Query Available iOS Disk Space with Swift

Bryan Hanson picture Bryan Hanson · Oct 5, 2014 · Viewed 19.4k times · Source

I'm trying to get the available iOS device storage using Swift. I found this function here

        func deviceRemainingFreeSpaceInBytes() -> NSNumber {
          let documentDirectoryPath = NSSearchPathForDirectoriesInDomains(.DocumentDirectory, .UserDomainMask, true)
          let systemAttributes = NSFileManager.defaultManager().attributesOfFileSystemForPath(documentDirectoryPath.last as String, error: nil)
          return systemAttributes[NSFileSystemFreeSize] as NSNumber
        }

But at compile time this error is given: [NSObject : AnyObject]? does not have a member named 'subscript' I believe this error arises from the issue mentioned here, namely that attributesOfFileSystemForPath returns an optional dictionary (documentation). I understand the problem in a general sense, but because the suggested solution involves a nested case, I don't quite see how to fix the function I'm interested in (it doesn't help that I'm quite new to Swift). Can someone suggest how to make the function work? NOTE: I'm not sure if the original function was tested by the author or if it worked under an xcode 6 beta, but it doesn't work under the GM as far as I can see.

Answer

Martin R picture Martin R · Oct 5, 2014

iOS 11 Update

The answers given below no longer provide accurate results under iOS 11. There are new volume capacity keys that can be passed to URL.resourceValues(forKeys:) that provide values that match what is available in device settings.

  • static let volumeAvailableCapacityKey: URLResourceKey Key for the volume’s available capacity in bytes (read-only).

  • static let volumeAvailableCapacityForImportantUsageKey: URLResourceKey Key for the volume’s available capacity in bytes for storing important resources (read-only).

  • static let volumeAvailableCapacityForOpportunisticUsageKey: URLResourceKey Key for the volume’s available capacity in bytes for storing nonessential resources (read-only).

  • static let volumeTotalCapacityKey: URLResourceKey Key for the volume’s total capacity in bytes (read-only).

From Apple's documentation:

Overview

Before you try to store a large amount of data locally, first verify that you have sufficient storage capacity. To get the storage capacity of a volume, you construct a URL (using an instance of URL) that references an object on the volume to be queried, and then query that volume.

Decide Which Query Type to Use

The query type to use depends on what's being stored. If you’re storing data based on a user request or resources the app requires to function properly (for example, a video the user is about to watch or resources that are needed for the next level in a game), query against volumeAvailableCapacityForImportantUsageKey. However, if you’re downloading data in a more predictive manner (for example, downloading a newly available episode of a TV series that the user has been watching recently), query against volumeAvailableCapacityForOpportunisticUsageKey.

Construct a Query

Use this example as a guide to construct your own query:

let fileURL = URL(fileURLWithPath: NSHomeDirectory() as String)
do {
    let values = try fileURL.resourceValues(forKeys: [.volumeAvailableCapacityForImportantUsageKey])
    if let capacity = values.volumeAvailableCapacityForImportantUsage {
        print("Available capacity for important usage: \(capacity)")
    } else {
        print("Capacity is unavailable")
    }
} catch {
    print("Error retrieving capacity: \(error.localizedDescription)")
}

Original Answer

Optional binding with if let works here as well.

I would suggest that the function returns an optional Int64, so that it can return nil to signal a failure:

func deviceRemainingFreeSpaceInBytes() -> Int64? {
    let documentDirectoryPath = NSSearchPathForDirectoriesInDomains(.DocumentDirectory, .UserDomainMask, true)
    if let systemAttributes = NSFileManager.defaultManager().attributesOfFileSystemForPath(documentDirectoryPath.last as String, error: nil) {
        if let freeSize = systemAttributes[NSFileSystemFreeSize] as? NSNumber {
            return freeSize.longLongValue
        }
    }
    // something failed
    return nil
}

Swift 2.1 Update:

func deviceRemainingFreeSpaceInBytes() -> Int64? {
    let documentDirectory = NSSearchPathForDirectoriesInDomains(.DocumentDirectory, .UserDomainMask, true).last!
    guard
        let systemAttributes = try? NSFileManager.defaultManager().attributesOfFileSystemForPath(documentDirectory),
        let freeSize = systemAttributes[NSFileSystemFreeSize] as? NSNumber
    else {
        // something failed
        return nil
    }
    return freeSize.longLongValue
}

Swift 3.0 Update:

func deviceRemainingFreeSpaceInBytes() -> Int64? {
    let documentDirectory = NSSearchPathForDirectoriesInDomains(.documentDirectory, .userDomainMask, true).last!
    guard
        let systemAttributes = try? FileManager.default.attributesOfFileSystem(forPath: documentDirectory),
        let freeSize = systemAttributes[.systemFreeSize] as? NSNumber
    else {
        // something failed
        return nil
    }
    return freeSize.int64Value
}

Usage:

if let bytes = deviceRemainingFreeSpaceInBytes() {
    print("free space: \(bytes)")
} else {
    print("failed")
}