Here’s how you can disable YouTube Smart Downloads feature on iPhone and iPad to free up precious storage space.
YouTube Smart Downloads are Handy but it Uses a Ton of Space, Turn it Off on iPhone, iPad
If you’re a YouTube Premium subscriber, then you probably noticed how the YouTube app is suddenly taking up more storage space on iPhone and iPad. That’s because it comes with an exclusive feature called Smart Downloads.
Based on your watching habits, the channels you subscribed to, the app will automatically download a few videos in the background so you can watch them later, even if there’s no internet connectivity.
It’s great for times when you’re taking a long commute but don’t want to burn through your data, as YouTube has done the legwork for you.
However, those videos take up a lot of storage space. I checked my iPad yesterday, and Smart Downloads was using more than 1GB of space. And the strange part: I don’t even watch these downloaded videos.
So, if you want to free up space, then turn off Smart Downloads. Here’s what you have to do:
Step 1. Launch the YouTube app on your iPhone and iPad.
Step 2. Tap on your profile button on the bottom right.
Step 3. Tap on the Settings button on the top right.
Step 4. Scroll down and tap on Background & Downloads.
Step 5. Turn off the Smart Downloads switch. That’s all.
You can tweak the settings to however you like, but if you don’t use this feature at all, then it’s best you keep it turned off.
