HOW TO UNLOCK EXTRA SPACE ON YOUR IPHONE/IPOD/IPAD

Reconciliasion · January 13, 2013

Last night as i was syncing my 32gb iPhone 5 i noticed the issue of â€œother filesâ€ taking up almost half the memory on the iPhone, without any information or clue as to why that all of a sudden happened.

First thing i did was think through if there were any files i had added to the iPhone or any apps installed that would hog the memory in such a way, but could not think of anything. So i started searching on Google to see if anyone else have had the same problem with â€œother filesâ€ eating up iPhone memory, and there seemed to be quite a lot of people out there experiencing the same issue, but a lack of clear explanations as how you can fix it.

A lot 0f the people who has experienced this issue had chosen to do a complete restore of the iPhone, a task that depending on the iPhone model you have could take +5 hours and a lot of headache. Then i came across a post, how they had done a complete restore, but in the comments, and there were lots of them, some of the readers suggested alternative ways to do it that seemed easier and less time heavy.

I used the method suggested and it worked out really well for me, and saved me a lot of time, so i decided to share the step-by-step guide just for the Linus Tech Tips forum community on how to remove and fix the problem with â€œother filesâ€ taking over your iPhone memory.

Here are the steps that worked brilliantly for me:

Step 1: Turn of sync music in iTunes

When you have synced your iPhone and noticed that â€œother filesâ€ have taken up a lot of storage space on the iPhone, un-tick the â€œsync musicâ€ alternative in iTunes before un-connecting your iPhone.

Step 2: Install DiskAid software on computer/mac

DiskAid is a neat little software that allows you transfer files to your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad, treating it as a USB drive. They offer a free trial of the software so no need to purchase it first time you have to use it at least.

Make sure your iPhone is connected with the USB when you open up DiskAid. When the program is running, at the bottom left corner it says â€œDiskAid folderâ€, click on the drop down list and choose â€œmedia foldersâ€.

Step 3: Go into iTunes Control folder and then the Music folder

In DiskAid you will see an overview of all the folders and files on your iPhone. Go to the iTunes Control Folder and then the subfolder called Music. Under the Music folder you will likely see a lot of subfolders starting with â€œfâ€.

Step 4: Delete/remove all subfolders in Music

Delete all the subfolders under the Music folder. They include the files that are hogging your iPhone memory under â€œother filesâ€.

Step 5: Open iTunes and sync your iPhone

With â€œmusic syncâ€ still turned off in iTunes, sync your iPhone. This will remove all music files from your iPhone, but keep all other content. Donâ€™t worry about this though, as in the next steps you will sync the music back onto your iPhone.

Step 6: Unplug iPhone and reboot it

Once the iPhone has finished syncing, unplug it and perform a reboot. The reboot is done by holding down the â€œpower downâ€ button at the top right at the same times as holding down the control button. Hold both of them until the iPhone has switched off and the Apple logo appears on the screen before releasing both buttons. This action will reboot your iPhone.

Step 7: Reconnect your iPhone to iTunes and recheck â€œsync musicâ€

This will put your music back onto the iPhone, and you should not see any of the â€œother filesâ€ taking up any of the iPhone memory. Once the sync is complete your iPhone should be all sorted again.

If you still see â€œother filesâ€ taking up memory on your iPhone you have likely done something wrong or left out subfolders in step 4.

-External Links Not My Responsibility

-iTunes Logo and Trademark is owned by Apple Inc

-Apple.com/iTunes Trademark is owned by Apple Inc

-Contact Apple at every available opportunity

-This will not void your warranty

Ghost · January 13, 2013

Why would you put that in a thread?

Are apple trying to sue you or something?

Dim · January 14, 2013

Because he mentioned the Apple logo.

It's just a disclaimer.

We all know how sue-hungry Apple is.

dgtL · January 30, 2013

it never hurts to watch your ass.

pretty sure you mean " *Is* Apple trying to sue you"

dgtL · January 30, 2013

Thanks for this write up! if i have any of these issues i will remember this post.

Ghost · January 30, 2013

Why would you put that in a thread?

Are apple trying to sue you or something?

Apple is made out of thousands of people. The company name is a proper noun. The company name, cannot sue people. So I'm pretty sure its "are" unless one one person works in apple.

Dim · January 30, 2013

Not that this is a grammar forum, lol, but it isn't the company name that's suing people -- it's the company. "Apple" is a collective noun, and because it is used in the singular term, the correct question would be "is Apple trying to sue you".

You would not say "Are Jacob going to sue you?" -- it's the same instance; even though Apple is collective, it is not plural.

Likewise, you wouldn't say "Are the U.S. Treasury cutting budgets?" -- but you would say "Are the U.S. Marshals calling for a strike?"

The plural in that instance is denoted by the plurality in "Marshals".

"Are the U.S. Marshals calling for a strike?" - Have the marshals come in unison to call for a strike?

"Is the United States Marshals Service calling for a strike?" - Has the agency itself called for a strike?

Ghost · January 30, 2013

Why would you put that in a thread?

Are apple trying to sue you or something?

I would argue some more and criticize your disregard for the semi-colon while listing in the middle of text, but, to be honest. I can't be bothered.

Dim · January 30, 2013

Why would you put that in a thread?

Are apple trying to sue you or something?

Meh; not trying to use perfect grammar, just trying to put across my recollection of how it works -- I could be wrong, of course, but it seems pretty solid to me.

Ghost · January 30, 2013

Why would you put that in a thread?

Are apple trying to sue you or something?

*He says using a semi-colon*

Dim · January 30, 2013

Why would you put that in a thread?

Are apple trying to sue you or something?

Again, not trying to use perfect grammar. I don't think there's any reason to even bring up grammar; it's not really relevant to anything as long as it makes sense. But, if you're going to argue your point, I would at least ensure it's logical.

Ghost · January 30, 2013

Why would you put that in a thread?

Are apple trying to sue you or something?

*He says using a semi-colon*

Dim · January 30, 2013

Why would you put that in a thread?

Are apple trying to sue you or something?

Actually, the use of a semicolon like that is grammatically correct.

I'm just correcting you on your incorrect assumption of the English language -- I never said mine was correct, but since you did it seems you wanted to be corrected.

Ghost · January 30, 2013

I was talking about this: "Again, not trying to use perfect grammar.". After which you used a semi-colon.

Dim · January 30, 2013

Why would you put that in a thread?

Are apple trying to sue you or something?

That's actually a full stop.

Again, this isn't the point of the argument. Which do you believe is correct, "are" or "is"? I have no doubt I've made heaps of grammatical errors, and I'm happy to admit that. Are you happy to admit that it would correctly be "is"?

Ghost · January 30, 2013

Why would you put that in a thread?

Are apple trying to sue you or something?

Of course I am happy. I never said I wasn't.

Company names are collective nouns. In general, in American English collective nouns almost always trigger singular verb agreement (after all, "Google" is grammatically a singular noun, even if semantically it denotes an entity made up of many people). It is apparently much more common to use plural verb agreement in British English.

And I am British.

Dim · January 30, 2013

Why would you put that in a thread?

Are apple trying to sue you or something?

Fair enough. It's interesting, as an Australian, that we seem to adopt US English over British English... it's probably just related to the level of media affect

Reconciliasion · January 31, 2013

You two need to head over to the 'Ghost & Dim Grammar Arguement Thread'

Ganthos · March 14, 2013

This is amazing tid bit of information. Thank you for sharing. I had this problem with my old iPhone 3gs when using itunes Match. I will be sure to spread this knowledge around. What is worse is sometimes iTunes match will delete your music but won't refill because of all the space still being taken up.

bradscoolio · March 16, 2013

You guys must have a firm opinion on this "your"/"you're" debate then?

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HOW TO UNLOCK EXTRA SPACE ON YOUR IPHONE/IPOD/IPAD

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