This post has been updated since it originally published on June 24, 2022.
What’s one thing your iPhone could use a lot more of? If you answered “storage,” you’re not alone. It’s all too common to get that dreaded Out Of Storage pop-up when you try to take more photos and videos. But there are solutions that can make an immediate and lasting impact. Whether you’re looking for moves you can make right this second to gain more storage, a few great tips on increasing storage space over time, or a little (or a lot) of both, we have solutions for you. We spoke with Apple experts who dished on a few easy and effective ways to free up storage instantly.
Reach for the Clouds!
When hard drives can’t handle your amount of data, Aphelion notes that several servers come to the rescue. “DropBox, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive or Apple iCloud are just a few options to keep your files in the cloud,” says Tech and Apple Expert Michael Aphelion, who is the marketing manager at The Spreadsheet Page, “If you have a lot of stuff to store, you might have to sign up for a monthly subscription (which is worth it in the end, as they keep your data more securely than you could by yourself for your phone!).”
Services like Google Photos allow you to store your photos for free, unlimited storage. “Google Play Music Manager and Amazon Cloud Drive lets you upload your whole music library and stream it,” Aphelion says.
Remove Photos Or Videos
This one may be a little painful at first because all of those photos and videos on your device can feel like a security blanket, but it’s a necessary step toward gaining more storage.
“One way to free up storage on your iPhone is to remove photos or videos that are taking up a lot of space on your device,” says Christine Walker, an IT expert specialized in software development, web designing, health information technology and application development. “You can do this by deleting individual photos and videos or by deleting entire photo albums. You can also delete music files from your iPhone if you’re no longer using them. Another option is to store these files in the cloud so they don’t take up space on your device.”
Delete Apps
Apps are the entire reason why your iPhone is so great, we get it. But if you’re being honest with yourself, how many of them do you really use on a daily basis? If you can think of half a dozen apps that never get used, deleting them is a great way to gain back valuable storage space. “You can do this by tapping and holding on an app icon until all of the apps start shaking,” Walker says. “Then, you can tap on the x in the top corner of each app icon to delete them.”
You can use a tool like iMyFone Umate Pro to uninstall the apps completely and free up additional space on your device, Walker adds. “You can also clear offline images from your iPhone’s storage if they’re taking up a lot of space,” Walker says. “To do this, open Settings and then tap General > Usage > Media Waste Storage > Clear All Disconnect From The Internet (turning off Cellular Data may also help). This will clear all offline images from your device’s storage, so make sure you’re connected to Wi-Fi first.”
Use a Flash Drive
“You can directly plug some flash drives to your lightning port to boost your phone’s storage,” Aphelion says. “My favorite ones are the $60 Beef iBridge which bends around my iPhone and offers 16 GB storage. Another great one is the SanDisk iExpand which offers a whopping 32 GB for $42.”
Use a Wireless Hard Drive
Last, but not least: rely on a wireless hard drive. “One of the best ways to increase storage to your iPhone are wireless storage device options,” Aphelion says. “Simply keep them in your pocket or purse, connect them to the same Wi-Fi network as your phone and let your iPhone sync! The RAVPower Filehub is a good one that comes for $36.”
As experts can confirm, there are numerous ways to free up storage space right now so that you never again have to deal with the hassle of that pesky no-storage pop-up message.
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Use a Wireless Hard Drive
Last, but not least: rely on a wireless hard drive. “One of the best ways to increase storage to your iPhone are wireless storage device options,” Aphelion says. “Simply keep them in your pocket or purse, connect them to the same Wi-Fi network as your phone and let your iPhone sync! The RAVPower Filehub is a good one that comes for $36.”
Follow these tips to instantly add more much-needed storage to your device.
