Here on Naijaknowhow, we’ll be writing about how to clear iPhone/iPad system data. The system data on an iPhone or iPad is a collection of information that’s all about how the device works. It’s mainly focused on the operating system, which is iOS for iPhones and iPadOS for iPads.
The information can be helpful to understand more about how your device is running and to manage its storage better. This data includes fonts, logs (records of what the device has been doing), dictionaries, local keychain data (which stores passwords and other sensitive info), and details about CloudKit, a way for apps to store data in the cloud.
It’s a good idea to clear iPhone/iPad system data from apps or the entire device, from time to time. If you don’t, this data can build up and cause issues like apps crashing, your device freezing, slowing down unexpectedly, or even using up more battery than it should.
How to View System Data on iPhone/iPad
To view the system data on your device, first, open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad. Then, find the section called “General” and tap on it. After that, look for “iPhone Storage” and tap on that. When you scroll down a bit, you’ll see an option called “System Data,” and you can tap on it to take a closer look at what’s there.
How to Clear iPhone/iPad System Data
There are different ways to clear system data on iPhone or iPad. It just depends on what you want to do. For some, they might want to clear whole system data. Others might choose to do just a minimal clearing. Whichever you want to do, you’ll likely find it here.
Method 1: Clearing App Data
When you clear data from apps, it can help your device run smoother and more efficiently. The good news is that some apps make it easy to delete this stored data right from their settings.
Just open the app, go to its settings, and you’ll usually find an option to clear the cache there. But, there are some apps that don’t give you a direct way to do this on your iPhone or iPad. For those apps, you might need to use some other methods to clear their cached data.
If you can’t clear the cached data in some apps, you have two options. You can either delete it entirely or offload unneeded apps. When you offload apps, it means you remove the app itself, but all the stuff you’ve saved in it, like documents and data, stays safe.
Method 2: Offloading Unused App from your iPhone or iPad
Offloading unused app is one of the ways to clear iPhone/iPad system data. This way, you can free up space while keeping your user data safe. To do this, you can follow these simple steps.
1. First, open your device’s settings. Then look for “General,” and after that, select “iPhone Storage.”
2. In the “iPhone Storage” section, you’ll see an option called “Offload Unused Apps.” Just tap on it and then enable the feature.
Method 3: Reducing Message History
You can also clear out your text message history from your iPhone or iPad to free up some space. Here’s how you can do it:
- Open the Settings app on your device. Tap on “Messages.” Then, choose “Keep Messages.”
- You’ll see options like 30 days, 1 year, or Forever. This sets how long your messages are stored on your device.
- When you pick one of these options, your device will ask if you want to delete older messages. Just follow the instructions to clear out your message history. This can help keep your device running smoothly by freeing up storage space.
Method 4: Deleting Large Message Attachments
Attachments are basically media files that come with your messages. These files can be quite big, and they take up space on your iPhone or iPad. To keep your device’s storage in check, it’s a good idea to delete these message attachments. Here’s how you can do it:
- Open your device’s settings. Go to “General,” and then tap on “iPhone Storage.”
- Look for “Messages” and go to the “Documents & Data” section. In this section, you’ll see different categories like “Top Conversations,” “Photos,” and “Videos.” Click on these categories and delete the attachments you don’t need. This will help you save space on your device.
Method 5: Clearing Browsing History and Website Data
A good way to stop your system data from taking up too much storage is by regularly deleting your browsing history and website data. Even though having your browsing history can be handy for revisiting your favorite sites, it’s not a good idea to keep it for too long. Here’s how you can clear iPhone/iPad system data on the default Safari web browser:
1. Open your device’s Settings app. Tap on “Safari.”
2. Then, choose “Clear History and Website Data.” This will help free up some space on your device.
To clear browsing data on other installed web browsers such as Chrome, you’ll have to do so from within the app. For Chrome, open the Chrome app, tap on the three-dot icon at the bottom, and choose “Clear Browsing Data.” Select the time range for the data you want to clear, and tap on “Clear Browsing Data.”
Method 6: Installing iOS / iPadOS update
A while back, iOS/iPadOS 13 had a unique problem where it couldn’t free up storage on iPhones and iPads. This issue was widespread, and Apple had to release a software update to solve it. So, if your device is running out of storage mainly due to System Data, you should try updating your software.
Here’s what you can do: Go to your device’s Settings. Select “General,” and then choose “Software Update.” If there’s a new update available, download and install it. This update can help fix the storage problem.
Method 7: Reset Your iPhone / iPad
If the previous steps didn’t work, you might consider restoring your device to its original state. This is a significant step for getting rid of the System Data on your iPhone or iPad and starting fresh. But make sure you backup your device using iCloud or iTunes. Once you’ve done that, follow these steps:
1. Open your device’s Settings. Go to “General,” and then choose “Transfer or Reset.”
2. Select “Erase all content and settings” and tap “Continue.”
3. If your device asks for it, enter your passcode. Your iPhone will back up your data to iCloud. You can also choose to skip this step by tapping “Skip Backup.”
4. If you skipped the backup, you’ll need to enter your Apple ID password and turn off the Find My iPhone feature from the top-right corner. Then, tap “Erase iPhone.”
5. Once your iPhone is reset, follow the setup assistant to get your device up and running again.
Also, you can connect your iPhone or iPad to a PC or Mac and use iTunes to restore your data. Here’s how:C
- Connect your iPhone or iPad to your PC or Mac using a cable.
- Open iTunes on your computer. In iTunes, select your device.
- Click on “Restore iPhone” or “Restore iPad,” depending on your device. Then follow the instructions to complete the restoration process.
Conclusion
It’s a smart move to clear iPhone/iPad system data every so often. If you don’t, this data can accumulate and lead to problems. Make sure to follow the guide above as there are various options for clearing system data on your iPhone or iPad, depending on what you want to achieve. Whatever your desire is, you’ll likely find the right solution here.
