Open Settings → General → iPhone Storage and you see a colorful bar: Apps, Photos, Media, iOS, System Data, and sometimes a grey slice labeled Other or buried inside System Data. It is vague, often large, and frustrating because iOS does not let you tap it for details. Photo libraries are one of the main drivers of this mystery category — but not the only one.
What 'Other' actually includes
Apple's storage breakdown is simplified. Other (or portions of System Data) covers caches, logs, downloaded updates, streaming app data, Siri voices, and local files that do not fit neat categories. Photo-related contributions include thumbnail caches, shared album data, photo editing temporary files, and metadata indexes that Photos builds as your library grows.
- Photo thumbnails and previews cached locally even with iCloud Photos.
- Edited photo versions stored temporarily during editing sessions.
- Shared album sync data from iCloud Shared Photo Library.
- Message attachment caches linked to photos saved from conversations.
- App-specific photo caches from social and editing apps.
Photos vs Other: where the line blurs
When Settings shows Photos at 35 GB, that number is mostly your actual photo and video files. But photo-related overhead can spill into Other or System Data — especially after bulk imports, iCloud sync events, or heavy editing sessions. Deleting photos reduces the Photos bar directly; cleaning caches may shrink Other indirectly over time as iOS reclaims space.
The important distinction: reducing your photo library count is the reliable way to free storage. Waiting for Other to shrink on its own is unreliable — iOS manages caches opaquely and may not release space until storage pressure forces it.
Why Other grows even when you delete photos
Delete 2,000 photos and the Photos bar drops, but Other might stay flat or even rise briefly. Recently Deleted holds files for 30 days. Thumbnail caches rebuild. iCloud sync re-indexes. This is normal and temporary — empty Recently Deleted after cleanup and give iOS a day or two to settle. If Other remains huge after that, the cause is likely non-photo caches from apps like Spotify, Netflix, or Safari.
Practical steps to reduce photo-related storage
- Clean duplicates — exact copies and visual matches waste space in both Photos and cache layers.
- Remove screenshots, screen recordings, and saved chat images you no longer need.
- Enable Optimize iPhone Storage so full-resolution files stay in iCloud.
- Empty Recently Deleted after every cleanup session.
- Review large videos — they count toward Photos and generate larger thumbnails.
A focused cleanup pass through last month's photos targets the files you control directly. SnapBin's month scope plus duplicate scan removes redundant items on-device, staging deletions in the Review Bin before anything is permanent.
When Other is not about photos at all
If Photos shows a reasonable number but System Data is 40 GB, look elsewhere: offload unused apps, clear Safari cache, delete old podcast downloads, and check streaming apps for offline content. Restarting your iPhone after a major cleanup sometimes triggers iOS to flush stale caches. If System Data stays abnormally high, a backup and restore is the last-resort fix — but try library cleanup first since photos are the most common culprit.
Other is iOS's junk drawer — photo caches live there, but so do a dozen other things. Shrink your library first; let the caches follow.
To directly reduce photo storage instead of guessing at Other, SnapBin helps you swipe through photos and videos, find duplicates, and confirm deletions safely. Everything stays on your device — no uploads, no subscription.