SweepiusQuick answer: deleted photos and videos move to Recently Deleted and keep using space there for 30 days. To get the space back now, open Photos › Collections › Recently Deleted, unlock with Face ID, tap Select, then More › Delete All, and confirm.
Why deleting doesn’t free space straight away
Apple built Recently Deleted as a safety net: anything you delete in Photos stays recoverable for 30 days, then disappears for good. That’s great when you delete the wrong thing, but it means the space only comes back when the album is emptied — either by you, or automatically after 30 days.
Every photo app that deletes through iOS, including cleaner apps, sends items to the same place. No app can empty Recently Deleted for you; only you can.
How to empty Recently Deleted
- Open Photos and tap Collections.
- Swipe up to Utilities and tap Recently Deleted.
- Tap View Album and unlock it with Face ID or Touch ID.
- Tap Select. To remove everything, tap More, then Delete All. To remove only some, tap them, then More › Delete.
- Confirm. If iCloud Photos is on, the button may read Delete from All Devices.
This step is permanent. Scroll through first if there’s any chance something important is in there.
Recovering something you deleted by mistake
In the same album, tap the photo or video and choose Recover. For several at once, tap Select, pick them, then More › Recover. It goes back to its original place in your library.
Still not seeing the space?
- Give it a minute. Settings › General › iPhone Storage can take time to recalculate.
- Check what you deleted. Screenshots and small photos free very little. A few long videos often free more than a thousand photos.
- Optimize iPhone Storage. With iCloud Photos on, Settings › Photos › Optimize iPhone Storage keeps smaller versions on the phone and full-size originals in iCloud.
Which deletions are worth it?
Start with your biggest videos, then near-duplicate retakes, then screenshots. The iPhone storage full guide walks through the order, and the storage calculator shows how much video your recordings add up to.