I'm getting messages that say my iphone is out of storage space. Apparently my options are to buy more storage for some amount of money, delete some data...can't remember the other one. But I see no way to delete unneeded data. I don't know where to look for data that counts toward my present limit of 5 GB. I can easily delete unneeded data on a PC, but this iphone is a mystery. Any ideas?
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"Manage" iphone storage
- Thread starter dubina
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Is not your phone, it's not your PC. IS THE STORAGE YOU ARE USING IN ICLOUD.
Go back to the person who set this up for you and ask him/her what you are using iCloud for.
Just to clarify, the storage you're referring to is iCloud storage (5 GB free) and not your iPhone's local storage, which should either be 16 GB, 32 GB, or 64 GB.
With iCloud, you can manage from your phone both what is currently stored and what will be stored in the future. To do so, go to Settings > iCloud > Storage & Backup > Manage Storage.
From here, you should see three sections: Backups, Documents & Data, and Mail, with each section showing what is using space and, if anything, how much is being used (the Backups section shows the size of your most recent backup to iCloud).
If you tap on your most recent backup, you should then see when that backup was created and what its size was as well as what the size of your next backup will be. If needed (I wouldn't personally recommend this), you can delete your latest backup by scrolling to the bottom of this screen and tapping on the big red "Delete Backup" button.
Additionally, the size of your next backup, under the Backup Options section, can be reduced by excluding certain apps from backing up (i.e. toggling any of them from 'ON' to 'OFF').
I recommend paying for additional iCloud storage if possible as opposed to wrestling with what gets backed up and what doesn't and how much storage each app is using...but I know that isn't always an option.
With iCloud, you can manage from your phone both what is currently stored and what will be stored in the future. To do so, go to Settings > iCloud > Storage & Backup > Manage Storage.
From here, you should see three sections: Backups, Documents & Data, and Mail, with each section showing what is using space and, if anything, how much is being used (the Backups section shows the size of your most recent backup to iCloud).
If you tap on your most recent backup, you should then see when that backup was created and what its size was as well as what the size of your next backup will be. If needed (I wouldn't personally recommend this), you can delete your latest backup by scrolling to the bottom of this screen and tapping on the big red "Delete Backup" button.
Additionally, the size of your next backup, under the Backup Options section, can be reduced by excluding certain apps from backing up (i.e. toggling any of them from 'ON' to 'OFF').
I recommend paying for additional iCloud storage if possible as opposed to wrestling with what gets backed up and what doesn't and how much storage each app is using...but I know that isn't always an option.
@ r2shyyou
******
I see something on the iphone about backing up Camera Roll. That's all ... no idea why I should want to do that. email storage is virtually nothing.
No idea what should be backed up from the iphone, for that matter.
I signed up for Dropbox last week. I think that will act like a global backup without costing a dime. What do you think? I also understand that I can install Dropbox to the iphone. I am not quite sure of this as it is like pulling teeth to ask the Dropbox crowd and get any answer at all.
******
I see something on the iphone about backing up Camera Roll. That's all ... no idea why I should want to do that. email storage is virtually nothing.
No idea what should be backed up from the iphone, for that matter.
I signed up for Dropbox last week. I think that will act like a global backup without costing a dime. What do you think? I also understand that I can install Dropbox to the iphone. I am not quite sure of this as it is like pulling teeth to ask the Dropbox crowd and get any answer at all.
What I personally like about iCloud and backing up to it is that if my phone stops working, breaks, or is stolen, I can walk into an Apple retail store, pick up a new iPhone, and immediately (relatively speaking) have that new phone be essentially identical to my previous one. Certain passwords notwithstanding, all of my contact info is there, my text messages, my photos, my apps, etc.
In general, iCloud will back up pretty much everything on your phone, including any data associated with the apps you have, both stock & 3rd party. However, not all of the data that's backed up counts against your iCloud storage allotment.
For example, your text conversations in the Messages app and your contact info in the Contacts app will be backed up but don't count against your free 5 GB limit.
On the other hand, the photos & videos in your Camera Roll in the Photos app do count against your limit so you'll need to make sure you have a plan for how those are handled.
Regarding Dropbox, I believe the current offer of free storage for new accounts is 2 GB. If so, then you're already at less than half the storage of iCloud if you choose to use Dropbox instead of iCloud so that doesn't really make sense to me. Also, Dropbox can't back up data from stock iOS apps (e.g. Message, Contacts) as far as I know so, to me, it immediately loses value as an exclusive backup option. Maybe that's not what you meant when you mentioned Dropbox but I'd make sure to understand what it can do compared with iCloud in addition to what it can't do.
To download the Dropbox app for your iPhone, see below:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dropbox/id327630330?mt=8
As I said previously, I recommend simply purchasing more iCloud storage if you can as that's the easiest route in terms of backing up your iPhone. For more info on that and on iCloud in general, see the links below from the Apple Support site:
iCloud: Managing your iCloud storage
iCloud: Storage upgrades and downgrades
@ r2shyyou,
You wrote:
Regarding Dropbox, I believe the current offer of free storage for new accounts is 2 GB. If so, then you're already at less than half the storage of iCloud if you choose to use Dropbox instead of iCloud so that doesn't really make sense to me.
Here's the deal, sort of:
You get a little bit of Dropbox storage for signing up, then more in increments as you add Dropbox to other devices and get friends and family engaged to your new Dropbox. I have something like 64 GB of Dropbox storage now, so why buy iCloud storage? (That doesn't make sense to me.)
Also, Dropbox can't back up data from stock iOS apps (e.g. Message, Contacts) as far as I know so, to me, it immediately loses value as an exclusive backup option.
So with Dropbox and a little iClould, maybe I have more than enough storage.
Maybe that's not what you meant when you mentioned Dropbox but I'd make sure to understand what it can do compared with iCloud in addition to what it can't do
On the other hand, the photos & videos in your Camera Roll in the Photos app do count against your limit so you'll need to make sure you have a plan for how those are handled.
As a rule, I post my iphone photos that I care to save to my email which has no storage issues and can be downloaded anyway.
Does that sound reasonable to you? I have been doing it sort of ad hoc, but it makes sense to me so far.
You wrote:
Regarding Dropbox, I believe the current offer of free storage for new accounts is 2 GB. If so, then you're already at less than half the storage of iCloud if you choose to use Dropbox instead of iCloud so that doesn't really make sense to me.
Here's the deal, sort of:
You get a little bit of Dropbox storage for signing up, then more in increments as you add Dropbox to other devices and get friends and family engaged to your new Dropbox. I have something like 64 GB of Dropbox storage now, so why buy iCloud storage? (That doesn't make sense to me.)
Also, Dropbox can't back up data from stock iOS apps (e.g. Message, Contacts) as far as I know so, to me, it immediately loses value as an exclusive backup option.
So with Dropbox and a little iClould, maybe I have more than enough storage.
Maybe that's not what you meant when you mentioned Dropbox but I'd make sure to understand what it can do compared with iCloud in addition to what it can't do
On the other hand, the photos & videos in your Camera Roll in the Photos app do count against your limit so you'll need to make sure you have a plan for how those are handled.
As a rule, I post my iphone photos that I care to save to my email which has no storage issues and can be downloaded anyway.
Does that sound reasonable to you? I have been doing it sort of ad hoc, but it makes sense to me so far.
64 GB of Dropbox storage is certainly more than I expected so you have more flexibility than I thought. But what is it that you intend to backup to that? You can link your phone to your Dropbox account and you can have the Dropbox app on your phone but that doesn't mean your phone will back up to it.
Depending on your setup, and your home computer if you have one, you could have more than enough storage with just the initial 5 GB from iCloud. But everyone's setup is different. To use myself as an example, I'm currently using only 2 GB of my iCloud storage (it used to be more but that was due to iOS bugs that weren't cleared until Apple addressed them and until I restored my phone as 'new').
That sounds like it could work fine but, to be honest and to speak only for myself, it sounds like a major hassle that I wouldn't want to deal with (emailing yourself photos?). But if it works for you, then it indeed doesn't sound like you need to pay for more iCloud storage.
You said:
That sounds like it could work fine but, to be honest and to speak only for myself, it sounds like a major hassle that I wouldn't want to deal with (emailing yourself photos?). But if it works for you, then it indeed doesn't sound like you need to pay for more iCloud storage.
It hasn't been a problem at all. I take iphone pics mainly of spontaneous things and things that are easy to snap with a small camera as opposed to a big one ... like when I'm under a car repairing an axle, for example. I don't have scrapbooks for stuff like that. When the iphone falls into the hands of my wife or kids, they usually use the photos they want straightaway. When we want keepers, we use better cameras and store on the PC or iMac. Thus, no photo storage issues.
I am slightly uneasy about this:
You can link your phone to your Dropbox account and you can have the Dropbox app on your phone but that doesn't mean your phone will back up to it.
As I understand Dropbox, it will "backup" in effect, whatever I put in it. I only want the iphone to back up its work files and organization, and because I do no "work" on it (except email which is backed up anyway), I'm not bothered so much if I brick it. Except for having to get a new one, of course.
That sounds like it could work fine but, to be honest and to speak only for myself, it sounds like a major hassle that I wouldn't want to deal with (emailing yourself photos?). But if it works for you, then it indeed doesn't sound like you need to pay for more iCloud storage.
It hasn't been a problem at all. I take iphone pics mainly of spontaneous things and things that are easy to snap with a small camera as opposed to a big one ... like when I'm under a car repairing an axle, for example. I don't have scrapbooks for stuff like that. When the iphone falls into the hands of my wife or kids, they usually use the photos they want straightaway. When we want keepers, we use better cameras and store on the PC or iMac. Thus, no photo storage issues.
I am slightly uneasy about this:
You can link your phone to your Dropbox account and you can have the Dropbox app on your phone but that doesn't mean your phone will back up to it.
As I understand Dropbox, it will "backup" in effect, whatever I put in it. I only want the iphone to back up its work files and organization, and because I do no "work" on it (except email which is backed up anyway), I'm not bothered so much if I brick it. Except for having to get a new one, of course.
Since you have a Mac, you could just enable Photo Stream on both your iPhone and your Mac, assuming both are compatible with Photo Stream, and would essentially no longer need to email photos to yourself. But that's just one way to do it and if you don't mind emailing photos, then by all means do it.
The only thing that will automatically upload (aka back up) to Dropbox on your phone are the photos & videos in your Camera Roll, which could actually replace both emailing photos to yourself and using Photo Stream, especially considering the amount of Dropbox storage you have available. But none of your iPhone settings, email accounts, contacts, apps, text messages, recent calls, or really anything else on your phone will automatically back up to it. You can manually upload certain documents to it but, as far as I know, that's about it (not including photos & videos, which you can also manually upload to it).
Now, I am confused. You wrote:
What I personally like about iCloud and backing up to it is that if my phone stops working, breaks, or is stolen, I can walk into an Apple retail store, pick up a new iPhone, and immediately (relatively speaking) have that new phone be essentially identical to my previous one. Certain passwords notwithstanding, all of my contact info is there, my text messages, my photos, my apps, etc.
Then, this:
But none of your iPhone settings, email accounts, contacts, apps, text messages, recent calls, or really anything else on your phone will automatically back up to it. You can manually upload certain documents to it but, as far as I know, that's about it (not including photos & videos, which you can also manually upload to it).
How can "passwords notwithstanding, all of my contact info is there, my text messages, my photos, my apps, etc." if "...none of your iPhone settings, email accounts, contacts, apps, text messages, recent calls, or really anything else on your phone will automatically back up to it."?
What I personally like about iCloud and backing up to it is that if my phone stops working, breaks, or is stolen, I can walk into an Apple retail store, pick up a new iPhone, and immediately (relatively speaking) have that new phone be essentially identical to my previous one. Certain passwords notwithstanding, all of my contact info is there, my text messages, my photos, my apps, etc.
Then, this:
But none of your iPhone settings, email accounts, contacts, apps, text messages, recent calls, or really anything else on your phone will automatically back up to it. You can manually upload certain documents to it but, as far as I know, that's about it (not including photos & videos, which you can also manually upload to it).
How can "passwords notwithstanding, all of my contact info is there, my text messages, my photos, my apps, etc." if "...none of your iPhone settings, email accounts, contacts, apps, text messages, recent calls, or really anything else on your phone will automatically back up to it."?
What I was referring to about getting an essentially identical phone back when in a store is iCloud.
What I was saying won't do any of that is Dropbox.
You just did.
(Other than up-voting, which doesn't really mean anything, there isn't a mechanism here for that sort of thing. At least not at the moment. But you're welcome!)