I just got notified that I've filled up my 2TB of iCloud storage. I take a ton of photos and videos on my phone, which are super important to me – they're basically my digital diary capturing everything from trips to rants. Since I can't delete most of them, I'm wondering what my options are. Should I get an external hard drive? I'm not sure if it's worth it or which one to choose. Plus, how do I even transfer a long video from my phone to an external drive? I do have a laptop, but it's not a Mac. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
5 Answers
You might actually have options beyond 2TB depending on where you live. Check out Apple’s website for more info on pricing for larger plans!
Make sure those pictures and videos get backed up somewhere safe; iCloud is more of a sync service than a backup. Don't rely solely on it!
Upgrade your iCloud or grab an external hard drive - you've got options!
Just a heads up: cloud storage shouldn’t be your only backup. It’s better to have physical drives as well, and keep them in different places for safety.
If you're looking for alternatives to iCloud, an external SSD or hard drive is a solid choice! Just remember, they can fail too, so it’s wise to make multiple copies of your important stuff. You can easily download your files from your iPhone to your computer, then drag and drop them to your drive. It's pretty straightforward!

Absolutely! I recently upgraded my SSD and added another drive for backups. Using software like iMazing makes it easy to choose what to save from your iPhone, too.