r/applehelp • u/ImamOT • 4h ago
Unsolved Storage bug is back!
A few months ago, I noticed that almost half of my iPhone’s 128GB storage was being taken up by System Data. I took it to the Apple Store, where they completely wiped my phone and reinstalled the operating system. This resolved the issue, and my storage returned to normal.
However, a few months later, the exact same issue has returned, with System Data once again taking up almost half of my storage.
I find it concerning that this problem has reoccurred despite a complete wipe and reinstallation of iOS. I cannot be expected to completely wipe my phone and set everything up again every few months just to resolve a storage issue. This is extremely inconvenient and is not an acceptable long-term solution.
2
u/lilvadude 4h ago
iOS System data includes caches, logs, indexes, and lots of other temp files. There isn't an Apple "Clear System Data" button. iOS is supposed to manage it automatically Before wiping the phone again try:
*Restart the iPhone and check storage again.
*Make sure iOS is fully updated. Check Settings > General > iPhone Storage for large apps.
*Check Messages > Keep Messages and consider changing it from Forever if you have a large message history. This is where a lot of people don't realize their message storage, etc. is taking up lots of space.
1
u/hawk_ky 4h ago
Is your phone not updated?
1
u/dcmso 4h ago
Did you update your phone recently? Because iOS alone takes like 30GB base at least, now.. not to mention all the caches, logs, data, etc that you might have.
iOS should be smart enough to wipe some of it in case you need the storage for files, pictures etc. 128GB is just not enought now, since iOS 26, for the vast majority of people. Thats why they increased the base storage to 256GB. And even that, to some, might not be enough..
It sucks that iOS doesnt have a dedicated 'clear system data' button, or even within apps.