Here's how to reclaim 15GB of storage after iOS 27 update

iOS 27 Storage Mystery: Reclaim Your iPhone's Space from Apple Intelligence

Apple's latest iOS 27 update, designed to bring advanced AI capabilities, has inadvertently created a significant storage headache for many iPhone users. Reports are surfacing of Apple Intelligence consuming a substantial chunk of internal storage, with some users losing as much as 15GB. This unexpected allocation is leaving many scrambling for space, especially on devices with limited storage.

The precise amount of storage claimed by Apple Intelligence appears to be variable, with some users reporting around 16GB missing, while others note a more manageable, yet still concerning, 9GB reduction. What's particularly frustrating is that this storage drain occurs even in regions where Apple Intelligence is not yet available, such as the European Union. Despite the features being inactive, iPhone users in these areas are still experiencing a noticeable loss of storage capacity after updating.

For owners of older iPhones with lower storage capacities, such as the iPhone 16, the impact is even more pronounced. Some 128GB models are finding themselves dedicating approximately 30% of their available space to iOS, AI features, and the already reserved space for future updates.

Unfortunately, disabling Apple Intelligence or Siri directly does not seem to recover the lost storage. Furthermore, attempting to change your Apple Account region is not advisable, as it can lead to complications with subscriptions and account balances.

Fortunately, resourceful Reddit users have discovered a clever workaround. By changing Siri's language to an unsupported variant, users can significantly reduce the storage footprint of Apple Intelligence. While AI and Siri typically require US or UK English, experimenting with other English dialects like Canadian, Irish, South African, or New Zealand English can make a remarkable difference. This adjustment doesn't completely eliminate the AI features but scales down their local storage requirements to a much more acceptable ~100MB.

Initial testing confirms this method's effectiveness. Changing Siri's language to South African English on a test device resolved the storage issue after a simple reboot.

Interestingly, this storage situation coincides with an uptick in Apple's promotional efforts for its iCloud storage service, encouraging users to subscribe and back up their data.

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