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Apple’s iCloud sounds like a good idea on paper, but when you really look at it, that 5GB of free storage doesn’t go far. That’s why I use a cheaper, more efficient way to back up my iPhone.
Why iCloud Fills Up Fast (and What It Actually Backs Up)
Apple offers 5GB of iCloud free for every iPhone owner. That’s nice. However, when you really start looking athow iCloud worksand what it backs up, you quickly realize how little that amount truly is.
By default, iCloud backs up your iPhone’s photos and videos, messages, attachments, app data, settings, device configuration, and any documents you’ve moved to the iCloud Drive.
When it’s all said and done, that free 5GB of space is used up pretty quickly, especially if you have an iPad or Mac that is also backing up to iCloud.
Some people hate juggling the limit so much theydon’t even use iCloud on their iPhones. Luckily, you don’t have to rely on iCloud alone, as there are plenty of other backup options.
Backup Your iPhone to Your Mac or Windows PC
One of the most reliable ways toback up your iPhoneis to use Finder on your Mac or iTunes on a Windows PC. Both options provide a lot of control over what you back up.
Plus, you can easily control where your backup is storedusing programs like Time Machine on the Macto back it up to an external drive after the fact. Backing up to a Mac or Windows PC is also pretty easy, though it does require you to manually connect your phone to the computer.
Another handy benefit of backing up to your computer is that you can back up everything on your iPhone and even encrypt it. This means nobody can access your backup data without knowing the password you set.
Of course, the downside is that you might lose all your data if you forget the password, so verify to store it somewhere safe. It can also be inconvenient to connect your iPhone manually to a computer—or maybe you don’t have a computer to back it up, too.
Despite the small hassle, backing up to a PC or Mac is great because you’ll never have to juggle iCloud storage space ever again.
Get Cheaper Cloud Storage From Google or Microsoft
If you do like the cloud solution, you could always turn to other services like iCloud from Google or Microsoft. Both Google One and Microsoft 365 offer several different storage options.
Google gives you 15GB of storage for free just for having a Google account. However, you can get 100GB of storage bysubscribing to Google Onefor $1.99 a month, with other options like 2TB available for just $9.99 a month. Google also offers some AI bundled plans, which start at $19.99 for 2TB, plus access to Gemini Advanced.
On Microsoft’s side of things, you’ll be using OneDrive if you want to use the Windows maker’s cloud service. OneDrive only gives you 5GB of free storage space, but you also get access to Word and other online versions of Microsoft Office apps.
For $99.99 a year, you can get ad-free access to the Microsoft Office Suite, plus Microsoft Defender advanced security features, AI features like Copilot access, and 1TB of cloud storage.
Additionally, if you have multiple family members who need cloud storage, you may pick up Microsoft or Google’s family plans, which cost a little more but offer individual storage allotments for each user and all the other benefits of the premium plans.
When compared toApple’s iCloud+ offerings—which start at $0.99 a month for 50GB and go up to as much as 12TB for $59.99 a month—it’s easy to choose Google or Microsoft instead.
The downside to using Google or Microsoft exclusively is that you won’t be able to back up your iPhone settings and all of your device information.
Combine Both for Smarter, Safer Backups
The real trick to making the most of your backups is to combine cloud storage with physical backups. This method allows you to utilize the free versions of Google Drive, iCloud, or Google Drive and has helped the 200GB of shared data my wife and I have to go a lot further.
I like to back up my most important information, such as my iPhone’s settings and messages, to iCloud. Then, using theGoogle Photos app, which is free to download and tinker with, I rely on Google’s storage space for most of my photos and videos. I still have some photos stored in iCloud, but most of them are backed up to Google instead.
Why I Never Rely On a Single Data Backup Method
It’s a disaster waiting to happen.
This allows me to keep all my messages, settings, and other important iPhone data stored in an encrypted file safe from bad actors. It’s a win-win all around.
If you’re tired of fighting with iCloud for more storage space, I highly recommend adopting a digital and physical combination for your backups. This lets you get the most out of your various cloud services while also making sure all of your data is backed up and ready to go when you need it.
