Your iPhone’s “Other” storage occupies a considerable amount of storage space on your device. So, what is the mysterious iPhone other storage all about? And how can you clear other storage on iPhone? Well, if you’ve been constantly asking yourself these questions, then you’ve come to the right place.
What is iPhone Other storage
The iPhone Other storage takes up a lot of space on your phone. And yes, it is surely a matter of concern. The “Other” category contains system data, log files, app cache, Siri voices, and other resources that are used by the system that help your iPhone to run smoothly. The cache helps in loading the apps and websites faster.
Although, if you want to get rid of other storage on iPhone, you can save additional space on your phone without wiping off personal files like pictures, videos, email attachments, documents, and so on.
Let’s quickly dive in and explore how to clear other storage on iPhone to minimize the space allocated to cache, app data, and system resources. In this guide, we have listed a few workarounds that can help you in dealing with this problem.
Also read: How to Transfer Files Between iPhone and Mac
How to View iPhone Other Storage?
Before we begin, first let’s navigate to settings and see how much space is allotted to the “Other” storage. Follow these quick steps:
Open the Settings app and head on to General> iPhone Storage.
On the top, you will see a bar graph representation of the storage space listing how much storage is allotted to each category like apps, media, systems, photos, and other.
Once you scroll down, you will view the list of installed apps on your iOS device.
Also read: iPhone Storage Full? How to free up space on iPhone
How to Get Rid of iPhone Other Storage
You cannot delete the entire “Other” category on iPhone but yes there are a few ways by which you can reduce its size.
1. Clear History and Website Data
Safari is the default web browser on your iPhone so let’s first try cleaning Safari data and caches.
Launch the Settings app, tap on “Safari”. Scroll down and select the “Clear History and website data” option.
2. Change the Message History Setting
Yes, we’re sure your iPhone must be loaded with tons of messages. So, when was the last time you checked your message inbox to filter unwanted texts? Must’ve been a while, right? Well, if you don’t want to keep your messages forever then you can make a quick change in the message settings that automatically deletes older conversations. Here’s what you need to do.
Launch the Settings app, tap on “Messages”. Scroll down and select the “Message History” option.
Image source: Mashable
Now, tweak this setting and select either 30 days or 1 year instead of “Forever”.
3. Delete the App and Redownload it
Image source: Apple Support
Here’s another effective hack to minimize the storage capacity of iPhone other storage. There are some apps that you use frequently like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, and so on. Isn’t it? To make sure that app cache size doesn’t exceed, you can delete the app from your iPhone and then redownload it by visiting the App Store. Doing so will help you remove the cached data associated with the app.
4. Offload Unused Apps
Did you know there’s a special iPhone feature that automatically offloads the unused apps when your device is running low on storage? Here’s how you can access it.
Head on to Settings> General> iPhone Storage. Now, enable the “Offload unused apps” feature to minimize the iPhone’s Other storage capacity.
Offloading an app is better than deleting as you can anytime retain your favorite apps and services whenever you want.
5.Enable Close Tabs
Do you often forget to close the active Safari tabs? If yes, then we might have something useful for you.
Image source: 9to5 Mac
Head on to Settings> Safari and enable the “Close Tabs” feature.
6. Erase all content and settings
Tried the above-listed workarounds and still no luck? Is the iPhone’s other storage still consuming a huge amount of storage space on your device? Well, as a last resort you can try resetting your phone. Erasing all content and settings will restore your iPhone to an out-of-the-box state. Resetting your device will help you get a fresh start as your iPhone will be restored to its default settings. To reset your iPhone, follow these steps.
Head on to Settings> General> Reset> Erase all content and settings.
But yes, before you do that make sure you backup all your important data and files.
Also read: How to Manage Duplicate Photos on iPhone
Conclusion
Here were a few simple ways to clear other storage on iPhone to recover additional storage space on your device. You can use any or all of the above-listed ways to minimize the amount of space occupied by iPhone other storage. The “Other” category on iPhone storage is quite mysterious and confusing. But yes, you can easily get rid of it by making a few quick changes in the settings.
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Good luck!