Apple Hit With Class Action Lawsuit Over iCloud Backups

[Radeon85]

5GB of storage in 2025 is just as useless as using a floppy disk in 2025. It's so useless it may as well just be scrapped if they refuse to increase it.

 

[Innovati0n]

> alleges that Apple effectively forces consumers to use ‌iCloud‌ for backing up ‌iPhone‌ data [...] with wired backups being the only other option.

Soooo… there are other options

Apple's legal team is paid very well to defend them. They don't need free legal help and public relations from customers.

 

[germanbeer007]

The complaint is that the phone is basically non-functioning out of the box on the free tier

"basically non-functioning" doing some heavy lifting

iPhone can function with zero iCloud backups. It's especially true when apps use the 5GB tier to store data so that when the user buys a new phone and download the app again, the settings are restored.

The average iPhone user has no idea

iPhone users suing Apple for lack of research into a product they want to buy?

I have relatives who are bombarded with iPhone popups about storage, unable to backup, out of room.

Anecdotal + lack of research by your relatives suggest it doesn't really help the argument.

If I bought a car and I realize my bike doesn't fit in the trunk, that's not the car manufacturer's fault. That's my fault.

The 5GB fills up quickly under default settings, and by the time I show up to try and fix it,

5GB isn't designed to hold your entire photo library. This was one of the reasons why Apple built photostream initially to launch alongside iCloud that doesn't count against the 5GB.

Apple needs a "local only" master setting, essentials only in the cloud, or whatever. Turn on the iPhone for the first time and you are prompted with that option.

you can backup to your Mac locally.

 

[germanbeer007]

5GB of storage in 2025 is just as useless as using a floppy disk in 2025. It's so useless it may as well just be scrapped if they refuse to increase it.

Nope.

Plenty of apps rely on the 5GB storage to store user settings/metadata. You'd need thousands of apps to even make a dent on the 5GB storage for just settings/metadata. Moment you start using it for documents and media, you should be paying for it.

Deleting the 5GB storage would just cause every app to ask the user to link to their Dropbox or Google drive.

 

[rorschach]

Some of these lawsuits against Apple are justified. Others, like this one, are completely illogical and absurd.

While Apple permits third-party services to back up user data such as photos, videos, and documents, the company does not allow them to access certain system-level items, including device settings, app configurations, and encrypted keychains. The plaintiffs seek to certify a nationwide class of potentially tens of millions of iCloud subscribers, arguing that Apple's system effectively coerces users into subscribing to its paid storage tiers.

So the data that actually uses the most storage -- photos, videos, and documents -- is fully accessible by third-party apps.

The data that isn't accessible -- device settings, app configurations, and encrypted keychains -- uses negligible storage. Probably kilobytes or megabytes. You can easily use the free 5GB iCloud storage tier to back up that data.

 

[aajeevlin]

Apple's prices for storage are exorbitant. They are charging 4x what other companies (like Dropbox) charge.

What??? 4x? Where is that information from?

Just checked this morning Dropbox for a single user for 2TB per month is $9.99. For iCloud+ is ALSO $9.99 for a family of six. Where are you getting the Dropbox pricing from? Find me a dropbox for 2TB a month for $2.50 /month and I'll sign up immediately.

 

[Mac-85]

I use iCloud since messages, mail and files use it. I’m at 2 of 5G. Deleting all the photos that come & go on messages keeps it under. No way I could use iCloud for the 1000s of photos I take each year. Those get downloaded to Mac and deleted from iPhone altho I’m holding 40g of photos I hardly ever look at. Maybe I clear it out next upgrade.

 

[germanbeer007]

I would like to decide by myself whom I trust. And yes, I trust a company like Proton (or my locally hosted Backup NAS) more than Apple.

Sounds like you can decide to buy an Android device.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Aside from desires for 3rd party options...

How about Apple offer a "slider" on the iCloud storage selection page so we could choose, say, 350GB if that's what we want and need?

 

[Ramchi]

I have Apple One subscription that comes about $4 a month with 200 GB Storage, Apple TV+(now a days nothing useful since my favourite TV shoes are waiting for the new seasons), Apple Music (I have Spotify and Amazon Music which are way better in my region and for my tastes), games (I don’t use it at all)….I also have OneDrive 6 TB 6 accounts subscription. I need to rationalise iCloud subscription which is bit higher and in any case I have OneDrive cloud backup of my photos and files.50 GB for $0.9 is not good enough now a days. Just 200GB backup alone comes around $2.4 and I might as well go for this instead of Apple One soon. Though the difference of $1.5 is no big deal, but I hardly use the Apple TV+ and Apple Music.

 

[kjvmartin]

"basically non-functioning" doing some heavy lifting

iPhone can function with zero iCloud backups. It's especially true when apps use the 5GB tier to store data so that when the user buys a new phone and download the app again, the settings are restored.



iPhone users suing Apple for lack of research into a product they want to buy?



Anecdotal + lack of research by your relatives suggest it doesn't really help the argument.

If I bought a car and I realize my bike doesn't fit in the trunk, that's not the car manufacturer's fault. That's my fault.



5GB isn't designed to hold your entire photo library. This was one of the reasons why Apple built photostream initially to launch alongside iCloud that doesn't count against the 5GB.


you can backup to your Mac locally.

I don't know anyone who owns a Mac.

 

[thejadedmonkey]

so...not really monopolizing anything. you're just too whiney. plus you can do this over wifi.

I'd like to have my iPhone backup to my NAS, similarly to how my mac does. Can you show me how to do this?

I'm subscribed to iCloud, because I can't figure out how to.

 

[Necro69]

Apple's prices for storage are exorbitant. They are charging 4x what other companies (like Dropbox) charge.

dropbox 2tb plan is the same amount as apple's

 

[germanbeer007]

Storage is storage. It's just data centres. It's not special super-duper Apple storage.

That's why this matters.

It's not just storage. Price includes data transfer and services such as email servers, media optimization/transcoding, private relay, custom domain usage, unlimited HomeKit secure video, collaboration services, shared photo albums, etc....

 

[germanbeer007]

I don't know anyone who owns a Mac.

You can backup to your windows locally.

 

[MNGR]

> alleges that Apple effectively forces consumers to use ‌iCloud‌ for backing up ‌iPhone‌ data [...] with wired backups being the only other option.

Soooo… there are other options

I use iMazing to back up my iPhones

 

[germanbeer007]

I'd like to have my iPhone backup to my NAS, similarly to how my mac does. Can you show me how to do this?

I'm subscribed to iCloud, because I can't figure out how to.

Sure.

Install resilio sync on your NAS and your Mac. Drag your mobilesync folder (where your backups go) to the sync app and it'll auto sync your backups to NAS.

Or you can setup a schedule to do an rsync if you don't want to install apps. chatgpt can help you out with that.

 

[thejadedmonkey]

And that is the point of the class action lawsuit. She can only pay Apple for complete cloud storage backups.

Some people don't get it.

 

[Necro69]

> alleges that Apple effectively forces consumers to use ‌iCloud‌ for backing up ‌iPhone‌ data [...] with wired backups being the only other option.

Soooo… there are other options

And then wait when the other backup companies get hacked and can access your phone. also makes it a lot easier for Gov agencies to force them to give up your private data. I think apple has been the only company to push back when agencies ask to access your data. Go buy and android if you don't like how apple does it. Back up settings and personal info to iCloud and then use another device like a NAS to backup photo's.

 

[ReliableSource]

The complaint is that the phone is basically non-functioning out of the box on the free tier, by design, as a way to frustrate people into buying a paid tier. The average iPhone user has no idea, and the iPhone isn't going to suggest the most cost effective alternative(s) to dealing with this.

I have relatives who are bombarded with iPhone popups about storage, unable to backup, out of room. The 5GB fills up quickly under default settings, and by the time I show up to try and fix it, we have to delete lots stuff and adjust settings to try and stop it from filling again, but it's nearly impossible to stay on top of.

Apple needs a "local only" master setting, essentials only in the cloud, or whatever. Turn on the iPhone for the first time and you are prompted with that option.

That’s a fair complaint, but that’s not what I see most often.

Being relentlessly bombarded with popups about storage should definitely be turn-offable

 

[MNGR]

It would be nice to have a feature where you can back up to your own personal cloud like a NAS server.
Also keep in mind besides having a wired back up option, technically you can do wireless if you have a dedicated computer that’s on all the time, I guess a good way to repurpose an old Intel Mac. I’ve never had a lot of success with that, it’s not as automated as it should be.

I use iMazing to back up to local NAS and/or local USB/TB drives
There are options

 

[Kireyin]

Encrypt the backup before it leaves the device, simple.

That doesn't work because your phone needs to duplicates its storage first, then encode, then send it.

Let's take a 128Gb phone with 110Gb of data to backup. There is no space to store the backup archive.

 

[thejadedmonkey]

Sure.

Install resilio sync on your NAS and your Mac. Drag your mobilesync folder (where your backups go) to the sync app and it'll auto sync your backups to NAS.

No, then I need a mac involved.

I mean an actual backup from my phone, to my NAS.

 

[MNGR]

The current iCloud plans have not been updated for a decade (with the exception of adding higher plans for more $$$)

At least the free 5GB plan could be updated to 10GB/15GB/20GB and the other plans be updated to match iPhone storage eg 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB rather than just 50GB, 200GB, 2TB.

So many people are paying for 2TB plans because they have 210GB of iCloud storage!

That would not affect the suit, even if it were FREE for 200TB!

 

[tennisproha]

this is such a BS lawsuit. icloud backup is efficient and secure. it’s the only solution of its kind. yes they should change their storage tiers, but it’s a service, so apple can charge whatever they want.

why is netflix not being sued for limiting which devices can access an account by literally geofencing or artificially limiting 4K streaming to a higher priced tier?

and why is HBO not being sued for limiting 4K streaming to a higher priced standalone plan and removing 4K completely from their cable bundled plans?