UPDATED 01/27/20
I’m always interested in getting a little more out of the storage on my iPhone. Frankly, I love taking pictures with it, and my ever-growing camera roll means I have to stay on top of the best ways to use the memory that’s available so I also have plenty of room for all the other great things it can do. Here are a few tips to manage your iPhone storage that I think can help you do the same.
Cloud Storage
Your first step is to activate your iCloud storage option. 5GB of free cloud storage is included with every iPhone, and it’s the easiest way to store and access files, music, movies, and photos without keeping them on your phone. The items you store to the iCloud are kept safe and can be accessed from your computer or another device. You can even setup automatic sharing for photos, or share other documents using a unique link. And if you find yourself needing more space, there are additional options available for a small monthly fee.
Google Photos
iPhone users also have the ability to sync photos and store them with the Google Photos app. It’s free and provides unlimited storage of pictures and videos. Your photos are automatically backed up and organized, and you can create albums for sharing or even share individual snapshots directly from the app. You can also use it in addition to iCloud storage to enjoy really robust storage for photos.
Apps
In addition to storage options, you should also regularly check your iPhone’s downloaded apps to see if there’s anything you can delete to free up space. Some apps, especially games, eat up lots of storage, so if you haven’t used it for a while, get rid of it! To check on this, go to your Settings, then General, and then iPhone Storage. From here, you’ll be able to see how much space various apps and files are consuming and clear out the ones you no longer want.
Messages
Likewise, nowadays we often send each other photos and more as attachments to text messages. These pile up quickly and use a lot of space, so it’s a good thing to stay on top of it and delete any old messages you really don’t need to save. You can even have this done automatically by going to the Settings menu, choosing Messages, and setting a limit under the Keep Messages setting. You can set it to delete messages after 30 days or 1 year.
Your iPhone is a truly versatile device, so keeping its storage well managed will allow you to enjoy its features and benefits without sacrificing performance. I encourage you to explore one or all of the options here to find what works best for you!
This was very helpful. Thank you.
Is there anything that can be used for an android phone. I keep getting the message that says I need to delete some things that I don’t have enough space. I am not downloading anything and everything that I have on my phone is something that I have to have. I noticed that on my phone that all my picture’s got deleted and I didn’t do it but it still says I have to delete some stuff to make room .
Great question, Lawrence! There are many things you can do to add extra space to your Android phone. First, many Android devices come with a slot for a micro-SD card. You can keep photos, music and videos on the card, freeing space on your device. Be sure to take advantage of Google Photos, too, so you can store your photos on the Cloud, rather than on your phone. If you try these solutions and you continue to receive notifications about storage, please give us a call at 888-345-5509. We’ll be happy to do some additional troubleshooting. We appreciate you posting today!
All good points, but FYI, the unlimited Google cloud storage is for photos only. It does not include videos.
Thanks for posting, Tom. The storage can be used for videos as well, and you can learn more about that feature here. We appreciate you reaching out to us!
How can you print your messages from your phone
Thanks for posting, Kim. There are a few options you can try. First, you can take a screenshot of the messages on your screen, then print this image as you would a photo. If you have a printer that provides a Bluetooth connection, you can even print directly from your phone. Otherwise, you can transfer the screenshot image from your phone to a computer, and print from there. If you have any other questions, we’re happy to answer them at 888-345-5509. We appreciate you taking the time to reach out to us today!
What is square trade i noticed on my bill.
Thanks for asking, Sharon! SquareTrade is a device protection plan that would have been added when you purchased a new device. This protects your phone from drops, spills and other issues. We’re happy to tell you more about it at 888-345-5509 if you like, or remove that coverage from your phone if you choose. We appreciate you posting, and we hope to speak with you soon!
How do I clear some of the data/photos from icloud to free up space to back up without having to purchase additional storage?
Hi Rikki, thank you for posting. You can find instructions for clearing up space on your iCloud storage on Apple’s website here: https://support.apple.com/kb/PH12793. If you need any assistance, feel free to call us at 888-548-6490.
Thank you so much for guiding and your blogs artiticles i tryly appreciate your busineds
Does it have capable querty keyboard so I can text without the old way
Hi Gloria, the on-screen keyboard is a qwerty keyboard, but it doesn’t have a physical keyboard. You can find more information about the keyboard on the iPhones here.
I need a structured class with a teacher to teach me how to use my cell phone to the outer limits.
Hi Lucy, thanks for your post! We don’t offer classes for our phones via our network, however, there may be a location near you that does them independently. You are welcome to reach out to places such as Apple or other community centers in your area to see if any classes like this are available.
Hello, I have a Samsung Galaxy A20 android phone. I have been notified that google photos will no longer be starting in June 2021. What is the best storage options now?
Thank you for posting, Kathy. Google Photos will still be around, their storage policy is just changing in Jue 2021. You can find more information regarding this from Google directly here.
Most cloud storage services do have a cap on free storage before you have to start paying for additional storage space. There are a lot of alternatives available, such as DropBox or Amazon Photos, but you can find more by searching for “Google Photos Alternatives”.