How to get more storage on iPhone?

nitev955

Good day everyone,
So I just switched to my first iPhone (13) recently after using Android forever. Pretty smooth experience so far, but my storage is basically full already. I tried looking it up online, and literally everywhere just says “buy iCloud” Like… is that seriously the only option I have? Any tips on how to add storage to the iPhone itself? Or am I basically stuck?

SocialImpactCoder

nitev955 Theres not much you can do to actually increase iPhone storage itself just what others already suggested: clear stuff out, offload, use the cloud. But if you just want to dump files somewhere, get a USB drive for iPhone. They make Lightning and USB-C ones too, you caan grab one cheap on Amazon.
Important part: the external drive has to follow these rules to work with iOS:
-Only one data partition
-Must be formatted as APFS/HFS+/exFAT/FAT32
-Works through the Files app and some media apps, not for installing apps or system stuff
It’s not perfect, but I know a guy who swears by these things, might work for you.

USerMan

Just pay the buck a month for iCloud, dude. It’s like a dollar for 50gb. That’s what I did when mine filled up, the easiest fix.

HopeInSleep

iCloud’s fine, but it’s not the same as having more storage on your iPhone (it’s not adding anything to local space). You’re just renting on Apple’s servers and relying on Wi-Fi or data constantly. Not ideal. If you don’t want another monthly subscription, try this:

Clear out Safari junk (Settings > Safari > Clear History & Website
Delete apps you barely use (Settings > iPhone Storage will show you your largest and rarely used ones)
Go through Photos and nuke whatever you don’t need

You’d be surprised how much free space you can add with a bit of manual cleanup.

MarsHall

Been there, OP I filled up my 64GB like way too fast .
Photos were the worst part especially Live Photos.
I used a free app called Clever Cleaner (shoutout to whoever suggested it in another thread).
Cleared out all the similar pics, screenshots, and even compressed Live Photos into regular ones.
That alone saved me like 10 gigs.

DanyOrtega89

There are some YouTube videos out there showing how people physically replace the storage chip on an iPhone. Highly recommend this one guy’s video, he literally went to China to do it 😆 looks impressive, but yeah… not beginner stuff.
Android used to make this kind of thing easier. Just pop in a microSD and you’re good. I remember when there were all these cool companies with prototypes that let you customize your phone- more storage, different camera modules, all kinds of accessories, but now even Android phones are going the Apple route, no SD slots, no nothin.

0neWire

DanyOrtega89 Yeah, I’ve seen those storage swap videos too. Technically possible, sure but realitically not worth it for 99.9% of people. You’re talking about removing the NAND chip, soldering in a new one, reprogramming it, and hoping iOS still boots and registers the new capacity. That’s not a DIY job, one slip and your phone’s toast. And even IF it works, you’ve lost any Apple support or software updates can get weird depending on how the chip was cloned. It’s cool to see those chip swaps, but for most people, there no safe/reliable way to actually increase iPhone storage.

KindnessCatalyst

@OP you didn’t forget to check Recently Deleted in Photos, right?
Happened to me, thought I cleared space but my phone still said full, turns out they were all chilling in Recently Deleted album (Photos app scroll all the way down)
I don’t mess with iCloud either, I use Google Photos + Google Drive
Way more space, if we talk about ‘no paid subscription’ it gives you 15 gigs, but I think that’s shared across Google stuff though: Drive, Photos, Gmail… all the same pool.

nitev955

Thanks for all the replies so far, I’m gonna try some of these tips. Gotta say though, this kinda stuff was way easier on Android.
@MarsHall thanks for the app suggestion,I remember having something kinda like that on my Samsung back in the day, don’t remember the name though. give this one a try.
@SocialImpactCoder appreciate the advice, but I don’t really want to carry extra storage around for my iPhone, feels like too much.
@KindnessCatalyst yep, I did check Recently Delted, did some Googling before starting this thread so I didn’t sound like a complete dum dum. thanks tho!

SocialImpactCoder

nitev955 Fair enough, not everyone wants to carry extra stuff I get that.

Langdon

I skimmed the thread, don’t see anyone mention this yet. try turning on automatic offloading of unused apps.
It’s under Settings > App Store > Offload Unused Apps.

It basically clears out apps you haven’t used in a while but keeps the data, so if you reinstall them later everything’s still there. I’ve had it on for months and haven’t had to worry about space since. If did need the app I just tap on its icon and it reinstalls in seconds with all the stuff still their. Pretty cool feature.

KeepStronger

What seriously drives me nuts is that I see this automatic offloading thing recommended all the time, on Reddit, YouTube… everybody just keeps parroting the same stuff they read on Apple’s support pages. And nobody ever talks about the downside. It’s not just oh it deletes the app, but don’t worry, buddy your data’s safe. No. If that app gets pulled from the App Store, you’re screwed. The data is useless without the app to run it. And they don’t warn you about that no heads-up just gone. I lost apps I’d PAID for, games with save data I cared about. All because this setting decided I hadn’t used them “recently enough”
And it’s not even going to save you that much space. What’s an app these days, 200MB? 500 maybe? The data that apps store is way more than the app itself.. It’s a completely useless feature IMO.

HopeInSleep

KeepStronger bro tell us how you really feel 😂

Langdon

KeepStronger That sucks, man, sorry you lost stuff. Personally I had no problem with it so idk…

Nonprofitech

I actually did a full factory reset last year when I hit the storage wall. Backed everything up first, then wiped the phone clean. Got rid of a ton of invisible junk, system stuff, cached files, who knows what else. Felt like I had a brand new phone afterward with like 80 gb more free storage.

crimsonKing

Nonprofitech I did the same once on an older iPhone, I think it was the 7 model? Went for a factory reset, thought everything was backed up… but the backup didn’t work properly only part of it uploaded. Lost a bunch of photos I really cared about. Still kinda stings. So I would suggest being very careful with thisone.

KindnessCatalyst

also wanted to say don’t sleep on app cache!
lots of apps (esp stuff like Instagram, TikTok, even Maps) stash a ton of data
and if you use WhatsApp or Telegram, check their storage settings
they save everything, every pic, video, voice note, doc…
i ended up deleting like 3gb just from WhatsApp chat media alone 🙃
sometimes if there’s no built-in cleanup option, I just delete the app and reinstall it fresh, easy space win
you can also try an iPhone cleaner app like Remo Duplicate Remover
These don’t touch cache, but if your photo library’s a mess they can definitely can help clean up

SocialImpactCoder

Factory resets - 9 times out of 10 they’re overkill. Too risky, too much setup afterward, and if your backup isn’t solid, oh boy. Same goes for trying to mess with hardware or do storage swaps way more pain than it’s worth it.
@OP if you download files from Safari or use AirDrop, check the Files app, specifically the Downloads folder. If you’ve AirDropped stuff, downloaded whatever, there’s probably a few GB just sitting there, most people totally forget about it.

nitev955

So I’m back with a little update, in the end I didn’t want to buy more storage on iPhone just to fix this. Felt silly spending money every month for a problem I should be able to manage myself.
Big thanks to everyone who helped out, learned a lot from this thread. I ended up clearing the Safari cache, and SocialImpactCoder was totally right about the Files app (I had like 2.5 gigs of junk in the Downloads folder from AirDrops). Also reinstalled Instagram and a couple larger apps to clear their cached data, and I did end up turning on auto-offload just to test it for now. we’ll see if I regret that later 😂
Tried out Clever Cleaner too, and that was actually super solid. Got rid of a ton of duplicates and screenshots, app showed it cleared out 4.5 gigs, not too bad.
Anyway iphone feels usable again \o/

roman-demian

Alright, I think we can safely mark this one as SOLVED ✅. Thanks to everyone who shared tips and experience.

📌 For anyone who landed here after searching, our team put together a full guide specifically for situations like this: How to Get More Storage on iPhone

If you’re in a hurry, here’s a quick recap of the top methods you can try right now to add storage to iPhone (or more accurately, reclaim it):

Clear browser cache: Safari alone can eat up gigabytes over time (Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data)
Clear app cache: Apps like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook store tons of junk data. Clear it from within each app’s settings or reinstall bloated apps.
Remove/Offload unused apps: Deleting apps is obvious. Offloading keeps the data while freeing space (Settings > General > iPhone Storage)
Clean the Files app: Go to Files > On My iPhone > Downloads.
Manage photos & videos: Merge duplicates, delete old media, or enable “Optimize iPhone Storage” if you use iCloud Photos.
Delete message attachments: Images and videos sent in Messages can pile up. Review and delete them from within the Messages app or iPhone Storage.
Use third-party cleaner apps: Apps like Boost Cleaner, Remo Duplicate Remover, or Clever Cleaner can help with duplicate photos, screenshots, and contact cleanup. Just make sure you’re downloading something trustworthy (we actually put together a ranking of the best iPhone storage cleaner apps in 2025, including some that are completely free).