This trick will let you keep taking photos even after your phone’s storage is full

If you’re constantly running out of storage space on your phone because of your photos, well, have we got a hack for you. Mashable’s Molly Sequin points out that a possible solution lies in your phone’s other apps, especially Snapchat.

Smartphone storage often feels like a mind game. You get a 16 GB iPhone, and it’s really only like 12 GB after you account for the operating system. Take a few pictures, download some podcasts, and soon, you get that dreaded notification: “Storage almost full.” And this often seems to happen right when you really need that camera, like at an event or a particularly Instagram-worthy dinner.

But as some users know, other apps on your phone can also take photos — and store them in a way that take up less space on your device.

Take Snapchat for example, which as of last year has a photo storage feature called Memories. After you *snap* a pic, simply click the icon in the bottom left corner that looks like an arrow pointing down into a sideways bracket. Now, it’s saved in Memories until you delete it. And you can export it from there to wherever you want. Other apps, like Facebook and Slack, also work for this purpose.

It’s like magic! Or at least, it feels like you’re moderately gaming the system, which is a fun feeling.

And when you do get around to deleting photos (or uploading them to the cloud), make sure you go in and permanently delete what is in your phone’s recently deleted photos folder. That can free up a huge chunk of space.

Or you can just upgrade to the 128 GB phone and feel so, so free. But that’s also what the system wants you to do. Choose wisely.