Does Apple store photos on iCloud?

I have almost depleted available storage on my iPhone 11 with 128gb.

a lot of memory is occupied by notes and voice memos.

In addition, my Google one storage is almost full as well 195gb.

hat can I do to free up space on my phone?

iPhone 11, iOS 16

Posted on Sep 12, 2023 11:38 AM

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Question marked as Best reply

Posted on Sep 12, 2023 1:13 PM

If you turn on iCloud Photos and also turn on the Optimize Storage option for photos it may reduce the space used on your iPhone for photo. See information in Set up and use iCloud Photos - Apple Support including the following:


iCloud Photos keeps all your photos and videos in their original, high-resolution version. To save storage space on your device, you can turn on Optimize Storage.


If you turn on Optimize Storage, iCloud Photos automatically manages the size of your library on your device. Your original photos and videos are stored in iCloud and space-saving versions are kept on your device. Your library is optimized only when you need space, starting with the photos and videos you access least. You can download the original photos and videos over Wi-Fi or cellular when you need them.


If you turn on Download Originals, iCloud Photos keeps your original, full-resolution photos and videos in iCloud and on your device.



Also note that iCloud Photos is a syncing service. Any photo you delete from a device where iCloud Photos is turned on will also be deleted from iCloud and from any other device connected to iCloud Photos. You can potentially reduce the storage space required on a device by turning on Optimize Storage. See the following Apple article for more information: Set up and use iCloud Photos - Apple Support


Apple does not currently offer cloud-only storage for photos. If that is what you want or need, you may want to explore 3rd party options such as Google Photos or Dropbox.


1 reply
Question marked as Best reply

Sep 12, 2023 1:13 PM in response to pgmac01

If you turn on iCloud Photos and also turn on the Optimize Storage option for photos it may reduce the space used on your iPhone for photo. See information in Set up and use iCloud Photos - Apple Support including the following:


iCloud Photos keeps all your photos and videos in their original, high-resolution version. To save storage space on your device, you can turn on Optimize Storage.


If you turn on Optimize Storage, iCloud Photos automatically manages the size of your library on your device. Your original photos and videos are stored in iCloud and space-saving versions are kept on your device. Your library is optimized only when you need space, starting with the photos and videos you access least. You can download the original photos and videos over Wi-Fi or cellular when you need them.


If you turn on Download Originals, iCloud Photos keeps your original, full-resolution photos and videos in iCloud and on your device.



Also note that iCloud Photos is a syncing service. Any photo you delete from a device where iCloud Photos is turned on will also be deleted from iCloud and from any other device connected to iCloud Photos. You can potentially reduce the storage space required on a device by turning on Optimize Storage. See the following Apple article for more information: Set up and use iCloud Photos - Apple Support


Apple does not currently offer cloud-only storage for photos. If that is what you want or need, you may want to explore 3rd party options such as Google Photos or Dropbox.


Does Apple store photos on iCloud?

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