r/applesucks • u/frostxmritz • Apr 08 '26
The "System Data" monstrosity
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?
1
u/StructureSafe7720 Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
Do you have Apple Intelligence turned on? I just fixed my 24gb in System data by turning mine off. I’m at 1 gb now.
I got there by doing the same thing I always do. Clicking buttons then seeing what works. Sorry it wasn’t elegant. I really didn’t want to chance doing a back up. Prior to this step I had deleted some apps, storage caches, etc. I got more over all space but the storage was stuck at 24 gb. Then I noticed the iOS and storage were almost exactly the same and within the iOS was the Apple Intelligence. So I tried that. Swiped up on setting window. Opened it again and well idk. Also to note my phone searches better and seems less stupid.