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How to control iCloud backups

How to control iCloud backups

Handy data storage tips for World Backup Day.

Leander Kahney
March 31, 2023

Data storage and management is for some of us the great Sisyphean task of the digital age.

No matter how much storage you’ve got, it always fills up.

At home, we have a gargantuan Photos library, which over the years has created innumerable storage headaches. As it grew, it required constant updates of computers, drives and backups.

Same goes for offline storage like iCloud backups. Apple’s notoriously stingy storage plans, plus head-scratching leaps into storage tiers and their prices, makes managing iCloud backups a chore.

In honor of World Backup Day, we have guides for backing up your iPhone to iCloud, plus managing which apps get iCloud backups, which can save on storage space and bandwidth.

Also in today’s newsletter:

Sony just unveiled a sweet full-frame camera aimed at content creators.
CdkeySales has a flash sale on a ton of handy and dirt-cheap Microsoft software.
Apple Arcade just keeps adding classic games to its lineup of hundreds of titles.
The latest episode of Apple TV+ show Hello Tomorrow! is a “bracing half-hour of television.”

— Leander Kahney, EIC.

How to back up your iPhone to iCloud

Our explainer will show you how to back up your iPhone to iCloud, what data you can back up, and how to manage your iCloud backups.

How to control what your iPhone backs up to iCloud

iCloud backups can get big, fast. Learn how to manage iCloud storage. Selecting which apps to back up likely will help you free up iCloud storage.

‘Hello Tomorrow!’ hits you with a velvet hammer this week [Apple TV+ recap]

This week’s episode about a lunar swindler delivers a bracing half-hour of television.

^{A message from the Cult of Mac Store}

Heavy-duty AirPods Pro protection with a carabiner

Protect your precious AirPods Pro with the Elago AirPods Pro Suit Case. This soft silicone case is surprisingly heavy-duty, protecting your AirPods from drops, dings and disasters. And it comes in multiple gorgeous colors: Black, Jean Indigo, Midnight Green and Classic White. Get one for just $14.99 in the Cult of Mac Store.

Apple begins beta testing iOS 16.5 and macOS 13.4 [Updated]

Apple seeded the initial betas of iOS 16.5 and macOS Ventura 13.4 to developers and the general public shortly after the release of the previous versions.

Autistic artists bank on iPad and Apple Pencil while training for Hollywood careers

Cupertino shares a story focused on interesting creatives learning at an academy — with plenty of Apple gear.

^{A message from CdkeySales}

Flash sale! Save big on $13 lifetime Windows 10 and $20 Office at CdkeySales.

A new flash sale at software activation keys provider CdkeySales.com brings big deals on Microsoft products.

Save big on Apple Watch Series 8 and SE 2 refurbished units

Apple just began offering the reinvigorated wearables, with savings of up to $80.

Up your vlogging game with new Sony full-frame camera

The 12MP ZV-E1 could be a big step up for vloggers and other content creators.

Apple Arcade's collection of classic games just keeps growing [Updated]

Apple just added "Human: Fall Flat+" to the hundreds of games already in Apple Arcade, including "Clue+" and "Osmos+."

Mobile ‘Tetris’ players can stack up rewards like a free month of Apple TV+

PlayStudios launched a Rewards Store Friday for the classic puzzle game. Now mobile players can earn prizes, including free Apple TV+.

Today in Apple history: First iPad reviews hail a true game-changer

On March 31, 2010, the world got its first sense of how the iPad measured up. The first iPad reviews hit the internet, and a star was born.

Stormtrooper head haunts Stream Deck-enabled MacBook Pro rig [Setups]

Fun decor can really give a computer setup an edge -- like today's detailed reproduction of an Imperial stormtrooper helmet.

Tweet o’ the day

The pre-announcement buzz on Apple’s headset has gotten so skeptical that it could result in a sort of reverse Jesus Phone effect. Might not be so hard for it to surpass such greatly diminished expectations.
— Harry McCracken 🇺🇦 (@harrymccracken)
5:56 PM • Mar 30, 2023

One more thing ...

❝

Customers can't anticipate what the technology can do. They won't ask for things that they think are impossible. But the technology may be ahead of them. If you happen to mention something, they'll say, “Of course, I'll take that. Do you mean I can have that, too?” It sounds logical to ask customers what they want and then give it to them. But they rarely wind up getting what they really want that way.

— Steve Jobs, 1989.

Today’s poll

How often do you deal with storage headaches?

Results from yesterday’s poll: Are you actually excited about Apple's AR/VR headset?

Best reader comment from ‘psyllime’

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