My iPhone storage is almost full because of a large video I recorded. I need advice on the easiest way to compress this video without losing too much quality, so I can share it and make room on my phone. Any tips or recommended apps would help a lot.
Effortless iPhone Storage Magic: My Actual Fix for Video & Photo Bloat
Let’s be real for a second: my iPhone was one accidental dog video away from telling me to uninstall Instagram just to snap a meme. Photostream full, storage meter screaming in the red, me mass-deleting screenshots from six months ago in some desperate midnight purge session—been there.
My Journey Down the Storage Disaster Rabbit Hole
I tried every “free up space” trick: toggling “Optimize Storage,” siphoning off stuff to the cloud, even sacrificing high-res vacation pics in the name of squeezing one last TikTok under the wire. Still, nothing really moved the needle—until I stumbled across this gem: Clever Cleaner app for the iPhone.
No, this isn’t a sponsored flex. Just a dude who found something that doesn’t make you watch an ad every third tap or slap a “PRO” badge on the only thing you actually want to use.
Instant Compression Wins: No Wallet Hurt, No Weird Login Nonsense
Here’s what happened: I installed the app to see if it actually does anything other than show cutesy progress bars. I ran the Live Photos compression tool, and—honestly—got back like 6 gigs just sitting around. Ran the video compressor next and basically unlocked enough space for another two years of cat videos.
Not only does it shrink your stuff without weird artifacts, but it also caught duplicate photos (I have a habit of hitting the shutter ten times when trying not to blink, sue me) almost immediately. Didn’t ask me for any subscriptions. Didn’t flash any “upgrade now” popups. It’s weirdly… chill? You forget how rare that is.
Screenshots Or It Didn’t Happen
Here’s my actual storage after a single pass. No, I didn’t just delete my apps (this isn’t my first “cleaner” rodeo).
And here’s just a peek at the duplicate finder being less judgy than Photos, yet way more thorough.
TL;DR & Why I’m Sticking With It
- Compresses videos and Live Photos: good compression, nothing butchered
- Finds duplicates, junk, and weird leftovers: shockingly fast
- No ads, no in-app paywalls, no “now connect your data for free” tricks
- Didn’t crash, didn’t ask weird permissions, just quietly did its job
Every other “free” cleaner I tried either begged for money or barged in with ads so loud my AirPods cut out. This app just… works. If you’re tired of playing whack-a-mole with your storage, give it a shot.
Anyway, hope this helps save someone’s camera roll from heartbreak—or at least keeps your screenshots safe for one more iOS update.
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Oof, the iPhone’s “Storage Almost Full” saga—classic. Appreciate @mikeappsreviewer’s deep dive into the “Clever Cleaner app” (and yeah, not having to view 42 ads in the process is refreshing). But real talk, I’ve never loved offloading a big chunk of sensitive photos and personal video to any random app, no matter how chill the UI. Call me old-fashioned, paranoid, or just grumbling, but sometimes keeping your precious puppy vids local just feels safer.
Here’s another angle if you want to compress a single (or just a few) hefty videos without too much drama—or third-party magic:
- iMovie (free, built-in, didn’t ask for my soul)
- Open iMovie, import your big video, start a new project.
- Trim it if you like (bonus storage!).
- Tap “Share” > “Save Video” and pick a smaller export size (like 720p or 540p).
- The newly exported video is much smaller. Check both quality & size, then trash the original.
Downside: Not everyone wants to spend 10 minutes fiddling just to shave some MBs, but iMovie generally keeps quality surprisingly good at lower sizes.
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Files App Trick
- Go to Share > Save to Files from Photos.
- Sometimes, just running a big video through Files and re-importing it reduces size (weird iOS voodoo, but I’ve seen it shrug off 20% without noticable degradation).
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Third-Party Apps (Not All Are Equal)
- If you wanna try something beyond Clever Cleaner, “Video Compress” by “Zuhanden” and “Compress Videos & Resize Video” get decent marks and aren’t too scammy.
- PROTIP: ALWAYS duplicate your video before compressing in a new app—some will overwrite without blinking.
I’m not throwing shade at Clever Cleaner—it sounds like a real fuss-free option for whole-library spring cleaning, and it seems to have fans (even if I’m more hands-on). For those who want to make space with just a couple taps, maybe especially folks low on time/patience, their reputation for straight-up compressing without messy subscriptions or hidden fees is worth a look. You can check their smart iPhone storage cleanup features for an easy path.
But yeah, Apple still hasn’t nailed this natively, so either jump through menu hoops in iMovie or place your trust in something like Clever Cleaner. Just don’t manually upload everything to iCloud assuming it’s “gone”—you’d just be burning $0.99/month for extra storage to store the bloat somewhere else 
Alright, here’s the ugly truth: iPhone storage fills up way faster than I can come up with a new password for my iCloud account. Props to @mikeappsreviewer for finding a no-nonsense, ad-free app (Clever Cleaner app, you LEGEND), and @suenodelbosque for the classic “just use iMovie, trust!” strategy. But honestly, Apple makes it about as easy to compress a video as it is to unsubscribe from spam emails from that sandwich shop you visited once. 
If you want more than just app recs or native iMovie shenanigans, here’s how I’d attack it (with a bit of skepticism):
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AirDrop Hackaroo: I’ll sometimes send my video to a friend’s iPhone or my iPad, and shockingly, sometimes the system squishes that file just a little on its journey. Is it consistent? Nope. Is it magic? Also nope. But, hey, worth a shot if the other options aren’t working.
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Change Video Settings BEFORE You Film: LOL, I know, this only helps in the future, but dang, toggling Camera → Record Video settings from 4K to 1080p or even 720p saves MASSIVE space. I made the mistake once of shooting my dog eating peanut butter in 4K60. Now that memory has its own zip code on my storage usage chart.
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Screen Recording Shortcut: This is dumb but kinda works. Open your big video full screen, then use the iPhone’s screen recorder to record as you play it back. Sure, the quality drops, but you have control over what stays, you can crop, and it’s instantly a smaller file. Some say janky, I say “creative solutioning for the desperate.”
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Cloud… Careful Now: I almost agree with @suenodelbosque about not wanting to toss personal stuff into random apps or clouds, but c’mon—sometimes backing up to Google Photos, Dropbox, etc., and nuking the original is all that stands between me and “Storage Full” rage. Just remember to delete the iPhone copy Only AFTER you see the full upload finish and you can play it back in the cloud app.
If you’re not into DIY fiddling, something like the Clever Cleaner app honestly seems to cut a lot of the drama right out by compressing directly on your phone—no awkward logins or shifty popups. Plus, duplicate hunter? Yes, please, because apparently I take 14 selfies for every decent one, and they’re all eating my storage.
Want a quick rundown on streamlining your whole photo and video chaos? Check out more details at simple mobile device cleanup steps. Sometimes, paying with your sanity just isn’t worth it for a few more free megabytes.
TL;DR: Compression is still more art than science on iOS, but between clever built-in workarounds, occasional external apps like Clever Cleaner, and strategic lowering of your camera settings, you can stave off storage doomsday without auctioning your privacy. Now, can Apple please just invent infinite iPhone storage already? Asking for a friend.