iPhone users have an issue creeping up that they may not know is coming. They are told that their storage is full and they need to do something about it but most people don't see it or just ignore it. They continue taking pictures, downloading apps, or continue using apps that they don't know increase the amount of storage they use. This present a very difficult problem that manifests when the phone becomes unstable, restarts, or tries to update. What ends up happening is the phone says you need to plug into a computer and use iTunes to reset the phone, possibly losing all of your files, or just sits on the Apple logo forever.
It is possible to get your phone up and running without losing your data by doing an in-place update of your phone with a program like 3uTools on Windows. However this could realistically be avoided by doing a few easier things before it comes to this point.
Check Your Storage Capacity and Usage
Your phone has a set capacity on on-board space. You can see how much you are using by going to Settings>General>iPhone Storage. This will show you what is taking up space and even offer ideas to help maximize your storage.
iCloud Storage
This is a very overlooked aspect of iPhones. Most people will use the included free 5GB of icloud storage and never upgrade. However this is realistically the only thing that will save you if your phone is damaged beyond repair, will not boot even after the in-place upgrade, or with a lost or stolen device. You can see how much iCloud storage you have remaining by going to Settings>[Your Name]>iCloud. In this menu you will see how much cloud storage you have remaining, upgrade your plan, and even set what items are being backed up. There is also a setting to optimize your Photos in back up by letting the phone decide which photos to remove from the phone when they have been backed up already. This will save you tons of space. You can also go to the iCloud Back up part of this menu to see when your last back up was. iPhones will automatically back up when on wi-fi, plugged into power, and not being used such as at night. If you see that your phone is not backing up it is likely because you need to purchase more iCloud space. You can also buy more space than you need and share it with other people in your household.
Getting Rid of Unused Apps or Unneeded Photos and Videos
From the above mentioned storage menu, you can see which apps are taking up a lot of space. Some of this space could just be cache that the app has accumulated over time and uninstalling and reinstalling the app will clear this. However if you do not need apps you should just uninstall them until you actually would use them. Apps like TikTok take up a lot of space especially if you are creating videos for it. You can also go through your photos app to get rid of things like old screenshots, blurry pictures, etc.
Listen To Your Phone
iPhones will tell you when storage is getting low on storage with a pop-up notification and also when you go into settings. There will be a notification under your name alerting you to this issue. The update trick does not always work and sometimes a full device reset is the only recourse you have to getting your phone working again. Not having your phone backed up and having this happen is terrible yet easily avoidable. The iCloud plans provided by Apple are very affordable and even the lower cost tiers cover the entire storage of most devices.
What To Do If Your Phone Is Already Not Booting
If you are not comfortable doing your own update or do not have a PC to do it on, take it to a repair shop. The process can take anywhere between 20 minutes and 2 hours depending on the storage capacity of the phone but do not forget that it does not always work. We do this service for $50 plus tax. Call for appointments and we can come to you.
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