“iPhone Storage Full.”

This is a notification that many iPhone users dread encountering. I experienced it during a recent family gathering while taking pictures. Although it wasn’t the first occurrence, it was certainly bothersome.

Like most individuals who receive the storage full alert, I promptly accessed Settings, navigated to General, and selected the iPhone Storage option to check what was occupying the 256GB of space. I take numerous photos, and there are plenty of unused applications on my device that could be occupying essential storage. I aimed to locate and remove whatever was consuming so much space to free up storage.

However, it wasn’t photos, apps, files, or documents that were taking up space on my iPhone this time. It was “System Data.” Eighty gigabytes of my iPhone, approximately one-third of its total 256GB storage, were utilized by “System Data.”

When I searched online, I discovered posts and discussions on social media where other iPhone users recounted their System Data storage problems. One Reddit user reported their System Data using as much as 128GB of their 256GB iPhone!

And to make matters worse, there was nothing we could do about it.

What is System Data

When clicking on System Data, which is the last entry on the iPhone Storage settings page that lists all your apps and their file sizes, iOS provides a very broad explanation of what System Data entails.

“System Data comprises caches, logs, and other resources presently in use by the system,” it states. “This figure may vary according to system requirements.”

To clarify, this isn’t the storage space required by the operating system. That’s indicated separately under iPhone storage. Similarly, data linked to each specific app is included in the app’s size. This is some unclear other component. I reached out to Apple for additional insights.

“System Data includes caches, logs, and other resources currently utilized by the system,” Apple explained. “This also encompasses temporary files that have a brief lifespan and are actively utilized by iOS to ensure the iPhone operates smoothly.”

You’ll notice that System Data fluctuates significantly. That 80GB of System Data on my iPhone that I mentioned earlier? It dropped to 50GB the following morning.

“The size of System Data is regulated by the system,” Apple noted. “When temporary files are no longer required, the system automatically removes them, so changes to the size of System Data are anticipated.”

How can users clear iPhone’s System Data

According to Apple, System Data essentially consists of what iOS determines it needs to keep regarding apps and other ongoing processes. But, what if a user wishes to eliminate those temporary files immediately to create space? Is there any action a user can take?

“iOS is built to monitor and optimize storage utilization, eliminating as many temporary files and caches as possible to create space as necessary without any required action from the user,” Apple stated. “This automated management takes into account the amount of available storage and helps guarantee iPhone maintains optimal performance while conserving storage space. Users do not need to do this manually.”

In summary, no. iPhone users cannot manually clear unnecessary System Data when they require storage space. iOS determines when and what to eliminate. One Redditor on the aforementioned Reddit thread even shared how their iPhone’s 167GB of System Data remarkably fell to 4GB by itself.

However, based on Apple’s guidance and my own experience, this is what I would suggest:

As soon as you notice your System Data is spiraling out of control, completely close all your unused apps. To achieve this, simply swipe up from the bottom of the screen. All your open app windows should stack one behind the other. Swipe those windows upwards to completely shut down the app. The System Data won’t be cleared immediately. Again, Apple states users cannot dictate this. However, closing those apps did seem to expedite the process as those temporary files are rendered unnecessary once the apps are closed.

Hopefully, one day, Apple will permit users to prompt iOS to clear up System Data. But