Space Saving in iOS 11: Apple loyalists say that the iPhone is the most trusted smartphone to have ever existed, and they count on their devices for every step of the way. While they are undoubtedly uncontestable on that front, the one thing they have always been cribbing about (since their love affair with the iOS began), is the perpetual space crisis. In this post, we will tell you all about space saving in iOS 11 by Offloading.
What is Offloading?
Although some would argue that Apple apps don’t usually take up a lot of space, that really is a thing of the past. Besides, the bulk of the space taken up by the app consists of associated data files on top of the core app. The iOS 11, however, has introduced a neat new way to free up space, while not losing out on all the data. Called “Offloading,” this is one of the many new feature that iOS 11 has introduced to ensure less space-hogging on your iPhone/ iPad. The new feature essentially works by itself to detect apps that you haven’t used in a while and deletes them automatically, but all of its data will be saved. Reinstallation of deleted apps is also possible.
To ensure that you do not freak out by the prospect of self-deleting apps, iOS 11 keeps it switched off by default. You can enable it manually and delete apps for space saving in iOS 11, or choose to do so yourself. Follow the steps below.
Enable Automatic Offloading in iOS 11
On your iOS 11 device, go to the Settings app, and then enter General. Click on iPhone/ iPad Storage, and enable Auto-offloading. The function will keep note of the apps that haven’t been opened for some time, automatically delete them, and retain all the data.
Manually Offload Apps in iOS 11
- On your iOS 11 device, go to Settings app, enter General, then iPhone/ iPad Storage.
- Scroll down to find a list of all the apps installed on your device. Enter the ones that occupy the most amount of space, or just the ones you feel you don’t need at the moment.
- Select the Offload App button to manually offload it.
Reinstall Offloaded Apps in iOS 11
Sadly, iOS 11 does not maintain a separate list of apps that have been offloaded. However, all your apps, including the offloaded ones, will still show up in your Apps menu. If you wish to reinstall one, you can do so easily from here.
Once you reinstall an app that had been offloaded, you will find all previous data coming back to right where they belonged.
Wrap Up
It is the list of little things that make iOS 11 such a great platform, and many of these tiny, yet commendable, features are still in the process of being discovered. It is also great that Apple has stuck to their core philosophy of manufacturing devices and are working on making the most out of what they offer (especially on the space front). We are sure that this particular method for space saving in iOS 11 will be of great benefit to Apple users. If you have any questions, let us know.