iPhone storage filling up for no reason

Question

pologt Author

Level 1

13 points

iPhone storage filling up for no reason

HI, thanks for reading my post!

Any help on my disappearing storage would be appreciated!

I have a 5c 8GB with iOS 10.1

I tried to take a photo and the phone said all storage full.

I Investigated in the storage and iCloud settings and the largest app listed was only 300MB. The total of all apps listed didn't add up to even 1GB.

I found it strange that it was full as I did a factory reset a few months ago and have no additional apps installed or music or videos.

I Deleted most of my photos and have around 70 now. I deleted all text conversations and cleared safari data. This gave me around 50MB space back but still basically full.

So I tried the Apple web chat help and we backed up the data, restored the phone to new then replaced the data from the backup. This was great... 600MB used and 4.5GB free. However, 2 days later and it's filling up again. It is already up to 1.3 GB used. All I have done is use Safari, I have not installed or downloaded anything.

I tried resetting the Safari cache again but it only cleared a few MB.

Perhaps this is normal but I think the storage will be full again in a few weeks? I don't want to continually reset the phone to get space back. What could I try?

Many thanks!

iPhone 5c, iOS 10.1

Posted on Oct 28, 2016 12:57 PM

Reply

Answer 1

chuck_3rd

Community Specialist

Oct 29, 2016 6:41 PM in response to pologt

Hello pologt,
Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.

I understand from your post that you would like to know how to free up space on your iPhone 5c. I know how important it is to keep the storage on your iPhone clean and clear. I recommend creating more space by manually deleting content using the steps from the following article. While the article is used for issues with software updates, the steps to remove content manually would be the same:

If you need more space for an iOS update

In the Usage Settings menu, you can see how much space your apps use and delete the ones you don't need. You can always re-download your purchased apps or other content later. Follow these steps:
Tap Settings > General > Storage & iCloud Usage > Manage Storage.
Select any app to see how much space it uses, and tap Delete App to remove it. Some apps, such as Music and Videos, let you delete parts of their documents and data.

Also, you can create more space by turning iCloud Photo Library on and turning on Optimize Storage in the iCloud settings.

iCloud Photo Library

Save space on your device

iCloud Photo Library keeps all of your photos and videos in their original, high-resolution version. You can save space on your device when you turn on Optimize Storage.

On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch:

Go to Settings.

Tap iCloud > Photos.

Choose Optimize [device] Storage.

Best Regards.

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Answer 2

pologt Author

Level 1

13 points

Oct 30, 2016 1:35 AM in response to chuck_3rd

HI Alex, thanks for taking the time to reply!

Yes, those are good tips and help a little but the storage fills up when all I am doing is using Safari and sending a few texts. I have filled up half GB with simple web browsing.

I have checked manage storage as suggested and the puzzle is that the top app is photos with only 196MB (which was there after I restored anyway) and the second is mail with only 8MB. There are a few more on the list but they are even smaller.

The total of all these sizes does not add up to anything near the amount the storage is filling up at. Safari is fourth on the list with only 3MB.

I have enough storage at the moment but I would like to figure out why the used storage is growing so quickly before it is full again!

Many thanks!

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