Good afternoon sofifromraleigh,
Welcome to the Apple Support Communities!
I understand you are trying to free up some space on your iPhone. The resource below explains how to free up space on your device, and find out what apps are taking up the most data. Be sure to restart your iPhone after making significant changes to it.
How to check the storage on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch
If you can't free up the space you need, then I would suggest creating an iCloud backup, then erasing the iPhone, restoring it back to factory settings, and setting it up as a "new" iPhone initially. Then you can update the iOS software, and enable the iCloud features (Contacts, Calendar, Notes, etc.) that you were using before.
How to back up your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch
Restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod to factory settings
Set up your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
Take care.