Hidden iPhone folder that uses a lot of memory — how to delete

If you notice that the free space on your iPhone is almost gone, don’t worry — there are ways to free up memory and keep your smartphone in great condition. Every iPhone mobile device has a hidden folder that consumes memory that you didn’t even know you had.

FOX News writes about it.

Hidden duplicate album

Starting with iOS 16, the Photos application automatically detects duplicate images and videos. All duplicates found are stored in the Duplicates album in the Utilities section. This can be a waste of storage space, as duplicates often appear when you send the same photo or video multiple times.

First, make sure your iPhone is updated to at least iOS 16. All models from iPhone 8 and later can work with iOS 16, including:

• iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus;
• iPhone X;
• iPhone XR, XS, and XS Max;
• iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max;
• iPhone 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max;
• iPhone 13, 13 mini, 13 Pro, 13 Pro Max;
• iPhone SE (2nd generation) and later.

If you have an older iPhone model, it may be time to consider upgrading your device. It’s also worth knowing that if your iPhone already has iOS 16 (or later) installed, but you don’t see the Duplicates album, it may mean that there are no duplicates.

How to delete duplicates and free up space

To free up memory by deleting duplicates, follow these steps:

• open the Photos application;
• scroll down the list of sections to Utilities and select Duplicates;
• you will see the duplicates, each with a Merge button next to or above the file;
• click Merge to get rid of the duplicates and keep only one original;
• confirm the action in the window that pops up by clicking "Merge # Exact Copies" (the number will depend on the number of copies);
• for faster cleaning, click "Select" in the upper right corner;
• you can highlight multiple duplicates or click Select All to delete them all at once;
• tap Merge to delete in a group, then wait for iPhone to complete the process.

What to do if you still don’t have enough space

If deleting duplicates didn’t help or you want to free up even more space

• go to Settings — General — Storage [iPhone];
• see how much memory different applications and data take up;
• pay attention to the recommendations that appear at the top of the screen.

This way, by monitoring the state of the Duplicates folder, you can control the amount of memory that extra photos take up.

As a reminder, Apple was going to update Siri significantly when iOS 19.4 is released next year. However, an insider recently reported that the development of this model is currently behind schedule.

We also wrote that OpenAI updated the ChatGPT application for iOS. Now iPhone users can set the chatbot as their main search engine by activating a special extension in the Safari browser.