How to Fix Apple Watch ‘Storage Full’ Message Error?

The Apple Watch might suddenly show a “Storage Full” message, even if you have hardly any apps, music, or photos installed, and it looks like there is still plenty of space left. This error means your watch has run out of storage, usually because hidden system files and temporary data (called “Other”) are taking up space behind the scenes.

The main reason is that the storage is not reported correctly. Often, leftover files from Siri, system updates, or iCloud (like reminders) quietly use up the available space.

In this article, we ill discuss different ways to solve this error.

1. Restart the Apple Watch and iPhone

A full storage warning may show up on the Apple Watch because of a synchronization error between the watch and your iPhone. Restarting both devices usually fixes the problem by resetting the sync process.

1. Press and hold the digital crown and side button on your watch for 10 seconds.

   

2. Let go once the Apple logo appears, and check if the storage warning goes away.
3. If not, quickly press and release the volume up button on your iPhone, then do the same for volume down.

   

4. Press and hold the side button until you see the Apple logo. Check if the storage full message is resolved.

2. Update the WatchOS Directly on the Watch

If you try to update your watch using the Watch app and see a storage full warning, it could mean the sync between your watch and phone didn’t complete properly. To fix this, update the watch’s operating system directly from the watch itself.

1. On your iPhone, go to Settings > General > Software Update.

   

2. If an update is available, install it and restart your iPhone.
3. Force restart your watch (as described earlier) and make sure it’s connected to Wi-Fi.
4. On your watch, go to Settings > General > Software Update.

   

5. If an update is shown, install it, then restart your watch and see if the storage issue is gone.

3. Disable Siri on the Watch

Sometimes, the ‘storage full’ notification appears if Siri cannot download or install the required language pack. The watch then attempts to download it repeatedly, filling up storage. To resolve this, try turning off Siri on your watch.

1. Open Settings on the watch and select Siri.
2. Turn off all options, such as:

   Raise To Speak
   
   Hey Siri
   
   Digital Crown

   

3. Restart both the watch and the phone. Check if the storage full message is cleared.

If this solves it and you want to keep using Siri, try changing Siri’s accent to American voices and see if the problem stays away.

4. Uninstall Conflicting Apps on the Watch

If an app on the watch is acting up and not working properly, it can use up too much storage space and cause this issue. To fix it, uninstall any apps that might be causing conflicts.

The Stocks and Research apps are commonly reported for causing storage full issues. If you have these or similar apps, try uninstalling them.

1. Press the Digital Crown to open the Apps menu.
2. Tap and hold the screen until the View Options menu appears.
3. Tap Edit Apps and then tap the delete icon on the Stocks app.
4. Restart your watch, then open the Watch app on your paired iPhone.
5. Make sure the Stocks app is removed there too, then uninstall the Stocks app on your iPhone.

   

6. Restart your iPhone and check if the watch’s storage issue is fixed.

If you need to keep these apps, make sure iCloud sync is enabled for them. You can also try enabling iCloud sync for all apps on the watch, or just for the Watch app on your phone, to see if this solves the problem.

If you don’t have the apps we mentioned, try uninstalling apps one by one from both the Watch and the Watch app to find the one causing the issue.

5. Delete Data on the Apple Watch

You may see the ‘storage full’ notification if there is simply too much data on your Apple Watch and it doesn’t have space for important tasks like system updates. To fix this, delete unnecessary data from your watch.

Please note: these steps will remove data from your watch, so make sure to back up anything important first. Below, we will cover the most common apps that usually use up the most space.

1. Delete Workouts from your iPhone that are linked to your watch.
2. Open the Watch app on your iPhone and go to the My Watch tab.
3. Scroll down to Music, then tap Edit.
4. Under Playlists & Albums, tap Delete on any music synced to your watch.
5. Still in the My Watch tab, tap on Photos.

   

6. Select Photos Limit and choose a smaller album.
7. Reduce the size of other albums in the same way.
8. Delete any old messages from your phone and watch.
9. Restart both your phone and watch. See if the storage full issue is cleared.

6. Disable iCloud Sync for the Watch

If your iCloud data is synced to your Apple Watch, it can quickly fill up the watch’s limited space. Turning off iCloud sync for the Watch can help in fixing this.

1. Open Settings on your iPhone and tap on Apple ID.
2. Scroll to the bottom and tap Sign Out. Confirm whether you want to keep a copy of the data.

   

3. Once done, restart the iPhone and Apple Watch and see if the problem is fixed.

If the issue is resolved now, the data in iCloud was likely the cause. The types of data to check include:

• Reminders (especially if they include images)
• Phone backups
• Health data

  

You will need to turn off sync for each data type one by one to find out which one is causing the problem.

7. Re-pair the Watch with the Phone

You may continue to get storage warnings if the pairing between your watch and iPhone is not working correctly. This happens sometimes, even with brand-new Apple Watches. To fix it, unpair and re-pair your watch with the phone.

1. Hold your watch and iPhone close together.
2. Open the Watch app on your phone and go to the My Watch tab.
3. Tap your watch, then tap the Info icon.
4. Select Unpair Apple Watch and, for cellular models, choose Keep your cellular plan.

   

5. Confirm to unpair. A backup of your watch will be created on your phone.
6. After unpairing, remove the Watch app from your phone and force restart it.
7. Reinstall the Watch app, set up your watch, and pair it with your phone as a new device (do not restore from backup yet). Check if the storage issue is gone. If you had this issue during an update, update your watch’s OS before restoring your old backup.

8. Reset the Apple Watch to Factory Defaults

If none of the previous methods work, resetting your Apple Watch to factory defaults is a simple way to fix storage problems. This will erase everything, uninstall all applications, and return the watch to its original state.

1. On your Apple Watch, go to Settings > General > Reset.

   

2. Choose Erase All Content and Settings.
3. Confirm the reset, and after it finishes, remove the watch from the Watch app on your phone.
4. Uninstall the Watch app from your phone and restart it.
5. Reinstall the Watch app, then pair your watch with your phone. Hopefully, the storage full issue will be fixed.

After resetting, it’s a good idea to use the Personalized settings instead of duplicates for the following apps:

Messages

Mail

Photo

Music

Contacts

If problems continue, consider using a new Apple ID with your watch and see if it helps. If you still can’t fix the issue, it’s time to contact Apple Support for further assistance.