The "Other Files" are the iOS system files. I guess the iOS has a bug that doesn't delete the previous versions files and it keeps "hoarding" it on the phone memory. What I would advise you to do is back up to iCloud and then erase all content and settings to factory settings. Then you set it as a "new iPhone" and after all done, you go to settings and check the space. The system files (Other Files) are likely to be reduced to somewhere around 5 Gb. Then you reset to factory settings again and restore your backup.
It worked for me. My "Other Files" was reduced in size from 15.2 Gb to 6.2 Gb..
I delete my facebook app every few weeks...and get back a lot more space than the 2 or 3 GB listed for the app...as much as 8 or 9 GB...
it's a bug. my 32 GB phone is showing 13GB used by System Storage. 5GB used by my Photos library. But then sometimes my Photos library will double in size to 10GB and System Storage will shrink to about 7GB. I've been deleting lots of apps but that just causes System Storage to increase. If you read this forum, you'll see plenty with the same problem.
It surely is a weird problem. I had this problem with a 5s. Then I wiped it clean and restored it and the problem didn’t come back. Now I have a 256 GB iPhone X using 56 GB of 256 with only 12GB being used by System Storage. And I use iCloud for all my Photos (20000) as well as for my docs , etc.
My wife’s 5s is currently showing 22GB being used out of of 32GB with 6GB of system storage.
She also uses iCloud for docs and Photos (220000) storage. Other oddities - When I reboot her phone, it will first show about 15GB being used by photos and no System Storage indication at all. Then after a bit, when I check it again, Photos has dropped to about 3.75GB and System Storage appears at 6GB. ( on my iPhone X , photos take up about the same - around 3.5 GB and I have around the same amt of photos as she does). We both have photos set to “optimize storage”
Bottom line - I have no idea but I would try a wipe of the phone and then restore from backup.
HI Zafar! I have found a very good way to clean the system memory when you think about your high usage application, WhatsApp comes first so now go to WhatsApp setting click on data & storage usage, scroll down then click on storage usage and there you will find you actual data of your WhatsApp chat... from that place you can delete the video and images as per your wish and then come back to check your system storage... the storage size will be reduced.
That means you don't have to delete all data or take backup and restore. I have done this tricks many times.
fazillatheef wrote:
What you are suggesting is a tactical(Temp) fix and what I am after is a strategic(Permanent) fix.
I guess you don't read carefully, or don't understand English. I said "Normally restoring using iTunes fixes it for good, unless your phone has a hardware problem or another interrupted sync." That means that it is a permanent fix. Have you EVER restored as I described? And did the problem recur? If it did recur you either interrupted another sync or your phone has a hardware problem.
Staff does not reply in this user-to-user forum. Just other users like you and me. And the solution has been posted in this thread many times. So start reading.
In fact, the first thing to try is in the post RIGHT ABOVE YOURS.
If that doesn't fix it your phone has suffered memory corruption. To fix it restore your phone using iTunes.
For the person who’s system is taking up 77.4 GB, try and test these steps:
Restore from an iCloud Backup
iCloud: Restore or set up iOS devices from an iCloud backup
Restore as new
Restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod to factory settings - Apple Support
For the discussion starter, who told you that that was a lot of space taken up by system? That’s below average for system.
Mine doesn't. If yours does there's something very seriously wrong with your phone. My iPhone's system storage has never been as high as 40 GB in the 11 years I've had iPhones. It's currently 17 GB on a 256 GB phone. As system space is partly proportional to the total space, because the system needs to maintain the map of file locations and the more files the larger that map must be, that's about what it should be.
If you restore the iPhone to a backup and the system takes that much space then restore without restoring a backup, as the backup is corrupt.
Restore from backup gave me what I had before. An unworkable iPad with the same problem description. I had to reinstall all apps and then it worked again. :-(
I cleared my website data and it went from 25GB to 13GB. Not sure if this will help but it did for me.
Just turn off iCloud drive in you settings!!!
I think my problem (and maybe the same is true for others) was that my Optimize Photos was no longer worker. My entire 43 GB of Photos was on my phone instead of the Optimize option (which was turned on but apparently not functioning since an iOS 11 update). I now have only 7 GB of Photos on my phone and my free space went from 1GB to 40 GB free. I am annoyed that Apple seems to be very buggy lately.
Oh nvm, this is the day after, and I just checked storage again and “System” is back to 8gb, I finally now actually have some space on my new iPhone. For my phone it seems like it just needed time to process the deleted videos and the big files I got rid of
So I with others suspect the iPad or phones aren’t dumping old items. I cleared out another movie just see/confirm, low and behold removing a 5.5 gig movie allowed the system to consume and hold on to just over 16gigs of space. And since your unable to see what’s trapped there you are only able to get rid of it by restoring the iPad to a new state.
I think the is actually a problem with third party apps not collecting garbage properly (i.e. not clearing deleted files & releasing storage), based on my experience with amazon video noted above. With five iOS devices in the household the only ones that have had this problem are the two with lots of third party video apps.
iPhone System taking up storage space
