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How to get more space on your phone

  • 7 January 2019
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How to get more space on your phone
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Is your phone’s memory getting too full? Find out how to get a decent amount of storage space back on your phone with these handy hints and tips.

If you don’t have enough storage space on your phone, it might stop you doing the things you love. You won’t be able to install new apps, get the latest updates or even save your photos. The big question is, do you know how much room you’ve actually got left?

To find out how much free space is on your iPhone, go to Settings > General > Storage > iCloud Usage. You’ll be able to see how much space you’ve taken up and how much you’ve got left. You can also check what things are taking up most space, so you can clear out any old apps that you don’t use anymore.

On an Android phone, storage space can vary a lot depending on the phone. You can still easily check how much you’ve got though. Just go to Settings > Storage.

If you find it’s filling up too fast, here are a few tips to help you out.

Slot in a memory card


Most Android phones will let you add a memory card (MicroSD card) that you can save all of your pictures and videos on to. They come in a variety of sizes depending on what you need. A 256GB memory card will store over 100 full-length HD films, or over 50,000 photos. Now you can leave your phone storage for your apps and updates.

Some newer Android phones will let you save some apps to the memory card, but it will depend on the app itself. To check, go to Settings > Applications > Manage applications and choose the app you want to move. If you can move it, you’ll see Move to SD card.

Get a memory card from Carphone Warehouse now.

iPhones don’t have a slot for a memory card, but you can use something like a SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive which plugs straight into your iPhone. Then you’ll be able to copy photos and videos from the phone to the drive, giving you that valuable space back.

Have an app clear-out



From time to time you should have a look through what apps you have installed and clear out any that you don’t use anymore. Not only do they use up that precious space, they can start to slow your phone down too. So if you haven’t played Pokémon GO in the last year or so, it could be time to let it go.

Don’t worry about deleting apps that you’ve paid for, you’ll be able to download them again for free from the app store.

Some apps save a lot of ‘temporary files’ to help them run smoothly. These files take up space and need clearing out too. You can find them in Settings > Apps (or applications) > Manage applications. You’ll need to go into each app and choose Clear cache. There will also be a ‘Clear data’ option but be careful with this, because it’ll delete all information stored in the app, like login details and messages.

Use cloud storage


Saving things to the cloud is the best solution for anyone who loves to take photos and videos. There are a lot of different options to choose from, but the most popular ones are Google Photos, iCloud and Dropbox.

Google Photos and Dropbox have ‘Auto back-up’ options. Turn these on and your photos and videos will automatically back up to your cloud account.

iPhones automatically use iCloud to store your photos. If you’re not sure, check by going to Settings > iCloud > Photos and make sure ‘iCloud Photo Library’ is turned on.

Got a question on your smartphone’s storage? Then post it below, and one of your fellow Community members will have a crack at answering it.

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