By Prasanth | Published: March 09, 2026 | Last Updated: March 23, 2026
Introduction
A few weeks ago my iPhone started showing that familiar warning again — “Storage Almost Full.”
At first, I didn’t think much about it. I assumed my photos or videos were the reason, like usual. So I opened the storage settings thinking I’d just delete a few things and move on.
But when I checked the storage breakdown, something else stood out.
There was a section called “Other” storage, and it was taking up a surprisingly large chunk of space.
The strange part was that I didn’t really know what that meant. It wasn’t apps, it wasn’t photos, and it wasn’t messages. Just… “Other.”
My first thought was that it must be system storage that Apple doesn’t let users touch.
Still, I spent some time looking into it and trying a few small things on my phone. To my surprise, the storage actually went down quite a bit.
So if your iPhone is showing a huge amount of “Other storage,” you’re definitely not the only one. And in many cases, it can be reduced without doing anything drastic.
Here are the things that helped in my case.
👉 If your storage is still full, you may also want to read our guide on iPhone System Data Too Large – What Actually Fixes It.
iPhone System Data too Large - Fix
👉 Another common issue is when iPhone storage doesn’t reduce even after deleting photos.
iPhone storage issue even after deleting photos
So What Is “Other Storage” Anyway?
When you open Settings → General → iPhone Storage, you’ll see a bar that shows how your storage is being used.
Usually it’s broken down into categories like apps, photos, messages, and system data.
Then there’s the mysterious Other section.
From what I could understand, this part mostly contains background files that your phone creates while you use it. Things like cached data from apps, browsing data from Safari, temporary files created by the system, and attachments from messages.
None of these files are harmful. In fact, they’re created to make things run faster.
The only issue is that they slowly pile up over time. And sometimes your phone doesn’t clear them as often as it probably should.
That’s when the storage starts creeping up without you even noticing.
Lesser-Known Fact:
“Other Storage” is not a fixed category. iOS dynamically shifts data between categories like System Data and Other, which is why the size may suddenly increase or decrease without any clear reason.
Common
Things That Increase “Other Storage” on iPhone
|
Source |
What
It Includes |
Why
It Builds Up |
|
App Cache |
Temporary files stored by apps
like Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube |
Apps store images and data to load
content faster |
|
Safari Browsing Data |
Website history, cookies, and
cached website files |
Every website visit saves small
pieces of data |
|
Message Attachments |
Photos, videos, and files shared
in iMessage |
Attachments stay stored unless you
delete them |
|
WhatsApp Media |
Photos, videos, voice notes, and
documents from chats |
Media downloads automatically in
many chats |
|
Streaming App Downloads |
Offline movies, shows, or music |
Users often forget downloaded
content |
|
Temporary System Files |
Background files created while
using apps |
The system creates these files to
improve performance |
The First Thing I Tried Was Just Restarting the Phone
This might sound almost too simple, but restarting my phone actually helped a little.
Phones constantly create temporary files while apps are running. When the phone restarts, some of those temporary files disappear.
So I simply turned the phone off, waited for about half a minute, and switched it back on.
When I checked the storage again later, I noticed that about 1GB had already cleared itself.
It’s not a huge fix, but it was an easy start.
Practical Insight:
Restarting doesn’t just clear RAM — it can also remove temporary system logs that are not visible to users but still consume storage.
Safari Turned Out to Be Storing Quite a Bit of Data
One thing I hadn’t really thought about before was how much data Safari keeps in the background.
Every time you visit websites, Safari stores certain pieces of data so that pages load faster the next time you visit them.
After months of browsing, that stored data can actually become pretty large.
So I decided to clear it.
I opened Settings, scrolled down to Safari, and tapped Clear History and Website Data.
The process finished in just a few seconds.
When I checked my storage again afterwards, I could see that a noticeable amount of space had disappeared.
If you browse a lot on your phone, this step alone can help more than you’d expect.
Old Message Attachments Were Still Sitting There
Another thing I discovered was related to messages.
Photos and videos sent through iMessage don’t just disappear over time. They stay saved on your phone unless you remove them.
I checked this through the iPhone storage section and looked at the Messages category.
That’s when I noticed a bunch of old attachments — photos, short clips, and a few videos that had been sent months ago.
Most of them weren’t important anymore, so I deleted them.
That alone freed up a few more gigabytes.
WhatsApp Was Quietly Using a Lot of Storage
Then I checked WhatsApp, and that turned out to be another big contributor.
If you’re in several group chats, you already know how many photos and videos get shared every day.
Most of the time those files download automatically, and they just stay there unless you go looking for them.
Inside WhatsApp there’s a Manage Storage section that shows which chats are using the most space.
When I checked mine, I saw some large videos from old group chats that I hadn’t watched in months.
Deleting those cleared a surprising amount of storage.
Real Observation:
Forwarded videos in WhatsApp groups are one of the biggest contributors to hidden storage growth, especially in active groups.
Some Apps Build Up a Lot of Cached Data
I also noticed that certain apps slowly grow in size over time.
Social media apps are especially known for this.
Apps like Instagram or YouTube store temporary images and videos so that content loads faster. The more you use them, the more that cache grows.
In my case, a couple of those apps had become much larger than they needed to be.
Instead of trying to clean the cache manually, I simply deleted the apps and installed them again.
After reinstalling them, their storage size was much smaller.
Advanced Tip:
Some apps continue storing cache even when running in the background. Limiting background app refresh for heavy apps can help slow down cache buildup.
I Also Checked My Streaming Apps
Another place where storage can quietly disappear is streaming apps.
Sometimes we download movies or music for offline use and completely forget about them later.
I opened the streaming apps I use and checked their downloads.
Sure enough, there were a few old downloads sitting there that I didn’t need anymore.
Removing them freed up some extra space.
Common Mistake:
Many users delete apps thinking it will remove downloaded content, but in some cases, leftover files may remain until the app is fully reinstalled.
Updating iOS Sometimes Helps Too
One thing I’ve noticed with iPhones is that system updates occasionally clean up temporary files.
So if your phone is running an older version of iOS, updating it might help reduce unnecessary storage.
It doesn’t always make a big difference, but it’s worth checking.
When Nothing Else Works
Sometimes the “Other” storage becomes unusually large. If it grows to something like 15GB or more and none of the simple fixes help, the last option is restoring the phone.
That basically rebuilds the storage system and clears hidden files that may have accumulated over time.
Of course, before doing that, it’s important to back up your data.
Most people probably won’t need to go this far, but it’s a good option if the problem becomes extreme.
⚠ Important Warning:
Avoid using third-party “cleaner apps” that promise to remove Other Storage. iOS restricts deep access, so most of these apps cannot actually clear system-level data.
Why This Storage Keeps Growing
After dealing with this, I realized that the reason “Other storage” keeps increasing is actually pretty simple.
Your phone constantly creates small background files while you use apps, browse the internet, and watch media.
Individually these files are tiny, but over time they add up.
That’s why the storage can slowly increase even if you haven’t installed any new apps.
A Few Small Habits That Help
Since running into this issue, I’ve started doing a couple of small things now and then.
Nothing complicated — just occasional checks.
Sometimes I restart my phone, sometimes I clear Safari data, and every once in a while I look at WhatsApp storage.
These small habits seem to keep the storage from building up too quickly again.
Important Note:
If you use Chrome or other browsers instead of Safari, they also store cache separately. Clearing only Safari data may not reduce storage if other browsers are heavily used.
Final Thoughts
When I first saw how much space Other storage was taking, I assumed there was nothing I could do about it.
But after trying a few simple things, it turned out that a lot of that storage was just temporary data that had been sitting there for a long time.
Clearing browser data, checking message attachments, and removing a few unnecessary files made a noticeable difference.
If your iPhone storage is filling up because of “Other storage,” it’s definitely worth checking these areas first.
You might recover more space than you expect.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Other Storage so large on iPhone?
Other Storage includes cached files, browsing data, message attachments, and temporary system files that build up over time.
Can I completely remove Other Storage?
No, but you can reduce it by clearing cache, deleting attachments, and removing unused downloads.
How much Other Storage is normal?
Usually between 2GB – 8GB depending on usage.
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