Quick answer: Start by seeing what’s using the space: Settings > General > iPhone Storage on an iPhone, or Settings > Storage on Android. Then clear the big wins first: WhatsApp media, backed-up photos and videos, apps you don’t use, and junk files. Most people can free several gigabytes in 15 minutes without losing anything they care about.
A full phone isn’t just annoying. It can stop you installing updates, taking photos or receiving WhatsApp media, and it can make the whole phone feel slower.
The good news is that a few places usually account for most of the clutter. Here’s how to clear them on iPhone and Android, in order of how much space they typically free.
Step 1: Find out what’s actually filling your phone
On iPhone
- Open Settings > General > iPhone Storage.
- Wait a moment for the bar at the top to load. It shows space used by apps, photos, media, iOS and System Data.
- Below it, you’ll see recommendations, then a list of apps sorted by size.
Apple says you can tap Show All to see every recommendation and turn on the ones you want.
On Android
- Open Settings > Storage (on Samsung: Settings > Device care > Storage).
- Look at the breakdown by category: apps, images, videos, documents and system.
Menu names vary a little by brand. If you can’t find it, search “storage” in Settings.
Step 2: Clear WhatsApp media (often the biggest culprit)
Group chats full of forwarded videos and memes can quietly take up gigabytes. WhatsApp has a built-in tool for this, as MacRumors explains:
- Open WhatsApp and go to Settings > Storage and data > Manage storage.
- Check Larger than 5 MB (shown as “Review and delete items”) for big files you can delete first.
- Scroll down to Chats to see which conversations use the most space.
- Tap a section, tap Select, pick the items, and delete them.
To stop it filling up again, go to Settings > Storage and data and turn off automatic downloads for videos on mobile data and Wi-Fi. You can still download anything you actually want to see by tapping it.
Step 3: Move photos and videos off the phone safely
Photos and videos are usually the biggest category. The safest approach is to back them up first, then remove the copies from your phone.
With Google Photos (Android and iPhone)
- Make sure backup is on and finished. Your profile icon shows backup status.
- Tap your profile photo, then Free up space on this device.
- Check how much space it will free, then confirm.
Google notes that photos stay in your Google Photos account and on photos.google.com, but they won’t appear in your phone’s built-in gallery app or offline. Items fewer than 30 days old may stay on the phone. And if you later delete something from Google Photos itself, you only have 30 days to recover it from the bin.
On iPhone
If you use iCloud Photos, iPhone Storage recommendations will often suggest storage-saving options for your library. Otherwise, copy photos to a computer or external drive before deleting them from the phone. Remember to empty the Recently Deleted album afterwards; deleted photos stay there for a while and still take up space.
Step 4: Offload or delete apps you don’t use
Most of us have apps we opened once. Large games and video editors are especially heavy.
- iPhone: In iPhone Storage, tap an app and choose Offload App. Apple says this frees the space used by the app but keeps its documents and data, so reinstalling puts you back where you were. Choose Delete App if you’re done with it.
- Android: In Settings > Apps, tap an app and choose Uninstall. Files by Google also lists apps you haven’t used recently.
Also check streaming apps such as Netflix, Spotify and YouTube for downloaded episodes or playlists you’ve already watched or heard.
Step 5: Clean junk files on Android with Files by Google
Google’s Files app has a cleaning tool that finds junk, duplicates and large files:
- Open Files by Google.
- Tap Menu, then Clean.
- On the Junk files card, tap Clean, then Clear to confirm.
Google says junk files are permanently deleted, but your app settings aren’t affected. The same Clean screen also suggests duplicate files, old screenshots, downloaded files, large files, memes and WhatsApp media to review. Samsung phones also have Device care > Storage, which offers similar suggestions.
What about “System Data” on iPhone?
System Data (sometimes shown as “Other”) can look alarmingly large. Apple says it includes things like Siri voices, fonts, dictionaries, logs, caches and the Spotlight search index. You can’t delete it directly, and the size goes up and down on its own as iOS clears caches.
Don’t be tempted by apps that promise to “clean” System Data on an iPhone. iOS doesn’t let other apps touch it, so they can’t do what they claim.
If it stays very large for days, restarting the phone often helps. Clearing data inside big apps, such as a browser or a messaging app, can also shrink it.
Frequently asked questions
How much free space should I keep on my phone?
Aim for at least 10 to 15 percent free. Major software updates, like iOS 27 or Samsung’s One UI 9, need several gigabytes to install, and phones tend to feel slower when storage is nearly full.
Does clearing cache delete my data?
No. Cache files are temporary copies that apps rebuild. Clearing an app’s storage or data, on the other hand, signs you out and wipes its local settings, so only do that if you mean to.
Will “Free up space” in Google Photos delete my photos forever?
No, it only removes the copies on your phone that are already backed up. They stay in your Google Photos account. Just make sure backup is complete before you use it.
Should I use a “phone cleaner” app?
Usually not. The tools built into your phone, Files by Google and WhatsApp do the same job without ads or extra permissions. Many third-party cleaner apps exaggerate how much junk you have and some collect data you’d rather keep private.
Why is my phone storage still full after deleting photos?
Deleted photos usually sit in a Recently Deleted album or bin for some time. Empty it to get the space back straight away.
More fixes and how-tos are in our Smartphones and Mobile section.