When Apple releases an iOS update like iOS 18 a lot of iPhone users want to get it right away. The things it can do the way it works better the fact that it is safer and the new look make people really excited, about updates.. One thing that happens to a lot of people is that they see a message:

“Not enough storage to download iOS 18.”

This problem happens a lot to people who have iPhones with 64GB or 128GB storage.

As time goes on things like photos and videos and messages from WhatsApp and other apps and system files and extra data that your iPhone stores in case you need it all of these things take up space on your iPhone.

By the time a new update, for your iPhone is available your iPhone might not have free space to download and install the new iPhone update.

Before you start with the 5 steps to free up storage you need to know something. The 5 steps to free up storage are important. First you have to understand the 5 steps to free up storage.

I think it is really annoying that iOS updates require much space on our devices.

The reason iOS updates need a lot of space is because they have a lot of features and fixes.

IOS updates are like a package that contains all the new stuff and the things that need to be fixed.

When we download an iOS update it is like downloading this package.

The iOS update needs space to unpack this package and install all the things.

That is why iOS updates need much space on our devices.

I wish Apple could make iOS updates smaller so they do not take up much space on our iPhones.

For now we have to make sure we have enough space on our devices before we can download and install an iOS update.

IOS updates are important because they help keep our devices safe and working properly.

So we should always try to install the iOS update when it is available.

The thing is iOS updates will keep getting bigger because they have more features.

That means we will need more and more space on our devices to download and install them.

I think that is the way it is with iOS updates and our devices.

We have to be careful with the space, on our devices so we can. Install the latest iOS update.

So you are wondering how the storage on your iPhone gets filled up.

The iPhone storage gets filled with lots of things.

You have things like photos and videos that you take with your iPhone.

These photos and videos take up a lot of space on your iPhone.

* Apps that you download from the app store also take up space on your iPhone.

The iPhone storage gets filled when you have apps, on your iPhone.

You also have music and files that you store on your iPhone.

The iPhone storage gets filled with these music files and other files.

Sometimes the iPhone storage gets filled with emails and messages

The iPhone storage gets. Then you cannot store more things on your iPhone.

The amount of space that iOS 18 requires is something that I want to know. How space does iOS 18 actually take up on my phone? I need to find out the amount of space that iOS 18 needs to run properly. IOS 18 is an operating system and it needs a lot of space to work correctly. So I have to check how much space iOS 18 requires before I download it.

Why simply deleting one or two apps is often not enough

This foundation is really going to help you when you are trying to apply the steps. The foundation will make it a lot easier for you to apply the steps and get the results you want. Applying the steps is very important. This foundation will help you do that more effectively with the steps.

I am wondering why iOS 18 needs much storage space on my phone. IOS 18 is taking up a lot of room. I do not understand why iOS 18 requires much storage. Is it because iOS 18 has a lot of features that need space to work properly? I wish iOS 18 did not need much storage. IOS 18 is using up all the space on my device.

People think that if the iOS 18 update file is about 6 to 8 GB that is all the space they need.. The truth is, Apple needs more space for:

Downloading the update file

Unzipping and preparing the update

Installing system files

Temporary backup during installation

If you want to install iOS 18 on your iPhone you need to have some space. IOS 18 is 7 GB in size but your iPhone will probably need, around 10 to 15 GB of free space to install iOS 18 properly and safely. This is because iOS 18 needs some space to work with during the installation process.

Apple does this to prevent things from happening to the Apple devices. Apple wants to make sure that the Apple products are safe for people to use. This is something that Apple does to protect the Apple users.

Data loss

Corrupted installations

The computer system crashes. This is really frustrating when the system crashes. I am trying to do something. Then the system crashes. The system. I lose all my work.

Your phone will not work properly when the storage is low. This is because the phone needs some space to do things. When the storage is low your phone refuses to do some things. Your phone will not proceed with anything when the storage is very low.

Your iPhone storage gets filled up over time. This happens because of all the things you store on your iPhone.

You have a lot of stuff on your iPhone like pictures and videos and music and apps.

* Pictures take up a lot of space on your iPhone storage

* Videos take up more space on your iPhone storage

* Music also takes up space on your iPhone storage

Your iPhone storage gets filled up when you have too many of these things.

You need to make space on your iPhone storage so it does not get too full.

Your iPhone will be slow if the iPhone storage is too full.

You should try to free up space on your iPhone storage.

This will help your iPhone work better. It will not be slow.

You can free up space on your iPhone storage by getting rid of things you do not need.

This will make your iPhone storage not get filled up over time.

Your iPhone storage is important because it helps your iPhone work

You should take care of your iPhone storage so your iPhone works well.

Your iPhone storage gets full even if you do not download a lot of apps. This happens on its own. Some of the things that use up the storage on your iPhone are:

1. Photos and Videos

I think photos are pretty easy to deal with. Videos are a different story. Videos take up an amount of space. When you have a lot of videos it can be really hard to manage them because they are so big. Videos are the thing that take up space on my device.

1 minute of 4K video = 400–500 MB

10 minutes = 4–5 GB

When you record things in resolution or download videos from WhatsApp, Instagram or YouTube the space on your phone gets used up really fast. This happens because these videos, from WhatsApp, Instagram or YouTube take up a lot of space on your phone.

2. WhatsApp and Social Media Media

I want to save my information on WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram and Snapchat. These are the media sites I use and I want to make sure my data is safe, on WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram and Snapchat.

Images

Videos

I want to talk about voice notes. Voice notes are really useful. You can use voice notes to send messages to people. Voice notes are, like voice messages. When you send a voice note the other person can hear your voice.

* You can send voice notes on your phone

* You can send voice notes on your computer

Voice notes are very helpful. People use voice notes to send voice messages. Voice notes are a way to communicate with people. You can use voice notes to talk to people.

Documents

Stickers

These apps use up a lot of space on your phone like 5 to 15 gigabytes or even more. You do not even notice it is happening with these apps.

3. Cached Data

When you use apps they store some information in a place called cache. This helps the apps load faster the time you use them. The apps store cache so that you do not have to wait for a time for things to load. This way apps can load things quickly. You can use them without waiting. Apps store cache to make things faster for you.

YouTube

Safari

Chrome

Instagram

Facebook

The data we have gets bigger every day unless we take the time to clean it by hand. We need to clean the data or the data will just keep growing.

4. “System Data” (Previously “Other”)

The system has a lot of information that it keeps track of. System Data includes:

Temporary files

Logs

Siri voices

When you update your software there are sometimes things that do not get removed. These software update leftovers can take up space on your computer. The software update leftovers are usually files, from the previous version of the software. You should get rid of these software update leftovers to free up space on your computer and make it run better. Cleaning up software update leftovers is an idea.

Streaming caches

This thing can take up a lot of space on your computer or phone. It often becomes one of the things that uses up all your storage space.

5. Unused Apps

I think we all have apps that we installed one time and then totally forgot about. These are the kinds of apps that we do not use anymore. Apps like these are just taking up space on our phones.

* Some apps you installed once and forgot are still, on your phone

* You probably do not even remember what some of these apps do.

Apps you installed once and forgot are a problem because they take up space that we could use for things. We should really clean out apps you installed once and forgot.

Games

Editing apps

Shopping apps

Banking demos

Each app is small, by itself. When you have a lot of apps they use up a lot of space on your device. The apps themselves do not take space but all the apps together take significant space.

How Much Space Does iOS 18 Require?

Apple does not tell us how many of each model they sell. Usually they do not give out these numbers for every model. Apple just does not share this information with the public for each and every one of their models.

Update Type Required Free Space

Minor Update 3–5 GB

Major Update (like iOS 18) 10–15 GB

If your iPhone does not have a lot of space like less than 8 GB then the update will probably not work. Your iPhone needs to have free space for the update to work properly. If your iPhone has than 8 GB free then you will likely have problems, with the update.

How to Check Your Current Storage

Before doing anything, check your storage:

Open Settings

Tap General

Tap iPhone Storage

You will see:

Total storage

Used storage

Free storage

A color-coded bar showing:

Apps

Photos

Media

System Data

This screen is like a map that helps you figure out how to free up space on your computer. It shows you the things that are taking up room so you can decide what to get rid of. The screen is your roadmap, to freeing space.

Mistakes that people make are really common. People make these mistakes all the time. When we talk about Common Mistakes People Make we are talking about the mistakes that people make. These Common Mistakes People Make can happen to anyone.

* There are Common Mistakes People Make in our daily lives

* We should try to avoid these Common Mistakes People Make

People need to be careful so they do not make these Common Mistakes People Make. By being careful we can avoid the Common Mistakes People Make that people often make.

Before learning the 5 steps, avoid these mistakes:

❌ Deleting only one app and trying again

❌ Ignoring WhatsApp and Photos

We should remember to empty the ” Deleted” folder. It is easy to forget about the ” Deleted” folder. The ” Deleted” folder can fill up quickly if we do not empty it regularly.

* Check the ” Deleted” folder often to see what is inside

* Make it a habit to empty the ” Deleted” folder every week to avoid problems, with the “Recently Deleted” folder.

❌ Not restarting after cleanup

❌ Trusting “cleaner apps” blindly

Real storage cleaning is manual and smart, not automatic.

Why Freeing Space Is Better Than Updating via iTunes

Some people use a computer to update things so they do not have storage problems.. Even when they do this:

We still need a space. The thing is we have to have some place to put things for now so a temporary space is still necessary. We are talking about a space here and it is still something that we require.

Your phone still needs some memory so it can work properly. Your phone needs this memory to store new things. If your phone does not have free memory it will not work very well. You should try to free up some memory on your phone.

When the computer has storage it slows down the entire system. This is because the system needs storage to run properly. Low storage really slows down the system. Makes it hard to use. The system will be slow if it has storage.

Freeing space is always the solution when we think about the long term. This is because freeing space helps us in ways. Freeing space is what we should do to stay organized and have room, for the things we need.

When your iPhone shows “Not enough storage to download iOS 18,” the biggest culprit in most cases is your Photos app. Photos and videos, especially videos, consume more space than anything else on your phone. If handled properly, this single step can free anywhere from 5 GB to 25 GB or even more.

Many people hesitate to delete photos because they fear losing memories. But the key is not to delete blindly—it is to organize, back up, and then remove safely.

Why Photos and Videos Take So Much Space

Let’s understand the storage impact:

• One photo (12MP): 2–5 MB
• One Live Photo: 5–10 MB
• One minute of HD video: 100–150 MB
• One minute of 4K video: 400–500 MB

Now imagine:

• 10 minutes of 4K video = 4–5 GB
• 100 short clips = 8–10 GB

That alone is enough to block your iOS 18 update.

Step-by-Step: How to Check Photo Storage

1. Go to Settings
2. Tap General
3. Tap iPhone Storage
4. Tap Photos

You will see:

• How much space Photos is using
• Recommendations like:
  • Review Personal Videos
  • Optimize Storage
  • Review Duplicates

This is where your cleanup begins.

1. Delete Large Videos First

Videos give the biggest storage return.

How to find large videos:

1. Open Photos
2. Tap Albums
3. Scroll down and open Videos
4. Sort by Size or manually look at long-duration videos

Ask yourself:

• Do I need this?
• Is it already shared?
• Is it backed up elsewhere?

Delete unnecessary ones.

2. Use “Review Duplicates” (iOS Feature)

iOS has a built-in duplicate detector.

1. Open Photos
2. Go to Albums
3. Find Duplicates
4. Tap Merge or Delete

This can instantly free 500 MB to 3 GB.

3. Clean WhatsApp & Social Media Media from Photos

Many users don’t realize WhatsApp saves media automatically.

To stop this:

• WhatsApp → Settings → Chats → Turn Save to Photos OFF

Now clean existing media:

• Photos → Albums → WhatsApp
• Delete useless videos, memes, and forwarded content

This can easily free 2–8 GB.

4. Empty “Recently Deleted” (Very Important)

Deleted photos still stay for 30 days.

1. Photos → Albums
2. Open Recently Deleted
3. Tap Select
4. Tap Delete All

Without this, you haven’t actually freed space.

5. Use iCloud to Save Photos Without Losing Them

If you don’t want to delete permanently:

1. Go to Settings
2. Tap your name → iCloud
3. Tap Photos
4. Turn on iCloud Photos
5. Select Optimize iPhone Storage

Your photos stay in iCloud, and only small versions remain on your phone. This can free 10–30 GB depending on your library size.

6. Transfer Photos to PC or External Drive

If you don’t want iCloud:

• Connect iPhone to:
  • Windows PC
  • MacBook
  • External storage
• Copy photos/videos
• Confirm backup
• Then delete from iPhone

This gives you full control and no monthly cost.

7. Restart Your iPhone

After deleting:

• Restart your phone
  This refreshes system storage and clears temporary cache.