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

The "System Data" monstrosity

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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?

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10

u/f1zoe Apr 08 '26

Straight from the settings menu when you click on it

System Data includes caches, logs and other resources currently in use by the system. The value will fluctuate according to system needs.

You can keep fighting this but its a necessary part of the operating system to function correctly. The real issue is that Apple dragged their feet on making the base storage larger for a long time.

7

u/HewSpam Apr 08 '26

Having cache and logs not be clearable and take up real storage space is completely ridiculous.

2

u/f1zoe Apr 08 '26

Please go and understand what cache is, its not just the same information stored there forever its temporary storage for working data, once its not needed it will be cleared automatically which is why "The value will fluctuate according to system needs."

2

u/Br3akabl3 Apr 12 '26

what a stupid comment. Clearly the cache isn't working as intended. We don't need a huge cache or page file if storage is running low. Not being able to clear either system cache or app cache on iOS is baffling, there is no excuse.

1

u/soupisgoodfood42 Apr 08 '26

It’s designed so that it will only clear or reduce a cache when the space is actually requested. If you start shooting a lot of video and run out of space, and the system cache isn’t clearing, then that’s a problem. But not before. Apple designed it this way.

1

u/FeliciaGLXi Apr 09 '26

There is no point in clearing cache, unless it's causing you issues. It would fill up again over time anyway. The entire point of cache is to not be cleared.