Clearing up space

[cleanair]

In my MobileSync folder, I see Two back up files in the Backup folder comprising 5GB total, one of them being 3.5 GB and the other being 1.5 GB.

These backups from my old iPhone that I don't have anymore. I now use a different iPhone on which I decided to just add apps I needed instead of backing up from the older phone

(This is partly because my older phone had a dim screen problem which when I backed up to a different phone the same dim screen problem persisted, which I think might happen again).

Anyway I am tempted to delete this backup but I am also curious to whatever apps there might have been which might have been worthwhile to keep... What should I do?

 

[Weaselboy]

Anyway I am tempted to delete this backup but I am also curious to whatever apps there might have been which might have been worthwhile to keep... What should I do?

The apps are no longer stored as part of iTunes backups. When you restore it just puts a placeholder on the new iPhone, then the apps are downloaded from the app store. So you can go ahead and delete those files.

 

[cleanair]

That's good to hear. Thanks.

Another thing is I noticed in the folder called "assets" with 1 within the folder "iLifeAssetManagement", I am seeing 12GB of picture files from a family member that accumulated over the years. How did it get in here in the first place? I'm guessing maybe somehow this computer had the same iCloud account which was sending the pictures in the computer?

What should I do with these?
Would deleting them affect the files in family member's iPhone?

 

[Weaselboy]

How did it get in here in the first place?

That is where photos from iCloud Photo Stream are cached, so at some point you must have had that turned on/

 

[cleanair]

Would deleting them from my laptop also delete it from family member's device, or just from my laptop?

 

[Weaselboy]

Would deleting them from my laptop also delete it from family member's device, or just from my laptop?

You know, I'm really not sure how that folder is used with this. Is iCloud Photo Stream on or off on the Mac now? If it is off, I would say you could safely delete those, but if it is on, I dunno what would happen.