The Missing iCloud Storage Bump
The standard 5GB of free iCloud storage has been in place for years now, and, frankly, it’s starting to wear thin. When most iOS devices come in 32GB configurations at the smallest, and many start at 64GB, 5GB feels pretty paltry. Especially when the next step in the upgrade tier is to pay $0.99 for 50GB of storage space. I realize Services has become a moneymaker for Apple, but it just feels cheap.
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I see too many people who don’t want to back up their data because they are worried about being hostage to additional fees for the rest of their lives.
I think the single best reason for giving us increased storage is Apple Photos. They’ve built a platform that lets us take, save, and share photos, but it requires nearly all of us to make regular monthly payments so we have enough storage.
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Taken to its logical conclusion, paltry free storage results in people losing their photos and being understandably pissed at Apple.
The 5GB limit has been in place since Apple unveiled iCloud at WWDC 2011. It’s been almost seven years! That’s too long to be stuck in place, and it’s reminiscent of the way Apple dragged its feet in moving away from 16GB iPhones. It eventually happened, but long after many of us had determined 16GB to be an unworkable amount of space.
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If you never upgrade, you’re likely going to have a worse time using an iPhone. Full stop. It surprises me that Apple continues to let that fly.
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And despite Apple’s best efforts (like the video above) to explain how you can manage iCloud, customers are inevitably confused, frustrated, and annoyed when they hit the ceiling. It usually happens well before they approach the limits of their iPhone or iPad’s physical storage, and that disconnect between the two only makes things more irritating.
5 GB isn’t enough for most people, so they get these warning messages, which sound scary and which they don’t understand.
As I’ve written before, iCloud’s paid tiers are very competitively priced. Here’s how much you need to pay get get different amounts of data on the major cloud storage platforms[…]
But note that photos in Google Photos don’t count toward your Google Drive’s storage.
Previously: Apple’s Lane Tech Education Event, “I’ve Only Had Good Years”.
Update (2018-05-15): See also: Bryan Jones.
Update (2018-06-25): Bradley Chambers:
If you are pro personal privacy, you should be arguing even more for Apple to expand the free tier of iCloud.
Update (2018-11-12): Ben Sandofsky:
Waiting at a Genius Bar, I heard a customer be told he can’t move his data to his new phone because he’s out of space on the free iCloud tier.
This is nuts. Why put friction on upgrading? Why ruin the unboxing? “Buy an iPhone, get a year of iCloud,” would cost Apple pennies.
And to think Google not only offers a free 6 month YouTube Premium subscription, but also unlimited full quality photo backup until 2022.
But wait; there’s more! Both device backups and app sync data don’t count toward your Google Drive quota.
