Twice a year, 30 minutes, done. Print this (mentally), set a timer, reclaim your phone.
The quick answer
Six stations, five minutes each: videos → bursts/duplicates → screenshots → memes/chat-saves → shared-album doubles → empty all trashes. Biggest-first always — most gigabytes land in station one. Full method behind it: clean up your camera roll.
The checklist
0:00–0:05 Videos. Biggest-first sort, delete 5+ giants or trim to the action. (videos, 4K, slo-mo, duplicate videos)
0:05–0:12 Bursts & duplicates. Merge exact copies (Duplicates album), one-winner the bursts (burst guide), RAW tests to JPEG (ProRAW).
0:12–0:17 Screenshots & recordings. Bulk-clear both albums (screenshots, screen recordings).
0:17–0:22 Memes & chat saves. Keep 10 legends (memes), drain Telegram/Snapchat piles (chat saves), kill WhatsApp auto-save and selfie drafts.
0:22–0:27 Shared doubles. Delete saved copies of shared photos (shared albums), leave dead albums.
0:27–0:30 Empty the trashes. In-app Trash, then Recently Deleted > Delete All (how). Check the before/after in iPhone Storage (where to look).
The monthly 2-minute habit
Screenshots album → select all → delete. Yesterday’s bursts → keep one. That’s it — the habit that makes the next spring clean 15 minutes instead of 30.
The bottom line
Thirty minutes, twice a year, plus two minutes monthly. Estimate your haul first with the cleanup estimator — then go collect it.