iPhone 13 Pro Do iCloud backups collect "junk" over time? I think they might.

[harrisonjr98]

Dumb title, let me explain. I have made it a habit over the years to, just as I get the latest phone, delete all existing iCloud backups of my current phone and then take a "fresh" one to restore from on the new phone. It's probably a mental game more than anything, but it certainly feels satisfying.

One thing I've noticed is that this method seems to dramatically cut the backup sizes sometimes. I don't back up photos or messages (use separate storage for those), so it's really only the bare essentials that are included and my backups typically aren't over five gigs. Taking my backup this year, it went from around 5.2 GB to just 4.3 GB when nuked and done "fresh".

In my mind, this either validates or invalidates my pet theory about "cleaning the cruft" - either I'm somehow losing data by deleting existing backups and backing up from scratch, which doesn't appear to be the case; or I'm emptying a bunch of duplicate/junk/cached data and taking out the trash, so to speak - ocd justified, hooray, ride off into the sunset etc

I'd love to know which of these is actually happening, as I hope I'm not losing random data! I was able to replicate this "shrinking" backup phenomenon on my parents' phones when upgrading them over the summer, so it's not just me.

What are your personal backup mind games? Does anyone else do it the way that I do? Why or why not?

 

[Shirasaki]

I don’t have time or energy to play this mind game. Just click backup and let it do its thing.

As for collecting garbage, maybe? Someone would somehow have to get iCloud backup data from apple IN FULL to compare With local backup and local data, and somehow figures out which is garbage and which is useful data. This sounds to me like a ton of Works serving one or two very specific purposes that majorly of people don’t care.

 

[now i see it]

Well if you take a look at the amount of space most apps take up after using them for a some time vs a freshly installed app, it's no wonder fresh install backups are smaller. I've got many apps that technically have no data in them but they're taking up an incredible amount of space due to cached cruft compared to when they were first installed.
There's a lot of hidden data you have no access to that grows and grows and grows like a tumor and you can't get rid of it

 

[BrettDS]

I have definitely noticed that iCloud backups seem to grow over time. I’ve also noticed that it you delete the backup for a phone or an iPad, then immediately back that device up then the new backup is often considerably smaller than the backup that you deleted.

However, I know that the iCloud backups do hold older data as well. If you go to restore a device from a backup it will present you with the most recent backup, but you can click the other backups option and restore from an older backup. In one case several years ago I was restoring to a device that didn’t have the most recent OS and the backup I was presented with was that last backup I had done on the older OS, which was actually several months old at the time. Now if you try to restore to a device with an older OS then it will prompt you to update the OS.

It may be that the ‘extra junk’ that goes away when you delete the backup and backup again is actually the old historical data from the past few weeks or even months or longer.

 

[Shirasaki]

I have definitely noticed that iCloud backups seem to grow over time. I’ve also noticed that it you delete the backup for a phone or an iPad, then immediately back that device up then the new backup is often considerably smaller than the backup that you deleted.

However, I know that the iCloud backups do hold older data as well. If you go to restore a device from a backup it will present you with the most recent backup, but you can click the other backups option and restore from an older backup. In one case several years ago I was restoring to a device that didn’t have the most recent OS and the backup I was presented with was that last backup I had done on the older OS, which was actually several months old at the time. Now if you try to restore to a device with an older OS then it will prompt you to update the OS.

It may be that the ‘extra junk’ that goes away when you delete the backup and backup again is actually the old historical data from the past few weeks or even months or longer.

Didn’t think about snapshots for iCloud backup. Nice catch. I always thought iCloud backup was storing the most recent data and nothing else, unlike other backup solutions.

 

[harrisonjr98]

Didn’t think about snapshots for iCloud backup. Nice catch. I always thought iCloud backup was storing the most recent data and nothing else, unlike other backup solutions.

This is really interesting, now that it was mentioned it makes a lot of sense and I bet that's where the majority of the larger file size comes from. On the user's end, you can just show as having a singular backup of your current phone - go to set up a new device and you'll see older backups too. I'll bet you that's the storage hog.

Well if you take a look at the amount of space most apps take up after using them for a some time vs a freshly installed app, it's no wonder fresh install backups are smaller. I've got many apps that technically have no data in them but they're taking up an incredible amount of space due to cached cruft compared to when they were first installed.
There's a lot of hidden data you have no access to that grows and grows and grows like a tumor and you can't get rid of it

I have noticed this too with apps, but do note I'm talking about backups here - not necessarily fresh installs of apps. Although I have noticed on new phones, as it freshly downloads the apps they're usually a good bit smaller.

 

[Velin]

With any new OSX or iOS release, I do a fresh install. Zero backups. Mac/iPhone/iPad always run flawlessly when done this way.

 

[harrisonjr98]

With any new OSX or iOS release, I do a fresh install. Zero backups. Mac/iPhone/iPad always run flawlessly when done this way.

I used to do this wayyy back in the day when restoring from backup truly did have immediate, noticeable consequences. I think my backup gymnastics to this day are due to residual ocd/fear from that time period lol. Luckily haven't had a hitch in many years.

 

[michael31986]

I used to do this wayyy back in the day when restoring from backup truly did have immediate, noticeable consequences. I think my backup gymnastics to this day are due to residual ocd/fear from that time period lol. Luckily haven't had a hitch in many years.

How many iCloud backs ips do you have. I only my have one.

 

[harrisonjr98]

How many iCloud backs ips do you have. I only my have one.

Just the one, for my current phone. Each time I get a new phone and do my first backup on it, I go in and delete the one for the old phone.

 

[michael31986]

Just the one, for my current phone. Each time I get a new phone and do my first backup on it, I go in and delete the one for the old phone.

Wait. But you set up your new phone from back up? And it keeps two back ups?

 

[harrisonjr98]

Wait. But you set up your new phone from back up? And it keeps two back ups?

Before I switch to a new phone, while prepping my old phone, one of the things I do is delete the existing backup of my old phone and re-backup from "scratch" - (the topic I wanted to highlight with this thread.) So, going into the new phone setup I have a single backup on my account - Harrison's iPhone (minutes ago) or whatever.

If, in the setup of a new iPhone, you choose to restore from iCloud backup - as I do - the phone will go through motions of redownloading your apps, etc. and then if you go to backups on the new phone and take a backup (or wait for it do so automatically, if you have that turned on), you'll see you now have two backups on your iCloud account.

Harrison's iPhone (This iPhone)
Harrison's iPhone (old iPhone model name)

The backup of your old phone that you restored from is still present, so I usually nuke that as well once my new device has taken its first successful backup. No need to go around with a bunch of old phones backed up eating my icloud space.

It does not go away on its own, even though you could view the process of having restored from it on your new phone as a "continuation" of the same backup, iCloud doesn't see it that way - it's a new physical device, so it gets a new backup.

 

[michael31986]

Before I switch to a new phone, while prepping my old phone, one of the things I do is delete the existing backup of my old phone and re-backup from "scratch" - (the topic I wanted to highlight with this thread.) So, going into the new phone setup I have a single backup on my account - Harrison's iPhone (minutes ago) or whatever.

If, in the setup of a new iPhone, you choose to restore from iCloud backup - as I do - the phone will go through motions of redownloading your apps, etc. and then if you go to backups on the new phone and take a backup (or wait for it do so automatically, if you have that turned on), you'll see you now have two backups on your iCloud account.

Harrison's iPhone (This iPhone)
Harrison's iPhone (old iPhone model name)

The backup of your old phone that you restored from is still present, so I usually nuke that as well once my new device has taken its first successful backup. No need to go around with a bunch of old phones backed up eating my icloud space.

It does not go away on its own, even though you could view the process of having restored from it on your new phone as a "continuation" of the same backup, iCloud doesn't see it that way - it's a new physical device, so it gets a new backup.

Ah yes I do that tooo.
I thought you set up as new and I think I got that confused.

didn’t know you could do a new back up on your old phone.

 

[DDustiNN]

With any new OSX or iOS release, I do a fresh install. Zero backups. Mac/iPhone/iPad always run flawlessly when done this way.

With every new iPhone release, I always restore from backup (nearly every year since 2012). iPhone always runs flawlessly when done this way, and I never have to go through the hassle of reconfiguring my settings and apps.

 

[harrisonjr98]

Ah yes I do that tooo.
I thought you set up as new and I think I got that confused.

didn’t know you could do a new back up on your old phone.

I think we confused each *other* haha! Lot of language of old/new/phone/backup, makes your head spin unless you state things very clearly hahah

By doing a "new" backup on my old phone, I simply meant that on my old phone I will go in and manually delete the current backup and then go back to Backup and run it anew. Then I will restore the new phone from the backup I took manually.