by Unlike your iPhone or iPad(Opens in a new tab), your Apple Watch doesn’t have much room for apps, music, podcasts, and all the other content you might try to store on it. Storage space varies by watch version(Opens in a new tab). The Apple Watch Ultra, Series 8, 7, 6, 5 and SE offer 32GB of storage, but you only get 16GB on the Series 4 and Series 3 GPS + Cellular model, and just 8GB on the Series 3 GPS model.
Depending on your watch and how much content you download or sync, you could easily run out of space before you know it. But your watch can tell you how much space you have available. It can also show you how much space is being used by specific apps and content, so you know what to ditch when you’re close to empty.
Running out of space on your Apple Watch? Here are some tips,(Opens in a new tab) courtesy of PCMag’s Lance Whitney.
Check the storage space
Credit: PCMag
Check the available storage space on your watch from the Watch app on your phone. I’m going to you My watch > General > About in practice. Wait a few seconds and the app will display the total number of songs, photos and external apps on the device. It also shows the total capacity and available space.
To check capacity directly on your Apple Watch, go to Settings > General > Storage. The Storage section shows the amount of space available and the amount of space used. Swipe down the screen to see how much space each app and content type is taking up, including Music, Podcasts, and Photos.
Remove apps
Credit: PCMag
Now that you know what content is taking up the most 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 get to Installed on Apple Watch Unity.
Tap the name of an app you want to remove, then disable it Show app on Apple Watch switch and the app will be deleted from the watch. Go back to the previous screen and the app now appears in the Available applications section, where you can always reinstall it on your watch by tapping on it Setting up button.
Credit: PCMag
To remove an app directly from the watch, press the Digital Crown to see the Home screen with all your apps. If your Home screen is in Grid View, tap down on any icon until they all vibrate. Press it X button on the app you want to remove, then tap Delete app. Press the Digital Crown to stop the icons from shaking.
If the Home screen is in List view, slide your finger down the list until you see the app you want to delete. Swipe the app entry to the left and tap the trash can icon. Press it Delete app login to confirm.
Remove music
Credit: PCMag
You may also want to delete any saved music(Opens in a new tab) from your Apple Watch. Do this by opening the Watch app on your iPhone. Scroll down to the My Watch section and tap it MUSIC entrance.
The choice for Recent music adds recently played songs. If this option is enabled and you want to see how much space can be freed up, disable this switch to remove recent albums. Then press it Processing link at top right. Press it Delete icon next to any playlist or album you want to remove, then tap it Delete button.
Credit: PCMag
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 the iPhone and Library. Puncture Library and then select Album and swipe down the screen until you see an album you want to remove.
Swipe the album name to the left, then tap the ellipsis and select it Remove button. The app asks if you want to delete the album from your library or remove this download from the watch. Puncture Remove download and the album is deleted from your watch.
Change your photo sync settings
Credit: PCMag
You can also change the settings for the photos that sync 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. If the option is set to I’m mirroring my iPhone the Customyou can change the synced album and control the number of photos synced to your watch.
Puncture Album Sync and change it to a different album, perhaps one that contains fewer photos. Puncture Photo limit and reduce the number of synced photos to just 25. Your watch will then update your synced photos.
Remove audiobooks
Credit: PCMag
If you save audiobooks(Opens in a new tab) on your watch, these can be removed from the Watch app on your iPhone. Under My Watch, tap Audio books. Here, you have a few options.
If the switches for Reading now and I want to read are on, it means your watch automatically downloads audiobooks to fill space. Disable these options to stop syncing and free up space on your device. Browse the list of synced audiobooks to find what you no longer need on your watch. Swipe one to the left and tap it Delete button.
Remove Podcasts
Credit: PCMag
If you like podcasts(Opens in a new tab)you can hear them(Opens in a new tab) on your Apple Watch, but if you store them on the device, you can remove them through the Watch app. Press it Podcasts entry on the My Watch screen. There are two options available that automatically download episodes, but you can control them if you’re pressed for space.
The Next select downloads of anywhere from 1 to 10 episodes of your podcasts, while Saved adds 1 to 10 saved episodes. Tap each of these items and either reduce the number or turn it off completely. You can then tap on a specific podcast and then either reduce the number of auto-saved episodes or choose Remove Display to completely get rid of all episodes.
Unpair Apple Watch
Credit: PCMag
If you’ve done all of these steps and still have limited space, you might want to try unpairing and repairing your watch. To do this in the Watch app, tap it All watches link at the top. Press it Information icon for your watch and select Unpair Apple Watch.
Allow unpairing to complete, then bring your iPhone close to your Apple Watch. Wait for the pairing screen to appear, tap To continueand then follow the steps to pair it again.
This article originally appeared on PCMag.com(Opens in a new tab), Mashable’s sister site. PCMag.com(Opens in a new tab) is a leading authority in technology, providing independent, lab-based assessments of the latest products and services.
