IOS Updates and memory constraints

By Mister Kayne, 11 November, 2014

Forum
iOS and iPadOS

So the last time I updated the IOS on my phone, I was also forced to have the Health app. installed on it. I have no need for this app. and do not feel that apple should have the right to decide which apps. to throw at me with every update.

I cannot remove this app. hence have to live with it on my phone whether I like it or not.

Now each time I update the IOS on my phone, I would be given another app. or two, which apple thinks is cool for me to have on my phone. Come to think of it sooner or later, the 16GB I have on my phone would be happily utilised on these apps. that I have no use for. What does that leave me with in the long run? Already there are so many default apps. that cannot be removed and occupy a good 2GB or more on my phone. So just thinking rationally, why was I promised 16GB of space on my phone when I get only like 12GB approximately, after reducing the space taken by the IOS and the default apps. that apple put in.

I think this is really evil to do. I am sure I will be forced to upgrade my phone or go in for another phone with more GB of space, in the near future. Also I call this false advertising by apple where the customer is promised 16GB but ends up with 12GB something when he has made the purchase. Thinking aloud, if there is going to be another IOS upgrade, I am sure it's going to need more space than the current one on my phone. What are your thoughts on this? I want my money back from apple for the 4GB I lost thanks to their IOS & apps. I don't need on my phone!

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Comments

By david s on Wednesday, November 26, 2014 - 08:39

I agree with your points.

Remember, 1 MB is not exactly 1000Kb. 1 Mb is actually 1024 Kb. So if you do the math, 16 Gb is not exactly 16GB. This is an industry issue so you can’t really blame Apple for this.

In regards to Health app, I agree. If it’s not essential for the OS, it should be an optional install where the user can remove it.

With iPhone 6. Apple has gone the extra mile, IMO. They still offer the 16GB model for the budget minded. For those looking for the extra space, Apple doubled the storage. For example, you get 64GB for the price of a 32GB.

By Mister Kayne on Wednesday, November 26, 2014 - 08:39

Now this is getting even more creepy. They playing around with the price like that. I don't think apple really cares or is customer centric. As of date it is just thinking of pushing products down the customers throats. The iPhone 6 did not impress me because I ain't the kind of guy who would like to carry his TV in the pocket. I am happy with the 5S and the 16GB but really pissed off with the fact that I don't have any say in the apps. I would like on my phone.

Should I be writing to apple with the kind of mood I am in now? Like ruffle some feathers?

By Joseph Westhouse on Wednesday, November 26, 2014 - 08:39

While I agree wholeheartedly that you should be able to delete native iOS apps that you don't need, I wouldn't call it false advertising. Nobody ever said "Buy an iPhone 6 with 16 GB of available memory." They tell you the exact truth - the memory capacity of the phone is 16 GB. It's unreasonable to assume that *none* of this space will be taken up by the OS.

By Mister Kayne on Wednesday, November 26, 2014 - 08:39

I agree with you Joseph, it was unreasonable of me to expect to have 16GB of memory for me to use, without considering the space of the IOS and the unwanted apps. on my phone. That reminds me to take this false advertising claim to Pepsi lays. They say 100grms of chips but all I get in them is air.

By Troy on Wednesday, November 26, 2014 - 08:39

While I see your point in that we should be allowed to delete apps that apple makes with the IOS versions, like for example the tips app (I don't need daily tips about how to use my phone thank you very much apple), and the IBooks app, I don't use those and don't want them, and another app is the stocks app, I don't do the stock market so I really could care less about that app. On the other hand I think Apple would not continue to offer a 16 gig if they new it was going to be a memory constraint do to their apps, now down the road rather they stop offering it I guess it is possible, but on the other hand I don't put music on my phone so as of right now 16 gig is enough for me. When you purchase a new phone there's really 2 things you have to consider, price and budget, and memory, do you download music? do you do a lot of photos and videos? that sort of thing.

By dvdmth on Wednesday, November 26, 2014 - 08:39

I know iOS 8 uses significantly more space overall, but I haven't seen how much of this space is taken up by the built-in apps themselves and how much of it is the actual OS. I have a feeling that, even if you could remove the built-in apps you didn't want, the amount of space saved wouldn't be as much as you'd like.

I have actually heard someone complain about accessibility features like VoiceOver being standard in the OS, because not that many people use them and they add bulk to the size of the OS. Would you like it if Apple decided to make accessibility an add-on you had to install separately?

By riyu12345 (not verified) on Wednesday, November 26, 2014 - 08:39

very good point.
I don't use the stock app or weather app or ibooks and have the 16 gig myself, but I find it's okay for what I need. I think it would be nice to remove apps but if we can't I don't find it such a big deal.

By Troy on Wednesday, November 26, 2014 - 08:39

You make a very good point, something I haven't thought about, if vo did not come with ios we'd need sighted assistants and we couldn't set it up ourselves which would take away from full accessibility! And what if they charged for downloading vo? That would suck And yes sighted people have complained about vo because they have turned it on by accident and wonder why they now have to double tap everything to get it to work.

By Mister Kayne on Wednesday, November 26, 2014 - 08:39

@dvdmth It was actually very considerate of apple to make VO a part of their OS. I have no quarms about that. But I am very unpleased that one does not have the freedom to choose the apps. on the phone.

Sighted users complain about everything including the Sun. I totally ignore their ignorance.

I did what they call a reset on my phone yesterday. Wiped out all settings and data from the phone. Checked the stock memory it was 12. something. Now I am down to 6.something GB of space. I happily put 800 tracks on my phone and downloaded the apps. I want on the phone. So now since I see no way to delete the native apps. I should be keeping my trap shut or jailbreak the phone; which is not a very good idea by the way; you just get thrown out of the apple family if you do so. But I think everyone on this discussion would agree that it would be awesome to have all that space back from those native apps. that we do not need.

By Jessica Brown on Wednesday, November 26, 2014 - 08:39

I have been jailbreaking my devices for years and I don't think you can delete native apps even with a jailbreak. Also, jailbreaking installs more files on your device that are required. You even have these files if you do not install any packages from Cydia. So in this case, I don't think jailbreaking would help you.

By KE7ZUM on Wednesday, November 26, 2014 - 08:39

The os itself under ios takes up about 2 gigs, not 6 like you clame. I've done plenty of research in this. Also the space eating bug has been around since the beta.

Also, memmory is something different. That's ram and ram is different from disk space which is not memmory. I hate when people get that wrong. There is a difference.

Ok. take my linode. I have 20 gigs of space but it's actually 24 as the linux distro I'm using takes up 4 gigs which is fine with me. I can jusst remove the stuff I don't want.

I disagree. I think apple does a good job in that they give you a lot of apps for the new user to play with. But then agai I literely worthip apple and want to work with them to make their products even better and advicate for what I think should be the apple way.

Take care.

By Mister Kayne on Wednesday, November 26, 2014 - 08:39

@Jessica, thank you for the reply, it was educating to know that even after jailbreaking the phone you can't remove the native apps.

@marrie, I understand the constraints with space. Also agree with you that apple takes accessibility seriously. Just this morning I got the 8.11 update that claims to have fixed many bugs with the OS and VO. Haven't played with it enough to praise or critic it yet.

By Mom24monsters on Monday, October 26, 2015 - 08:39

You can't exactly complain about space lost on your device, unless you're going to go after PC makers, who don't even include CDs or DVDs with desktops and laptops anymore. Most of them include a partition on the hard drive. They say that your hard drive is so many gigs, but that partition takes up a good part of it. If you're going to complain about one thing , you might as well throw in the complaint about PC makers as well. And with PC makers, if you want to get rid of that partition, they make you purchase the CDs or DVDs so that you can restore your hard drive and recover that space. I had an even worse scenario. I bought a brand-new Sony laptop, and I had no recovery disks, because they didn't include them, and I kept ending up with a virus. I would format the drive, but every time I would put the software back on from the recovery partition, I would end up with that same virus again. Come to find out, there was a virus preloaded on that recovery partition. When I used a program that goes back and tries to recover files from a damaged or formatted hard drive, I found out that that hard drive had been formatted 70 times, including the five times that I had done it, so the hard drive wasn't even knew. I had other people's pictures, videos, and music, and other files. Not something people typically want strangers to have. Anyway, Sony send somebody to my house to replace the hard drive in my laptop, but the guy didn't want to stay, because it was going to take hours to reinstall the system software from the DVD's, so I got a free set of disks. So, that covers the recovery partition, but then on any computer, the operating system itself takes up space. Nobody ever gets the space that the hard drive says it has, because there's always going to be everything you need to use your computer on it. They could probably add another hard drive just for system files and recovery partition, if you want to give up speed, but everybody always complains that their computers are slow enough as it is. The same would happen if they did the same thing with a phone or iPad.

I am a senior who installed the first windows operating system on a black with orange letters on the monitor. I have had linux, dos, windows, Mac and iPhone, iPad. Apple is COMPLETELY proprietary and money hungry. The first time I bought an iPad, I got rid of it after a week because Apple restricted downloads directly from the internet. I was able to get to the actual hard drive and do simple commands. When my firefox locked up on my Mac; I was NOT able to get to the direct hard drive because apple designs a "locked down system" so I have to get rid of my older firefox browser which had all my bookmarks, contacts, and emails that I chose. So, apple forced me to get rid of firefox completely along with all of my information. The latest issue is the constant apple "nagging with updates" and I am absolutely tired of it. Its my iPhone, and NO I make my own choices and if its worked for me.... don't fix it if it is up and running. I can't stand "what apple thinks and forces me to have". Yes, they have a rotten reputation with me. So, shut up you guys who are "glamorizing apple and making products better" nonsense. The ONLY reason I have the iPhone is because my daughter got this bright idea that I needed a more modern phone so we can "face time together"....good thing she paid for it. I will NEVER buy another apple anything. And for those of you who feel apple is the next best thing to "god above"--- I have had the first computer, the first printer, installed the first windows OS, and the first in my office to have all my work clients on my computer. No Apple is not the Holiness of the technology world. The gigs that are supposed to come with the phone should not BE EATEN UP with apple applications that I am forced to have. THE NET GIGS of the iPhone are what should count and then the consumer genuinely get the real gigs they claim to be selling.
Who would have an automobile sale if the sales agent says the car comes with four tires, but you really only get 3 because the auto industry wants to force you to buy the other tire in order to run it.

By KE7ZUM on Wednesday, February 26, 2020 - 08:39

I disagree with you there. Apple does not nag me about anything, and firefox the last time I tired it is not accessible on the mac. So use google chrome, or safari. I don't believe apple locked down yoru hard drive, it migh thave ben operator error, I have never had a harddrive locked on me,ever and I"ve ben using computers off and on since about 1989 or so.. As for iOs they don't really bug you about much, in fact you can turn off the warning that you are downloading over 4g etc. I love it.