Can’t download iOS 18 because of low storage? Here is how to free space

iOS 18 is finally out for public users. The new Apple OS is set to redefine iPhone customisation, introducing features that will delight Apple fans. The key updates include enhanced home screen and lock screen customisation, with flexible app and widget placement, personalised app and widget designs. Additionally, it also brings a redesigned Control Center and a new password management app. Here is how you can download iOS 18. With several updates, it is given that the new iOS 18 will take up some space in your iPhone. Thus, the possibility of failing to install iOS 18 increases. In the previous article, we gave you a step-by-step guide on what to do before installing iOS 18, and now we will tell you how to free up space in your iPhones, without losing your data.
iPhones have long been associated with less space. But that does not mean that you cannot upgrade to iOS 18. Here are 5 steps you can follow to make free space on your iPhone.
Analysis of the storage: Before you start deleting things from your phone, check which application or item is taking up most of your space. Go to the General Setting and look into the iPhone Storage. The topmost bar will indicate what is hoarding your iPhone’s space. You don’t need to understand these numbers deeply, but for a hassle-free iPhone experience, you must set aside 10GB for iOS updates, and keep 2GB free for regular activities like photography and app installations.
Offload apps: Now that you have an idea of what is hoarding your space, you can either simply get rid of it permanently or offload it. On your phone, you will find a few applications that are hardly used. Even if you use them occasionally, most of the time, these applications just sit in there and take up your iPhone space.
To free up space without losing app settings, Apple offers the “Offload App” feature:
1. Go to your iPhone’s storage list.
2. Select the app you want to offload.
3. Tap “Offload App.”
The app will remain on your home screen, but its data will be removed. To reuse the app, simply tap its icon to re-download.
Check Photo and Videos storage: In the storage bar, you will often find photos and videos taking up second place after the apps. So to deal with it directly, you can optimise the photo storage.
Go to the Storage setting and find Photos. Here, you will see a toggle bar on Optimize iPhone Storage. Once switched on, this process may take some time, especially if you have a large media library, but once completed, you can expect to gain a substantial amount of free space on your iPhone’s storage.
Optimising the Photos will help you keep the photos at a smaller and lower resolution. These versions are also easier to upload on iCloud.
Remove old messages: While the text messages and iMessage threads are not heavy on the storage, the attachments can be. And the sum of all those messages could be even greater if you send a lot of emojis or photos. To save some space, head to the Messages app. From here, you can delete individual messages or entire conversations. A good place to start deleting message threads is in the Unknown Sender folder.
Delete mail attachments: Similar to messages, mail attachments can also take up a lot of space on you iPhone. Now, you have two options to free up space. Either delete all emails with attachments in just a few clicks or set a custom size limit, like 15 MB and delete emails with larger attachments. This targeted approach helps you quickly eliminate space-hogging emails.