"Other" taking up too much space

**Edmilan** · 10-28-2012, 06:27 AM

I was syncing my phone when i noticed that the yellow division of the bar at the bottom of itunes, the one named Other, is taking up 3.7gb of my space. And since i'm only on a 16gb phone, this is a big thing. How do i clear that "other" thing and reclaim back the used space? Tried a factory reset but it would come back again in a week

**Ed7789** · 10-28-2012, 06:32 AM

Other refers to all information that is not in the other categories. It may be documents, emails, contacts. It can't be fully removed, but can be managed in the individual app usage in Settings > General > Usage.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

**Edmilan** · 10-28-2012, 06:39 AM

I tried unsyncing everything from music to apps, videos, photos, etc. So my phone was basically empty except for the "Other" which was taking up 3.7gb. Will try managing in settings though, thanks

**SnapThrow** · 10-29-2012, 12:40 PM

I've had this happen to me a couple times and the only fix that worked for me was restoring the iPhone. If I remember correctly this was when I was jailbroken on my 4 and 4S though...

**GibMcFragger** · 10-29-2012, 08:35 PM

I had the same issue. I did a restore and it was fine. Went from 2gb of "other" to 800mb.

**Apple4ever2011** · 10-29-2012, 09:28 PM

it's Data from your apps...Also Notes,Saved Texts,Emails, Pictures you use for caller ID, Downloaded stuff like Podcasts from 3rd party apps like Twit,Sticher...it's a combo of lots of things

**Peligro911** · 10-29-2012, 09:30 PM

App data in simple terms in settings are what is taking space

**acerace113** · 10-30-2012, 08:24 AM

I've had this problem before and restoring will solve it. Also "other" can be files from interrupted iTunes syncs, pictures and videos sent and received via text or iMessage (at least for me it does), and emails and attachments from the mail app to name a few.
I used ifunbox to solve my problem but a restore is a lot easier to do

**stoneland** · 10-30-2012, 03:02 PM

Like others have said, I've found that a restore is the only way to bring it down, although (for me) once you hit around 0.85 GB restoring doesn't seem to do much. It's probably just system files, email attachments, app data, etc.

**Edmilan** · 10-30-2012, 09:44 PM

Yes it's probably app data, but i don't think all that data combined would take up 3.7gb of my space, since when i checked the usage in settings and added them all up, it didn't even reach 1gb. I read in other forums that the "Other" took up nearly 8gb of their space.

**isra950** · 11-03-2012, 01:52 AM

The "other" is cached Internet pages!! Go to settings, safari, scroll down to advanced, website data, then scroll to " remove all website data". And after that you'll notice how much space you free up. I do it at least once a week and clear 1.5 gigs at the LEAST. Let me know if it works for you.

**Humberto Hernandez** · 12-22-2012, 12:15 AM

that helped alot

**YorkieRay** · 12-22-2012, 03:50 AM

Try reading these 2 blogs by the well known tech blogger John Battelle. His problems with "other" data taking over his iPhone was one of the reasons why he has switched to a Google Nexus.

**AppDucate** · 01-20-2013, 09:32 PM

I wrote an article a while ago that explains how to remove the "Other" space on your iOS device. It has gotten positive feedback on working from some people. Here is the link:

**nikups** · 02-23-2013, 07:27 PM

Originally Posted by Edmilan

I was syncing my phone when i noticed that the yellow division of the bar at the bottom of itunes, the one named Other, is taking up 3.7gb of my space. And since i'm only on a 16gb phone, this is a big thing. How do i clear that "other" thing and reclaim back the used space? Tried a factory reset but it would come back again in a week

You do not need to do a factory reset to clear up "Other" space. All you have to do is go under Settings>Safari>Advanced and clear the website data . Or go thru the website data and clear the individual ones you want gone. I did this and it took 2.8 gb off of the 3.1 I had in "Other". Although it won't clear up all the space in "Other" it will give you a significant reduction. It's a lot easier than doing a Reset. Hope this helps.

**Edmilan** · 02-28-2013, 03:30 AM

cool my "other" was already at 3.1gb when i cleared up safari, it dropped to less than a gb. thanks!

**SandeepRoy** · 02-28-2013, 04:47 AM

Originally Posted by Edmilan

I was syncing my phone when i noticed that the yellow division of the bar at the bottom of itunes, the one named Other, is taking up 3.7gb of my space. And since i'm only on a 16gb phone, this is a big thing. How do i clear that "other" thing and reclaim back the used space? Tried a factory reset but it would come back again in a week

You can also use iCleaner(if jailbroken) or PhoneClean from time to time.

**con esg** · 04-15-2013, 03:10 PM

For non jailbreakers, I had updated to 6.1.3 on 4S today, with 3.44 GB of "yellow" other space still remaining after the update. Best way to truly get rid of this "other space" is to back up your phone then restore. After restoring, back up your phone with the most recent one. My other space went from 3.44 GB to 0.88 (very reasonable for updated [IOs] phones).

Good luck!

**Pfusion** · 04-30-2013, 10:51 AM

I had the same issue - lots of 'other' space used (3.75 gb). I backed up to icloud then did a restore. Still using 2.47 gb but now my desktop space went from 15 gb available to 5.89 gb available. I did a search for my iphone figuring that it had somehow dumped a lot of data but nothing came up. Anyone have an idea? Thanks.

**krisnrandall** · 05-21-2013, 07:08 PM

it's not. I did a complete restore on my phone, and it still shows 6.6 gigs with no pics, no apps, no email, no texts, no nothing.

**krisnrandall** · 05-21-2013, 07:18 PM

having same issue. ended up doing a complete restore, so there is NOTHNG on it--NO texts, email, websites, apps, etc. 6.6 gigs of 8 gigs of space being used by "other." I then tried restoring to backup, and it tells me there was an error. I've tried this many times. at a loss right now. help?

**JustMe'D** · 05-21-2013, 08:18 PM

Originally Posted by krisnrandall

having same issue. ended up doing a complete restore, so there is NOTHNG on it--NO texts, email, websites, apps, etc. 6.6 gigs of 8 gigs of space being used by "other." I then tried restoring to backup, and it tells me there was an error. I've tried this many times. at a loss right now. help?

Do this: Attach your i-device to your computer (Make sure your computer is connected to the Internet), fire up iTunes and then put your device in DFU Mode. iTunes should detect that your device is in recovery mode and prompt you to restore. Go ahead and select restore. Your i-device will be completely wiped and a fresh new install of the latest iOS version will be installed. When complete, set up your device as new.