5 new ways to reclaim iPhone memory space with iOS 11

Many features have been included on iOS 11 to improve the internal memory of our iPhone, here are the best ones and how to use them

The available space on the memory is one of the main problems of the iPhone. With the iPhone 8 and iPhone X, the situation has improved, thanks to Apple's decision to make versions with 64GB or 256GB memory. The situation is different when it comes to older smartphones, especially iPhone 6, iPhone 6S and iPhone 7.

If you are an owner of one of these models, more than once you will have read the message warning you that the memory is almost completely occupied. With iOS 11, Apple has integrated new features that help you free up memory space without having to delete images and videos. For example, by changing some settings in the Messages app (the instant messaging app developed by Apple) you can reclaim space in just a few minutes. Here are 5 tricks to free up iPhone storage with iOS 11.

Less frequently used apps

In iOS 11 there is a new feature that removes less frequently used apps to free up space on the iPhone. However, the data and accounts will remain saved on the phone. To use this new feature we must take the iPhone and go to Settings, then to the iTunes and App Store section. Here from the menu we select the item Remove unused apps. In the page that will open you can check the list of uninstalled apps and we can also reinstall them with a tap.

New video format

HEVC is a new format for videos present in iOS 11. It possesses a much better compression algorithm than the standard video formats previously found on Apple smartphones. With HEVC, video files will take up about 50% less space than those saved with the other video formats found on iPhone. You can enable HEVC by choosing Settings> Camera> Formats and selecting High Efficiency format.

New Image Format

In iOS 11, a new image format has also been introduced, obviously with the aim of reducing the storage space needed to save our shots. It's called HEIF and it means that Apple will replace the JPEG format. HEIF takes up about 50% less storage space than JPEG. Basically, thanks to HEIF and iOS 11 we'll be able to save twice as many images as before.

Freeing up space occupied by the Messages app

Messages is the messaging app made by Apple. All the videos and messages we receive on the app, are saved on the memory of the smartphone, as is also the case with WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. If you don't want to occupy the storage space in a short time, we suggest you change some settings of the app.

Entering inside the iPhone's Settings and then pressing on Messages, you will access a section with several options regarding the messaging app. Scrolling down we'll find "Keep messages", "Audio messages" and "Low quality images".

With regard to "Keep messages" we'll have to set the option "Up to 30 days": in this way, after a month, the messages and their content will be deleted from the smartphone. For "Audio messages", instead, we'll have to set "2 minutes" in the Expiration section. Finally, to recover space on the iPhone memory, you need to enable the "Low quality images" option.

Memory tips

On iOS 11 there is also a tool that helps us manage the memory of our iPhone. Through notifications it suggests us to delete very heavy attachments from iMessage, or to delete identical photos and videos and applications that we never use (a bit like what happens with the function Less Used Apps already mentioned). To use this feature just go to Settings, then General and then iPhone Memory. This page has been totally modified from the past. And it is here that we will find the tips for managing iPhone storage.