Unlike your iPhone or iPad, your Apple Watch doesn’t have a lot of space for apps, music, podcasts, and all the other content you might try to store on it. The amount of storage varies by watch version. The Apple Watch Ultra, Series 8, 7, 6, 5, and SE offer 32GB of space, but you only get 16GB on the Series 4 and Series 3 GPS + Cellular model, and just 8GB for the Series 3 GPS model.Â
Depending on your watch, and how much content you download or sync, you could easily run low on space before you know it. But your watch can clue you in on how much space you have available. It can also show you how much space is used by specific apps and content so you know what to jettison when you’re running close to empty.
Run out of space on your Apple Watch? Here are some tips, courtesy of PCMag’s Lance Whitney.
Check Storage Space
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Check the available storage space on your watch from the Watch app on your phone. Go to My Watch > General > About in the app. Wait a few seconds and the app will display the total number of songs, photos, and external applications on the device. It also shows the total capacity and the available amount of space.
To check the capacity directly on your Apple Watch, go to Settings > General > Storage. The Storage section displays the amount of available space and the amount of used space. Swipe down the screen to see how much space is taken up by each app and type of content, including Music, Podcasts, and Photos.
Remove Apps
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Now that you know which content is taking up the most amount of space, you can remove items you no longer want. First, let’s look at deleting apps using the Watch app on your phone. Open the app and swipe down the My Watch screen until you reach the Installed on Apple Watch section.Â
Tap the name of an app you want to remove, then turn off the Show App on Apple Watch switch, and the app will be deleted from the watch. Return to the previous screen, and the app now appears in the Available Apps section, where you can always reinstall it on your watch by tapping the Install button.
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To remove an app directly from the watch, press the Digital Crown to see the Home screen with all your apps. If the Home screen is in Grid View, lightly press down on any icon until they all start to shake. Tap the X button on the app you wish to remove, then tap Delete App. Press the Digital Crown to stop the icons from shaking.
If the Home screen is in List View, swipe through the list until you see the app you wish to delete. Swipe the app’s entry to the left and tap the trash can icon. Tap the Delete App entry to confirm.
Remove Music
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You may also want to delete any saved music from your Apple Watch. Do this by opening the Watch app on your iPhone. Swipe down the My Watch section and tap the Music entry.
The option for Recent Music adds songs you have recently played. If this option is enabled, and you want to see how much space can be freed up, turn this switch off to remove recent albums. Next, tap the Edit link in the upper right. Tap the Delete icon next to any playlist or album you want to remove, then tap the Delete button.
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To delete albums directly from your Apple Watch, open the Music app on your watch. Swipe down on each album thumbnail until you see the entries for On iPhone and Library. Tap Library and then select Albums and swipe down the screen until you see an album you wish to remove.
Swipe the album name to the left, then tap the ellipsis and choose the Remove button. The app asks if you want to delete the album from your library or remove this download from the watch. Tap Remove Download and the album is deleted from your watch.
Change Photo Sync Settings
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You can also change the settings for the photos that are synced from your phone to your watch. Open the Watch app on your iPhone, then swipe down the My Watch section and tap the entry for Photos. Whether the option is set to Mirror my iPhone or Custom, you can change the album that gets synced and control the number of photos synced to your watch.
Tap Sync Album and switch it to a different album, maybe one that contains fewer photos. Tap Photos Limit and lower the number of synced photos to as few as 25. Your watch will then update the synced photos.
Remove Audiobooks
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If you’re storing audiobooks on your watch, these can be removed within the Watch app on your iPhone. In the My Watch section, tap Audiobooks. Here, you have a couple of options.
If the switches for Reading Now and Want to Read are enabled, it means your watch is automatically downloading audiobooks to fill space. Turn off those options to stop the sync and make room on your device. Look through the list of synced audiobooks to find any you no longer need on your watch. Swipe one to the left and tap the Delete button.
Remove Podcasts
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If you like podcasts, you can listen to them on your Apple Watch, but if you’re storing them on the device, you can remove them through the Watch app. Tap the Podcasts entry on the My Watch screen. There are two options available that automatically download episodes, but you can take control of them if you’re pressed for space.
The Up Next option downloads anywhere from 1 to 10 episodes from your podcasts, while Saved adds 1 to 10 saved episodes. Tap each of those items and either lower the number or turn it off entirely. Next, you can tap a specific podcast and then either lower the number of episodes that are saved automatically or select Remove Show to get rid of all episodes entirely.
Unpair Apple Watch
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If you have gone through all these steps and are still low on space, you may want to try unpairing and repairing your watch. To do this in the Watch app, tap the All Watches link at the top. Tap the Info icon for your watch and select Unpair Apple Watch.Â
Allow the unpairing to finish, then bring your iPhone near your Apple Watch. Wait for the pairing screen to appear, tap Continue, and then follow the steps to pair it again.
This article originally appeared on PCMag.com, Mashable’s sibling site. PCMag.com is a leading authority on technology, delivering Labs-based, independent reviews of the latest products and services.
