iCloud storage and phone storage

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Level 1

17 points

iCloud storage and phone storage

I'm confused. I have 64 GBs of storage on my iPhone 8+. Only 21GBs are being used. No problem. When I look at my iCloud storage (for my phone only) it is using 2.8 GBs out of the allotted 5 GBs. I have turned off photos and messages from backing up to iCloud. These are the two largest and most often used apps on my phone.

About a year ago, I discontinued these apps from being backed up onto iCloud. At the time it was considerably reduced by turning off said apps. But now I am being told my iCloud space is up to 3/4 used. I spoke with an Apple support tech and she helped me remove any documents I had in the cloud. I did not need them there and they were stored inadvertently by me. That freed up the space to 1/2 used.

The item that is taking up the most space is called "Backups." I asked the tech what exactly is being backed up, and was told the photos and texts, etc., even though I do not need them to be backed up to the cloud and have turned them off from "using the cloud." This is why I am confused, unless I've been misinformed. In any case, I would like to know what all is in "Backups. Currently I only have Contacts, Calendar and "iCloud Drive" turned on to go to the cloud.

All of this info is backed up to my phones storage, as I understand the situation. If I need to get a new phone or reset and need backup info to keep my phone apps, etc I should be fine. Again, as I understand it. Whenever I've gotten a new phone in the past, be it an android or iphone, all of my essential info was "transferred over." So I personally don't really need the cloud. Unless there is something I don't know or understand.

I'd be thankful if this could be clarified for me.

iPhone 8 Plus, iOS 14

Posted on Jan 4, 2021 1:11 PM

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Answer 1

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FoxFifth

Community+ 2025

Level 10

475,395 points

Jan 4, 2021 1:30 PM in response to hac66

hac66 wrote:

... Whenever I've gotten a new phone in the past, be it an android or iphone, all of my essential info was "transferred over." So I personally don't really need the cloud. Unless there is something I don't know or understand.

I'd be thankful if this could be clarified for me.

What if your phone is lost, stolen, dropped in a lake, run over by a truck, etc? Where is your essential information going to transfer from?

Also, re "All of this info is backed up to my phones storage, as I understand the situation." -- No data is backed up to the phone itself; backing up (creating a second copy) on the phone itself wouldn't be very useful.

Also, be aware of the difference between syncing data to iCloud and iCloud Backup. The options at Settings > [username] > iCloud > e.g., Photos, Contacts, etc. are not the same as iCloud Backup.

You can view synced data via a computer at www.icloud.com but cannot view the contents of an iCloud Backup. Synced data is synced dynamically as changes occur while iCloud Backup only runs periodically (e.g., daily when charging if the option is onand wi-fi is connected).

It the data is synced (e.g., iCloud Photos is turned on ) then that same data will not be included in an iCloud Backup. If it is not synced it would normally be included in an iCloud Backup unless you exclude it at Settings > [username] > iCloud > Manage Storage > Backups > [device name] > Choose Data to Backup. Also see: What does iCloud back up? - Apple Support

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Answer 2

hac66 Author

Level 1

17 points

Jan 4, 2021 2:06 PM in response to hac66

I'm back....I'll cool my jets soon. Promise. But I did just learn that under icloud storage where it says "backups", if you touch that, it opens up and shows an option of "backups...iphone, this phone." I think I clicked on that before but nothing showed up other than backup size, site and next. Now, below that, all the data is popping up under "choose data to back up." Sheesh. I swear all this info didn't pop up before. I'm deselecting what I don't need to have in the cloud. Yay. Thanks again for getting me here everyone.

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Answer 3

Courcoul

Level 6

18,684 points

Jan 4, 2021 1:19 PM in response to hac66

Do you use WhatsApp and is it set to back itself up automatically? That's one app I can think of that uses iCloud storage on its own accord. On my i8+, it is lugging around nearly a GB worth of convos, documents, pics, etc.

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Answer 4

frazzm737

Level 9

55,410 points

Jan 4, 2021 1:14 PM in response to hac66

Perhaps this link will help...

What's the difference between device storage and iCloud storage? - Apple Support

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Answer 5

hac66 Author

Level 1

17 points

Jan 4, 2021 1:44 PM in response to FoxFifth

I'm going to have to think about all the info shared here. But the one thing I learned from changing from one phone to another is that most of what I needed from my phone was also synced to my contacts, email, calendar and that sort of thing. So I wouldn't actually need the physical phone to do that. And if I stayed with the same provider some of the phone set up might remain the same...not necessarily, just a thought. But it does make more sense to say backing up the phone to itself isn't helpful if the phone goes missing. I don't back up my computer on my computer.

I'm not using WhatsApp. Very few apps, actually.

I'm going to have to check the link as to the difference between the cloud and the phone back up.

Thanks everyone.

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Answer 6

hac66 Author

Level 1

17 points

Jan 4, 2021 1:52 PM in response to hac66

p.s.

It just made sense to me that the things I add to my phone are what the phone storage is all about. Got it. Like if I had a gazillion apps, I'd run out of phone storage. Likewise, I think I get that all these things in my iphone storage would go to the cloud. Unless I deselect them from going to the cloud. Which leads me back to how am I personally using much space at all on the cloud cuz, as I said, I don't have much going on compared to other people's phone use. I still have to read more closely about that.

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Answer 7

Jan 4, 2021 2:05 PM in response to hac66

hac66 wrote:

... But the one thing I learned from changing from one phone to another is that most of what I needed from my phone was also synced to my contacts, email, calendar and that sort of thing. So I wouldn't actually need the physical phone to do that. ...

Thanks everyone.

You wouldn’t need the physical phone but your original statement was that you wouldn't need the cloud and that is what I was responding to. Quote "Whenever I've gotten a new phone in the past, be it an android or iphone, all of my essential info was "transferred over." So I personally don't really need the cloud."

If you don't have the phone, which is a very real possibility, if you want to not lose data it has to come from somewhere and in the case of photos and much other data on most phones, that would have to be from iCloud sync or iCloud backup or from a backup to a computer

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iCloud storage and phone storage

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