Why is my iPhone so slow? Four reasons and how to fix it

If you’ve been using your iPhone (or any phone for that matter) for a while, it’s normal for your device to start getting slower as it ages. That might mean it’s time to say goodbye to your current iPhone and get a new one (after trading in), but sometimes the problem of a slow iPhone may be within your control. The solution may be as simple as clearing your storage space, among other possibilities. No, not That storage space. The “Other” storage of your iPhone.

If you’ve previously run out of storage and wanted to free up space manually, you may already be familiar with Other Storage. If not, let’s take a look at what it is before we dive into how to reduce this annoying category.

What is the remaining storage space of the iPhone?

The Other section is a mysterious, catch-all corner of your iPhone’s storage. Think of it as a place where things like system files and Siri voices can be stored. But it can also be a memory hog, largely due to caching. Your cache stores elements of apps or websites so that they load faster the next time you use them. The cache collects items as you browse the web, stream videos or movies, and send text messages with photos or videos. In apps like Google Maps and Chrome, Cached data could soon start eating up your available storage space on the device.

To check how much space Other Storage is taking up, you need to: go to Institutions > General > iPhone Storage. Once the iPhone has done its math, you’ll see a bar chart of the categories taking up your iPhone’s storage. The Other Storage section is usually the gray section on the far right of the chart. Assuming your Other Storage is taking up more space than it needs to, here are a few things you can do to change that.

Outsourcing apps

Not to be confused with uninstalling an app, offloading an app means removing the app from your device but retaining all of its data. retainin case you decide to reinstall it. Take advantage of this trick, especially if you have apps like Google Maps that use a lot of space but don’t save much data. To offload an app, go back to iPhone Storage In Settings > General, tap the app you want to remove, then Unload App.

Tip: In the iPhone Storage section, you’ll see a list of apps with a number next to each name that indicates how much storage they’re using. You’ll get an instant overview of which apps are hogging memory, or just a little bit. This can help you decide which ones to offload.

Read more: Want to try iOS18 now? Here’s everything you need to know about the public beta

Clear Safari cache and close tabs

If you use Safari often, your iPhone may be storing web history and data that you simply don’t need. To clear Safari’s browser cache, go to Settings > Safari And Clear history and website data. If you are a Chrome user, you can find it here How to Clear Google’s Browser Cache.

Closing tabs also helps free up storage space and keeps your device running smoothly. You can manage how often Safari closes open tabs by going to Institutions > Safari > Close tabsYou can continue to close tabs manually, or have Safari close tabs that haven’t been viewed for a day, a week, or a month.

Stop saving texts forever

By default, your iPhone stores all text messages you send and receive forever. This is handy if you want to look up a conversation that’s 15 months old, but not so handy if you want to get your storage back. To prevent your phone from storing text messages forever, open Institutions and tap To inform. Scroll down until you find Message History and tap Save messages. Change Forever Unpleasant 30 days or 1 year. A pop-up will appear asking if you want to delete older messages; tap To delete to proceed.

Reset your iPhone

If all else fails, one surefire way to dump a lot of the junk into other storage is to reset your iPhoneeven if you can’t empty it completely.

For more iPhone Tips and Trickscheck out these hidden iOS 17 features, Change iPhone settings as soon as possibleAnd how to make your iphone look more like your old android phoneIn addition, we have tips to make your phone last longer before you need to replace it.