iCloud backups and iPhone backups

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Carlafromwa Author

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8 points

iCloud backups and iPhone backups

I went to look at my iCloud and have noticed a couple of things

with my photos. In Settings > iCloud, my Photos app is set to On (I assume

this means it’s backing up to iCloud). If I then go to Settings > iCloud

> iCloud Backup > iPhone, this says I have 30.98 GB to backup. When I

click this iPhone backup, it shows that 29.91 GB are in “Photo Library”. My

phone wont back up as there is no space. If I turn off my library, will I lose

all my photos when I purchase a new phone? Do I need to have this turned on in

order to access my photos if I got a new iphone? What is the difference between

this “Photo Library” and the previously mentioned “Photos” app from the

previous pages? Can I turn one off to make the backup size smaller?

iPhone 11 Pro, iOS 16

Posted on May 9, 2023 10:29 PM

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Answer 1

UTBadger

Community Specialist

May 12, 2023 10:10 AM in response to Carlafromwa

Hey Carlafromwa,

We’d be happy to help out. It sounds like you might need help better understanding iCloud Photos and iCloud backups/storage.

To clarify, when you use iCloud Photos, photos are no longer contained in your iCloud backups, instead they are actively synced to your iCloud account so that you have the same photos on all devices that have iCloud Photos enabled. If you delete a photo on one device, it deleted on the other and vice versa. If you take a photo on your iPhone, it shows on your iPad, etc.

Photos still take up iCloud storage when syncing and not being included in your backup, so do keep this in mind. If you go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Backup > [this device], you shouldn’t seen an option for Photos, and it will specifically state at the bottom that “Your photo library is not incldued here because it is backed up as part of iCloud Photos”.

For more info on iCloud Photos, check out: Use iCloud Photos to store photos in iCloud - Apple Support

If you need help managing your iCloud storage, review: Manage your iCloud storage - Apple Support

If you’re out of space to continue backing up or syncing your photos to iCloud, you can upgrade your iCloud+ using the steps here: Upgrade to iCloud+ - Apple Support

Take care!

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iCloud backups and iPhone backups

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