Buy iCloud storage? Customize your storage space

By admin On Jun 29, 2021

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Apple gives you 5 GB of iCloud storage for photos, files, backups, and more. That is very little, and you will probably soon reach the limits. You will then receive notifications that your iCloud is full. Buying iCloud storage can then be a good idea. How exactly does that work?

iCloud storage full

If your iCloud storage is full, there are quite a few consequences.

Your iPhone and other Apple devices will no longer be backed up.
New photos and videos are not uploaded to iCloud Photos.
iCloud Drive and other apps that work with iCloud are no longer updated.
Your text messages are not synced.
You can no longer email with your iCloud email address.

iCloud storage login

Want to know exactly how much iCloud you have? Then you have to log in.

On your iPhone, check it like this: ‘Settings>Your name>iCloud.’
On your Mac you can see it under ‘System Preferences>Apple ID’.
And if you log into iCloud.com in the browser, you’ll see it under your account settings.

The colored bar makes it immediately clear what the space eaters are. What now? Throw away apps? Moving your photos to an external hard drive? Of course, you can always empty your iCloud by deleting unnecessary content. But managing your iCloud storage this way is quite intensive. Buying iCloud storage is certainly not a bad idea.

Cost to buy iCloud storage

The costs for iCloud storage are not too bad – at least, we think so. In any case, you get a lot of convenience in return. You can choose from 50 GB, 200 GB or 2 TB plans. These are the monthly iCloud costs:

50GB: €0.99
200GB: €2.99
2TB: €9.99

iCloud storage is also part of the Apple One discount bundle. From this fall, this amount also includes iCloud+, but a number of interesting privacy functions.

Share iCloud storage

Good to know: do you opt for a 200 GB or 2 TB subscription? Then you can share iCloud storage with your family members. That may reduce iCloud costs even further.

Buy iCloud storage

This is how you expand your iCloud storage on your iPhone:

Open the Settings app.
Tap your name.
Tap iCloud.
Tap Manage Storage.
Tap Change Storage Plan or Buy More Storage.
Choose your option and tap buy.

You can of course also purchase additional storage on your Mac:

Open the System Preferences.
Click on Apple ID.
On the left, choose iCloud.
Right-click on Manage.
Click on ‘Change storage plan.

Buy iCloud storage: iDeal or something else?

You pay for your iCloud storage according to the payment method that you have also set up for the App Store. To check what you’ve set up for this, go to the App Store, tap your avatar, then tap your name. Tap here on ‘Manage payment methods’. You can also add a payment method here, such as PayPal, Credit Card or iDeal.

If you have activated ‘Family sharing’, it is not possible to choose iDeal. Perhaps Apple Pay is a better alternative for you – you can also link it to your debit card and it does work in this case.

You will receive a monthly invoice in your email regarding your storage subscription. At the top right of this invoice you will also see your payment method.

Reduce iCloud Storage

Do you need more iCloud storage than you need? You can also reduce your iCloud storage if you have chosen a subscription that is too large. You can downgrade via:

Open the Settings app.
Tap your name.
Tap iCloud.
Tap Manage Storage.
Tap Change Storage Plan or Buy More Storage.
Tap Downgrade options.
Choose your option.

And on the Mac it works like this:

Open the System Preferences.
Click Apple ID.
On the left, choose iCloud.
Right-click on Manage.
Click on ‘Change storage plan.
Click Downgrade Options.
Choose your option.

Please note that your current usage is not higher than your new subscription. If the capacity is exceeded, your data will no longer be synchronized or updated. You then have to increase the capacity again or clean up your iCloud.

Can’t buy iCloud storage

Unable to buy iCloud storage? The most efficient solution to all your iCloud problems is to sign out and back in again.

Open Settings.
Tap your name.
Tap Log out and go through the next steps.

On the Mac:

Open System Preferences
Click on Apple ID
Click on Overview
Click on Log out and go through the next steps

Then you can log in again in the same place, and follow the above explanation about buying iCloud storage again. Sometimes it also helps to turn your iPhone off and then on again. And always make sure you have the most recent version of iOS, iPadOS, and MacOS. Is it all to no avail? Then we advise you to contact the official Apple Support.