1. Deleted photos are still in Recently Deleted
When you delete a photo, iOS doesn't erase it: it moves it to Collections → Recently Deleted (below Utilities), where it stays for 30 days in case you change your mind. All that time it takes up exactly as much space as before, so you can delete a thousand photos and not see a single megabyte freed.
- Open the Photos app and go to Collections → Recently Deleted.
- Tap View Album and unlock with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode.
- Take a quick look in case there's something you want to recover.
- With nothing selected, tap ••• and choose Delete All.
2. The counter takes a while to update
After emptying Recently Deleted, Settings → General → iPhone Storage can take a while to recalculate. If the number doesn't change, wait a few minutes, leave the screen and come back. Restarting your iPhone usually forces a recalculation too.
3. With iCloud Photos, your iPhone had lightweight versions
If you use iCloud Photos with Optimize iPhone Storage turned on (the default), your iPhone doesn't keep the original photos, just smaller versions; the originals live in iCloud. That's why deleting photos frees much less on your iPhone than they really took up: most of the space is freed in iCloud. To gain room on the iPhone itself, deleting videos makes the biggest difference.
4. It wasn't photos taking up the space
A photo takes a few MB; a minute of 4K video, hundreds. Before deleting blindly, check what's really using space in Settings → General → iPhone Storage: the list runs from largest to smallest, and if Photos isn't near the top, the problem is somewhere else.
- Videos: in Photos, Collections → Media Types → Videos shows them all together. A few long videos often weigh more than thousands of photos.
- WhatsApp: it keeps its own copy of what people send you. Deleting a photo from Photos doesn't delete it from the chat: check it in WhatsApp, under Storage and Data → Manage Storage.
- Messages: in iPhone Storage → Messages you can review the largest attachments.
- System Data: iOS caches and temporary files. We explain it in what to do when your iPhone storage is full.
So it doesn't happen again
Deleting photos does little if you don't empty Recently Deleted, and emptying it without looking is nerve-racking. The easiest way is to go little by little: review a day, a trip or the month's screenshots, decide, and empty Recently Deleted when you're done.
FAQ
Why doesn't my storage go down when I delete photos?
Because deleted photos spend 30 days in Recently Deleted and still take up space. Empty that album with Delete All and the space is freed.
Does emptying Recently Deleted also delete photos from iCloud?
Yes. If you use iCloud Photos, whatever you delete from Recently Deleted is gone for good from iCloud and all your devices. Check it first.
How long does it take for the space to free up?
As soon as you empty Recently Deleted, although the storage screen may take a few minutes to show it. If you don't empty it, iOS deletes each photo on its own after 30 days.
I deleted photos, but it's iCloud that's full. Is it the same thing?
Almost: photos in Recently Deleted also count toward your iCloud storage until the album is emptied. Empty it and, if iCloud is still full, see what else is using space in Settings → [your name] → iCloud.