top of page
Search

Saving money: How storage & iCloud works

Introduction to iCloud

When you buy an Apple device you automatically get 5GB for free online storage if you set up iCloud. Using iCloud lets you automatically back-up your device so that if you lose it you can set up a new one without losing anything. Find out more on how back-up works here.


If you don’t switch on iCloud Photos then your photos are saved in your device back-ups. However, if you have more than one Apple device, you should switch on iCloud Photos on all your devices. Automatic syncing across your devices is an brilliant feature. More on setting up iCloud Photos here.


When you use up your 5GB of free iCloud storage, often with photos and videos, Apple will prompt you to buy more storage with iCloud+ or delete files to stay under 5GB.


The iCloud+ storage / plans that you can buy are;

  • 50GB

  • 200GB

  • 2TB (2000GB) or more

If your family also use Apple phones and you are using Apple family sharing you can share your storage with your family so that you don’t all need to buy storage separately. These iCloud+ plans are monthly and so you can upgrade for a month, delete some files and then go back to a smaller storage plan.


There are alternative apps for storing and backing up photos (see Alternative sharing apps) but if you have multiple Apple devices or use Apple family sharing, I would recommend iCloud+ over alternatives for pure simplicity.


Shared Albums, Shared Library & Shared Storage

When it comes to sharing, it can be a bit confusing. Sharing is covered in this article but here is an overview.

Feature

How many people can share?

Which photos are stored?

Can participants edit your photos?

Uses your iCloud storage

Shared Storage

6 (Family group)

Originals

No

Yes

Shared Album

100 (Anyone*)

Copies

No

No

Shared Library

6 (Anyone*)

Originals

Yes

Yes

* People with Apple accounts.

Each of these feature has it’s own uses but you can use all of them to help your reduce the iCloud storage you need and therefore save you money.


If your family have Apple devices and you don’t use shared storage, this is the first place to start. Here is how to set up Family Sharing. Rather than each member of the family buying 50GB when they reach their free 5GB limit, it’s cheaper for one person to buy the 50GB plan and share it. The same applies when anyone in the family reaches their 50GB limit since the larger the plan, the cheaper the cost per GB.


Next: ‘How to reduce your storage - the quick wins’.

 
 
    bottom of page