iPhone 13 Pro Max Icloud service /backup /usage.

[schlepprock250]

Hey everybody, my wife has an iPhone 13 Pro Max. She recently broke her back glass and had to have it replaced.
When Apple replaced her back glass, the process for some reason replaces the hard drive???, not sure if that's what it's called.
She thought all of her pictures were backed up using Verizon cloud storage (600g free with plan).
Well the Verizon cloud evidently hadn't been backing up "all" of her pictures and she lost quite a bit. She's in tears, and I'm almost in tears for her.
Can you guys give a dummy.. Me.. A crash course in using /setting-up and how to.. With icloud?
I would greatly appreciate any and all help you can give me. I'm an Android guy and not very savvy with Apple/iPhones.

 

[rui no onna]

Set up iCloud Photos on all your devices

Learn how to set up and access your iCloud Photos on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Windows device, and on iCloud.com.

support.apple.com

iCloud storage monthly pricing:
50GB $0.99
200GB $2.99
2TB $9.99

iCloud Photos and backup is really simple. As long as her phone’s connected to wifi and she charges every night, she’ll have up to date backups of her photos and device.

I have it enabled for the family because I know they won’t backup manually otherwise.

 

[tenordrum]

Before it was serviced by Apple, did she happen to back up the phone to her computer? I normally back mine up periodically, even though I also have the iCloud monthly storage and as Rui mentioned, it is easy when it is connected to wifi.

 

[schlepprock250]

Before it was serviced by Apple, did she happen to back up the phone to her computer? I normally back mine up periodically, even though I also have the iCloud monthly storage and as Rui mentioned, it is easy when it is connected to wifi.

Unfortunately no, she thought it was being backed up. She's pretty much accepted that the pictures are lost, but she bought an additional icloud storage plan. I just want to make sure she's set up completely and correctly so she doesn't have to worry about this again.
I've read some about icloud but was hoping to get some fresh opinions and tips on a worry free. Automatic back up for future problems. Thanks

 

[VineRider]

How to back up your iPhone or iPad with iCloud - Apple Support

After you back up your iPhone or iPad, you have a copy of your information to use in case your device is ever replaced, lost, or damaged. You can back up your device manually, or turn on iCloud Backup to automatically keep your device backed up.

support.apple.com

good information on backup to iCloud

 

[Mark Stone]

I back up my 13 locally on my PC using iTunes, in addition to keeping redundant copies of my photos on both the PC and an Android tablet. The PC is then backed up to a USB hard drive which is kept in a fireproof safe. Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I don't quite trust iCloud or other clouds - - - This would be my suggestion.

 

[rui no onna]

I back up my 13 locally on my PC using iTunes, in addition to keeping redundant copies of my photos on both the PC and an Android tablet. The PC is then backed up to a USB hard drive which is kept in a fireproof safe. Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I don't quite trust iCloud or other clouds - - - This would be my suggestion.

Knowing my mom and aunties, that’s probably not gonna fly with the OP’s wife. If it’s not automatic, then they’ll never backup.

 

[HDFan]

If it’s not automatic, then they’ll never backup.

Probably true, but with the loss of pictures she might be motivated to accept the responsibility for a 3-2-1 backup strategy. Note that icloud doesn't serve as one of those backup locations. Suitable ones are your local computer, hard disk via something like Carbon Copy Cloner, back up service such as backblaze or Crashplan, etc.

Having to download my iCloud photos to my local hard disks so they can be backed up to multiple locations is defiantly a pain, but I have had some corruptions in the past and have had the backups to restore (most) of them.

 

[ian87w]

Well, lesson learned. And usually the Apple rep would ask if she has backups prior to service. I remember they have some kind of form that you have to sign to acknowledge that data can be lost. Listening sad stories from people losing stuff because they were lacking awareness of the importance of backups is far too common for me.

On iPhones, I wouldn’t use 3rd party backup solutions, let alone the one provided by the carrier. Often times they are not automatic and have to be manually initiated. Worse, carriers don’t seem to care much about their own software for fixing bugs. Using iCloud is much easier and less stressful.

 

[HDFan]

Using iCloud is much easier and less stressful.

That is until it fails. Someone inadvertently deletes critical photos for example. Delete them on one device and they are gone everywhere if you are synching.

Again, iCloiud is not a backup. Backups allow for restores if a file has been deleted. iCloud does not. Once you set up a backup workflow it isn't particularly stressful, just annoying.

 

[ian87w]

That is until it fails. Someone inadvertently deletes critical photos for example. Delete them on one device and they are gone everywhere if you are synching.

Again, iCloiud is not a backup. Backups allow for restores if a file has been deleted. iCloud does not. Once you set up a backup workflow it isn't particularly stressful, just annoying.

There’s recently deleted folder as a precaution so people can restore accidentally deleted photos.

Note that the intention is for the most lay person to not lose their photos. Trying to enforce the ideal backup solution to a lay person (creating backup through iTunes, NAS, etc) will only create complexity, and in the end, the backup won’t happen as the person is overwhelmed.

For me, iCloud seems to be the simplest solution for the lay person. It’s not ideal, but considering the ease of use, it’s the most convenient way on Apple ecosystem. The concept is that to think about the data in iCloud as the main data, not the one locally on the device. Each device is just a terminal accessing the main data in iCloud.

I mean what would you suggest the OP’s wife do? She already lost her photos because she didn’t manually check her Verizon backup solution. Anything else that still require manual intervention would probably give the same result. Meanwhile iCloud is automatic.

 

[Mark Stone]

Probably true, but with the loss of pictures she might be motivated to accept the responsibility for a 3-2-1 backup strategy. Note that icloud doesn't serve as one of those backup locations. Suitable ones are your local computer, hard disk via something like Carbon Copy Cloner, back up service such as backblaze or Crashplan, etc.

Having to download my iCloud photos to my local hard disks so they can be backed up to multiple locations is defiantly a pain, but I have had some corruptions in the past and have had the backups to restore (most) of them.

This. I would add that, if iCloud is used as a photo "backup", the amount of memory used there will eventually exceed the amount of memory on the device, making restoration a pain. What happened to the OP at the Verizon cloud can just as easily happen on iCloud. I think iCloud is very, very convenient, but backups of specific valuable items like documents and pictures would be better kept locally.

 

[HDFan]

There’s recently deleted folder as a precaution so people can restore accidentally deleted photos.

If you catch it in 30 days. Otherwise they are lost.

Meanwhile iCloud is automatic.

She already lost her photos because she didn’t manually check her Verizon backup solution. Anything else that still require manual intervention would probably give the same result. Meanwhile iCloud is automatic.

Again it is automatic for uploading and deleting photos. It is not a backup solution for finding/restoring photos which are lost or corrupted. With a photo library ~4.5 TB I won't know if pictures are gone as we go through machine OS upgrades and migrations over the years. When photos were lost even a year or two ago I usually am successful in restoring them.

She has a choice. Choose an automatic cloud solution with no backup which may result in the loss of some of her photos, or take some additional care to make sure they can be restored if they are lost. Her choice.

 

[schlepprock250]

Thanks for the information guys.
Yeah, with certain unlimited data plans with Verizon you get 600g of storage. Why Verizon wasn't backing up ALL OF THE PICTURES is still a mystery. The Apple rep did ask if her phone was backed up, she thought it was. But sadly, even though her app said the most recent backup was earlier that morning, pictures she had taken the day before wasn't on the backup. I haven't contacted Verizon yet to see if maybe they are in fact there, but for some reason not showing.
We do have an external hard drive, but haven't used it in a while, my fault.
She don't like when I say "you have to do this.. Or have to do that".. What wife does right?
My plan was to learn more about icloud, let it do its thing then occasionally insist that I connect it to the external hard drive periodically.

 

[schlepprock250]

She didn't lose a lot of pictures, but she's upset about the few that she did lose.

 

[w5jck]

If you go the iCloud route, you might want to check out the Apple One plans. You can combine various Apple services plans together, like TV+, iCloud+, Music, etc., for a bit of a savings. I definitely recommend using iCloud for peace of mind. Local backups are a great option too, but many people just don't want to take the time or they don't have the knowledge base to do them.

Losing a bunch of photos is definitely heartbreaking. Some 41 years ago my parents lost their house during a flood, and of all the things they lost, the one that hurt my Mom the most was all of the keepsake photos she lost. Those are not replaceable! You can replace the house, furniture, and most items, but things like photos can never be replaced. Granted 41 years ago we were talking about actual printed photos, but digital photos can be lost too if you don't have a backup. In Mom's case, thankfully she had shared some of the photos with my aunts and uncles by having multiple copies made, but most of them were gone forever.