Is iPhone memory full? Use these tips to free up space

We store almost everything in our iPhones: family photos, movies, music libraries, etc. That's why it's important to make sure you don't run out of space.

Apple has made this a little easier to deal with in 2021 by increasing the standard iPhone 13 storage option from 64GB to 128GB.

But for those who need more space or have a smaller capacity model, you'll want to make the most of your iPhone's storage space.

The best way to save on local storage is to invest in a cloud storage service like Apple's iCloud, Google Drive, Box or Dropbox to offload some of your files.

But there are also some settings you can tweak to make sure you're using your iPhone's storage capacity to the fullest.

Space

To maximize your iPhone's storage, you need to know what's taking up your device in the first place. Take a look at what's eating up your storage so you know where to start.

Open Settings, tap General and scroll down to iPhone Storage. Choose this option to see a breakdown of the types of files and media that are taking up space on your iPhone.

Apple may also make some recommendations on how to free up space, such as reviewing videos stored on your device, as shown below.

Photos

Photos are among the biggest culprits when it comes to gobbling up space on your iPhone. But the iPhone settings menu has an option that allows your device to save smaller photo files locally if your device is running low on space instead of the original versions.

Instead, these high resolution photos and videos are stored on iCloud and you can download them as needed. To make sure this feature is turned on, start by opening the Settings app.

Then scroll down to Photos and make sure there is a blue checkmark next to the Optimize iPhone Storage option.

Cloud

The best way to free up space on your iPhone is to remove files that you don't need to store on your device. But that doesn't mean you need to downsize your photo library.

Instead, try storing them on a third-party cloud storage service like Google Photos instead of on your device. It's a quick way to free up a lot of storage space without requiring you to dispose of old memories.

But before deleting anything, make sure the photos you want to save have been backed up or transferred to Google Photos. If your photos and videos are not backed up to another service such as Google Photos, Dropbox, Box or OneDrive before being deleted, they will be permanently deleted.