Digital Decluttering: iPhone Storage, Photos & Videos Class

Topic was digital decluttering — cleaning up iPhone storage, photos, and videos
Class notes and schedule available at sfct.net (instructor's website); participants were shown how to add it as a home screen bookmark

Rebooting clears temporary/cached files, similar to emptying a vacuum cleaner bag — not urgent but helpful periodically
Debate on rebooting daily: may slightly wear mechanical parts on older computers, but less relevant for modern devices
Traditional SATA hard drives have moving parts (spinning disc + arm like a record player); Solid State Drives (SSDs) have no moving parts and are used in all modern phones/iPads
To check drive type on a PC: go to Disk Utility — SATA = mechanical, SSD = solid state
If a computer is ~10 years old, upgrading was recommended

Forgetting a phone/iPad PIN can require wiping the entire device; having a backup is critical
Tip: use a home phone number as a computer password — easy to remember and rarely changes
Recommended master password list (one sheet of paper, not a binder) should include:
- Apple ID password
- Email account password (Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, etc.)
- Microsoft account (if applicable)
- Bank / online banking password
- Major credit card login
- MyChart password
- Computer login password
- Phone PIN (4 or 6 digits)
Cross out and replace passwords on the list when changed; password managers are also an option
If you forget a password and your registered email is abandoned, you cannot reset it — consider forwarding old email to a new address before abandoning it

Check storage: Settings > General > iPhone Storage — shows total capacity and what's consuming space
Apps are stored on the physical device, not the cloud, so they consume local storage
Offload Unused Apps: automatically removes unused apps to the cloud; they re-download when tapped — can be enabled in Settings > [scroll to] Apps > App Store
- A cloud icon next to an app means it has been offloaded
- For one participant, enabling this would save ~60 GB on a 256 GB phone
Remove Automatic Downloads: removes downloaded files (statements, attachments) after use — can save significant space
Apps history (including removed apps) can be viewed in the App Store > Profile > My Apps
When buying a new phone, check current storage usage first to determine the right capacity

Find duplicate photos: Photos > Collections > Utilities > Duplicates (may need to swipe to reach Collections)
Duplicates are identified by near-identical images; matching file sizes (e.g., both 7.6 MB) are strong indicators of exact duplicates
Large size differences between flagged pairs suggest they may not be true duplicates — review before merging
Pressing Merge keeps the higher-quality version and removes the rest
Duplicates commonly come from downloading the same photo multiple times (email attachments, texts)
No "Merge All" button — must merge one group at a time
Some participants had hundreds or thousands of duplicates (one had ~6,000)

Videos take up the most space — prioritize reviewing these before individual photos
Find videos: Photos > Collections > Media Types > Videos
Common candidates for deletion: accidental recordings (floor videos, forgotten-to-stop recordings), old diagnostic clips sent to repair people, screenshots already saved
To save a still frame from a video: take a screenshot (hold power + volume up, or say "Hey Siri, take a screenshot") while the video is paused at the desired frame
To trim a video: open the video > tap the three-line edit icon > drag the left/right handles on the timeline to select desired portion > tap Done
- Tip: make a duplicate of the video before editing to preserve the original
To archive large videos without deleting: upload to YouTube via the share (arrow up) button and select YouTube
- YouTube privacy options: Private (only you), Unlisted (shareable via link, not searchable), Public (visible to everyone)
- Useful for sharing event recordings with the community

SFCT.NET - Technology Help & Repair for Seniors in the SF/Bay Area. PC, Mac, iOS training.