How to choose what your iPhone backs up to iCloud
- jan
- 11
If you're limited on iCloud storage space, you can manually decide what app data you want, and what you don't!
If you're on a free iCloud storage plan, you are probably already aware that you only get 5GB to store your information (cue sad trombone). That isn't a lot of space, especially if you own multiple iOS devices.
One way you can free up some additional storage to use elsewhere is by manually choosing what app data gets stored, and what won't!
Turning off app data doesn't mean that app won't return to your device during an iCloud restore, it just means the app's data will not return.
Typically the camera roll and document-centric apps are the most storage hungry. If you decide to turn these off, just make sure you're okay with losing the data within them in the event of a restore. We'd suggest saving any documents or photos to your computer frequently to free up storage space.
Or you can of course upgrade your iCloud storage plan if you want to store all your things, all the time – there are a ton of options to choose from! But here's how you can selectively back up your data over iCloud.
How to choose what app data gets backed up to iCloud for iPhone and iPad.
- Open Settings on your iPhone or iPad.
- Tap Apple ID banner.
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Tap iCloud.
- Tap Manage Storage.
- Tap Backups.
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Tap your iPhone or iPad under Backups.
- Tap Show All Apps if the apps you want to manage aren't among the first five displayed.
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Tap the switches next to any apps that you no longer want to back up to flip them to the white "off" position.
How do you use iCloud?
Are you a big iCloud fan? Or do you prefer to back up your data using some other method? Let us know in the comments below!
Updated January 2019: Updated steps and screenshots for iOS 12.
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