Most of us have found ourselves in this scenario: you’re trying to install a new application, shoot a memorable moment on camera, or save a necessary document, and your phone unexpectedly pops up with an awful notification: “Storage Full.” It’s annoying, but worry not—there are many ways you can try to get back space and avoid this issue in the future. Let’s take a look at what to do if your phone’s memory is full and how you can organize storage wisely.
1. Assess What is Taking Up Space
The initial stage in addressing a storage issue is to identify what consumes the most memory. Both iPhones and Android mobiles have options for monitoring and managing your storage.
- For iPhone: Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage. You’ll find a breakdown of your apps and the volume of storage they separately use. This will enable you to identify large apps, files, or media that may be insignificant.
- For Android: Go to Settings > Storage. Android will show you an extensive overview of your storage consumption, classifying it as apps, photos, videos, audio, etc.
2. Clear cache and temporary files
Data that is cached is a commonly ignored source of storage use. Applications store cached data to enhance productivity; however, this data piles up over time and can consume a lot of storage.
- On Android: You may remove the cache for individual apps by moving to Settings > Apps, selecting the app, and hitting “Clear Cache.” As an alternative, make use of a cache-clearing app to clear excess cached data.
- On iPhone: iOS doesn’t have an easy “clear cache” option for all apps, but Safari and Google Chrome have the option to clear their cache. For Safari, go to Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data. For apps like Instagram or Facebook, you may need to uninstall and then reinstall the app to clear its cache.
3. Uninstall apps that are unnecessary.
Sometimes, we download the apps for temporary use and then forget about it. If you have such apps that are still downloaded on your phone but no longer in use, uninstalling them can provide you with some instant free space.
- On iPhone: Tap and hold the app icon on the home screen, then choose “Remove App,” followed by “Delete App.”
- On Android: Tap and hold the app icon, then select “Uninstall.”.
Make sure to check if any important data or files associated with such apps are backed up before uninstalling them.
4. Move Photos and Videos to Cloud Storage
Photos and videos serve as typical media files that occupy an enormous portion of storage in your phone. To free up space, upload them to cloud storage services like Google Photos, iCloud, or Dropbox.
Here’s how to free up space by optimising media files:
Transfer photos and videos to cloud storage:
- To upload photos and videos, use Google Photos on Android or iPhone. You’ll get free storage of 15 GB.
- Allow iCloud photos in the settings on your iPhone to upload images automatically.
Optimize Storage:
- Allow the “Optimise iPhone Storage” option in iCloud to store smaller versions of photos on your device.
Consider external storage:
- Use USB drives with phone connectors or microSD cards if you don’t want to use cloud storage.
5. Transfer Files to a Computer
Transferring files from your phone to your computer or an external hard drive is a good way for freeing some space.
Here are the methods to transfer files to free up space:
For iPhone:
- Connect your iPhone to your PC using a cable. For transferring files, use either iTunes (Windows or older macOS) or Finder (newer macOS).
- As an alternative, you can use AirDrop to transfer files wirelessly to a Mac.
For Android:
- Connect your Android phone to your PC using a USB cable.
6. Offload apps that are unused (for iPhones)
In order to free up space on your iPhone, use the “Offload Unused Apps” feature, which removes the apps you don’t use very often while conserving their data.
To enable this feature, navigate to Settings > General > iPhone Storage, and choose “Offload App” for eligible apps. You can also set Offload Unused Apps automatically under Settings > iTunes & App Store.
7. Delete old messages and attachments.
Text messages and files, particularly from groups, can quickly pile up and consume space needlessly.
- On iPhone: Swipe left to delete conversations. To delete attachments, go to the chat, tap on the contact’s name, and press “Info” to see all attachments, and then delete each attachment one by one.
- On Android: To delete an individual message, long-press it or clear the chat to delete the entire conversation.
Enable automatic deletion for older messages (if supported) to keep your messages organised.
8. Use storage management apps.
Third-party tools for storage management, for example, CCleaner, DiskUsage, and Google Files, are accessible for both Android and iPhone. These applications will recognise large, duplicate, and useless files and delete them all in bulk for quick clean-up.
9. Consider a factory reset (as a last resort).
If you have attempted all the solutions suggested above and your phone’s memory stays full, you might want to consider performing a factory reset. This will remove everything from your device and restore it to its original defaults. Remember to back up your data before starting!
To carry out a factory reset, go to Settings > System > Reset (on Android) or Settings > General > Reset (on iPhone), and choose the option “Erase All Content and Settings.”.
