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Two tricks for freeing up enough space to install iOS 8

Published Sep 17th, 2014 4:03PM EDT
iOS 8 Installation Tips

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iOS 8 is a huge update for many reasons — not only has it added a ton of new features such as interactive notifications widgets and support for app extensions, but it’s also literally a huge update that will take up a lot of storage space on your iPhone. The Wall Street Journal has put together some tips and tricks to help iPhone users with limited storage free up enough space to download and install the new update.

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Basically, the Journal says you have two options: Either delete personal content such as photos and videos that you’ve stored on your phone or delete apps that you installed but don’t use much anymore. Since you’re probably less than enthused about deleting videos of your wedding or newborn child, the first place you’ll want to look is probably in little-used apps.

One area that’s ripe with delete-worthy data is the Messages app, as old iMessage threads can contain surprising amounts of data, especially if they’re loaded with multimedia files. After that, you should probably go through your folders and decide whether you really need to keep that old version of Angry Birds on your hard drive, especially since you haven’t touched it in months.

Once you’ve squeezed enough blood out of your apps folder, it’s time to go through the painful process of figuring out which pictures and videos to sacrifice. The Journal recommends sending all your multimedia files on your iPhone to a computer as backup before proceeding since iCloud is no surefire guarantee.

The Journal’s full article contains a lot more details on freeing up storage space on your iPhone and you should check it out by clicking the source link below.

Brad Reed
Brad Reed Staff Writer

Brad Reed has written about technology for over eight years at BGR.com and Network World. Prior to that, he wrote freelance stories for political publications such as AlterNet and the American Prospect. He has a Master's Degree in Business and Economics Journalism from Boston University.