What is "other"

[MacTaculous]

Has anyone found out what "other" is and how to get rid of it when your iPhone is synced to iTunes? Its taking up over 3gb of space on mine!

 

[r2shyyou]

Has anyone found out what "other" is and how to get rid of it when your iPhone is synced to iTunes? Its taking up over 3gb of space on mine!

Yes, many people have found out thanks to the World Wide Web. If you look either here or there, you, too, can know the secret of this Apple mystery.

In fact, searching Google, for example, for the arbitrary question of "What is 'other'" returns results directly related to the information you're seeking.

Additionally, Google's related search suggestions are very Apple-centric:

Searches related to What is "other"​

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[MacTaculous]

Yes, many people have found out thanks to the World Wide Web. If you look either here or there, you, too, can know the secret of this Apple mystery.

In fact, searching Google, for example, for the arbitrary question of "What is 'other'" returns results directly related to the information you're seeking.

Additionally, Google's related search suggestions are very Apple-centric:

ok smart ass ive tried that for weeks and still the same results: people asking the same question with no answers...

 

[r2shyyou]

ok smart ass ive tried that for weeks and still the same results: people asking the same question with no answers...

Seriously? Weeks?? I'm sorry to hear that. Here, hope this helps:

http://osxdaily.com/2010/06/25/what-is-the-iphone-other-capacity-seen-in-itunes/

 

[Menneisyys2]

ok smart ass ive tried that for weeks and still the same results: people asking the same question with no answers...

Well, actually, there is an answer, even by Apple: "restore as a new device". Which is BS, if you ask me, with such a very common problem.

I'm just working very hard to find out the inherent problems with "Other" accumulation. I've found out a lot of interesting stuff...

 

[r2shyyou]

Well, actually, there is an answer, even by Apple: "restore as a new device". Which is BS, if you ask me, with such a very common problem.

I'm just working very hard to find out the inherent problems with "Other" accumulation. I've found out a lot of interesting stuff...

Of course restoring as new will reduce "Other". It'll also reduce "Audio", "Photos", and "Apps". However, I find it difficult to believe that this is Apple's suggestion to reducing the amount of storage in this mysterious category. A quick search of Apple's Support site didn't result in anything directly related to managing this category. Can you provide a link to this answer of Apple's that you cited? I'd be interested to check it out.

As for what "Other" is comprised of, it's essentially everything that falls outside of the other three categories. The largest (presumably) item included in this category is iOS itself. Other things may include photos and videos that are part of a Messages.app conversation or emails and their attachments that have been downloaded to your phone in Mail.app.

Here's an excerpt from Apple about storage:

The storage media in your Apple product, like all storage devices, uses some of its capacity for formatting, so actual capacity available for applications and files will be less. In addition, other factors, such as pre-installed systems or other software and media, will also use part of the available storage capacity.

Source: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2419

 

[Menneisyys2]

Of course restoring as new will reduce "Other". It'll also reduce "Audio", "Photos", and "Apps". However, I find it difficult to believe that this is Apple's suggestion to reducing the amount of storage in this mysterious category. A quick search of Apple's Support site didn't result in anything directly related to managing this category.

You're right - it's the most usually recommended way of cleaning up in the Apple support forums by regulars there. Indeed not the official stance of Apple.

As for what "Other" is comprised of, it's essentially everything that falls outside of the other three categories. The largest (presumably) item included in this category is iOS itself. Other things may include photos and videos that are part of a Messages.app conversation or emails and their attachments that have been downloaded to your phone in Mail.app.

By default, it's 0.37GB on a 6.0.1, freshly hard reset, no-iCloud no-facetime no-Siri, not restored iPhone 5 without any third-party apps. On the iPad 3 (6.0.1, also no-iCloud no-facetime no-Siri), it's 342 Mbytes.

So far, I've noticed deleting (tens or even hundreds of) thousands of files via from an app itself and via just removing the icon of the app containing the files may result in stale files remaining somewhere, bumping up "Other". For example, I've written an app that created 1 000 000 (one million) files in 1000 and 10 000 subdirectories. After removing them both programmatically and via the Springboard (the latter also removed the app, of course), I've always got 600+ Mbytes of Other usage bump on both the iPhone 5 and the iPad 3. Therefore, I think there is some kind of a major problem with the file system of the entire iOS. (Of course, I've always completely reset both the storage and the settings before and after tests.)

I'll, of course, continue my tests and will publish a full write-up with everything I find out.