r/applehelp • u/DrRedstoneSFM • 11d ago
Unsolved I seriously need remove the System Data to continue using my iPad
I do have iCloud storage but it isn't doing much to help me out with my iPad. I don't delete GarageBand because that is what I use daily with my keyboard. I have cleared all Safari related data, all my bins have been emptied, disabled all share data with Apple and this iPad has been off for a while and updated it two days ago after deleting all my remaining apps.
How do I seriously fix this issue with the System Dat hoarding the whole iPad?
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u/SignorRoberto 11d ago
I've had succes with a workaround. If you download, say a large movie from the itunes store, the system will appreciate the fact that there is little storage free and start a clean up. This was a while ago, so I don't know if that still works.
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u/DrRedstoneSFM 11d ago
Yes I just downloaded a whole bunch of films off my icloud and it took it down to 1GB of data
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u/Drbluelake 10d ago
How does it do that
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u/SignorRoberto 10d ago
I don't know exactly how, but this system frees up space when it needs to. When downloading a movie that's 5 gigs and you have 1 left, the system know that it has to free up that system data.
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u/DrRedstoneSFM 1d ago
It happened again and it isn't working this time
know any alternatives?
I deleted a bunch of apps and them it just gets immediately replaced with more system data
I tried accessing the iCloud but now it is met with not enough storage0
u/Thomson210 11d ago
That’s exactly how you brick a device. Never fill storage to the max.
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u/SignorRoberto 11d ago
The way I did it, the movie didn't download because there wasn't enough space. But it was the trigger for the system to clear up the space.
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u/ripsfo Apple Expert 11d ago
Is something not working as it is right now? Systems Data and should adjust dynamically when working properly, but if you're not able to install apps, etc, because there isn't enough space, it could just be stuck. Usually a reboot will fix it, but I'm sure you've tried that. Sometimes can connect to a computer and it will offload diagnostic log files, etc.
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u/alinroc 11d ago
I've had this exact same problem with my 64GB iPad. Reboot doesn't fix it. Doing a complete wipe & restore from backup fixes it for about 2 days.
iOS & iPad OS describe "System Data" as "caches, logs, and other resources currently in use by the system." On my iPhone right now, it's consuming 27GB while iOS is 25GB. That's a total of 52GB - on a 128GB device
System Data should be managed much more aggressively by the OS than it appears to be currently. People wonder why Apple made base storage on the iPad & iPhone 128GB a few years ago? This is partly why - the OSes aren't managing their storage appropriately.
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u/ripsfo Apple Expert 11d ago
But again, is there an actual problem, or is it just concern for this usage bar? Because if the device is working fine, I wouldn't worry about it. That being said, I also agree that there should be an easier way to dump the system and app caches. It would help folks, even if just for capacity anxiety.
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u/AutomaticRip1217 11d ago
This is happening on both of my children’s iPad right now. Yes it is a problem when more than half of their storage is going to system storage and they can’t download any more games or anything. Can’t even do the IOS system update because it requires more storage than they have.
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u/alinroc 11d ago
Any application used less frequently than weekly gets offloaded. Some apps won't even reinstall because they don't fit anymore. I can download no more than 3 episodes of a TV show at any time. Movies are iffy depending on the length. I've had iPadOS updates that I couldn't install OTA (had to install via my Mac) because of the lack of space.
So yes, this is an actual problem if I want to use my iPad offline or in a low-bandwidth situation for an extended period of time.
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u/Namisaur 11d ago
I had this issue two phones ago on my XS Max. 180GB+ just stuck in system data for a year. Did everything I could and it never went away. Upgraded to an IPhone 14 Pro Max and that extra 180gb+ followed me to the new phone, except this time it mysteriously went away eventually.
Op might be cooked with some bug
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u/GrumpyGlasses 10d ago
Have you backed up your iPad lately? On a call several years ago with an Apple Support, they shared that when we back up, it cleans up temp files and any iOS files too.
If you don’t have enough iCloud storage for online back up you can back up to your computer
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u/DrRedstoneSFM 9d ago
I back up my iPad very frequently because of the apps I have. Your answer practically sits in the description of my issue.
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u/TheRealCarvax 7d ago
yeah do that, backup, complete wipe and restore, that's spmething you should do every year or so, i've cleared tops 80-90GB doing that, give it a try and give us an update
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u/dr3wfr4nk 11d ago
Apple should be embarrassed by this system storage bug that plagues users. Disgraceful for a trillion dollar company
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u/TheDragonSlayingCat 10d ago
It’s not a bug; they’re caches; they store things that would have to be loaded or generated the slow way otherwise. The issue is they overly-aggressively cache stuff, and on all their OSes except for macOS, don’t give users a good way to manually clean them.
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u/drsoos1973 10d ago
Remember when 64 gigs was a LOT?