iOS 26.2 storage issue on iPhone 15 Plus

You need at least 6GB of free storage on your iPhone at all times for it to function well.

Downgrading iOS is not an option, nor would it be a good solution even if it were an option.

How to check the storage on your iPhone and iPad - Apple Support

havillandb05 wrote:

I recently updated my iPhone 15 plus to ios 26.2 and I have been having so many issues with it but the main one being the phone storage, I have probably cleared out about 5 GB of storage so far and it showed a reduction in the amount of storage but later when I checked, I was back to being 1 GB away from hitting my storage limit and I haven’t done anything to increase my storage either.

To explain the increase in storage even after deleting, iOS storage will fluctuate based off the systems needs. In this case it likely relocated that space to other applications that couldn't before due to the lack of storage.

If you look in Settings > General > iPhone Storage, what is taking up the most storage? Try deleting some data from those applications, reviewing Large Attachments, and other suggestions. Also, you can try erasing your iPhone with a computer which installs a fresh copy of the iOS and can sometimes reduce storage. Also do you have iCloud Storage? You can Optimize your iPhone's Storage by storing your original photos on iCloud while keeping smaller sized ones locally on your device.

Downgrading isn't possible either.

I had something like that happen to my Mac, The OS Stores files that it will later delete like logs and cache.

Maybe giving the phone a restart clears these files and reduced the used space on your iphone's storage.

"iOS 26.2 storage issue on iPhone 15 Plus: Hi! I recently updated my iPhone 15 plus to ios 26.2 and I have been having so many issues with it but the main one being the phone storage, I have probably cleared out about 5 GB of storage so far and it showed a reduction in the amount of storage but later when I checked, I was back to being 1 GB away from hitting my storage limit and I haven’t done anything to increase my storage either. Im very frustrated and would like to downgrade my update to ios 18, but I don’t think that is possible. "

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Troubleshooting iPhone Storage:

Internal storage cannot be upgraded. It is what it is. So, the maximum internal storage capacity never increases, even if you upgraded your iCloud plan. Learn More here: What's the Difference Between Device Storage and iCloud Storage? - Apple Support

So, what to do...

Clear Space Using my User Tips:

• How to Clear Space from your Mobile Device, and What to Clear: - User Tip
• How to Clear "System Data" in your iPhone's Storage: - User Tip

l3xor88 wrote:

...

Maybe giving the phone a restart clears these files and reduced the used space on your iphone's storage.

Best not to guess if you don't know. Restarting iphone does not release any significant memory, Erasing to factory settings and restoring will do that.

"I had something like that happen to my Mac, The OS Stores files that it will later delete like logs and cache.

Maybe giving the phone a restart clears these files and reduced the used space on your iphone's storage."

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How to Significantly Erase the Caches on a Mac:

There's a bit to go through, and it is a matter of dragging & dropping the correct items into the trash, but letting other items be. Have a chat with Apple, and they'll run you through it, like they did today with me: https://getsupport.apple.com/

For the Note:

Having empties the System Storage (caches), used storage dropped from 951.66GB used, down to 127.64GB --what a boatload.