iPhone Tip: How To Reclaim ‘Other’ Storage Space

Apple iPhone users might be surprised to see their devices telling them they don't have enough space for more photos, videos and more. This could very well be due to the device's storage capacity being filled with files and documents. But sometimes, this could be due to what Apple's operating systems call “Other” data.

“Other” data simply refers to things that take up space in order for iPhone and iPad apps to run properly. These do not include media, apps, photos, songs, videos, documents and so on. The iPhone regularly creates such data when users do things on their device, such as browse the internet, talk to Siri and so on.

Apple refers to Other data as “system data files.” These can eat up a lot of space in an iPhone, which means they need to be deleted the moment they are no longer necessary.

Users can view just how much space Other data takes up by navigating to Settings > General > iPhone Storage then looking at Other.

Those who need more space for photos, videos, music and more need to delete Other data. Here's how.

Upgrade to iOS 13.6.1

First, iPhone owners who are using older iOS versions should upgrade to iOS 13.6.1, which “addresses an issue where unneeded system data files might not be automatically deleted when available storage is low.”

This will quickly allow the iPhone to delete unnecessary data, making room for more important files.

Restart iPhone

The iPhone is designed to delete temporary files stored in its caches. Restarting the handset will rid system caches of unnecessary files.

Clear app caches

Users should clear frequently used apps' caches, particularly those that regularly sync across devices and platforms. These apps include DropBox, Google Drive, Spotify, YouTube Music, and more.

This is done by going to Settings > General > iPhone Storage, waiting a while until the iPhone shows each app's data usage, then deleting the cache for apps that use a lot of space.

Clear Safari cache

Those who browse using Safari will need to clear its cache often. This is done by going to Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data, then tapping on confirm.

These are but some of the things iPhone users can do clear Other data. That said, users can also try uninstalling unused apps, deleting old iMessage archives and removing old files to make room for newer ones.