Video is large. That's the whole story. A phone full of photographs will fill up far faster once it's also full of Tapes.
The good news is that Videflo can free up a lot of space on your phone without losing a single second of footage, because a backed-up Tape doesn't need to live on the phone.
Two places, two limits
- Your phone
- Where recordings are made and kept for offline watching. The limit is the phone's free space, which you can see in Settings → General → iPhone Storage.
- Videflo Cloud
- Where recordings are protected. The limit is your allowance: 50 GB with the subscription, with larger capacities available. You can see it in Settings → Videflo Cloud.
Standard (1080p) is the smallest; High (4K) is roughly four times the size for the same length, on both counts.
Freeing space on your phone, safest first
Remove backed-up Tapes from the phone.
Press and hold a Tape that says Backed Up and choose Remove from This iPhone, or open Settings → Videflo Cloud → Manage Storage → Free Up Space, which lists your largest Tapes. The Tape stays in your library and plays by streaming. Start here. It's the biggest win with no risk at all.
Delete recordings you genuinely don't want.
Open Manage Recordings, watch them, and remove what you don't need. This is permanent.
Tidy up elsewhere on the phone.
Old podcasts, downloaded films, and the Photos app's Recently Deleted album often hold several gigabytes between them.
Deleting a Tape is permanent, everywhere
Delete Tape removes it from your phone and from Videflo Cloud together. To free space, remove it from the phone instead.
When Videflo Cloud is getting full
Videflo tells you as your allowance fills: a notice in the bell, and the Videflo Cloud card in Settings. When it's full, new uploads pause; nothing already stored is touched.
- Choose a larger capacity in Manage Storage → Storage Options. It's an upgrade to your existing subscription, priced by the App Store, and takes effect straight away.
- Delete Tapes you don't want, which frees their space in Videflo Cloud as well as on the phone.
- On a Shared Tape you own, every member's recording counts against your allowance, so deleting a recording you don't want frees it for everyone.
Over your allowance
If you move to a smaller capacity and you're using more than it holds, Videflo keeps everything and gives you 30 days to free space or change back. It doesn't delete anything on its own.
The low-storage warning while recording
While you're recording, Videflo watches the free space on your phone and shows a warning in the corner when it's getting short. The warning appears while there's still comfortable room to finish what you're filming. It's a nudge, not an emergency.
If you see it mid-occasion, finish the recording you're on so it's safely saved, then free up some space before carrying on.
Tips
Standard quality is the single biggest saving available, on the phone and in the cloud. Choose it for everyday Tapes and reserve High for the occasions that deserve it.
A Tape you've finished with and won't watch this month is a fine candidate for Remove from This iPhone. It's one tap to bring back.
Exporting to Photos makes a second copy on the phone. Free space by removing the Tape from the phone afterwards, not by deleting it.
Common mistakes
Deleting whole Tapes to make room on the phone.
Use Remove from This iPhone. It frees the same space and the Tape is still yours, protected in Videflo Cloud.
Offloading the app in iPhone Storage to save room.
Don't. Offloading removes the app, and any recording that hadn't finished uploading with it. Remove backed-up Tapes from the phone instead.
Troubleshooting
Videflo says there's not enough space, but the phone says there is.
- Exporting a Tape needs room for the whole new file at once, several gigabytes for a long Tape.
- iOS also keeps some space in reserve, so the last stretch isn't really usable.
- Free a few more gigabytes than you think you need and try again.
Recording stopped and mentioned storage.
- Everything captured up to that point is kept. Free up space, then use Continue Recording to carry on in the same Tape.
Frequently asked
Do my Tapes count against my iCloud storage?
Not directly. Videflo Cloud is separate from iCloud and comes with your subscription. Your phone's own iCloud backup, if you have one, includes Videflo's data like any other app's.
Can I move Tapes to an SD card or external drive?
No. Videflo keeps its recordings in its own storage on the phone and in Videflo Cloud. To get footage onto a drive, export it and copy it across from Photos using a computer.
Why is Videflo so large in iPhone Storage?
Because your recordings are counted as part of it. The app itself is small; the video is what takes the room, and removing backed-up Tapes from the phone is how you shrink it.
Related articles
Videflo Cloud: how backup works
What gets backed up, when, the cloud mark on a Tape's card, and the two switches that control it.
The subscription, storage capacities, and what's included
One monthly subscription with Videflo Cloud included, three storage sizes, and how billing works through the App Store.
Choosing a recording quality
Standard, High, and Smooth: what each one means for how it looks and how much room it takes.
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