Optimise iPhone and iPad storage
1 Explore recent usage
Although you can’t reorder apps in the Settings’ storage overview by use, you can at least see when each was last used. If that date’s a long time ago – or ‘Never Used’ – and the app is large, it’s time to delete or at least offload it.
2 Create date folders
If you download many new apps and games to try, consider storing them in folders based on dates. If you’ve not used one six months later, you could delete it. You can redownload later if you want to.
3 Offload videos
Videos shot on iPhone or iPad can take up loads of room. If you don’t use iCloud Photo Library, get into the habit of connecting your device to your Mac, and saving your videos there. This safeguards them and frees up device space.
4 Check social media apps
Social media apps like Facebook and Twitter have a tendency to cache content locally, to speed up browsing. You can often free up hundreds of megabytes by deleting/reinstalling such apps – or, if they offer it, disabling local storage.
5 Stream your podcasts
Similarly, if you’re a bit of a podcast fiend and have loads of subscriptions, your app of choice might be storing gigabytes of shows on your device. Switch to streaming where possible (and only store your favourites locally), to save on space and reduce clutter. 6 Install iOS updates
Your device will automatically download iOS updates, which can take up a lot of space. These can be removed in the Storage page, although you should really install them (after first backing up) to ensure your device remains secure.