Your iPhone storage options, and what each one actually costs

You cannot physically add storage to an iPhone the way you can with some Android phones — there is no slot for a memory card, and you cannot swap the internal drive. Your real options are: delete things you do not need, move photos and videos to cloud storage, pay for iCloud+ to get more space in Apple's cloud, or buy a new phone with more storage built in.

The most practical choice depends on what is taking up your space. If it is photos and videos, cloud storage solves it cheaply. If it is apps and cached data, you may need to delete things or upgrade your iCloud plan. If your phone is full and you cannot delete anything, a new phone is the only permanent fix.

Key Takeaways

  • iCloud+ plans cost $0.99 per month for 50 GB, $2.99 per month for 200 GB, or $9.99 per month for 2 TB, and they store photos, videos, documents, and backups in Apple's cloud.
  • Google Photos and Amazon Photos both store unlimited photos and videos for free if you compress them, or you can pay for full-resolution storage on either service.
  • Deleting old text message threads, cached app data, and duplicate photos frees up space without paying anything.
  • If you regularly run out of space and cannot delete things, your phone's storage is too small for how you use it, and a new phone with more built-in storage is the only permanent solution.

Check what is actually taking up your space

Before you pay for anything, open Settings, tap General, then tap iPhone Storage. You will see a list of apps and files ranked by size. Photos and videos almost always take the most space. Messages, cached app data, and old downloads come next.

Scroll through the list and look for things you do not use. Old games, streaming apps you never open, and apps that cache large amounts of data (like social media apps) are safe to delete. You can always reinstall them later.

If photos and videos are the problem, cloud storage is your answer. If apps are the problem, you need to delete the ones you do not use or upgrade your iCloud plan so your phone can back up and offload less-used apps to the cloud.

Move photos and videos to cloud storage

Cloud storage is the cheapest way to free up space if photos and videos are the culprit. You have three main options: iCloud+, Google Photos, or Amazon Photos.

iCloud+ is built into your iPhone and backs up everything automatically. The free plan gives you 5 GB, which fills up fast. Paid plans start at $0.99 per month for 50 GB. Photos and videos stay in the Photos app on your phone, but they are stored in Apple's cloud. You can delete the originals from your phone to free up space, and the compressed versions stay in iCloud.

Google Photos stores unlimited photos and videos if you let it compress them to "Storage Saver" quality — they still look good on a phone screen, but they are smaller files. Full-resolution storage costs money: 100 GB for $1.99 per month, 200 GB for $2.99 per month, or 2 TB for $9.99 per month. You upload photos through the Google Photos app, then delete them from your phone to free up space.

Amazon Photos offers unlimited photo storage in full resolution if you have an Amazon Prime membership. Video storage is limited to 5 GB unless you pay extra. Like Google Photos, you upload through the app and delete from your phone.

Pay for more iCloud storage

If you want everything to stay in the Apple ecosystem and back up automatically, iCloud+ is the simplest path. Open Settings, tap your name at the top, then tap iCloud. Tap Manage Account Storage, then tap Change Storage Plan. Choose your plan and confirm the purchase.

iCloud+ backs up your entire phone — apps, messages, settings, photos, videos, and documents — so if your phone breaks or you get a new one, everything restores automatically. The downside is that iCloud storage is only for Apple devices. If you ever switch to Android, you lose access to it.

iCloud+ also includes other features like Hide My Email (for creating temporary email addresses) and HomeKit Secure Video (for home security cameras), but the storage is the main reason most people upgrade.

Delete things you do not need

Before you pay, delete what you can. Go back to Settings > General > iPhone Storage and tap on the largest apps. Tap Offload App to remove the app but keep its data, or Offload App again to delete it entirely. You can reinstall any app from the App Store later.

For messages, open the Messages app, swipe left on old conversations, and tap Delete. Messages with photos and videos take up the most space. For photos, open Photos, tap Select, and delete duplicates, blurry shots, and screenshots you do not need.

Clear your browser cache: open Settings, scroll down to Safari, tap Clear History and Website Data, and choose a time range. This frees up space used by websites you have visited.

Use external storage or a computer

If you have a Mac or Windows PC, you can back up your phone to your computer instead of iCloud. Plug your phone into your computer with a USB cable. On a Mac, open Finder and click your phone in the sidebar. On Windows, open iTunes or the Files app. Choose Back Up Now. This does not add storage to your phone, but it frees up space by moving backups off your device.

You can also use external hard drives or USB drives with a Lightning adapter (for older iPhones) or USB-C adapter (for newer models). Apps like Yoink or Files let you move documents and videos to external storage, though this is slower and less convenient than cloud storage.

When to buy a new phone with more storage

If you have deleted everything you can, upgraded your iCloud plan, and you are still running out of space, your phone's built-in storage is too small for how you use it. This is the time to consider a new phone.

iPhones come in different storage sizes: 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB, or 1 TB on newer models. If you regularly fill your current phone, buy the next size up. If you take a lot of photos and videos, 256 GB is a safer choice than 128 GB. If you store movies or large files, 512 GB or 1 TB may be worth it.

You do not have to buy the newest model — older iPhones with larger storage are often cheaper and work just as well for most people.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add a memory card to my iPhone like I can with Android?

No. iPhones do not have a memory card slot. Your only options are cloud storage, paying for iCloud+, or buying a phone with more built-in storage. Some Android phones let you add a microSD card, but iPhones do not.

Is Google Photos or iCloud+ cheaper?

Google Photos is cheaper if you compress your photos. Unlimited compressed storage is free. iCloud+ costs $0.99 per month for 50 GB. If you want full-resolution storage on Google Photos, it costs the same as iCloud+ for the same amount of space, so the choice comes down to whether you prefer Apple or Google's ecosystem.

Will deleting photos from my phone delete them from iCloud?

If you use iCloud Photos, deleting a photo from your phone deletes it from iCloud too. If you use Google Photos or Amazon Photos, deleting from your phone does not affect the cloud copy — that is the point. You delete from your phone to free up space, and the backup stays in the cloud.

How much space do photos and videos actually take up?

A typical photo takes 2 to 4 MB. A one-minute video takes 40 to 100 MB depending on quality. If you take 50 photos a week, that is about 400 MB per week, or roughly 20 GB per year. Video fills up space much faster than photos.

What happens if my iCloud storage is full?

Your phone stops backing up to iCloud, and you cannot take new photos if iCloud Photos is turned on and your phone storage is also full. You will see a warning that your iCloud storage is full. Upgrade your plan or delete old backups and photos to fix it.