[GUIDE] I don't have enough storage to update!

Peligro911

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Not enough storage to update !

I have seen multiple people on the forums as well as people I know have this problem.

I ask "have you updated to ios 7 ?" and the response I get is "my phone says I don't have enough memory, and I even bought more, and it still does not work."

To start off, your phone or iPad has physical memory and depending on the model, it can be

8gb, 16gb, 32gb, 64gb or 128gb.

This memory space is what is used to store apps, movies, music, pics and videos. It also includes the operating system.

You can tell how much storage your device has by going to settings>General>about

Then there is "capacity" and "available"
"Capacity" tells you how much space your model phone has, for instance.
A 32gb phone has about 27.5gb available to use. The reason it's not 32gb is because the operating system takes up some space.

"Available" tells you how much space you currently have available for more apps, music, movies, pics, etc.

When your device tells you it does not have enough space to update using software update in settings, this is the reason why. You do not have enough space available to download the update to your device.

You can solve this by two options
1. Delete apps, pics, and videos or movies to make space. After the update completes, you can put some of it back.

2. Update your device using iTunes

This will download the update to your computer and not the phone, and then update it via the USB cable. No phone space is required to apply the update when connected to the computer.

The most common mistake when referring to "space" is that iCloud space gets mistaken for physical space.

iCloud space is for storing your backups and data like camera roll.
You get 5 GB free from the start and can purchase more if needed.
Purchasing more iCloud space has nothing to do with physical space and will not solve any physical space issue you may have.

If you are getting a space related error regarding iCloud. The most likely caused because your backup with your camera roll is greater than 5 GB and you do not have enough iCloud space to store that backup.

I hope this clears up any issues regarding space and storage questions.
 
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Peligro911

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Well done, sir, and thank you for writing it for us...:)

No problem i know for most of us enthusiasts it's not anything new but I swear when iOS 7 rolled out it was end of the world and some people I know couldn't figure it out for the life of them
 

Jaguarr40

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It does seem whenever we get a brand new OS people freak out including me...LOL and say should I do this......smh, Until I do it and an sure many others as you mentioned are the same way. Heck can't blame them and am sure writing these guides if we collectively help others, Then we have done our job in assisting the iMore community to become a well knowledged and well informed forum of members that can help other members like no other forum around. Now I get why we do these and get the satisfaction when you are done and it gets posted to the How To Guide forum.

Anyway thank everyone who has jumped in and written these guides to help all of our members. Just my 2 1/2 cents. Interest from the govt. smh.
 
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ckillam3

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Follow-up inquiry: I have backed my iPhone 5 up to my iCloud account. How do I know certain music and video are stored there? I ask because I need more memory and would like to delete some of these files from my iPhone. Thanks.
 

Jaguarr40

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If during the backup let's say you had 4GB of space and now you have 3GB then you can figure it backed up to iCloud.
 

Just_Me_D

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Follow-up inquiry: I have backed my iPhone 5 up to my iCloud account. How do I know certain music and video are stored there? I ask because I need more memory and would like to delete some of these files from my iPhone. Thanks.

If it's music and video that you purchased via iTunes then rest assured that both are safe. They will always be present in the purchases section of the iTunes Store. iCloud does NOT backup music and video - only the purchase history of your music and video. If you have music on your device that was not purchased via iTunes, you might want to have a backup on your computer, external drive and/or a cloud service of some sort. The same goes for videos that are not in your camera roll.
 

ckillam3

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Understood, thank you.
Now, what steps do I take to delete videos from my iPhone? I know to swipe left on the songs I want deleted, but this does not work with the Videos app. Thanks for your assistance.
 

Just_Me_D

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Understood, thank you.
Now, what steps do I take to delete videos from my iPhone? I know to swipe left on the songs I want deleted, but this does not work with the Videos app. Thanks for your assistance.

Are you certain the videos are on the device? If there is a cloud icon next to them, then they are not on your device.
 

Just_Me_D

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Pretty sure, as I don't see an iCloud icon next to the videos.

Then I'm not sure. If swiping doesn't present you with the option to delete then try the tap and hold method to see if you get an "x" to select.