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Is your phone running out of space? You’re not alone. Between apps, photos, videos and software updates, your storage can fill up fast. Whether you’re wondering ‘how to clear phone storage on iPhone’ or you’re Googling ‘how to free up space on Android phone’, this guide will help you reclaim valuable room on your device.

We’ll walk you through the best ways to free up space, increase storage and keep your phone running smoothly – no tech wizardry required!

In this blog:

1. Start by checking what’s taking up space
2. Delete unused apps
3. Clear your cache and app data (Android only)
4. Move photos and videos to the cloud
5. Use storage-boosting tools
6. Clear out old messages and downloads
7. Expand your storage (if you can)

1. Start by checking what’s taking up space

Before you start deleting things, take a look at what’s actually using up your storage. On iPhone, go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage. On Android, try Settings > Storage or use the built-in file manager.

This will show you a breakdown of your storage usage from apps, photos, media and messages, so you can target the biggest storage hogs first.

2. Delete unused apps

One of the quickest ways to free space on your phone is to delete apps you rarely use. We all download things ‘just to try’ and then forget about them, leaving them to take up our precious storage space.

On iPhone, hold down on the app icon until it jiggles and then tap the ‘X’ or select Remove App. On Android, tap and hold the app icon, then drag it to Uninstall or go to Settings > Apps. If you’re asking how do I make more storage on my phone, this is a great first step!

3. Clear your cache and app data (Android only)

If you’re specifically looking for how to free storage on Android phone, clearing cached data can make a big difference.

Go to Settings > Storage > Cached Data and tap to clear. Alternatively,  go into individual apps under Settings > Apps to clear their cache and stored data. Don’t worry though, this won’t delete important info, just the temporary files.

4. Move photos and videos to the cloud

Photos and videos are often the biggest space stealers. If you’re constantly wondering how do I free up storage space on my phone, it might be time to back them up and clear them off your phone!

On iPhone, enable iCloud Photos (Settings > Photos) and choose Optimise iPhone Storage. On Android, use Google Photos to back up media, then delete the originals from your phone.

By doing this, you’ll still be able to view your photos and videos, but they won’t eat up your internal storage.

5. Use storage-boosting tools

Still stuck on how to clear phone storage on iPhone or Android? Try using built-in tools designed to help. These tools make it easy to free up space on Android phone or iPhone with just a few taps.

iPhone users can enable Offload Unused Apps (Settings > iPhone Storage). This removes apps you don’t use but keeps your data intact.

Android users can use Files by Google, a free app that helps identify junk files, duplicates and large files to delete.

6. Clear out old messages and downloads

Did you know that old text threads and downloads can add up over time and use up your storage space? If you’re hoarding old text message threads, it might be time to clear out!

On iPhone, go to Settings > Messages and set messages to auto-delete after 30 days or a year. On Android, open your Downloads folder and get rid of anything you don’t need anymore and take a look at your messages and manually delete any you no longer need.

7. Expand your storage (if you can)

If you’ve followed all our steps but still find yourself struggling for storage space, you might just need to expand your storage to solve the problem.

So, now you’re wondering how to increase storage on phone models. One option is to add a microSD card to your device for more space, but this is limited to select Android phones only. Another option is investing in external storage drives that connect via the charging port.

Alternatively, you can consider cloud storage plans like iCloud, Google One or Dropbox.

Whether you’re looking up ‘how to clear phone storage iPhone’ or ‘how to free space on my phone’, the steps above can help you clean things up and keep your device running smoothly!

If you’re ready to upgrade to a model with more storage space, why not switch to a refurbished phone to save some cash? It’s smart for you, smart for the planet!