What's taking up 7.64GB worth of Photos if I don't have any on my iPhone?

[Big Byte]

I have an iPhone SE with 64GB of storage.

My iPhone has no photos or videos on it, as I either delete or download my photos or videos to my MBP on a regular basis. Here's a screenshot of my Photos library on my iPhone as of now.



However, when I open up Settings on my iPhone and go to General -> iPhone Storage, it shows that I have 7.64GB in Photos. As I have no photos or videos on my iPhone, I'm left with the impression that the Photos app itself is 7.63GB in size, but I find that hard to believe. Is the app really that large on its own? Here's a screenshot of my iPhone Storage as of now.



Similarly, when I view my iPhone in Finder when it is connected to my MBP, it shows that I have 7.64GB of photos/videos on my iPhone, as shown in this screenshot.


Finder also shows that I have 4.82GB of Documents & Data on my iPhone, as shown in this screenshot.


However, I don't store any Documents & Data on my iPhone, at least to my knowledge. My Notes, Calendars, Contacts and Reminders are all stored in iCloud, but since my work involves confidential information, I only keep those documents on my MBP and not my iPhone.

On a weekly basis, however, I do record a long video of my band's rehearsal on my iPhone, which I download to my MBP the next day and then delete from the iPhone. These rehearsal are a few of hours in length, and the file size reflects that. But, once I delete the video from my iPhone after I've downloaded it to my MBP, I then empty the "Recently Deleted" Album in General -> iPhone Storage -> Photos, as shown in this screenshot.



My questions are, what is using upwards of 12GB of data on my iPhone in terms of Photos and Documents & Data that I can't seem to find or have any knowledge of?
And, how can I find a way to delete them in order to free up more space?

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[IWT]

Thank you for your post. I understand your predicament.

I have a few questions for you.

Do you use iCloud to sync between devices? Yes or No?

On your iPhone > Settings > Photos -

Do you have iCloud Photos ON?
Do you have My Photo Stream ON?

On your Mac - when you attach or wireless-connect the iPhone - as you go from “General” to “Files” what settings do you have regards Syncing?

A lot of questions, but we are are not sitting next to you

Lastly, for the moment, you seem to be way behind the latest version for iPhones - you show iOS 16.3.1. We are way beyond that now. It went from 16.3 through various iterations of 16.4 and the current iOS is 16.4.1. I suggest you bring your iPhone up to the latest iOS.

Ian

 

[Rod]

Have a look in Recently Deleted in Photos on your iPhone. It's down the bottom under Utilities in the Albums window.
You said, "On a weekly basis, however, I do record a long video of my band's rehearsal on my iPhone, which I download to my MBP the next day and then delete from the iPhone."
Deleted Photo files remain in the Deleted Folder for 30 days unless you force Delete Immediately.

 

[Big Byte]

Have a look in Recently Deleted in Photos on your iPhone. It's down the bottom under Utilities in the Albums window.
You said, "On a weekly basis, however, I do record a long video of my band's rehearsal on my iPhone, which I download to my MBP the next day and then delete from the iPhone."
Deleted Photo files remain in the Deleted Folder for 30 days unless you force Delete Immediately.

Thanks for the reply. Yes, I do "empty" the Recently Deleted photos on a regular basis, as well.

Lastly, for the moment, you seem to be way behind the latest version for iPhones - you show iOS 16.3.1. We are way beyond that now. It went from 16.3 through various iterations of 16.4 and the current iOS is 16.4.1. I suggest you bring your iPhone up to the latest iOS.

Thanks for the suggestion. I just updated my iPhone to iOS 16.4.1

Do you use iCloud to sync between devices? Yes or No?

Yes, I do use iCloud to sync between devices, but I don't use it to sync Photos. Here's a couple of screenshots showing what I sync between my MBP and my iPhone.

Do you have iCloud Photos ON?
Do you have My Photo Stream ON?

To answer your first question, no, I do not have iCloud Photos ON (please see above screenshots).

To answer your second question, I had to look up My Photo Stream to find out what it is and where to find it. I couldn't find it in the sidebar of Photos, so I opened up Preferences in Photos. Here are 2 screenshots showing the options that were selected.

On your Mac - when you attach or wireless-connect the iPhone - as you go from “General” to “Files” what settings do you have regards Syncing?

If I'm following your question correctly, here are 2 other screenshots showing what I have selected in those settings. (Note: I don't know why it still shows my iPhone iOS as 16.3.1, even though I updated the iOS as you suggested and I noted at the beginning of this post).




I hope that answers your questions for me. Looking forward to hearing back from you.

Thanks.

 

[ferrarr]

In Finder, with the iPhone connected, what are the settings on the Photos page?

 

[Big Byte]

In Finder, with the iPhone connected, what are the settings on the Photos page?

Hi, assuming this is what you're asking for, the settings look like this.

 

[ferrarr]

Uncheck the Sync Photos option to stop the photos from taking up space on your iPhone.

 

[Big Byte]

Uncheck the Sync Photos option to stop the photos from taking up space on your iPhone.

Hi, I tried your suggestion, and then synced my iPhone to my MBP. Unfortunately, it didn't work.

Here's a screenshot showing that I unchecked the Sync Photos option.


And here are screenshots showing that Photos is still using 7.63GB of storage, and that it's using that much space in Documents & Data.

 

[Big Byte]

Hey guys, sorry to bother you all again with this issue, but it's getting worse.

As I mentioned when I started this thread, I have no photos or videos on my iPhone; when I take photos or make videos, I soon after transfer them to my MBP and then delete them from my iPhone.

As of the last time I posted in this thread, the Photos app showed 7.63G worth of "Documents & Data" (even though I had no photos or videos on the phone).

Last night, I recorded a video (about 1.5 hours long) on my iPhone, but transferred it over to my MBP this morning and then deleted the video from my iPhone (along with "emptying" the "Recently Deleted" folder).

But, now my iPhone says I have 15.16G worth of "Documents & Data" on my iPhone - again I have NO photos or videos on my iPhone.

Anyone know what's going on here? I'm running out of room on my iPhone, I don't know how to delete these mysterious "Documents & Data", and it's getting frustrating!

Thanks.

 

[Rod]

Just a couple of observations BigByte.
64GB on an iPhone these days is simply not enough storage. Similarly the included 5GB of free iCloud storage is equally inadequate.
I too have an iPhone SE2 but with 128GB of storage 58GB free, some time back I increased my iCloud storage to 50GB for $1.50/mth.
I have iCloud Photos Library turned on on all my devices. Since the demise of My Photo Stream it's about the only way to keep my photos synced.
I have Optimise Photos Storage turned on on my portable devices but not my MBP. (Optimise Mac Storage). Optimising only takes place on my iPhone if I'm short of space.
I have turned on iCloud Backup on my iPhone/iPad which usually takes place at night, while charging. I Sync/backup pretty much everything.
Lastly, I always remember that anything deleted from my iPhone through the phone itself especially Photos can take up to 30 days to have effect.
The upshot of all this is my iPhone storage looks like the below screen shot;
System data is not exclusively photos either although the numbers are often about the same.



As you can see I have about half of my storage free, I could not manage with 64GB in today's high data world. About 4 years ago I said the same thing about 32GB.¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[Big Byte]

Just a couple of observations BigByte.
64GB on an iPhone these days is simply not enough storage. Similarly the included 5GB of free iCloud storage is equally inadequate.
I too have an iPhone SE2 but with 128GB of storage 58GB free, some time back I increased my iCloud storage to 50GB for $1.50/mth.
I have iCloud Photos Library turned on on all my devices. Since the demise of My Photo Stream it's about the only way to keep my photos synced.
I have Optimise Photos Storage turned on on my portable devices but not my MBP. (Optimise Mac Storage). Optimising only takes place on my iPhone if I'm short of space.
I have turned on iCloud Backup on my iPhone/iPad which usually takes place at night, while charging. I Sync/backup pretty much everything.
Lastly, I always remember that anything deleted from my iPhone through the phone itself especially Photos can take up to 30 days to have effect.
The upshot of all this is my iPhone storage looks like the below screen shot;
System data is not exclusively photos either although the numbers are often about the same.

View attachment 38614

As you can see I have about half of my storage free, I could not manage with 64GB in today's high data world. About 4 years ago I said the same thing about 32GB.¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I appreciate the reply, but the reality for me is that I do not, at this time, need more storage on my iPhone or in iCloud. When I bought my iPhone last year, I also bought a new iPad and new MBP. All three devices were bought for specific reasons and uses. My MBP has 1TB of storage, rarely leaves my home, and is used for work and to store photos, videos, etc. that are regularly transferred to it from my iPhone; the iPad is used for music related apps (study materials, instructional apps, etc.) and books and pdf files I have downloaded; and the iPhone is used for phone calls, texting, taking notes and listening to music when I'm on the go, as well as taking the odd photo or video of my band's rehearsals - which, as I mentioned, are all soon after transferred to my MBP and then deleted from the iPhone. Essentially, I don't keep anything of importance on my iPhone that is not then stored on my MBP; in doing so, I try and hope to keep my iPhone clear of any clutter and anything of importance that would be lost in the event I lose or damage my iPhone. Maybe down the road I'll need an iPhone with more storage, but I don't at this time.

Moving to today, I noticed after I read your post while having my morning coffee that the amount of space Photos is taking up DECREASED from the 15.1G it was taking up back to the 7.63G it was taking up (and which was the initial amount of storage being used that I could not understand and reason for me starting this thread in the first place). Why it decreased all of a sudden overnight, I have no idea, but I'm not concerned about that right now.

What I am still concerned about is being able to find - and delete - the remaining 7.63G of "Documents & Data" that is being stored in Photos when, to mention again, I do not have a single photo or video on my phone. I believe I have searched all possible files on my phone and in iCloud on the browser, but still can't figure this out.

How can I be using 7.63G worth of "Documents & Data" and not be able to find it so I can delete it? I figure I must be missing something obvious here.

 

[pm-r]

But, now my iPhone says I have 15.16G worth of "Documents & Data" on my iPhone - again I have NO photos or videos on my iPhone.

It seems to depend on what is considered "Documents & Data" on your iPhone and probably is not exactly what you think it might be.

Check this page out for information and a possible solution or at least ease the amount being used:

What is Documents and Data on iPhone?
Documents and Data is made up of cached files and cookies (such as log-in data and preferences) and downloaded files like images and videos. These files are created and stored in order for the app to perform more quickly and efficiently for you on repeat visits to the app. However, it can soon eat up lots of space on your iPhone. You may find yourself wanting to clear out this data to make space on your iPhone - especially if it's an app you rarely use!

What is Documents and Data on iPhone? - and How to Delete it

Discover what documents and data is on iPhone, what makes it up, and how to delete such files from your iPhone to clear space!

www.wideanglesoftware.com

I'm not sure but I believe the amount of photos etc. also includes all of the iPhone storage areas including email attachments and messaging apps folders with videos or pictures.




- Patrick
=======

 

[Rod]

It is true that most if not all apps store information in Documents and Data but I get it that Big Byte just wants to delete the Photos content.
The interesting thing about this is that I have 12,740 photos and 191 short videos but I only have 3.16GB of Photos data in Documents & Data.
I also have 141 apps on my iPhone, all of which store some data yet total system data is only 10.87GB.
I don't have a real explanation other than following suggested guidelines.
That is
I have iCloud Photos Library turned on as above and I sync everything else in Apps Using iCloud.
I can say that since turning iCloud Photos Library on I have noticed a slight drop in the storage on my iPhone though why that would be I cannot say. Not because they have been optimised because that only happens if I'm short of storage.

 

[ferrarr]

Did you try a reinstall of iOS?

Do you have images in your Files app that you may have opened with Photos?

 

[MacInWin]

A couple of thoughts:

1. What resolution are you using for photos/videos? You can check at Settings/Camera and then look at "Formats" and "Record Video." The ProRAW take up a LOT of space, as does ProRes for Video.
2. Do you empty the recently deleted images/videos? On the iPHone, when you delete these items, they are preserved for 30 days in case you change your mind, but can be immediately deleted in Photos. Go to Recently Deleted in Photos to do that.

And 64 GB is too small for video use. Videos get huge quickly.

 

[Big Byte]

It seems to depend on what is considered "Documents & Data" on your iPhone and probably is not exactly what you think it might be.

Check this page out for information and a possible solution or at least ease the amount being used:

What is Documents and Data on iPhone? - and How to Delete it

Discover what documents and data is on iPhone, what makes it up, and how to delete such files from your iPhone to clear space!

www.wideanglesoftware.com

I'm not sure but I believe the amount of photos etc. also includes all of the iPhone storage areas including email attachments and messaging apps folders with videos or pictures.




- Patrick
=======

I appreciate the reply. I took a look at the link you posted; I think I have an understanding of what "Documents & Data" ("D&D") are, in general, and how they relate to individual apps. Unfortunately, while the link explains how to delete the D&D from specific apps, none of the apps on my phone take up an inordinate amount of storage space - except, of course, the Photos app, which is the topic of this thread.

It is true that most if not all apps store information in Documents and Data but I get it that Big Byte just wants to delete the Photos content.
The interesting thing about this is that I have 12,740 photos and 191 short videos but I only have 3.16GB of Photos data in Documents & Data.
I also have 141 apps on my iPhone, all of which store some data yet total system data is only 10.87GB.
I don't have a real explanation other than following suggested guidelines.
That is View attachment 38616
I have iCloud Photos Library turned on as above and I sync everything else in Apps Using iCloud.
I can say that since turning iCloud Photos Library on I have noticed a slight drop in the storage on my iPhone though why that would be I cannot say. Not because they have been optimised because that only happens if I'm short of storage.

This is why I'm frustrated: I have 0 photos and 0 videos on my phone (because I constantly transfer them to my MBP, and then delete them from my iPhone along with emptying the "Recently Deleted" cache); and I don't sync my photos to iCloud. On the other hand, you have over 12,000 photos and only have about 3GB of D&D in iPhotos! How?! Why?!

Did you try a reinstall of iOS?

Do you have images in your Files app that you may have opened with Photos?

I haven't tried to reinstall the iOS, and don't know how to do so. I'm also worried that I may muck something up if I try to do it. What do you think reinstall the iOS will do?

Regarding images in my Files app, I only have a couple of them: the GarageBand file ("My Song") is only 248KB; and the Documents file ("About Stacks") is only 7.9MB.

A couple of thoughts:

1. What resolution are you using for photos/videos? You can check at Settings/Camera and then look at "Formats" and "Record Video." The ProRAW take up a LOT of space, as does ProRes for Video.
2. Do you empty the recently deleted images/videos? On the iPHone, when you delete these items, they are preserved for 30 days in case you change your mind, but can be immediately deleted in Photos. Go to Recently Deleted in Photos to do that.

And 64 GB is too small for video use. Videos get huge quickly.

To answer your questions:

1. I don't know what resolution I use for photos/videos, I only use the defaults when taking a video using the Camera app or recording audio in GarageBand. But, as mentioned above, I regularly delete photos/videos and audio recordings as soon as I transfer them to my MBP.

2. Yes, I empty the "Recently Deleted" files as soon as I transfer them to my MBP.

_______________


So, I'm really at a loss as to what to do, and it seems that things are getting worse regarding storage space being used up on my iPhone.

When I first created this thread, I posted a screenshot of my iPhone showing that 38.1GB of 64GB of storage was used on my iPhone, with 7.64GB being used up by Photos. Today, I took another look, and I now have 49.4GB of 64GB of storage used on my iPhone. Comparing the two screenshots, I am not concerned that the Music storage has increased about 2.5GB since I created this thread, as I have been putting more of my music collection on my iPhone. But, where did the extra 7.5GB of data come from?

Here's the screenshot:



I compared my iPhone to my iPad, and, even though they are synced between each other (and my MBP), it only shows 28GB of 64GB used.

Here's a screenshot:



Regarding how much space the Photos app takes up on my iPad, I had to scroll far down the list of apps, as it only takes up 120.1MB of data.

Here's a screenshot:



At this point, I don't know what to do. I'll consider reinstalling the iOS as suggested, but I'll need to know how to do that without running into any issues.

I've searched the web, and the only other thing that's come up is to use the "date trick" outlined in this Reddit link: https://www.reddit.com/r/iphone/comments/zzoqdj . Any idea if that will work?

Thanks for everyone's help trying to resolve this form me.