Backing up data is one of the significant advantages of the Apple ecosystem, providing a secure and easily accessible storage solution. Nevertheless, a common issue with these backups is their consumption of space, which is limited to 5 GB. However, there’s good news – did you know there’s a method to reduce the size of your iCloud backups? Let’s explore it further below.
First and foremost, it’s crucial to emphasize that any alterations to backups must be carried out from the respective device. It’s not possible to make changes to an iPad backup from an iPhone, even if both devices share the same Apple ID.
How is a backup made?
Just like in every aspect of life, there are various methods to reduce the storage space occupied by our backup copies, enabling us to maintain ample space in iCloud for storing additional information. Before delving into the details, let’s first explore how to quickly create a backup on our device.
To initiate the backup process, follow these steps:
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
- Tap on your name at the top.
- Go to iCloud.
- Tap on Manage Storage.
- Access the Backup section.
Once you’ve successfully backed up your data, the next step is to check if there are any previous backups. If you find a previous backup, you can delete it by selecting it and clicking on “Disable Backup.”
There is a solution
After successfully creating a backup in iCloud, let’s explore how we can reduce its size. To do this, follow these steps:
- Click on the backup you want to manage to see its size. To access this information, scroll down and observe the space occupied by each folder containing elements of your backup.
- Next, click on “Show All Apps.” This will provide you with a comprehensive list of all the data stored, allowing you to identify which items are not essential and can be excluded from the cloud storage.
- Another approach to freeing up space is by identifying the applications that consume the most storage in your backup. However, please note that this analysis must be done before creating the backup, from your iPhone settings.
- Keep in mind that certain information, such as memories stored in the Galleries app, is not part of the backup copy if you have it synchronized with iCloud, as it is already stored there.
It’s worth mentioning that you can perform this procedure regardless of whether you have the free 5 GB iCloud plan, the 0.99 euros per month subscription for 50 GB, or the Apple One subscription. The primary objective remains the same – optimizing your cloud storage performance by removing unnecessary data.