iPhone 7 Storage Full Clear iMessage Data on iOS 10
After the release of the latest operating system of Apple which is the iOS 10, iPhone users have a wonderful iMessage experience. Those cool features are fun to use which can make your Message app your only chat app! However, those awesome features also come with a price – it now consumes more of your iPhone’s memory and data.
This is one of the most common complaints of many iPhone users especially when you cannot even manage to add extra storage via SD card. Many iPhone users want Apple to design iPhones and iPads that are able to support additional storage that Android users seem to enjoy. MicroSD cards are now getting cheaper and if you could only put it on your iPhone, it is going to be so much better. Imagine more space for documents, music, photos and games and no need to clear iMessage data.
According to Samsung, running out of memory shouldn’t be a thing and that’s true. But for iPhone and iPad users, running out of memory and storage is one huge dilemma.
Clear iMessage Data on iOS 10
One of the latest features of iOS 10 is the new way of sending messages to your family and friends via iMessage. There are many things added on the Messages app such as adding files easily, sending scribbled messages and even “like” messages if you do not have time to reply. With all these awesome features, it can take up a lot of your iPhone’s storage.
Unfortunately, it is impossible to upgrade the memory of Apple devices as you are limited to the availability of storage that you had when you purchased your iPhone. Now all of us have to be aware that we must limit our iMessage data as well as how many messages we have to save. By keeping only recent messages and deleting older texts, we can make more space for the message app while helping it run smoothly.
What’s Taking So Much Space On Your Device?
There are many ways to identify this but the easiest way to find what is using up your storage is by going to Settings, tap General and tap Usage. You will see your storage statistics as well as how much space is still available.
What if Messages Are Important
Check how many messages are stored in your device. Most iPhone users do not even bother deleting any text messages in months or even in years. Whether the messages are important or not, there are ways to save it without getting the “storage almost full” alert.
For users who really need to save all the important messages, there are many ways to do that:
- Create a backup of your device to store your important messages.
- Take screen shots of your messages by pressing home and power button at the same time.
- Use apps like iExplorer, PhoneView or TouchCopy to store your messages.
Check your Device’s Storage
First, check your device’s storage by going to Settings, tap General and choose Storage & iCloud Usage and tap Manage to see both Available and Used storage. Available storage is the remaining free space for your device. The rule is to keep your available storage at least 10 GB or else, you’ll have to spend more time organizing your files and deleting extras.
However, many iPhone users or iPad users only have 16 GB so maintaining 10 GB of free space is almost impossible. It is even impossible to get extra storage. So we recommend that you should always keep at least 25% of your total original storage to keep your device functioning well. If your device only has 16GB, then you should have at least 4GB storage free!
What is the importance of 25% Storage Available? One important thing that is always ignored is that your iPads and iPhones always need a certain amount of free storage or else your device would not function well. iPhones tend to become sluggish when they are almost full. Some iPads become non-responsive, apps start crashing or the iDevice just become slow. This is the reason why cleaning your storage is always important!
Set Messages Time Limit
Do you know that you can always set time limits for your messages? This way, your phone can automatically clear iMessage data and old messages for you and you do not have to look back just to delete old messages.
To set time limit, go to Settings and tap Messages. Scroll down to the bottom until you see Message History. Under Keep Messages, you can change the limit to 30 days. You will see other options available there such as 1 year or forever. However, forever is not recommended anymore.
Scroll down to Audio Messages and change the option under Expire to After 2 Minutes.
Lower Image Quality
Messages and iMessages send images at highest quality by default. In many cases, it is only important that your friend or family member or anyone see the picture even if it is not high quality. You can always reduce the image quality which can help you and your recipient to manage your storage. This is recommended especially for users who are always running out of space.
To lower image quality when sending photo messages, go to Settings and tap Messages. Scroll down to the bottom until you see Low Quality Image Mode and simply toggle it on. This can lower the quality of photos that you wish to send but there is nothing to worry about because it is still great. There is not much of a difference.
Filter Unknown Messages
Another great way to somehow save your messages storage is to filter out unknown messages from people who are not in your contacts. Turning this feature on does not delete those messages but places them in a separate folder where you can check whether you wish to delete them or not. There is also an option to simply delete all the messages at once.
How to Make More Space on iDevice?
There are many ways to free up space on your device especially if this is one of your problems. iPhone consumers a lot of memory in storing documents and other data so let’s discuss about how to get more space for your iDevice.
#1 Delete Unused Apps from your iDevice
There are apps that you do not even use but you still keep them. You have probably downloaded a lot of apps with a lot of stored data in it. If you have no plans of using some of your apps or they are not really very important, simply delete unwanted apps to free up some space.
- Tap ad Hold the app’s icon that you wish to delete from your home screen until all apps start to jiggle.
- You will see a small “x” on top of the app. Tapping this “x” will delete the app. It will also warn you that deleting the app will also delete its data. Simply tap “Delete” button to delete it.
#2 Clear History and Data
You can also clear history and data from Safari app to save more space. However, it will also delete your data in Safari from iCloud. Simply go to Settings and tap Safari. Scroll down to the bottom and tap Clear History and Data.
#3 Deselect My Photo Stream
If your Photo Stream is turn on, you are able to see photos you have taken from your iPhone to your other devices like iPad and Mac. These images even if not in the highest quality, can also take up a lot of space! To turn this off, go to Settings and tap Photos and Camera then deselect My Photo Stream. This will remove your Photo Stream from your device.
You can also take advantage of your HDR function if you have newer iPhone like iPhone 5. Simply switch off “Keep Normal Photo”. To do this, go to Settings and tap Photos & Camera and Switch off “Keep Normal Photo” to enjoy HDR function.
#4 Delete old songs
There are already many music apps recently like Pandora, Songza and Spotify. You can also check all the music that you stored and delete the old ones to get more space for your device.
#5 Delete Finished iBooks and Magazines
If you have many books and magazines downloaded to your device that you already finished reading or have no plans to read, you can delete them in the meanwhile. Remember that you can always install them back if ever you want to read them again. Do not forget to check Settings, then iTunes & App Store and turn off Automatic Downloads of iBooks.
Text Messaging before was not that bad but now, you already have many features to add on your messages. You have the choice of embedding your videos, photos and enjoy hundreds of emojiis to keep your messaging lively and fun! For sure, more features will be added soon. It will be troublesome if you do not manage well your storage as well as your messages. You may have to delete some attachments and messages once you are done with it. Dropbox is an excellent option that you can use to store files and messages as well.
It is also important to restart your device once in a while. Some suggests that it is better to turn off your iPhone during bedtime and turn it on again when you wake up. Just like computers, iPhones and iPads also need to rest. Do not forget also to clean your phone in a regular basis, cleaning as in removing apps that you do not really need.
Additional Note: If your iPhone starts to slow down and apps start crashing, you might want to check your Camera Roll. If you have a lot of photos and videos in your Camera Roll, it is better to copy them on your PC or Mac and delete the photos and videos on your iPhone to make more space for new photos next time. That’s what most people do to make space. This solution helps a lot to keep your device functioning smoothly.
Do not forget that if you have apps that you do not really use and not so important, make time to delete them. Your phone will definitely thank you for it and you will have better experience!