Get More Icloud Storage For Free Using This Iphone Setting
Patrick Holland
Senior Editor
Patrick Holland has an eye for photography and a passion for everything mobile. He is a colorful raconteur who will guide you through the ever-changing and fast-paced world of phones. He also is one of the hosts of CNETs Im So Obsessed podcast.
Whats happening
iOS 15 includes a setting that lets you borrow more iCloud storage temporarily for free when transferring data from an old iPhone to a new one.
Why it matters
iClouds free tier is limited to 5GB of storage. The new temporary solution gives you more iCloud space without costing you any extra money.
Did you just buy a new iPhone 13, 13 Pro or maybe one of Apples older phones like the iPhone 12, iPhone 11 or iPhone SE? No matter the model, youll need to move all of your messages, photos, videos and music to your new phone. With iOS 15, Apple updated the way to transfer your stuff from one iPhone to another.
There are three ways to transfer stuff from your old iPhone to a new one. If youre running MacOS Catalina or newer, you can plug your iPhone into your Mac with a charging cable and use Finder. This is fast, but you need a Mac and enough space on it for the backup file.
You can also use Apples direct data migration tool that copies your old phone onto your new one without using a computer or iCloud. The downside to this process is that you wont be able to use either phone until the transfer process is complete, which can take an hour or more to finish.
Work Through Apples Recommendations
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When youre in Settings > General > iPhone Storage, youll see some recommendations for optimizing your storage . You will probably see a default of two, Tap Show All or More to see more of this sort of thing.
The reason why we didnt start with this is that although a great way to manage storage in the future, its not the quickest way to recover a bit of storage in a hurry. However, it will stand you in good stead if you take Apples advice and put the various storage management suggestions into play.
One option you will see here is to use iCloud Photo Library. This will store your photos and videos in the cloud. iCloud Photo Library is a great solution if you want to have access to all your photos on all your devices just make sure that Apple stores optimized versions of the photos. .
Another option is to Auto Delete Old Conversations from the Messages app. We havent done this primarily because we dont want to lose access to old messages from people long gone, but its a great way to reduce the amount of storage given to messages. We could save a massive 17GB if we did this.
You could also choose to Review Downloaded Videos. If its an option for you tap on the arrow beside it and delete any downloads you see here that you dont need to keep.
iOS will tell you how much storage you stand to gain from enabling these suggestions.
Whats The Best Amount Of Storage For Normal Use
Because Apples iPhones do not have any options for expandable storage, storage is always worth thinking about and while this issue has been somewhat mitigated by Apple offering its base model iPhones with 128GB, you should still give it some sort.
Why? Because once youve used all of your iPhones storage, you will then have to pay for additional cloud storage via iCloud to pick up the slack.
If you know you take a lot of photos and videos and download lots of apps and games and movies, you might want to think about going with a 256GB model instead. This will effectively future-proof your phone for a solid few years.
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Why Do You Need To Manage Icloud Storage
Apple has made iCloud storage a seemingly essential element for all its products, from Macs to iPads, iPhones and even Apple TV. There are four principal elements to the service. These include:
- iCloud Backup: Its used for all the iPad, iPhone and iPod backups youve made without using iTunes.
- iCloud Drive: This is for all your documents and data from third-party apps on Macs and iOS devices that store data in the cloud. Apple’s iCloud Documents and Data service was combined with iCloud Drive in 2022.
- iCloud Mail: Naturally, this is storage for all the emails and attachments youve ever received through your iCloud account.
- iCloud Photo Library: This is storage for all the pictures and videos youve ever taken.
Thats an extensive list of items to squeeze inside Apples ever-so-tiny 5GB free allocation. To get the most out of it, you may want to regularly check how much storage youre already using and take steps to migrate some of those storage tasks to non-Apple products and services.
Buy As Much Space As You Can Afford
When it comes to iPhones, more storage capacity is almost always better, with a big catch: It costs more money. Using an example from March 2022, an unlocked 128 GB iPhone 13 cost $829, while an unlocked 512 GB iPhone 13 cost $1,129. Thats a $300 difference for four times more onboard storage.
As of March 2022, Apple sells iPhones with storage capacities that range from 64 GB all the way to 1 TB. Heres Apples March 2022 iPhone lineupwhich will change over timebut will give you an idea of the typical spread of capacities available:
- iPhone SE: 64 GB / 128 GB / 256 GB
- iPhone 11: 64 GB / 128 GB
- iPhone 12: 64 GB / 128 GB / 256 GB
- iPhone 13: 128 GB / 256 GB / 512 GB
- iPhone 13 Pro: 128 GB / 256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB
Why do you need more storage? Photos and videos in particular take up a lot of space, along with podcasts, music, and large apps such as games. If youre a light-duty iPhone user that typically just uses it to make calls, text people, send emails, and browse the web, you can potentially get by with less storage space on your iPhone.
But if you like to take lots of photos and videos, use hundreds of apps, and want to carry a large music collection in your pocket, youll want as much iPhone storage capacity as possible. Keep in mind that, unlike some Android phones, the iPhones storage space isnt expandable or upgradeable. Once you buy a model with a certain capacity, it will always be that way.
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How To Get More Space Without Deleting Apps Or Photos
While it’s a frequent occurrence for iPhone owners to be fighting a battle trying to find how to clear storage on iPhone without deleting anything, not many realize the most popular extra junk are old backups, old messages, and duplicate files.
After you’ve checked how much storage space you have left and tried altering your settings to maximize its usage, it’s time to turn to professional software for help.
AnyTrans is a sophisticated macOS and iOS file transferring tool, media downloader, and backup manager. The app’s user-friendly interface and smart transfer features allow for seamless data migration between all kinds of devices. This will be helpful if you’re searching for how to free up space on iPad without deleting apps. AnyTrans has a built-in Backup Manager, which creates timely, automatic and wireless iOS backups, so no content ever goes missing!
Once you’ve begun the quest of finding how to free storage on iPhone, don’t forget about duplicate files, as they’re really good at wasting your disk space. If you suspect this to be happening on your device, try using a good duplicate cleaner like Gemini. It quickly locates and points out both duplicates and similar files, which often take up even more space than the doubles.
Gemini scans your whole device for duplicates and presents the findings in a neat interface so it’s easy to choose what you wish to get rid of. And if you end up deleting something by mistake, Gemini offers a safe file recovery too!
How To Buy Storage On Iphone: An Extensive Guide
Today we will talk about how to buy storage on iPhone. Well, Each iPhone model has a certain built-in storage space. We cannot quite literally buy the internal space, because we would have to buy a whole new iPhone in order to get more extra internal storage, unlike computers. But there is another storage feature available on iPhone which is called: iCloud storage.
Pro tip:
iCloud app syncs all your data, which could include photos, videos, contacts, and personal information. With iCloud storage at hand, you can work from anywhere really, people prefer iCloud storage because it is the most secure. You can also buy more iCloud storage if you like. You can buy a maximum of 2TB and a minimum of 50GB of iCloud storage. Lets get to how to buy storage on iPhone.
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Transfer Via Flash Drive
You need to have a Flash Drive Stick for iPhone before you can start migrating your data. This kind of flash drive is easily and directly connected to your iPhone without the need for a computer.
This kind of flash drive stick has its own data transfer app that you can install on your iPhone to establish the connection.
How To Buy More Storage On Iphone: A Complete Guide
iPhone storage can never be upgraded further than the default storage that came with you when you first bought your phone. That is why it is essential to consider the actual device storage you need upon purchasing.
Even if you buy more storage oniPhone, it will not extend the physical storage of your device. Apple offers 5GB of free iCloud storage to store photos, documents, videos, music, and more.
But, if you need phone storage because you ran out of iPhone space, you might need to delete things on your iPhone that are old and less important. Apps, photos, large videos, junk files, and more are the common culprit in consuming your phone storage.
You can workaround to manage your space by transferring your important data to another device like your computer, flash drives, and other cloud services.
In this article, weâll get to know more about how you can reclaim your phone storage quickly and conveniently.
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How Do I Upgrade My Iphone Storage
How do I upgrade my iPhone storage
You cannot increase the storage of an iPhone. However, you can optimize iPhone Storage by using iCloud Storage. Save space on your device
Manage your Storage –> Manage your photo and video storage – Apple Support
Your photos are always available for both iPhone and iCloud. You delete it on the iPhone it is gone from iCloud and vice-versa. To save space on your iPhone use optimized iPhone storage. Remember, if you delete in one it is deleted everywhere.
Get started with iCloud Photos:
With Optimize Storage, smaller, space-saving photos and videos are kept on your device while all of your original, full-resolution versions are stored in iCloud. And as long as you have enough space in iCloud, you can store as many photos and videos as you want.
You cannot increase the storage of an iPhone. However, you can optimize iPhone Storage by using iCloud Storage. Save space on your device
Manage your Storage –> Manage your photo and video storage – Apple Support
Your photos are always available for both iPhone and iCloud. You delete it on the iPhone it is gone from iCloud and vice-versa. To save space on your iPhone use optimized iPhone storage. Remember, if you delete in one it is deleted everywhere.
Get started with iCloud Photos:
“How do I upgrade my iPhone storage“
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Can’t Upgrade Your Icloud+ Storage Plan On Iphone Or Ipad Here’s How To Fix It
Every Apple device user is given 5GB of free iCloud storage to let them store their data in secure remote servers, but Apple also offers iCloud+, a premium cloud subscription service that gives you more storage as well as additional features like Private Relay and Hide My Email.
Apple offers iCloud+ with 50GB, 200GB, or 2TB of additional storage for $0.99, $2.99, or $9.99 per month. If youre an iPhone and iPad user, you can upgrade using your device by going to Settings, clicking on your name, and tapping through to iCloud -> Manage Storage or iCloud Storage.
When you tap Buy More Storage or Change Storage Plan, you can choose a plan by following the onscreen instructions. This is usually a fairly straightforward process, but occasionally some users receive the message Your storage could not be upgraded at this time. Try again later in Settings.
If this message appears for you, dont fret tap Done, back out of Settings all the way to the main Settings screen, then follow these steps.
Once thats done, try upgrading your storage plan again in the same way, and you should have no trouble completing the subscription purchase. For whatever reason, signing out of Media & Purchases seems to remove the obstacle that prevents some people from upgrading on their devices.
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Delete Photos Videos And Other Content From Apps
The photos, videos, and music you download from your apps are one of the main reasons youre running low on storage. Many people who use iMessage or other messaging apps send and receive a lot of videos and photos without even realizing many of them are downloaded to their phones. Deleting this content can significantly free up space. To do this, you need to:
- Find the app with downloaded content.
- Youll have the option to Offload App or Delete App.
- Tap on Delete App.
- Select the app you want to offload.
- Tap on Offload App.
Theres also an option to set your phone to automatically offload apps by going to Settings, then to the App Store, and turning on the toggle switch to Offload Unused Apps.
Move Photos And Videos To The Cloud
One of the easiest ways to free up space on your iPhone without deleting your photos and videos is to move them to the cloud. However, moving such content to your iCloud is probably not the wisest solution because youll lose it on your iCloud the moment you delete it from your phone. For this reason, its best to transfer your photos and videos to a third-party cloud storage service such as Dropbox, Google Photos, Box, or OneDrive.
If you choose to transfer your photos and videos to Google Photos, here are the steps you need to take to free up storage on an iPhone.
- Go to privacy.apple.com and log in with your Apple ID to your iCloud.
- Navigate to Transfer a copy of your data.
- Proceed to Request to transfer a copy of your data.
- From the drop-down menu, choose Google Photos.
- Select and Videos.
- Click Continue, and if you have enough storage, click Continue again.
- Sign in to your Google account, grant access to Apple, and proceed to transfer.
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Upgrade Your Icloud Plan If You Run Out Of Space
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- Gulf Coast Community College
- Wichita Technical Institute
- Settings> your name > iCloud> Manage Storage/iCloud Storage> Buy More Storage/Change Storage Plan.
- Your Apple account comes with 5GB of free iCloud storage.
- Apple offers three tiers of paid iCloud storage: 50GB, 200GB, and 2TB.
Your Apple account comes with 5GB of iCloud storage, but it’s easy to fill it with pictures, and videos. This article provides instructions for how to purchase/upgrade your iCloud storage using your iPhone.
Purchase Additional Space For Icloud On Your Iphone
Navigate to the Settings application on your iPhone or iPad.
To create an Apple ID, tap the banner that appears at the top of the screen.
Tap iCloud.
Select the Manage Storage option.
Select the option to Change Storage Plan.
To upgrade your storage, select an available plan from the drop-down menu.
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Gb Is No Longer Enough For Modern Users
64GB is the least amount of storage you used to be able to get on older models like the iPhone 11 and iPhone 12. But even back then, 64GB was getting close to being totally useless, especially if you plan on running your iPhone for multiple years at a time.
Apple killed 64GB on the iPhone 13 range. All iPhones now ship with 128GB as standard, topping out at 512GB for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus and 1TB for the Pro models.
The second relates to how many pictures and videos to plan on taking. If youre a serial snapper, and you run lots of apps and games on your iPhone, youll definitely need more than 64GB. Like a lot more. Plus, iOS now takes up more room than ever iOS 16 is over 6GB in size.
The third relates to downloading content and media onto your iPhone. If you like downloading and storing lots of files on your iPhone, from TV shows to films and videos, 64GB is going to run out really fast given the size of most, modern video formats.
Apple doesnt include expandable storage on any of its iPhones, so you have to be careful with how you manage what youve got.
OK, so when is a 64GB appropriate? Simple: if youre a light user, somebody like my mum, then 64GB will be more than enough for you. What do I mean by a light user?