did the iTunes connection and that reduced there storage used by updates significantly as well.

This is absolutely, unequivocally a bug. There are many reports of this issue after the iOS 26.1 update, including this detailed one here: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/256205943

I am experiencing the exact same behavior described in that post. No matter how much storage I clear, “System Data” very rapidly (within a matter of minutes to hours) consumes even more space until there is none left. I have experienced this consistently post-26.1, no matter how many times I restore.

Screenshots are included below. I’m also going to be submitting a sysdiagnose to Apple in a Feedback report, so that hopefully they can provide more info.

Yeah I had to eventually erase all data but I still don’t understand why that’s necessary. Why can’t they just fix whatever cache bug is causing their OS to bloat devices?

Pay a couple of bucks a month, (or half a cup of Starbucks) then turn on iCloud Photos with optimised storage, that way you get more space.

You really need to find out which app is doing this, maybe sysdiagnose will help tell you which.

In the same situation

Hopefully, we can have a solution can’t back up because there is no storage yet there is storage

Please, Apple resolve this!!!

My partner’s in graduate school and is not able to get to her papers after spending two grand on a Mac

We need this resolved now, so hopefully some technician from apple can give us a solution or an update

Carlb4u wrote:

In the same situation

Hopefully, we can have a solution can’t back up because there is no storage yet there is storage

Please, Apple resolve this!!!

My partner’s in graduate school and is not able to get to her papers after spending two grand on a Mac

We need this resolved now, so hopefully some technician from apple can give us a solution or an update

You aren't speaking with anyone from Apple here. This is a user to user only forum, which no one from Apple participates, nor reads for user feedback. I don't understand what your partner's Mac has to do with iPhone. Did you mean to post on the Mac Forum, if he's having an issue with his Mac?

Why should we have to back up and erase all contents and data. Why can't Apple just resolve this issue in one of their updates, perhaps maybe iOS 26.2? This is "System Data" bloating our devices after all. I don't see why we need lose our data off devices we use everyday. This is on Apple to fix

I am having a similar issue. I have never had iCloud enabled for photos, I have deleted every deletable app on the phone. Thousands of pictures are missing from Photos, and no indexing works all albums have ceased to exist including Apple created photo albums not just my own

Garyroche wrote:

My phone is so slow now and it’s frustrating. Is this a con from Apple so iPhone users have to upgrade to larger capacity phones earlier than usual. Couldn’t take Christmas photos due to no storage even after deleting almost everything on my phone. It dosnt allow me to use my phone to its capabilities and am wondering whether to go to Samsung. My phone feels like an old Nokia. Can’t do anything.

my iPad is the same. So so slow. Also my phone said it couldn’t download all of ios26 because there wasn’t enough storage so I deleted 10gb to allow this but still says storage full. Good money making idea Apple as people who only have a 64 gb phone will have to be careful for a contract of 3 years as the storage won’t last that long. My phone contract is up in September and my phone won’t last, yeah well done Apple. That’s the bite of the apple they’ve taken think I’ll be doing Samsung after 20years of being with Apple. I’d like a response from admin explaining why they have done this to millions of customers

No one from Apple will respond to you here. This is a user to user only forum, which Apple neither participates nor reads for user feedback.

If you think going to Samsung is the best option for you, by all means do so. But you'll be very disappointed to learn that no matter what phone you buy, eventually storage grows and can be an issue. Did you actually read any of the helpful posts with suggested in this two page thread? If as I suspect you didn't, take a few minutes to read the replies and try the suggestions, which may help you. Or buy a Samsung. That doesn't matter to anyone here.

Garyroche wrote:

And if you have neither??? Phase out 64gb or put a warning saying 64 gb won’t last a 3year contract. Really done us 64gb users totally lost trust in Apple

Did Apple make you purchase the lowest storage level iPhone you could have at the time of purchase? Of course they didn't. This is the single biggest mistake most people make when buying a new phone. Storage on an iPhone can never be increased once purchased. We always advise people to purchase the most memory they can afford when they buy a new iPhone. Today, the newest iPhones Apple sells come with 256GB as the minimum. And even that for many isn't enough. I now buy my iPhones and iPads with 512GB.