How much space do you have left on your iPhone or iPad? Have you ever looked? Is your iPhone or iPad out of space? Do you know what apps are the guilty ones?
As time goes on, our devices grow in terms of size to accommodate all the memory-hungry files and data we continually pack into them. Pictures and videos are generally the biggest culprits. But sometimes your device will throw you a curveball. Maybe apps like Pinterest or Facebook are taking the space. Before you go deleting pins or friends, you’ll be surprised to know the reason.
To remove all of your content and settings from storage, erase iPad. For example, erase iPad before you sell it or give it away. If you want to save your content and settings, back up iPad before erasing it. You can erase iPad from Settings. For an iPad a thing you can do to clear out cobwebs is to force it to reboot. Hold down the sleep and home keys for about 20 seconds. WHen you see the silver apple, let go and let it reboot. There are also things under settings, general, iPad storage that can allow you to offload apps you are not currently using, delete downloaded content, etc. How to clear app caches on iPad? Cache files can be found in many iPad Apps. When you download an app and start using such an app, cache files start accumulating and use additional space. When we get a new iPad, we are impressed by its smooth running.
In two occasions in less than a week, two members of my family called to say their iPads were almost out of space. They were able to pinpoint Pinterest as one of the guilty apps. That seemed strange to me since Pinterest stores all of your preferences, images, pins, etc. on their website/server so you would never store any of that on your iPhone. I found the reason why.
Find out why it’s so full
Before I explain why Pinterest was taking up so much space, determine for yourself why you’re out of space and what you can do to free up additional. Here’s how on iOS:
- Click on SETTINGS. Then click on GENERAL.
- Tap on USAGE and wait. This takes some time on some devices. Patiencccce. It’s loading.
- You’ll see Storage Available and Storage Used
- Take action (below)
Almost instantly you’ll see images, music and videos are near the top. Videos take up way more space than images by default. So if you can delete any videos, that’s a great start. If they’re backed up to the iCloud and you don’t watch them, just dump them. You’ll have instant space. Images will take longer to remove. But same deal.
The hidden culprit
If you’re like my family members and an app like Pinterest is at the top, it’s because of the cache. A cache is a collection of files that you don’t see or access. The cache remember your habits, links to pages, searches, etc. and they store them so the next time you use the app, things happen faster. It’ll remember you visited a page so it may load it quicker because it has a blueprint already store of that page.
This makes it faster because you’re not asking Pinterest’s server to send you the images, text, etc. for the first time. That takes longer. You may not notice a difference, but when you have a lot going on on that little iPad, speed can start to tank with so many processes running.
So how much cache data has built up? One family member had 1 GIGABYTE! Think about it, if you have a 16GB iPad, you’ll free up 1/16th of that in seconds. That’s a big deal. For an iPad out of space, this is a savior.
How do I delete the cache?
The bottom line is, you don’t necessarily need the cache data. It will build again. So if you’re out of space and you need space NOW, there’s a simple trick to deleting the cache data…
Delete the app.
Yes, that’s right. Just press on the Pinterest or the offending app until it starts to shake, then click on the X. It will ask if you want to delete it. Click yes. Then go to the app store and download it again. Go back through the steps above and voila! You just freed up a crapload of space.
Warning – this isn’t always the case for all apps. Some apps DO save data to your device (some games, utility apps like word processors, etc.) but they generally won’t be one of those at the top of the list because they’re basic, small files. A good way to think about it is that if you have to log into the app and it’s a social site like Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, etc. Then chances are it’s the cache that’s the culprit.
Example: If you look at this image of my iPad, you’ll see that videos, music and images are the top apps taking the most space. But look at Google+. 1 GB of space is taken up by that app. Since I log into Google+, most likely this is cache data. So I will delete the app and add it again to free up a gig.
But what about Spotify!? That’s a site I log into to stream music. Yes. But what about when you are offline and want to listen to music? Spotify has an option to take music ‘offline’ so you don’t need a signal to listen. Well, what it’s doing is DOWNLOADING the tune to my iPad so it’s accessible all the time.
How To Clear Memory Cache
But if I cancel Spotify’s subscription, the program is smart and just removes the music automatically from my iPad. If I were to delete the app and re-add it, I would lose the songs I took ‘offline’. But I could easily just have them added again.
When in doubt, go to your iCloud in settings and go to backups and click Back Up Now to save before you try it. You can always load a backup.
But clearing the cache on memory-hungry apps will fix the iPad out of space problem and get you back to surfing in now time. Good luck!
If the memory is too full for the next update, it is time to clean. How to find and delete Unnecessary items and cache on iPhone and iPad.
In the past, Apple has always been rather stingy with storage, especially for the cheapest device versions, iPhones and iPads with 16 GB are not uncommon – even with the 2019 generation, Apple remains at 64 GB as the entry-level size. With Apple’s current update policy to support even five-year-old devices and even make them faster (iOS 12) or to extend the life of the battery with optimized charging (iOS 13), iOS devices remain in use for longer. And then all kinds of garbage inevitably accumulates in the flash memory.
But there are all sorts of ways to tidy up a full iPhone or iPad so that you get some space again, which you need for the update but which you will certainly appreciate later. Read how to do it here:
Clear out the iPhone and iPad properly
Over time, the storage space of iPhone and iPad fills up as if by magic. But not only owners of a “small” iPad or iPhone with 16 or 32 GB should clean up. Clearing out is not only a good idea before updating to the current version of iOS. Not only does it make room for new apps and data, but it also removes damaged files from the iPad or iPhone.
iTunes or Finder for an overview and initial cleanup
Our example shows that even an iPad can be filled with 128 GB. In addition to the usual suspects from apps such as video, music or photos, the points “Documents & Data” and “Other Data” catch the eye during the analysis. The former are files that were copied to the iPad using iTunes “File Sharing”. You should simply delete anything you no longer need, via iTunes or directly on the iPad. If you have updated to macOS 10.15 Catalina, you will no longer find the iTunes app on your Mac. The Finder now takes over the device management tasks, everything remains the same for Windows users, as iTunes is retained.
“Others” need much more space with us, with over 4 GB. This includes all data that the program cannot classify under music, photos, films, apps or documents and data, which we will deal with later (see section “Mail and Messages”). In the first step, you perform a local, encrypted backup.
Since iOS 12, Apple has presented the individual types of data a little better and in a more organized manner. Unfortunately, this division in iTunes and iOS still differs somewhat, but offers a good overview of where you should be most likely to muck out: “Used iPhone storage from iOS 12 : Apple Explains Content Types “.
View and delete the memory usage of the apps
Many iPad users no longer have a computer. The analysis of data consumption and the deletion of apps or their data in the first step can also be carried out directly on the iPad. IPhone and iPad owners with a computer will also have problems managing the apps of the iOS device with current versions of iTunes from version 12.7. It is now possible with another tool from Apple “Configurator 2”. You can also clean out apps directly on the iPhone or iPad. To do this, select the option “Storage and iCloud usage” in the settings. Depending on the number of installed apps, it may take a while before the list is displayed. Then tap on “Show all apps” at the bottom.
You will now find all installed apps with their memory consumption in the overview. If you tap an app that is not included in the scope of delivery of iOS, the iPad shows its memory consumption and the associated data. You can delete the app and data in one go. Then go to the apps that use Documents & Data and see if all the files you have downloaded are needed. The first steps to clean up via iTunes or iPad freed up 1 GB of storage space for us.
Since iOS 11 it is possible to outsource apps that are rarely used. The system automatically deletes them if they have not been used for a long time and reloads them if necessary. In the rarest of cases, however, this brings about the decisive relief for the overflowing storage facility.
Ipad Memory Check
Delete series, TV episodes and movies
The iPad is ideal as a mini cinema for on the go or as a projectionist via Airplay and Apple TV. Not only videos you have recorded yourself are stored on the iPad, but also films, TV programs or entire seasons bought in the iTunes Store, as well as music videos that are often included with the purchase of an album. You can now “reload” all films and TV programs you have ever bought, not just books and apps. The service is provided by “iTunes in the iCloud”.
Reloading TV shows and movies has been possible in the US for years. In the “General> Storage and iCloud Usage” setting, select “Videos”. Under “TV programs” you can delete entire seasons, alternatively select a season and then select the episodes you want to delete from the episodes displayed. To delete a video, all you have to do is swipe to the left. You can also see immediately how much storage space a film (2 to 3 GB) has freed up, which creates space.
Use music and photos in iCloud
Today iCloud does more than syncronize the user’s settings and personal data. All purchased pieces of music and videos, apps, books, films and TV programs can be “reloaded” via iTunes in the iCloud for free, so they do not have to be saved on the iOS device or in iTunes. Anyone who uses a large collection of ripped CDs in addition to purchased music has copied them to the iPad via iTunes on a Windows PC or Mac. Here they consume storage space just like synchronized photos and albums.
If you use Apple Music, you always have your complete library with you on all devices, individual tracks and albums of course not. These can be deleted from the device at any time without them disappearing from the library. If you are in WiFi or if you don’t care about mobile data consumption, you don’t even have to load the songs onto your iPhone or iPad, you just listen in the stream. For offline use, albums can be reloaded at any time if the line is fast and cheap enough. Instead of synchronizing photo albums with the iPad, they can be shared as a photo stream for free – via iCloud. Attention: An internet connection is required to use it while on the move.
Mail and Messages: “Other Data” takes up storage space
The “Other” storage area contains complete conversations from messages as well as mails with their attachments. If you often use attachments such as photos or videos with both services, you can reduce the memory consumption somewhat. In both cases, you can delete conversations and thus the messages or emails including their attachments. That is often not desired. In addition to the simple recycle bin, the mail app offers helpful settings. Under “Settings> Mail, Contacts and Calendar”, the user can choose whether the device automatically loads the images sent with it (“Load removed images”) – they consume storage space. You also determine when messages marked for deletion are really removed. With an iCloud account, for example, you have the option of removing deleted emails after a day, a week or a month. You should not select the setting “Never”.
Since iOS 13.3, Apple has given an extended overview of the system files. Under “Settings> General> iPhone Storage” you can see how much space the current operating system occupies and how much the other system data. According to Apple, this includes caches, logs and other resources. As on the Mac, deleting these files does not help much: they are created again in everyday iPhone life. The usual tip: Create an iPhone backup and restore it via iTunes or Finder will not get rid of this data, it only helps an iCloud backup.
Get rid of junk data with backup and restore
Damaged files, especially aborted downloads, make up a not to be underestimated part of the steadily growing “Others” storage space. This can involve iOS updates as well as downloading music, apps or films. IOS simply restarts a download unnoticed by the user, and the defective file fragments reduce the storage space. You cannot access this data with any of the tools mentioned.
IOS itself or two functions offer a good way to get rid of the garbage. If you have a computer with iTunes, first make a current backup. Make sure that the backup is encrypted, then access data and passwords are also saved. You can then optionally restore the iPad, the current iOS version will be imported. Then import the backup. The corrupt files are no longer included in the backup, “Other” shrunk by 1 GB on our iPad.