RoomForGemsYour phone is full, but you don't want to lose a single photo. That is a very reasonable wish. The good news is that photos are rarely the only thing using space. And when they are, there are ways to keep every one of them and still get room back.
Each step below says what it costs you, if anything. Pick the ones that suit you.
On iPhone: let iCloud hold the full-size photos
If you use iCloud Photos, you can turn on Optimize iPhone Storage. Apple says your full-resolution originals are stored in iCloud, and your iPhone keeps "space-saving versions" (Apple Support, read on 15 October 2026). It does this when the phone needs room, starting with the photos you open least.
To check it:
- Open Settings, tap your name, then iCloud.
- Tap Photos and make sure Sync this iPhone is on.
- On iOS 27 or later, tap iPhone Storage. On earlier versions, the choice is on the same screen.
- Choose Optimize iPhone Storage.
The honest trade-offs:
- It needs enough iCloud space for your whole library. Every Apple Account starts with 5 GB free. Most libraries need more, which means paying for iCloud+. See iCloud storage full vs iPhone storage full.
- Originals need the internet. When you open a photo, the full-size version downloads over Wi-Fi or mobile data. Without a connection you see the smaller copy.
On iPhone: offload apps you rarely use
Offloading removes an app but keeps its documents and data. The icon stays on your Home Screen with a small cloud. Tap it to reinstall the app, with your data still there.
To let the iPhone do this when space runs low, go to Settings › Apps › App Store and turn on Offload Unused Apps. To offload one app by hand, go to Settings › General › iPhone Storage, tap the app, and choose Offload App.
On iPhone: tidy Messages attachments
Years of shared photos and videos can fill a phone. These live inside Messages, not in your Photos library, unless you saved them there.
To remove attachments from one chat, open the conversation, tap the person's name or picture at the top, and tap a category such as Photos. Tap Edit, then Select, choose what to remove, and delete. Save anything precious to Photos first.
There is also a setting: Settings › Apps › Messages › Keep Messages. You can choose 30 days, 1 year or Forever. Please be careful. Apple warns that with anything other than Forever, conversations "including all attachments" are removed automatically (Apple Support, read on 15 October 2026).
Deleted messages wait in Recently Deleted in Messages for up to 30 days. The space comes back once they leave it.
On iPhone: clear Safari's website data
Websites save data on your phone. Clearing it can free some space.
- Open Settings › Apps › Safari.
- Tap Clear History and Website Data.
- Choose a time range, then tap Clear History.
If you want to keep your history, go to Settings › Apps › Safari › Advanced › Website Data and tap Remove All Website Data instead. Either way, you may need to sign in to some websites again. Other browsers have their own setting for this.
On iPhone: remove downloaded music and videos
Apple lists downloaded videos as a common use of space. Look in the TV app and other streaming apps for videos you saved to watch offline, and remove the ones you have seen.
In the Apple Music app, touch and hold a song or album, tap Remove, then Remove Download. Apple says the music stays in your library and plays over the internet. Do not choose Delete from Library, which removes it from your library.
Podcast and streaming apps usually have a downloads list of their own (not verified for every app).
On iPhone: use the High Efficiency camera format
Go to Settings › Camera › Formats. Apple offers High Efficiency (HEIF photos and HEVC video) and Most Compatible (JPEG and H.264). Apple says High Efficiency files "use less storage space" with the same visual quality (Apple Support, read on 15 October 2026).
This only changes new photos and videos. It does not shrink the ones you already have.
Move photos to a computer or external drive
This keeps every photo, just not on the phone.
On a Mac: connect the iPhone with a cable, unlock it and tap Trust if asked. Open Photos and click Import All New Items, or use Image Capture to save them straight to a folder or an external drive.
On a Windows PC: Apple says to install the Apple Devices app from the Microsoft Store. Then connect the phone, unlock it, and tap Trust or Allow. Open the Photos app on the PC, select Import, and choose your phone. Android phones can be imported the same way. You may need to set the phone's USB mode to file or photo transfer.
Two cautions:
- If iCloud Photos is on, Apple says to download the full-size originals to the iPhone before importing to a PC.
- Check the copies open on the computer before removing anything from the phone. If iCloud Photos is on, deleting on the iPhone deletes from iCloud and your other Apple devices too.
On Android: back up, then Free up space
If you use Google Photos backup, your phone may still hold a full copy of each photo. Once everything is backed up, open Google Photos, tap your profile picture, then Free up space on this device. Google says this removes the phone copies only. The photos stay in your Google Photos library. Photos less than 30 days old may stay on the phone.
The trade-off: you will not see those photos in your phone's own gallery, or at all while offline.
Backup quality: Storage saver
In Google Photos, tap your profile picture, then Google Photos settings › Backup › Photos & videos quality. Storage saver resizes photos larger than 16 MP to 16 MP, and videos above 1080p to 1080p. Google says backups count toward your Google Account storage, so a smaller backup uses less of it.
Be honest with yourself about this one. Storage saver reduces the quality of the backed-up copy. If the phone copy is then removed, the full-quality original is gone. Choose Original quality for photos that matter most.
On Android: SD card and Files by Google
If your phone has a memory card slot, move photos and videos there. On a Samsung phone: My Files, select the files, Move, SD card, Move here.
The Files by Google app also has a Clean section that suggests other files to remove, such as duplicate files and unused apps. See our Android storage guide for the details.
Where RoomForGems fits, honestly
Sometimes, after all of this, you still need room. The biggest single items on most phones are long videos. RoomForGems lists your largest videos first, with the size and length of each. Then it gives you choices besides deleting:
- Make it smaller. Keep a video and make it smaller, or a whole batch at once, with the likely saving shown before you start.
- Trim, don't delete. Keep the best minute of a long video as a real smaller file.
- Live Photos as stills (iPhone). A Live Photo holds a still and a short video. Apple's Image Capture guide notes it imports as two separate files. RoomForGems can keep the ones you choose as stills.
To be clear, these still replace a file. The original goes only after the new copy is saved and checked, and only with your phone's own confirmation. If iCloud Photos is on, that change reaches your other Apple devices too. So if full quality matters, copy the original to a computer first.
Everything happens on your phone. No photos leave it. Scanning is free, and you can free up to 1 GB without paying. Then it is $9.99 once, through the App Store or Google Play, with no subscription. Family Sharing is on for the iPhone purchase. See how we handle your photos.