A Slow iPhone Could Mean You Need to Clear Your “Other” Storage

After using your iPhone for a while, it is natural that it starts to slow down. Sometimes it might be time to say goodbye to your current iPhone and jump into a new one (after having exchanged), but other times the slow iPhone problem can be under your control. In fact, the solution could be as simple as emptying your storage space. Not this storage space. Your iPhone’s “Other” storage.

If you have ever run out of storage space and tried to free up space manually, you may already know the other storage space. If not, let’s review what it is before we dive into how to narrow down this pesky category.

What is other iPhone storage?

The Other section is a mysterious catch-all corner of your iPhone’s storage. Think of it as a place where things like system files and Siri voices can be stored. But it can be a memory hog, and the main reason for that is caching. Your cache stores things from apps or websites so they load faster the next time you use them. The cache collects things when you browse the web, stream videos or movies, and when you send text messages with pictures or videos. In applications such as Google Maps and Chrome, cached data can soon start eating away at your available storage space on the device.

To check the space used by the other storage, you need to go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage. Once the iPhone has done its calculation, you will see a bar graph of the categories taking up your iPhone storage. The other storage section is usually the gray part on the far right of the graph. Assuming your other storage is taking up more space than it should, here are some steps you can take to help change that.

Offload apps

Not to be confused with deleting an app, offloading an app means that the app is removed from your device, but all data is restrained, when you decide to reinstall it. Take advantage of this trick, especially if you have apps like Google Maps that use a lot of space but don’t store much data. To unload an application, return to iPhone Storage in Settings > General, tap the app you want to offload, then Download the app.

Here’s a tip: In the Storage section of the iPhone, there’s a list of apps with a number next to each name indicating how much storage it’s using. You can immediately get an overview of which apps are hogging memory or taking up just a little. This can help you decide which one to unload.

Clear Safari cache and close tabs

If you use Safari often, your iPhone may be storing web history and data that you just don’t need. To clear Safari’s browser cache, go to Settings > Safari and Clear history and website data. And if you are a Chrome user, here is how to clear google browser cache.

Closing tabs also helps free up storage space and keep your device running smoothly. You can manage how often Safari will close open tabs by going to Settings > Safari > Close tabs. You can continue to close tabs manually, or let Safari close tabs that haven’t been viewed in a day, week, or month.

Stop Storing Texts Forever

By default, your iPhone stores all the text messages you send and receive…forever. This is handy if you need to search for a 15 month old conversation, but not so handy if you need to reclaim your storage space. To stop your phone from saving texts forever, open Settings and press posts. Scroll down until you find Message History and tap Save messages. To change Still at 30 days Where 1 year. A pop-up will ask if you want to delete older messages; faucet Wipe off proceed.

Reset your iPhone

If all else fails, a surefire way to dump a lot of the trash in Other Storage is to reset your iphoneeven if you can’t empty it completely.

For more iPhone tips and trickscheck out these iOS 15 hidden features, iPhone Settings to Change ASAPand how to make your iphone look more like your old android phone. Additionally, we have tips to extend the life of your phone before having to replace it.