Delete "Documents and Data" from iOS app without deleting app.


Recommended Posts

Alright, I've been googling this but can't seem to find anything. I'm having difficulty with my iOS devices backing up to iCloud because I am out of space.

From the looks of it, the main cause is applications caching content that no longer exists. Facebook, iPhoto and many others are using an inordinate amount of space and it seems counter intuitive.

After looking at the Usage section in iOS 5.1.1 I see the "Delete app" button, but I don't want to delete the app, just the cache. Is there a way to do this?

If there isn't, is there a jailbreak that does this? Deleting an app, just to have to redownload it also seems counter intuitive. Some of these apps are a few gigs in size.

  • Like 1

I also have a second question that I can't seem to find an answer to. Is there anyway to delete an app and keep the data? I have a 1.8GB game that I would like to delete for now but keep the data so I can resume it when I redownload it from the App Store.

  On 28/06/2012 at 00:50, Unrealistic said:

Alright, I've been googling this but can't seem to find anything. I'm having difficulty with my iOS devices backing up to iCloud because I am out of space.

From the looks of it, the main cause is applications caching content that no longer exists. Facebook, iPhoto and many others are using an inordinate amount of space and it seems counter intuitive.

After looking at the Usage section in iOS 5.1.1 I see the "Delete app" button, but I don't want to delete the app, just the cache. Is there a way to do this?

If there isn't, is there a jailbreak that does this? Deleting an app, just to have to redownload it also seems counter intuitive. Some of these apps are a few gigs in size.

I'm getting confused. So are you out of space on iCloud or on your device? By cache size, do you mean the local "Documents & Data" size? In iOS, you can't clear this manually (unless you delete and reinstall, but that's not the same thing really); this is done automatically when the device is low on disk space. On jailbroken devices, I believe there's an app called iCleaner that might be of help. However, iCloud does not back up contents from an app's cache and temp directory. Instead of looking at the breakdown of your local storage, look at the breakdown of your iCloud backups, are Facebook and/or iPhoto taking up massive amounts of space here too?

  On 28/06/2012 at 00:54, Unrealistic said:

I also have a second question that I can't seem to find an answer to. Is there anyway to delete an app and keep the data? I have a 1.8GB game that I would like to delete for now but keep the data so I can resume it when I redownload it from the App Store.

If an app stores its data on iCloud, it'll stay even if you were to delete the app. (Under Manage Storage for iCloud settings, there's a "Documents & Data" section that shows apps using the latter cloud method of saving data.) Alternatively, use iExplorer to backup your app data manually: http://lifehacker.co...e-to-a-new-ipad

[Edited for additional clarification and information.]

  • Like 1
  On 28/06/2012 at 10:06, Manish said:

I'm getting confused. So are you out of space on iCloud or on your device? By cache size, do you mean the local "Documents & Data" size? In iOS, you can't clear this manually (unless you delete and reinstall, but that's not the same thing really); this is done automatically when the device is low on disk space. On jailbroken devices, I believe there's an app called iCleaner that might be of help. However, iCloud does not back up contents from an app's cache and temp directory. Instead of looking at the breakdown of your local storage, look at the breakdown of your iCloud backups, are Facebook and/or iPhoto taking up massive amounts of space here too?

Apologies for the confusion. I have a 64GB iPhone 4S that's only about 1/2 filled. iCloud is where my issue is. Basically what is happening is iCloud can no longer backup my iPhone because I am out of space. When I looked at the iCloud Data section I noticed a few apps were using too much space. For instance, iPhoto is using 253MB to backup pictures, Facebook is taking about 100MB at the moment, Garageband is taking about 300MB, etc.

What I figured I could do is reduce the Data size of the apps by deleting their cache and then when I go back into iCloud, it will say my next backup is considerably smaller than my previous backup and allow me to backup again. I deleted all the temporary songs on Garageband and all the modified pictures in iPhoto, but iCloud doesn't seem to detect the changes.

  Quote

If an app stores its data on iCloud, it'll stay even if you were to delete the app. (Under Manage Storage for iCloud settings, there's a "Documents & Data" section that shows apps using the latter cloud method of saving data.) Alternatively, use iExplorer to backup your app data manually: http://lifehacker.co...e-to-a-new-ipad

Yes, I saw this, but I just wanted to make sure. I didn't want to delete the game and then realize too late that I lost the 20+ hours I had put into it.

  On 28/06/2012 at 16:20, Unrealistic said:

but iCloud doesn't seem to detect the changes.

Did you try restarting your iPhone? You might need to delete your last iCloud backup too.

Also, I don't understand why your Facebook backup on iCloud is anywhere near 100MB; mine's only 41KB. It's not supposed to be backing up any cached or temporary items. I'd consider reinstalling it.

Perhaps you could also deselect apps to prevent them from backing up on iCloud.

  Quote

Yes, I saw this, but I just wanted to make sure. I didn't want to delete the game and then realize too late that I lost the 20+ hours I had put into it.

I've used it before and it did work on that particular occasion.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • Cool! Something no one wants that eats up storage space and battery life for free! /s
    • GT games are boring compared to Forza (Horizon or Motorsport)
    • Dead By Daylight and three more games join Xbox Free Play Days this weekend by Pulasthi Ariyasinghe As the weekend approaches, Microsoft has brought along another Free Play Days promotion for Game Pass subscribers to jump into. This time, Dead by Daylight, Headbangers: Rhythm Royale, Trailmakers, and Synduality Echo of Ada are all available for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Standard, and Core members for no extra cost. As always, any progress made during the weekend also carries over automatically if you decide to purchase a game afterward. From the four games available, Dead by Daylight should be the most familiar to most gamers. The multiplayer four-versus-one asymmetric survival horror game has you assuming the roles of survivors or the killer to see who can come out on top. Next, Headbangers: Rhythm Royale lands as a light-hearted, rhythm-based battle royale game. Up to 30 players can be in a single round, all represented as pigeons, before various mini-games involving increasingly difficult rhythm challenges get thrown at the group. The last remaining pigeon becomes the "Master Headbanger." Meanwhile, Trailmakers is a popular sandbox experience where you and your friends construct physics-based vehicles. A wide range of modular parts are offered for making these vehicles, with an exploration element also adding more options to search for. Adventure, sandbox, and racing modes arrive as options for playing either solo or in multiplayer. Lastly, the Synduality Echo of Ada is a sci-fi extraction shooter experience where you control mechs as you search for loot while fighting AI and other players. Here are the store links for the announced titles and their supported platforms: Dead by Daylight - $11.99 (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One) Headbangers: Rhythm Royale - $3.99 (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC) Trailmakers - $14.99 (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC) SYNDUALITY Echo of Ada - $29.99 (Xbox Series X|S) This Free Play Days promotion will end on Sunday, June 22, at 11:59 pm PT. Following this, expect another round of games to enter the program next Thursday, June 26.
    • I'm not simping, I'm telling it how it is. This is the norm and has been forever. Profits need to keep growing, it doesn't matter if you are valued at a trillion or a million. As long as you are part of public trading that's the name of the game. If it's cheaper for the company to outsource, they will, and you'll get laid off. Welcome to capitalism 101. Like I said, the problem is the system itself.
  • Recent Achievements

    • First Post
      MikeK13 earned a badge
      First Post
    • One Month Later
      OHI Accounting earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      OHI Accounting earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • First Post
      Thornskade earned a badge
      First Post
    • Week One Done
      Higante88 earned a badge
      Week One Done
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      703
    2. 2
      ATLien_0
      267
    3. 3
      Michael Scrip
      202
    4. 4
      +FloatingFatMan
      172
    5. 5
      Steven P.
      133
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!