In an effort to prevent that always-annoying “storage full” pop-up that shows up on your phone when you’re running out of storage space, it’s important to get a handle on which types of apps take up the most space on your device. Resource-intensive apps are notorious storage suckers. Limiting the number of these apps that you have downloaded can really help you free up space so that you’re able to take photos and videos and download files as needed.
Of course the last thing you want to do is get rid of all of your apps. That’s why it helps to know that these five apps are taking up so much storage on your iPhone. Limiting yourself to one in each category (if possible) or closing out your apps can help.
1. Photo and Video Editing Apps
Photo and video editing apps are amazing tools when you want to sharpen photos, edit videos, and photoshop your creations. But these apps consume storage because they accumulate high-resolution photos and tools like filters, layers, and effects increase the size of the app, as well. Make sure you always delete old media files and projects to help conserve space. If you can make do with just one photo and video editing app, this can also help ensure you don’t use too much storage.
2. Games
Games are great for passing the time and keeping your mind occupied when you’re bored or looking for a bit of stimulation. But games that feature intense and complex graphics and features are usually going to take up more storage space than simple games like crossword puzzles. There’s no shame in downloading games, but if you find yours are taking up space and battery power, consider deleting a few.
3. Navigation Apps
Few apps are as useful in modern times than navigation apps. Gone are the days of having to navigate roads and unfamiliar cities with a literal map — your phone will guide you from point A to point B with accuracy most of the time. If you’re a big believer in keeping several navigation apps on your phone at one time, because you like to compare them for the best route, that’s a smart idea. But it’s also one that takes up storage space and battery.
4. Social Media Apps
With their storing of images, videos, GIFs, and cached files, is it any wonder that social media apps like Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram take up massive amounts of storage space? Many of these apps also run background processes and save your data, including messages you’ve sent. One of the best and only ways you can reduce their impact is by deleting most social media and only keeping one or two of your favorite apps.
5. Streaming Apps
Once you’ve streamed content like TV shows, movies, and podcasts via your favorite streaming apps, those files often just sit there taking up space. In the meantime, you continue to download more content and only add to the storage consumption. Delete old files on these apps on a regular basis and, when possible, limit yourself to just a few choice streaming apps to save space.
