DIVING into your iPhone settings might sound a bit dull way to spend an afternoon – but it could help you to free up loads of storage space.
There’s an easy-to-miss iPhone menu that does the job perfectly (I tried it out and saved loads of space), and it’s nowhere near the iPhone Storage settings.
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That’s because the storage you’re saving isn’t physically on your iPhone, but in the cloud.
Your iCloud storage is where all of your backed-up content is held, including those precious photos, videos, and texts.
If you ever lost your iPhone, it’d be these iCloud back-ups that would save you from the despair of saying goodbye to those beloved files.
Sadly that iCloud storage can fill up pretty quickly – and getting more will cost you money.
You only get 5GB of iCloud storage for free, and updating to 50GB comes with a £0.99 / $0.99 fee.
This upgrades your account to iCloud+, which has some bonus perks (including a way to hide your email adress to limit spam).
And the top level of iCloud+ for £54.99 / $59.99 gets you a mammoth 12TB of storage.
But before you go forking out on extra storage, head into your settings to see if you can free up space.
EASY TRICK TO FREE ICLOUD STORAGE SPACE
One of the big reasons why your iCloud storage might be running low is old back-ups you don’t need anymore.
This will be linked to you having used a different iPhone previously.
Your iCloud might still be holding on to one of those back-ups, in addition to the back-up for your current iPhone.
And if you go into your iCloud settings, you can check for this.
I did just that, and managed to free up just under 90GB (gigabytes) of storage space.
Netflix says that a single gigabyte of downloaded content is equivalent to six hours of telly.
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So I saved the equivalent of nearly 540 hours of TV – or just over 22 days’ worth.
To find these back-ups, you’ve got two easy options.
One is to go into Settings > iCloud > Recommended For You and then look for Delete Inactive Backups.
This will only appear if you actually have any inactive back-ups available to delete.
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Another option is to go into Settings > iCloud > Backup > All Device Backups.
That’s where you’ll be able to see a list of all of the back-ups that you’ve got saving to iCloud.
And if you find that you have any redundant ones that aren’t in use any more, feel free to remove them.
Just make sure that you’re not getting rid of your main back-ups where all of your current files are being saved.
ICLOUD+ PRICING – HOW MUCH WILL IT COST YOU?
Here’s the official list of prices for the UK and US, accurate as of February 18, 2025..
You get 5GB of free iCloud storage as standard. This free plan doesn’t come with any of the iCloud+ perks. If you want iCloud+ perks and bonus storage, you’ll need to pay the following monthly fees:
UK iCloud+ prices
- 50GB – £0.99
- 200GB – £2.99
- 2TB – £8.99
- 6TB – £26.99
- 12TB – £54.99
US iCloud+ prices
- 50GB – $0.99
- 200GB – $2.99
- 2TB – $9.99
- 6TB – $29.99
- 12TB – $59.99
Picture Credit: Apple
If you do that and you still don’t have enough storage, you could always upgrade your iCloud to one of the more premium iCloud+ plans.
As well as bonus storage, Apple says that you get the following perks:
- Automatic Syncing – Sync and access your data across all your devices.
- iCloud Private Relay – Keep your Safari browsing private.
- Hide My Email – Keep your personal email address private.
- Custom Email Domain – Personalize your iCloud email address with a custom domain.
- HomeKit Secure Video – Store, analyze, and view encrypted video from your home security cameras.
- Family Sharing – Share an iCloud+ plan with up to five family members.
- Apple Invites – Create unique invitations and manage events.
The Apple Invites app was only released this month – and we’ve already tested it out.
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But if you want to stick to the free iCloud tier, you won’t get those perks – and will have your storage capped at 5GB.
