There’s one thing even the most devout iPhone users are jealous of Samsung rivals about— storage. Samsung phones come with microSD slots creating the opportunity for cheap additional storage. iPhone users aren’t that lucky. But you’re not without options.
We’ll dive into how to buy storage on your iPhone, so you always have enough space for photos, music, movies, and everything else you need.
There are a few different iPhone storage options worth discussing. Keep reading to find out the best option for your needs.
Local vs. iCloud Storage
The original iPhone launched with just 8GB of storage. Now they max out at over 1TB of storage, with most new models starting at 128GB. The storage that comes built into your iPhone is referred to as local storage. You choose your local storage level when you buy your phone and cannot upgrade it without upgrading your phone.
With local storage on your device, you don’t have to worry about your data connection. All your files are accessible regardless of where you are.
iPhones also offer cloud storage through Apple’s iCloud service. iCloud is online storage that allows you to store your files on the “cloud,” making them accessible across your devices.
All Apple accounts come with 5 GB of iCloud storage for free. If you want to increase your cloud storage, you will need to pay for a monthly subscription.
Fortunately, the cost of iCloud storage is reasonable. You can get 50GB for $0.99/month and up to 2TB for $9.99/month.
The monthly subscription fee is the clear downside to cloud storage. When you pay for local storage, you pay once, and the storage is yours. With cloud storage, you need to continue paying the monthly storage fee to maintain access.
That said, there are some upsides to cloud storage that you can’t get with local storage. We’ll go into more depth on these later in this article. First, let’s discuss how much storage you actually need.
How Much Storage Should I Get on My iPhone?
You need to think about your own personal storage needs. If you have an unlimited data plan for your phone and generally live in good coverage areas, you may be able to buy an iPhone on the lower end of storage capacity since you can take advantage of online services. For example, if you use Apple Music, you may not need to store as many songs on your phone, which can save a lot of storage over time.
However, if you don’t have good cell service, travel often, or always need quick access, you’re better off buying more storage.
When choosing how much local storage you need, consider the following:
- How many songs do you want on your iPhone?
- How many photos do you have?
- How many apps do you use?
- What is your current storage usage? (check your phone)
A general guideline is every time you update your iPhone, you should get at least twice as much storage as you had before. This is because operating systems, apps, and other files are all growing larger.
Getting a new phone might seem expensive, and you probably don’t want to pay an extra $50-$100 for more storage. But factor this price in for how long you plan to keep the phone. If you have it for 2 years, that works out to $2-4 more per month to always have your files on hand. Local storage upgrades can also save you money on an iCloud subscription.
Why You Should Use iCloud
After you’ve selected the right iPhone for you, it’s time to check out your iCloud options. Even if you decide to max out and get the largest option available you may still take advantage of iCloud.
With iCloud, you can access your files from anywhere. So you can use them from your PC or Mac computer, on iPads, or your iPhone, of course. iCloud does more than store all your files. You also use it for backups of apps and system restores.
So if your phone is lost or stolen, you can easily get back to where you are simply by logging into your iCloud account. Similarly, if you ever switch phones, you can transfer your files with ease.
iCloud storage is a great option if:
- You want to access your files on multiple devices
- You value cloud backups
- You want to save space on your phone
What are Storage Options for iCloud?
Each Apple accounts receive 5 GB of free storage. For 99% of users, that’s unlikely to be enough. While you may be able to store some photos and files, you are unlikely to be able to use iCloud to its fullest.
If you decide to pay for an iCloud plan, you have three options:
- $0.99/month: 50GB of storage
- $2.99/month: 200GB of storage
- $9.99/month: 2TB of storage
Assess your needs to see what works for you. Generally, most people with one Apple device are happy with 50GB of storage. People with multiple devices should go for the 200 GB option. Finally, if you have multiple devices on an account or have a family, 2 TB is the best choice for you. This is particularly true if you use iCloud Photo Library, iCloud Drive, and device backups.
How to Buy Storage on iPhone
If you’re ready to buy iCloud storage or upgrade, you can do it on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
Buy more iCloud storage on your iPhone
- Open Settings on your iPhone or iPad.
- Tap on the Apple ID banner at the top of the screen.
- Tap iCloud.
- Tap on Manage Storage.
- Tap Change Storage Plan.
- Tap on an available plan to upgrade your storage.
You can also downgrade your plan under the Manage Store option. Just select the Downgrade Plan. It will become effective starting your next billing cycle.
iPhone External Storage Options
So far, we have discussed local storage and cloud storage for iPhones. There is one last option that can be a great choice for those who want a lot of extra storage without breaking the bank – external storage.
You can find a wide variety of iPhone-compatible storage devices online. They all plug into the lightning port and are easy to use.
You can quickly transfer photos, videos, and other files over to them through their respective apps. Some of them, like the SanDisk 32GB IXpand even allow you to shoot photos directly from the app, which is perfect for iPhones that have exhausted their local storage.
While external storage devices may cost more than iCloud upfront, they only require a one-time payment (vs. iPhone’s subscription model).
External storage devices may be a great option in the following cases:
- You prefer one-time fees to subscriptions – Even though iCloud plans start at only $0.99/month, many people prefer not to pay for monthly subscriptions. External storage offers a great solution.
- You don’t care about device syncing – One of the main benefits of iCloud is that it syncs across your devices. For example, you can take photos on your iPhone and access them immediately on your laptop. If you don’t plan on using this feature, an external drive may do the trick. For example, you may prefer to keep hundreds of old photos on an external drive instead of keeping them in Apple Photos.
Be Sure to Manage Your Storage
Nowadays, we take tons of photos, download TV shows, and downloadmobile apps for days. Regardless of the type of storage you choose (local, external, or cloud), you should still manage your storage efficiently.
Go back through your device and delete apps, music, and videos, you no longer use. It’s so easy to now take hundreds of pictures with iPhones in seconds. Go back through your photos and delete all the blurry, out-of-focus ones to just what you need. Try to do this at least once a week and you’ll find things are not only more accessible, but you’ll have much more capacity for more vital needs such as iPhone backups.
How to Buy Storage on iPhone
You have three options for buying iPhone storage. Your first step is choosing an iPhone with built-in storage that meets your needs. Next, select an iCloud plan that will give you the additional capacity and access to your data from anywhere. Finally, if you need it you can check out third-party external storage options. Together these strategies will give you all the storage capacity you’ll ever need.
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