Saliem Talash: Phone storage full? Free up space on iPhone and Android without losing anything you care about

"Storage almost full" always arrives at the worst moment: halfway through filming something, or just as an update needs to install. The temptation is to start deleting photos at random until the warning goes away. That works, but it is slow, it is risky, and the warning comes back in a month.

There is a better order. First find out what is actually using the space. Then clear the things that are safe to clear. Then change the settings that keep it from filling up again. I'm Saliem Talash, I build practical tools for small businesses in Toronto, and for many small business owners a phone is the main computer. The steps below come from Apple's and Google's own support pages. Menus move a little between versions, so if a name differs on your phone, look for the closest match.

Before you delete anything

Make sure your photos and important files are backed up somewhere other than the phone. Several of the steps below remove the copy on the device on the assumption that another copy exists in the cloud. If you are not sure that copy exists, check first.

iPhone

1. See what is using the space

Apple's path is: open Settings, tap General, then tap iPhone Storage. Apple says this screen shows "recommendations and a list of apps with their storage usage." Tap any app's name for more detail.

Look for the few biggest items. They are where the space is.

2. Use the recommendations

At the top of the same screen, Apple says to "tap Show All to see the recommendations for your device," and then to "tap Enable to turn it on or tap the recommendation to review the contents that you can delete." These are Apple's suggestions for your particular phone, and they are the quickest wins.

3. Offload apps you rarely use

On an app's storage page, Apple offers two choices. Offload App "frees up storage used by the app, but keeps its documents and data." Delete App "removes the app and its related data."

Offloading is the safe one. The app disappears until you need it, and when you reinstall it, your data is still there. For an app you open twice a year, it is ideal.

4. Make old messages tidy themselves

Messages quietly keep every photo and video anyone has ever sent you. Apple's guide gives the setting to change that: go to Settings, tap Apps, tap Messages, then scroll down and tap Keep Messages (below Message History), and choose an option. You can delete messages and attachments "older than 30 days or a year old, on an ongoing basis."

Read Apple's warning before you do this: "If you choose an option other than Forever, your conversations (including all attachments) are automatically removed after the specified time period elapses." Save anything you want to keep first.

5. Let iCloud Photos hold the originals

If you use iCloud Photos, Apple explains that when Optimize iPhone Storage is on, "full-resolution photos and videos are stored in iCloud" and "space-saving copies are stored on your device." Apple says Optimize Storage is on by default with iCloud Photos, but it is worth checking in Settings under your name, then iCloud, then Photos. The exact path depends on your iOS version.

6. Remember the 30-day album

Deleted photos do not free space straight away. Apple says "anything in your Recently Deleted album stays there for 30 days," after which it is permanently deleted. To recover something you deleted by mistake, open Photos, find Recently Deleted under Utilities, and tap Recover. If you need the space now and are sure, you can empty the album, but that cannot be undone.

The same rule applies to Messages: Apple says deleted messages and attachments "remain in your Recently Deleted folder for up to 30 days."

Android

Android phones differ by manufacturer, so Google's own help pages are the reference. Google notes that some steps "only work on Android 14 and up."

1. See what is using the space

Google's path is Settings, then Storage, then Free up space. From there you can scroll to a category, tap Select files or Browse, and move files to the Trash.

2. Clean junk files with Files by Google

Google's Files app has a cleaning tool. Open Files by Google, tap Menu, then Clean. On the "Junk files" card, tap Clean, then confirm with Clear. Junk files are temporary files apps leave behind, and clearing them does not change your app settings.

Google is clear that this is final: "If you clear junk files or delete files using Files by Google, the data will be permanently deleted." The same Clean screen also offers suggestions for duplicate files, screenshots, downloads, large files, WhatsApp media and unused apps. Review each one before you confirm.

3. Remove backed-up photos from the device

In Google Photos on Android, tap your profile photo or initial, choose Free up space on this device, then tap Free up to remove the device copies of photos that are already backed up. Google warns plainly: "This feature deletes photos from your device." Recent items may stay on the phone for a while.

Note the difference between this and deleting a photo. Google says that deleting an item in Google Photos removes it from other devices where backup is on, and that deleted items stay in the Trash for 30 days. "Free up space" removes only the device copy. Deleting removes it everywhere.

4. Clear an app's cache, carefully

Google's Android page also covers clearing an app's cache, which frees space but may make the app open more slowly the next time. Avoid Clear storage unless you mean it: Google says it "permanently deletes all app data."

Keep it from filling up again

  1. Turn on Optimize iPhone Storage, or use Google Photos' free-up tool once a month.
  2. Set Messages to keep one year instead of forever, if you can live with that.
  3. Offload apps you use less than monthly.
  4. Clear downloads in podcast, music and video apps after you finish them.
  5. Look at the storage screen once a month. Two minutes beats a warning in the middle of something important.

I write more practical guides to everyday tech on ZELR, and keep my small-business tools on my site.

Sources

  • Apple Support: How to check the storage on your iPhone and iPad
  • Apple Support: How to recover deleted photos
  • Apple Support: Manage your photo and video storage
  • Apple iPhone User Guide: Delete messages and attachments in Messages on iPhone
  • Google Android Help: Free up storage on your Android device
  • Files by Google Help: Clear your junk files
  • Google Photos Help: Free up space on your device (Android)
  • Google Photos Help: Delete photos and videos (Android)

Drafted with AI assistance.

More from Saliem Talash: saliemtalash.vercel.app · ZELR · YouTube

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