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iPhone Storage Not Loading? Here’s Why & How to Fix!

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Writer, Apple

Over the last decade, Farhad has gained hands-on experience with smartphones, laptops, accessories, wearables, printers, etc. If he's not writing, you can bet he's trying to keep up with the latest technology. He oversees coverage of iPhone, iOS, and Apple Watch for Gotechtor.

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It’s frustrating when you try to download something important or check the available space on your iPhone to run into the iPhone storage not loading problem.

Why can’t you load storage info on your iPhone? There is no clear cause for this issue, but we have provided some fixes you can try to fix it.

But before we get to the solutions, let’s check out some possible causes of the “iPhone Storage Not Loading” issue.

See also: How to Fix iPhone Black Screen Spinning Wheel

What Causes iPhone Storage Not Loading Problem?

The iPhone Storage Not Loading problem is due to a bug that prevents the device from displaying the available space.

Due to the phone’s inability to display storage precisely, you’ll see a small spinning wheel moving back and forth.

Additionally, the loading problem can display an inaccurate amount of accessible storage (for example, zero KB).

During the iOS 15 beta testing phase, several users began to report this and other small issues. There are also other causes for this problem, such as application bugs and iCloud service issues.

How Can I Fix iPhone Storage Not Loading Problem?

For more detailed instructions, follow the steps below to fix it when iPhone storage not loading:

  1. Be Patient and Wait
  2. Close the App
  3. Sign out and Back In to iCloud
  4. Restart Your iPhone
  5. Update iOS
  6. Connect Your iPhone to Your Computer
  7. Reset Your iPhone Settings

1. Be Patient and Wait

Waiting is the first solution. If you’ve been using your phone for a long time, your storage may be filled with many app data, pictures, and other items.

And each of these would need to load and report the overall size to the OS. Depending on your internet connection, it may take up to three minutes for your iPhone storage to load up. 

2. Close the App

The Settings app could be the source of the issue through some form of malfunction. So, force-stopping the app is still another solution you can try.

  1. Go into the app switcher (swipe up from the bottom of the screen or double-click the Home button on older iPhone models).
App switcher
iPhone App Switcher. Screenshot: Farhad Pashaei/Gotechtor
  1. Swipe up and remove the Settings card from the screen to force-quit the app.
  2. Return to the Home Screen to restart Settings.

3. Sign Out and Back In to iCloud

iCloud and Apple’s iOS are completely connected. Therefore, connectivity problems between these two could also be blamed for the storage loading error.

In this situation, signing out and then back into iCloud may be able to fix the problem.

  1. Launch the Settings app.
  2. Press your profile name at the top. Tap on iCloud to sign out.
Sign out of iCloud
Sign Out of iCloud and Sign back in. Screenshot: Farhad Pashaei/Gotechtor
  1. Then log in once again using your iCloud password.

4. Restart iPhone

If your iPhone storage is not loading, you could solve it by restarting your iPhone. If you’re not sure what steps you should use, you can refer to our guide on how to restart your iPhone.

5. Update iOS

Your phone’s many features would not work properly if your iOS version were out of date, including your access to storage. Moreover, updating the OS will also eliminate any potential bugs.

To check and update your iOS version, follow these instructions.

  1. On the Settings menu, select General.
  2. Access Software Update. If an update is available, download and install it.
Software update in General menu
Select Software Update. Screenshot: Farhad Pashaei/Gotechtor

6. Connect Your iPhone to Your Computer

Whenever you connect your iPhone to your PC and sync the storage, iTunes checks to see if there are any problems.

It either takes the appropriate action or recommends that you do so. This is a fantastic solution to resolve any software-related problems with your phone.

  1. You can use iTunes-installed computers to connect your phone to them.
  2. Connect your phone with the lightning cable. Your device should be able to sync the storage data.
  3. Click on the Sync button at the bottom.
Sync option on iTunes
Tap on the Sync option in iTunes app. Screenshot: Farhad Pashaei/Gotechtor

7. Reset Your iPhone Settings

This problem may have been brought on by changes you made to your iPhone’s settings. See if the iPhone’s inability to load storage information is resolved by trying to reset the device.

Here’s how:

  1. Open the Settings app and then choose General.
  2. Select Transfer or Reset.
  3. Select Reset and Reset All Settings.
Reset All settings
Select Reset All Settings. Screenshot: Farhad Pashaei/Gotechtor

You might attempt resetting your phone’s settings as a last resort.

How to Check Storage Using a Computer?

The PC you used to perform iTunes diagnostics can also be used to check your storage.

  1. Open the Finder on a Mac running macOS Catalina 10.15 or later. Open iTunes on a PC or a Mac running macOS Mojave 10.14 or an earlier version.
  2. Your phone and PC should be connected using a cable.
  3. In iTunes or the Finder, choose your device. You’ll see a bar divided by content type that displays how much storage your material requires.
Checking phone storage in iTunes
Check your iPhone storage. Screenshot: Farhad Pashaei/Gotechtor
  1. To view the amount of storage each sort of content utilizes, hover your mouse over the bar.

If your phone storage is full, we recommend you check out this article on how to free up storage on your iPhone.

Final Thoughts on iPhone Storage Not Loading Issues

Why are storage issues the most sensitive? Simply because you would lose all of your data if something happened to the storage.

So, before performing any of the above fixes, remember to back up your iPhone first. If none of the repairs worked, you should make a Genius Bar reservation, in the worst-case scenario, your iPhone storage may be logically damaged and require replacement.

The Apple technicians have the necessary equipment and premium software to quickly identify the source of the issue.

I hope this assisted you in fixing your iPhone storage not loading issue. In case you fixed the problem with any other solution, please do share it in the comments section.

Writer, Apple

Over the last decade, Farhad has gained hands-on experience with smartphones, laptops, accessories, wearables, printers, etc. If he's not writing, you can bet he's trying to keep up with the latest technology. He oversees coverage of iPhone, iOS, and Apple Watch for Gotechtor.

Farhad Pashaei

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