Have you ever wondered what the System Data (formerly known as Other data) on iPhone and iPad is and how to clear it to restore the priceless storage while carefully examining the breakdown of the storage consumption? If the answer is “yes,” you are not the first person who has come upon this path and been surprised by the amount of space that this unexplained part has taken up on your iOS device. Let me demonstrate how to quickly delete System Data storage on iPhone/iPad, whether you are trying to purge your iPhone of junk or are anxious to solve this conundrum once and for all.
Tips to Clear System Data on iPhone or iPad (2022)
Don’t worry if the system data on your iPhone or iPad is driving you crazy since it keeps rising. There are six simple ways to easily remove the system data on your iPhone. Before attempting to erase the System Data on iOS or iPadOS, though, let’s first understand what it is all about.
As always, you can fast browse through this article by using the table of contents below.
What is System Data on iOS and iPadOS?
iOS provides a really nice storage area that breaks down usage so users can see how much each category (apps, media, photographs, iOS, and more) has used up in order to make the process of measuring storage consumption on iPhone and iPad a simple affair. You can tell how much space each category has taken up by looking at its coloured portion.
If you’re curious about what is included in the System Data area, you should be aware that it consists of everything that doesn’t fit into one of the specified categories. Apple claims that the non-removable items in the storage category include things like local keychain data, offline translation languages, fonts, dictionaries, Siri voices, logs, cache, and CloudKit Database. In summary, it’s a collection of various unrelated data that is present on your iOS device.
It’s important to remember that System Data was formerly known as Other Data. The original name is still searchable on iOS versions 14 and before. If you fall into this category, you can review our comprehensive tutorial on how to delete additional data from an iPhone.
How to View System Data on iOS and iPadOS
On your iOS or iPadOS device, you can examine system data in two different ways.
On iPhone or iPad
- Head to the Settings app.
- Select the General option and then tap on iPhone Storage to view the breakdown.
On Mac/Windows PC
- Connect your iPhone or iPad to a Mac or Windows computer.
- Launch Finder/iTunes.
- Select the device and check out the storage consumption bar located at the bottom of the screen.
How to Clear System Data on iPhone and iPad
Fortunately, there are several ways to remove the System Data from an iPad or iPhone. There are effective workarounds that accomplish the task, even though it would have been much better if a dashboard had been available to view and swiftly remove all the types of system data. Naturally, the entire process is arduous and requires some patience.
Clear App Cache
It’s advised to occasionally clean the cache of apps. Otherwise, the massive buildup of cached data starts to cause issues like sporadic freezing, crashing, unexpected sluggishness, and even more battery drain. Thankfully, the majority of apps allow you to delete the cache directly from their settings. What you should do is:
- Head over to a desired app.
- Tap on its Settings and look for the option to clear the cache.
The Spotify app’s cache deletion option is located in the Settings’ Storage section, as shown in the screenshot below. You can free up space on your device in this manner.
You can offload apps to free up some extra storage if you still can’t get enough room cleared out on your iPhone. With this feature, unused apps are deleted but their documents and data are kept. With iOS 15, once the option is enabled, the unused apps are automatically offloaded. due to this
- Head to the Settings app and select General.
- Now, tap on the Storage option. There, you will find the option to offload apps. Just Enable it.
You can disable the Offload Unused Programs option in Settings -> App Store to cease offloading apps.
Additionally, you have the option of deleting or reinstalling current apps, which can help you free up some space.
Clear Browsing History and Website Data
Deleting the browsing history and website data on a regular basis is another effective way to stop the System Data from capturing a lot of extraneous storage. Though saved history makes it more convenient to access frequently-visited websites and saves you time, you shouldn t keep the website history for far too long.
Personally, I prefer to get rid of the browsing history every once in a while. It not only lets me keep the browser clutter-free but also safeguards my privacy. Besides, it also plays a vital role in helping the browser run smoothly. Clearing the browsing history of all the popular web browsers such as Safari, Chrome, and Firefox is pretty easy. Let me show you how it s done:
Clear Safari Browsing History
If you want to clean up Safari caches, navigate to the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad -> Safari -> Clear History and Website Data.
Clear Chrome Browsing History
For Chrome, open the app -> tap on the three-dot icon at the bottom -> choose History -> tap on Clear Browsing Data. After that, choose the time range and hit Clear Browsing Data again.
Clear Firefox Browsing History
Launch the app -> tap on the menu button (three tiny horizontal lines) in the bottom right corner of the screen -> tap on History. Following this, selectClear Recent Historyand then chooseEverythingin the menu to wipe out the entire history.
Delete Large Message Attachments
It s always good to remove the message attachments that are no longer required so that they don t end up occupying the iPhone or iPad s storage. Apple s Message app provides a simple way to keep track of message attachments and remove them with ease. Here s what to do:
- Go to the Settings app on your iPhone/iPad.
- Select General and then iPhone/iPad Storage.
- Now, hit the Messages option. Under the Documents section, you should see different categories like Top Conversations, Photos, and Videos. Now, head into the respective category and then delete the useless attachments.
For those who don t know, WhatsApp has a similar way of managing media and deleting unnecessary files to save up storage. You can follow our guide onhow to manage storage on WhatsAppto further free up your device s space.
Reduce Message History
Apart from getting rid of the unnecessary message attachments, you can also choose to remove the history of the text messages from time to time, so that you are able to maintain your iPhone or iPad s space. For this,
- Get to the Messages section via the Settings, and select the Keep Messages option.
- From there, choose to go for 30 days or 1 year instead of Forever. You will now be prompted with an option to delete older messages. If you are okay with this, go ahead and make the changes. This way, you can delete your message frequently.
Update Software
Not too long ago, iOS/iPadOS 13 had faced one rare issue that prevented the system from freeing up storage on iPhone and iPad. The problem was so rampant that Apple had torelease a software update to fix the issue. So, if your device storage is full and it s mostly consumed by System Data, try updating the software.
- Just head to the Settings app and select General.
- Select the Software Update option. Now, download and install the latest version of iOS/iPadOS.
Restore Your Device As New
If the aforementioned steps haven t really helped, I would recommend you restore your device as new. While it s a big step for deleting the System Data on iPhone and iPad, it s the way to go, especially when you want to have a clean slate. But before trying out this method, make sure toback up your device via iCloud(Settings app -> your profile -> iCloud -> iCloud Backup -> Back Up Now) or iTunes.
After you have backed up your device,
- Head over to the Settings app.
- Select General and then Reset. (In iOS 15, you will need to choose Transfer or Reset iPhone/iPad -> Erase All Content and Settings). Once your device has been erased, follow the set-up assistant to set up the device.
Alternately, you can use iTunes to restore your device. Simply, connect your iPhone to a computer and launch iTunes (macOS Mojave or earlier or Windows)/Finder (macOS Catalina or later). Now, select your device and then hit Restore iPhone/iPad. After that, follow the prompts to complete the process.
FAQs
Is clearing cache harmful?
Clearing cached data is not harmful. In fact, it allows you to get rid of the junk system files that only end up occupying the device s extra space and slowing it down.
Why does System Data on iPhone keep increasing?
System Data (or Other data) on iPhone can quickly occupy a lot of storage space. While a lot of this is due to things like caching, logs, and temporary file storage, there are other reasons as well. If you watch a lot of streamed video content on your iPhone, that can quickly eat into your iPhone s storage space as well by adding to System Data.
Delete System Data on iPhone and iPad With Ease
So, that s how you can track down and delete the mysterious System Data on your iPhone and iPad. Considering that this part takes significant storage space, we wish Apple looks into this and comes with a more centralized way of managing miscellaneous data. Until that happens, take advantage of these effective ways to keep your iOS device decluttered.
Do you have any related questions or feedback? If yes, make use of the comments section below.
