How to free up gigabytes of storage space on your iPhone

For most people, the biggest storage space invaders on the iPhone are photos and videos (and, if you're like me, screenshots).

The problem is, not every photo or video is good. Duplicates and blurry shots are commonplace (here are tips on taking fewer blurry photos), and most people don't delete them immediately, leaving that task for some point in the future.

Also: How to buy more iPhone storage 

But trawling through thousands of photos and videos in the photo library is not most people's idea of fun, which is why the photo library grows and grows and grows until it gets out of control and people end up buying a new iPhone with more storage space.

Gemini Photos by Ukrainian software company MacPaw is the app that changes all that.

This app takes all the stress out of culling your photos. You download it, run it, and it goes through all your photos, videos, and screenshots, looking for things like blurry photos, identical duplicates, and photos containing text.

Gemini Photos can also scan for good photos (including photos you've edited of favorited, photos in focus, and photos where people are smiling and have their eyes open) and not-so-good photos (blurry photos, and photos where people have their eyes closed).

Also: How to clear the cache on your iPhone (and why you should)

Another feature that Gemini Photos has is the ability to look for similar but not identical photos. This is a premium feature ($4.99/month, $19.99/year, $34.99 unlimited access), but you do get a 3-day free trial to test this out.

Once the app has scanned your photo library, you get to choose which photos and videos to keep and which to discard.

You're in complete control. Which is good because this is your data you're messing with.

I've been a Gemini Photos user for several years now, and — no exaggeration — it has cleared up many tens of gigabytes of crud and detritus off my iPhone, and it's meant that I can keep taking photos and not run out of space (or need to buy extra – and expensive – iCloud storage).

Gemini Photos is also one of those apps that has gone from strength to strength. It's ability to detect good and bad photos and to weed out similar looking photos from different photos that just happen to look the same, has improved quite a bit over the years.

Highly recommend!