RUNNING OUT OF SPACE WHEN SETTING UP NEW IPHONE PRO MAX 18 - data from my Iphone Air

Roddy1954 wrote:

I'm now on DAY 3 of optimising Siri and search and despite now deleting 1000s of photos and videos, and yes I am deleting the deleted photos/videos in the deleted folder!, and now Apps that I wanted to keep, and 1000s of songs from Apple Music , I’m still running out of space. My Air was at 189gb used. This new 256gb iPhone 18 pro max is right now at 255.8gb used and has again stopped its optimisation as I have run out of space again. WHAT is happening???

You didn't buy the right phone from a storage standpoint. Storage is one of the most important aspects when buying a new phone which most people overlook. You are going to be constantly struggling with a 256 GB phone when you clearly need a phone with more storage. Given how much data you have, you should have purchased your 18 Pro Max with 512 GB, not 256 GB.

You have 14 days from purchase to return the phone (you do need to have the box and all accessories), then buy one with more storage.

From your post, it is not clear how you performed the restoration. Did you restore the iPhone using Finder/iTunes, Quick Start (device-to-device transfer), or an iCloud backup? The restore method can make a significant difference when troubleshooting storage-related issues.

Also, you have not mentioned how much free space is currently available on the iPhone 18 Pro Max. Knowing the available storage before and after the restore would help determine whether the issue is being caused by duplicated data, incomplete optimisation, cached content, or a problem during the migration process. Without that information, it is difficult to understand exactly what is happening during the restore and why the optimisation keeps stopping.

If you have already set up the new iPhone then the data created during this period will be lost if you use any of the three processes given below

iPhone to iPhone, there are three ways,

1. Quick Transfer --> Use QuickStart to transfer data to a new iPhone, iPad or iPod ...
2. Restore from iCloud Backup, When you buy a new iPhone or iPad, you can get temporary iCloud storage to transfer data from your current device to your new one. --> Restore or set up your device from an iCloud backup - Apple ... or use Get temporary iCloud storage when you buy a new iPhone ...
3. Restore from iTunes backup --> Restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch in iTunes on PC ...

Instead, try transferring data manually. One by One

1. If your old iPhone had iCloud enabled Optimised storage enabled then please do the same on the new device too. Check if you have enough iCloud Storage if you are using another Apple ID.
2. Messages, Media, Voice Memo, Keychain --> Turn on Messages in iCloud & iCloud Photos, Voice Memo, Keychain, and your content is automatically stored in iCloud and is available on all devices that use the same Apple ID including iCloud Drive
   1. 
3. Contacts --> Contacts are not stored on an iPhone nor on SIM, they are synced to  Google, iCloud, AOL, Exchange, Outlook, Yahoo or any Other. Use the email account that is in your old iPhone.
4. Notes, Reminders, Calendars --> You may sync all these from any of the email accounts that you have on your old iPhone. they can be synced using  Google, iCloud, AOL, Exchange, Outlook, Yahoo or any Other.
5. Any Specific Files --> Upload to Cloud Drives (iCloud Drive, Google Drive, OneDrive, DropBox, Flickr, box, AmazonDrive, Adobe Creative Cloud and Use Files app on your new iPhone too.
6. Apps & Settings --> In any way they have to be redownloaded using the App Store. Even you had used any of the 3 processes mentioned earlier. Apart from the Apps following will also not get transferred.
   1. Content from the iTunes and App Stores or PDFs downloaded directly to Apple Books
   2. Content synced from iTunes, like imported MP3s or CDs, videos, books, and photos
   3. Data already stored in iCloud, like iCloud Photos, iMessages, and text (SMS) and multimedia (MMS) messages
   4. Face ID or Touch ID settings
   5. Apple Pay information and settings
   6. Apple Mail data
   7. Apple Music
7. WhatsApp --> Take a backup of chats and media from within the WhatsApp App. Use the same Phone number as that of your earlier iPhone and activate the account in the new iPhone too. That's it. --> Transfer Whatsapp chat History from Andro… - Apple Community
8. Shazam Account --> Access your Shazams on all your devices or online - Apple ...
9. Airtag:
   1. Hold your AirTag near your iPhone or iPad, then tap Connect. · Name your AirTag, then tap Continue. · To register your AirTag with your Apple ID Add an AirTag in Find My on iPhone - Apple Support
   2. How to remove AirPods, AirTag, or another Find My network accessory or device from an Apple ID on iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Open the Find My ... If an item or device is connected to another Apple ID

When you get a popup message on your iPhone or iPad that the storage is full.

Look closely at the storage of the iPhone and iCloud

iPhone Storage (Setting > General > iPhone Storage)

1. Total storage remains the same throughout the life span of the iPhone
2. Storage can not be increased
3. You may take a backup on Mac or PC using iTunes / Finder

iCloud Storage (Settings > [Tap your name] > iCloud)

1. By default, every user gets 5GB of free storage space
2. You can buy more storage based on your requirement 50GB, 200GB, or 2TB with a monthly subscription to Apple One you may get more storage.
3. Based on your storage capacity you can back up your iPhone or iPad

The iCloud storage space can be shared between your family members