Delete Unnecessary Data on "iPhone"--Before Trying Factory Reset for "Other" Data

　There is no need to rush to upgrade to a new iPhone just because your "iPhone" is running out of storage space. In fact, if your only reason is lack of storage space, then you don't need to upgrade (unless your current iPhone is nearing the end of its life). There are many tricks that can help alleviate the problem.

Courtesy: Jason Cipriani/CNET

One thing that may be using a lot of storage is the mysterious "Other" storage section on your iPhone. If you've run out of storage in the past and tried to free up space manually, you may already be familiar with this section. For those unfamiliar with this, let me first explain what the "Other" storage section is. After that, I'll explain how to narrow down this nasty category.

　The "Other" section is an item that includes various items in the iPhone's storage. Think of it as a place where system files, Siri voices, etc. are stored. However, the biggest reason this tends to use a lot of storage is the cache. A cache stores various elements of an app or website. To make them load faster the next time you use those apps and websites. As users browse the web, stream videos and movies, and send text messages containing photos and videos, the cache builds up. In apps like Google Maps and Chrome, cached data can quickly start squeezing available storage on your device.

Then, isn't the "Other" section taking up too much of the iPhone's precious storage space? To check this, go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage. After a while, after the calculations are finished, you'll see a bar chart showing the percentage of iPhone storage space used by each category. The "Other" section is usually the gray area on the far right of the chart (assuming this section is using more storage than it needs for the purposes of this article).

iOS 11 introduces a variety of new ways to free up space, including the option to get rid of apps you don't use often. Courtesy: Rick Broida/CNET

Let's fix this problem now. Resetting the iPhone is a sure-fire way to get rid of the bulk of the junk in the "Other" section, but in my experience, you can't completely empty it. If you're hesitant about backing up, erasing, and restoring your iPhone right now, here are some alternatives you can try.

Remove the app

Don't confuse it with deleting the app. Removing an app removes it from the device but retains all data in case the user wants to install it again. For example, if you have an app that uses a lot of space but doesn't store much data, like Google Maps, use this feature. To remove an app, just go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage, select the app you want to remove, and click Offload App. Tap (Remove App).

　Let me introduce a hint. In the "iPhone Storage" section, you'll find a list of apps, with the amount of storage they're using next to each app's name. By looking at it, you can quickly see which apps are using a lot of storage and which are not. This information should help you decide which apps to remove.

Clear the "Safari" cache and close the tab

　If you use Safari frequently, you may have web history and data stored on your iPhone that you do not need at all. There is To clear Safari's browser cache, go to Settings > Safari and tap Clear History and Website Data. Chrome users, see Here's how to clear an iPhone's cache and speed up your browsing article.

　Closing tabs is also effective in freeing up storage space and maintaining smooth operation of the device. To manage how often Safari closes open tabs, go to Settings > Safari > Close Tabs. You can still manually close tabs, or you can let Safari close tabs you haven't viewed in a day, week, or month.

Stop saving texts forever

By default, the iPhone permanently saves all sent and received text messages. This is great if you need to retrieve conversations from 15 months ago, but bad if you need to reclaim storage space. To stop your iPhone from saving texts permanently, open Settings and tap Messages. Scroll down until you see "Message History" and tap "Keep Messages." Change "Forever" to "30 Days" or "1 Year". A pop-up will appear asking if you want to delete the old message, tap Delete.

This article is an article from overseas Red Ventures edited by Asahi Interactive for Japan.