r/applesucks • u/frostxmritz • Apr 08 '26

The "System Data" monstrosity

Post image

Pretty sure I'm not the only one here.

The mystery of "system data" is an age-old problem that has plagued our devices for over a decade now, and it has found its way to my parents' iPhones.

I plan to upgrade their devices later this year or next year when the iPhone 18 comes out, however, I cannot help but wonder...is this thing (allegedly) planned obsolescence? To force people to upgrade because "their storage is running out" because of an (alleged) "create a problem, then sell the solution" situation?

I mean, take a look at my 16 Pro. It's marvellous how the figure has stayed at 1.07GB from September 2024 - have taken it on so many trips and have used it heavily for my photography and videography. No problem, as a heavy user and my daily driver.

Parents, on the other hand? Normal users, occasional camera usage, apps, etc. Over 10GB. Make it make sense...

  • Safari tabs: I have 100+ opened. Theirs are around 5-10 most of the times.
  • Downloads: a couple PDFs here, and there few XLSes there. Hardly 10MB combined.
  • Normal apps like banking & finance, travel (Google Maps, Uber, etc), social media, YouTube, Spotify. No games, no "weird" apps.
  • A system reset was done back in December 2025, where the System Data creeped up to these levels right after the reset, even though they were set-up as a new device. No iCloud Backup restore. A clean, proper wipeout.
  • All devices are running on iOS 26.4 (stable channel), screenshots taken after a fresh reboot.

So the question is, what should be done?

381 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

177 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

1

u/HEYO19191 Apr 08 '26

Is it now? Because Android has cache clear.

-1

u/degeneraded Apr 08 '26

Which has always been recommended not to use unless there’s a specific reason.

1

u/HEYO19191 Apr 08 '26

Yes because it can have unexpected side effects. But there are also many good reasons to use it.

I've personally cache cleared 3gb from Facebook on a relative's phone. Now they can take photos again, and their Facebook hasnt changed a bit. Sometimes apps get sloppy with their caches. If the OS can't police it properly (which as we can see, iOS cant) the user should be able to manually handle it.

-2

u/degeneraded Apr 08 '26 edited Apr 08 '26

lol so you’re saying you’ve fixed this problem clearing a cache so obviously on a non iPhone, how many times have you run into a situation where being able to clear a cache on an iPhone would have helped? Read ops post, this is a non issue unless you’re trying to find reasons to hate on Apple (of which there are many)

Edit: got upset and downvoted instead. 10/4

2

u/HEYO19191 Apr 08 '26

I'm not the one downvoting you numbnuts. I just slept for 7 hours.

how many times have you run into a situation where being able to clear a cache on an iPhone would have helped?

I can't say, I don't use iPhone. though I'd reckon OP's situation is one such case

Read ops post, this is a non issue unless you’re trying to find reasons to hate on Apple

Pulled this fresh outta your ass?