Clean up your iOS devices
Breaking down storage information Use iOS 11’s tools – and a handy Mac app – to keep your iPhone and iPad in tip-top working order
Explained…
1 Visit Settings
Go to Settings > General > iPhone/iPad Storage and you’ll see something similar to the image shown above. Be mindful that it can take a short while for the entire page to fully load.
2 Check the breakdown
At the top of the page, you’ll see your device’s maximum storage, and what types of media are currently eating up space. This feedback gives you a good starting point when it comes to pruning.
3 Offload apps
As of iOS 11, your iOS device can automatically offload apps and games when storage is low. This can free up space, and you don’t lose anything – tap an app’s Home screen icon to redownload it; its docs and data will still be present.
4 Use iCloud
We’ve mentioned iCloud elsewhere, and iOS unsurprisingly suggests using iCloud Photo Library if you’re not already. Be mindful that you may need to pay for additional iCloud storage space when turning this on.
5 Review media
If it’s present, tap Show All to see additional recommendations to review videos and attachments, both of which can take up a lot of space. In all cases, you can preview individual items before deleting them.
6 Examine apps
Scroll down and you’ll see a list of apps and games that are installed on your device, with those taking up the most room at the top, and the date you last used each one listed, too. You can delete or offload apps manually, if you want.