The first place to check
When you delete photos or videos, iOS usually moves them to the Recently Deleted album. That album helps recover mistakes, but the media may still occupy space until they are permanently deleted.
Before emptying it, make sure you did not delete an important memory. Once permanent deletion is confirmed in Photos, recovering it may no longer be possible.
Why the gain can feel small
- Deleted photos can stay temporarily in Recently Deleted.
- A few small images free much less space than one 4K video or screen recording.
- iCloud Photos and storage settings can delay the exact visible gain.
- The iPhone can take time to recalculate storage shown in Settings.
The calmer method
Start by identifying what really occupies Photos: large videos, screen recordings, RAW files, screenshots and probable duplicates. Tasnif helps surface those priorities locally, without uploading your library.
Then delete only what no longer matters, and check Recently Deleted in Photos if you want to recover the space now.