How to Find Your Phone’s Storage Limit
What to Do When Your Phone Says “Storage Almost Full”
It’s one of the most frustrating messages your phone can show: “Storage Almost Full.” You might be about to take a photo, download an app, or update your system — and suddenly you’re stuck. But what does this message actually mean? How can you see what’s taking up so much space? And more importantly, what can you safely delete without losing something important?
At TechPals, we help people with this exact problem all the time. It’s more common than you might think — and easier to fix than it seems.
Why Your Phone Has a Storage Limit
Your smartphone is like a tiny computer with a built-in hard drive. That drive holds everything on your phone: apps, messages, photos, music, system files, and more. Every time you take a picture, download a file, or install an app, it uses up some of that space.
Most phones come with a set amount of storage — like 64GB, 128GB, or 256GB. But a portion of that is used automatically by your phone’s operating system (the software that makes the phone run), so you never have the full amount available.
Once you start running out of space, your phone may slow down, stop downloading updates, or even block you from taking new photos. That’s when you get the dreaded “Storage Almost Full” warning.
How to Check Your Storage on iPhone
If you’re using an iPhone, Apple makes it fairly easy to see what’s using up space:
Open the Settings app
Tap General
Tap iPhone Storage
At the top of the screen, you’ll see a bar showing how much space is used and how much is left. It’s color-coded to help you see what types of data are using the most space — like apps, photos, media, or system files.
Scroll down to see a list of your apps, starting with the ones taking up the most room. Tap any app to see more details, like whether it’s the app itself or its “Documents & Data” (like saved games or downloaded media) that are eating up space.
TechPals Tip: Some apps let you delete just the data without removing the app. Others — like Podcasts or Messages — may store large media files that you didn’t even know were still there.
How to Check Your Storage on Android
On Android, storage settings can vary a bit depending on the phone model and version of Android. But the steps are generally similar:
Open the Settings app
Look for Storage or Battery & device care
Tap to view how much space you’re using — and what’s using it
You’ll usually see a breakdown by category: Photos & Videos, Apps, Audio, Documents, System, and more. Many Android phones also offer a “Clean Now” or “Free Up Space” option, which suggests files that are safe to delete (like cached data or old screenshots).
If you're unsure what a category means, just head to techpals.org — our team of tech Tech Pals will help explain it.
What’s Taking Up So Much Space?
Wondering where all your phone’s storage went? It’s easy to use up space without realizing it — and many people are surprised to learn what’s quietly eating away at their available memory in the background. Here's a deeper dive into the most common storage hogs — and how they grow over time.
1. Photos and Videos
Photos and videos are almost always the biggest culprits — and for good reason. Modern smartphone cameras take incredibly high-resolution images, often several megabytes each. One photo might be 3–5MB, and a one-minute HD video could use 100MB or more.
Now think about how often you take pictures: birthday parties, travel, screenshots, funny signs, pets sleeping in funny positions, and dozens of nearly identical shots trying to get the “right” one. It adds up fast — and if you’re not going through and deleting duplicates or blurry photos, you may be storing thousands of files you don’t actually need.
Plus, some apps like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger may auto-save photos and videos sent to you — which means your storage can fill up even if you didn’t take the photo yourself.
TechPals Tip: Use a cloud backup system like iCloud or Google Photos to keep the memories but free up space on your phone.
2. Apps and Their Hidden Data
Apps aren’t just icons on your screen — they come with background data, settings, saved files, and updates that can consume a surprising amount of space. And we’re not just talking about obvious ones like Netflix or Spotify.
Games often store graphics, updates, and in-game progress locally. One popular game can use 2GB or more.
Streaming apps may let you download content to watch offline — which means full episodes or movies are sitting on your phone.
Navigation apps can store offline maps and route history.
Even social media apps like Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok store temporary files and videos to speed up your experience.
Over time, this "app cache" can grow to several gigabytes — and unlike photos, it’s often buried where you wouldn’t think to look.
TechPals Tip: In your storage settings, tap on each app to see its size. Some phones let you “clear cache” without deleting the app. On iPhones, you can even “offload” unused apps while keeping your data intact.
3. Messages with Attachments
It’s easy to forget that text messages aren’t just texts anymore. Today’s messages can include:
Photos and videos
Voice memos
GIFs and stickers
Long conversations that go back years
If you’ve been texting the same person for a long time — especially if you’re in a family group chat that shares every photo and video — your Messages or WhatsApp app could be using multiple gigabytes all on its own.
Worse, this stuff is often hard to find. You may not even realize that a single message thread is holding hundreds of photos and videos in the background.
TechPals Tip: On iPhones, go to a message thread → tap the contact name → tap "Info" → scroll down to see media. On Android, try long-pressing a thread or checking your messaging app’s storage settings.
4. Email and Downloads
Email attachments are another sneaky space thief. If you open or preview a file from your inbox, your phone may automatically save a copy — whether it’s a PDF, a photo, or a Word document. These files don’t take up much space individually, but if you get a lot of emails, they can pile up quickly.
The Downloads folder is another common hiding place for forgotten files — like tickets, menus, tax forms, boarding passes, or invoices — that you only needed once but never got around to deleting.
Some apps, like Chrome, Files by Google, or My Files, make it easy to view and delete these — but many users don’t even know the folder exists.
TechPals Tip: Go into your Files or Downloads app and take a look. You’ll likely find things you forgot were there — and don’t need anymore.
5. Cache, System, and Temporary Files
These are often invisible — but they can still take up a lot of space. Cache files are meant to make your apps faster by saving bits of data temporarily, but they aren’t always cleared out properly.
Web browsers store cache from websites (images, ads, and settings)
Streaming apps may save thumbnails or partial videos to speed up loading
Maps apps keep location data
Some phones even store crash reports and log files that serve no purpose for regular users
And don’t forget system files — every phone has some portion of its storage permanently used for operating system software, updates, and built-in apps that you may not be able to delete.
TechPals Tip: Many Android phones include tools to clean cache safely. On iPhones, you can clear browser history or delete/reinstall an app to clear its cache.
6. Voice Memos, Notes, and Other Saved Media
If you use apps like Voice Memos, Notes, Reminders, or Recordings, check those too. A single voice memo can take up as much space as a song, especially if it’s several minutes long.
Apps like Notes or OneNote can store:
Handwritten sketches
Photo attachments
Audio
Scanned documents
These items often sync to the cloud but can also be stored locally by default — and rarely get deleted unless you do it manually.
TechPals Tip: Open your note-taking or voice recording app and check how many files you’ve saved. Delete anything you no longer need — or move it to cloud storage for safekeeping.
7. Duplicates and Forgotten Files
If you’ve ever transferred photos from one device to another, or used multiple messaging apps, you might have duplicate files taking up extra space. This can include:
Duplicate photos
Screenshots you meant to delete
Multiple copies of the same song or podcast
Older backups you don’t realize are still on your phone
Some phones come with a “Duplicate Cleaner” tool, and third-party apps can help too — but you’ll want to be careful not to delete the wrong thing.
TechPals Tip: We can help you use a duplicate cleaner safely or walk you through reviewing files by hand. Just head to techpals.org for help.
It’s not always obvious where your phone’s storage has gone — but once you know where to look, it’s easier to take back control. Still unsure what’s safe to delete? TechPals is here to help you figure it out, step by step, so you can clear space without the fear of losing something important. Visit techpals.org to get started.
How to Free Up Space — Safely
Here’s what you can do to clear space without deleting anything important:
Delete Unused Apps
Go through your app list and delete anything you haven’t used in the past few months. You can always reinstall it later if you need it again.
On iPhone: Tap and hold on the app, then tap Remove App
On Android: Tap and hold, then drag it to Uninstall
Move Photos to the Cloud or Computer
Photos are precious — and huge. Luckily, you don’t have to delete them to save space.
Options include:
iCloud Photos (for iPhone)
Google Photos (free and available for iPhone or Android)
Amazon Photos (if you have Prime)
Transferring to your computer with a USB cable
Once your photos are safely backed up, you can remove them from your phone — or set your device to automatically offload older files.
Clear Old Messages
On iPhone, go to:
Settings → Messages → Keep Messages
Choose 30 days or 1 year instead of “Forever”
This will automatically delete old message threads and attachments after a certain period.
On Android, you can manually delete large conversations or use the storage tool in Messages to remove older media.
Empty the Downloads Folder
Every file you’ve downloaded — from a bus schedule to a restaurant menu — ends up in your Downloads folder.
Check it periodically and delete files you no longer need.
Use a Built-In Storage Manager
Some phones come with tools that help you find and delete duplicate photos, large files, unused apps, or temporary files. Look for a feature called:
iPhone: Offload Unused Apps (under iPhone Storage settings)
Android: Device Care, Smart Storage, or Files by Google
Need help figuring out which tool your phone has? TechPals can walk you through it — just visit techpals.org.
Extra Tips to Stay in Control of Your Storage
Turn off “Save Original Photos” if you're using iCloud or Google Photos. That way, your phone saves a smaller version.
Avoid downloading too many podcasts, songs, or shows — or delete them once you’re done.
Use streaming instead of downloads whenever you have Wi-Fi.
Set your email app to not auto-download large attachments unless you open them.
Restart your phone every now and then — it helps clear some temporary files.
Worried About Deleting Something Important?
That’s completely normal. No one wants to accidentally lose a photo or delete a message they meant to save. The good news is that most phones give you a second chance:
Recently deleted photos usually go into a special folder for 30 days before being permanently removed.
iPhones and some Androids have a “Recently Deleted” folder in Notes, Messages, and Photos.
When you delete an app, your personal data is often saved in the cloud or recoverable later — especially if you’re using iCloud or a Google account.
Still unsure? TechPals can look at your phone with you — step by step — and help decide what’s safe to remove.
Final Thoughts
Running out of space on your phone is frustrating, but it doesn’t have to be scary. With just a few smart changes — and the help of a guide like TechPals — you can get back control, free up room for the things you care about, and stop seeing that dreaded “Storage Almost Full” message every time you open your camera.
Whether you need help backing up your photos, figuring out what’s using all your storage, or learning to use cloud tools for the first time, TechPals is here. Visit techpals.org to get personalized help from real people who make tech easier — no judgment, no jargon, just support.
Let us help you clean up your phone — and keep it that way.
