I've noticed that my Photos app is taking up around 20GB on both my iPhone (256GB) and iPad mini (64GB), which is a big issue, especially on the iPad. I've followed all the typical troubleshooting advice, ensuring that iCloud storage is sufficient (I have about 700GB available) and that both devices have the Optimize Storage and iCloud sync settings turned on. They are also updated and connected to Wi-Fi for a long time. Despite these efforts, the storage problem persists. A couple of AI tools suggested that the issue might be tied to Shared Albums, which don't optimize storage in the same way as personal albums. They mentioned that photos in Shared Albums are stored locally and count against device storage instead of iCloud storage. So, I'm curious—are they correct about this? If not, what else might be causing my Photos app to take up so much space?
2 Answers
You're right to question how much space Shared Albums might be using! Because they store content locally, this could definitely contribute to your storage issue. Unlike your regular iCloud Photos, these albums don't optimize the way you’d expect. It can be frustrating to have shared photos take up so much space when you think you've got iCloud to help manage it better. As for those larger iCloud libraries, people often have to strategically manage their local storage to avoid overflow.
It’s actually pretty common for Photos with optimization turned on to still use some space on your device. Many users find that it consumes around 5%-10% of the total iCloud space their photos are taking up. In your case, if you're using 20GB on your devices, it could suggest that you're taking up anywhere from 200GB to 400GB on iCloud. Just remember, the optimization feature isn’t perfect—it can’t completely eliminate local storage needs for the app.
That makes sense! But it does seem excessive, especially when your iPad has limited storage. I wonder how others with larger iCloud libraries manage this without running out of space. It feels like a tough balance.
Exactly! If you have lots of shared albums, that's potentially a huge amount of storage used on each device. It might be worth considering moving older or less accessed photos to a different storage solution like a NAS or external drive if you're running into this constantly.