Before you move to a new device, check how much of your current device's capacity you're using. If all your data fits on the new device, you can transfer your data to the new device without removing anything.
If you're moving to a lower-capacity device, you might need to optimize or remove some of your existing content. Find out what takes up the most space on your device in Settings > General > Storage & iCloud Usage > Manage Storage. Learn more about usage on iOS.
Use one or a combination of these options to reduce your usage:
Audio, movies, series, and books
- Turn on iTunes Match or iTunes in the Cloud (if available).
- Sync a smaller selection of your library. Learn more about syncing with iTunes.
Photos and videos
- Import photos and videos from your camera roll to your computer. You can delete photos from your camera roll after you import them:
- Tap Select.
- Select the photos you want to delete.
- Tap the trash icon.
- If you want to view the photos on your device after removing them from your camera roll, sync them from your iTunes Library. iTunes optimizes synced photos for your device, saving space.
- Sync a smaller selection of your photo library.
Apps
- If the app stores data on the device, see if it can store its data in the cloud. Check the app's documentation or contact the app developer for more information.
- Delete some of the app's content.
- Delete apps you don't use anymore.
Other
You can reduce the amount of other data with these methods:
- Restart your device: iOS clears cached data and does other system optimizations when you turn your device off and on.
- Sync your device with iTunes: Syncing moves over data, such as logs, from your device to your computer. This can reduce the space taken up by other data.