Want to get the maximum out of your iPhone? A disorganized device always gets in the way of productivity – slow performance, cluttered storage, and unnecessary distractions. To remedy all that, we gathered the most effective tips to maximize storage on your iPhone, boost its speed, and fine-tune settings.
How to Optimize Space on iPhone with Smart Media Management
The first thing we want to touch on is the media library. For most people, photos and videos take up the largest chunk of storage. Over time, thousands of images, unnecessary screenshots, duplicate photos, and massive video files pile up, eating into valuable space. The good news? With all the iOS updates and App Store solutions, it’s now easier than ever to optimize storage on iPhone without losing important files. Let’s go over the best ways to keep your media organized and maximize free space.
1. Get Rid of Unnecessary Files in Your Library
The average photo gallery has tons of duplicate copies, similar images that look almost identical, and old screenshots of this and that – random bits of media that serve no purpose but take up space. Apple introduced the Duplicates album in iOS 16 to tackle some of this clutter.
How to use the Duplicates album to remove identical photos:
- Open the Photos app.
- Scroll down to the Duplicates section under Utilities.
- Review the suggested matches and tap Merge to keep the best version.
This tool helps, but it’s limited – it only detects identical files, not near-duplicates or similar-looking images. Also, it’s not only surplus images that make a mess out of your library. Screenshots and old oversized videos clutter storage too, and the Photos app doesn’t really have the goods to tackle it. That’s why all kinds of iPhone cleaning apps exist – to pick up the slack where Apple’s built-in tools fall short. We’ll show you one of those apps that we’ve found great at this.
If you want a smarter, faster way to clean up your photo library, discover a free app to free up space on your iPhone – Clever Cleaner – a 100% free app designed to dig deeper than iOS’s basic instruments. What can it do?
- Automatically group identical and similar images – Unlike the Photos app, Clever Cleaner uses AI to detect not just exact duplicates but also similar-looking images and lets you clean up your gallery in one go.
- Detect all screenshots and delete them in one tap – No need to scroll through your camera roll manually. The app isolates screenshots to clear them out instantly.
- Sort your video library by file size for easy deletion – One of the biggest storage hogs is large video files, yet iOS doesn’t let you sort them by size. Clever Cleaner does this so you can quickly remove the biggest space-wasters first.
- Convert Live Photos into regular photos – Live Photos take up significantly more storage than standard images. The app allows you to convert them into still photos, keeping them exactly where they are but without the extra animation. Surprisingly, very few apps offer this, even though it can free up a substantial amount of storage.
Let’s demonstrate how you can remove identical and similar photos from your iPhone in just a few steps:
- Download the free Clever Cleaner app on the App Store.
- Tap Similars to see grouped similar photos.
- Tap Smart Cleanup – the app scans your library and suggests deletions. The AI picks the best photo to keep in each group automatically.
- Want to keep a group? Tap Restore to remove it from deletion.
- Approve AI’s selections? Slide to delete all marked photos.
- Prefer manual review? Tap a group to compare photos.
- Select a different best shot and tap Move to Trash to delete unwanted ones.
- Finished sorting? Tap Empty Trash to remove all selected photos (final confirmation required).
Use the other 3 tabs to see what you can remove and optimize iPhone storage for photos and other media. And don’t forget to empty the ‘Recently Deleted’ album in the Photos app. Deleted photos and videos stay there for up to 30 days, still taking up space. To remove them completely, open Photos > Albums > Recently Deleted, tap Select, and then Delete All.
Video Tutorial
2. Enable Apple’s Optimize iPhone Storage Feature
Apple’s Optimize iPhone Storage feature is a great way to optimize iPhone storage photos. If you use iCloud and your iPhone is always connected to Wi-Fi or mobile data, this setting automatically replaces full-resolution photos and videos with smaller preview versions on your device (the originals remain safely stored in iCloud, and you can access them anytime).
However, keep in mind that you need enough iCloud storage – Apple’s free 5GB won’t be enough if you have thousands of photos and videos. Also, since full-quality files are stored online, you’ll need an internet connection to download them when needed. If that’s not an issue, here’s how to enable it:
- Open Settings.
- Tap your Apple ID at the top.
- Select iCloud > Photos.
- Make sure Sync this iPhone is enabled.
- Choose Optimize iPhone Storage instead of Download and Keep Originals.
How to Optimize App Storage on iPhone for Better Performance
Apps take up a surprising amount of space – not just because of their size, but because of the extra data they store over time. Cached files, downloads, and unnecessary background processes can slow down your iPhone. Here’s what you can do about it.
1. Delete Unnecessary Apps
Unused apps take up storage and may run background processes that slow down your iPhone. You probably already know how to remove apps, but just in case, let’s go over the steps:
- Press and hold the app you want to get rid of on the home screen.
- Select Remove App, then tap Delete App.
- Confirm deletion.
If you’re uncertain which apps to delete, go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage and check which apps are using the most space.
2. Offload Apps (Keep Data, Free Up Space)
Unlike deletion, offloading an app removes it from your iPhone but keeps its documents and settings. If you reinstall the app later, it restores everything as if it was never deleted. How to offload an app:
- Open Settings > General > iPhone Storage.
- Tap an app and select Offload App.
By the way, you can enable Offload Unused Apps under Settings > App Store to let iOS automatically offload apps you don’t use often.
3. Clear App Cache (If Possible)
Some apps store cached files that build up over time, slowing down your iPhone. While iOS doesn’t offer a universal cache cleaner, certain apps allow manual cache clearing. Here’s how to clear cache in some popular apps:
- Safari: Go to Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data.
- Telegram: Open Settings > Data and Storage > Clear Cache.
- Google Chrome: Tap Settings > Privacy > Clear Browsing Data.
For apps without a clear cache option (like Instagram or YouTube), you can delete and reinstall the app, and it will remove all cached files.
Other Tricks to Get the Maximum Out of Your iPhone
Although it’s very important to maximize storage on the iPhone – as it directly impacts smooth performance – we have to mention that storage optimization alone isn’t the only thing when it comes to maximizing your iPhone’s productivity.
Here’s a list of tricks and features that will not only put your iPhone in better shape but also enhance the way you interact with it – because, as you know, it takes two to tango.
- Enable Reduce Motion for a snappier experience.
The first tweak for a more responsive iPhone is reducing motion effects. Apple loves fancy animations, but they can slow things down – especially on older models. To make your iPhone feel faster, go to Settings > Accessibility > Motion and toggle on Reduce Motion. This speeds up app transitions and minimizes the unnecessary zoom effects that make your phone feel sluggish.
- Use Focus Mode to cut out distractions.
Constant notifications break concentration. Head to Settings > Focus, choose Work, Sleep, or Personal Mode, and customize which apps and contacts can interrupt you.
- Customize Control Center.
Stop digging through settings – add shortcuts to Dark Mode, Low Power Mode, Notes, or Screen Recording under Settings > Control Center for instant access.
- Turn on Back Tap for quick actions.
Need to take a screenshot or open the camera in a snap? Set a double or triple tap on the back of your iPhone to trigger useful actions under Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Back Tap.
- Adjust Auto-Lock to prevent battery drain.
Another thing that wastes both time and battery? A screen that stays on too long. Under Settings > Display & Brightness > Auto-Lock, choose 30 seconds or 1 minute to save battery while keeping things efficient.
- Optimize Siri Suggestions.
Your iPhone knows your habits – let Siri suggest quick actions by enabling Suggestions on Lock Screen and Home Screen under Settings > Siri & Search. It can remind you to text, open apps, or navigate when you need it.
To Sum Up
As you can see, there are plenty of ways to optimize space on your iPhone and use all the available tweaks and features to get your gadget into Maximum Productivity mode. Whether you have an iPhone 11, 12, 13, 14,15, or the latest iPhone 16, the methods we covered above should do the trick. And don’t forget – your iPhone’s productivity is also your productivity. How you interact with it matters just as much as how well it runs, so make every tap and setting count.
