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Over the past few years, Apple’s made a lot of solid changes to iCloud. They’ve added some features to make it a world-class syncing service. But they\u2019ve also made changes that reduced some functionality, like removing iCloud Documents and Data<\/a> in an effort to move everyone to iCloud Drive.<\/p>\n That might not sound like much, but it\u2019s indicative of why it\u2019s a mistake to rely on only one provider to protect your data (see our 3-2-1 backup strategy<\/a>), especially if it isn\u2019t a true backup service.<\/p>\n Apple promotes iCloud to its customers as a way to securely store information, photos, and other vital data, leading to a false sense of security that your data is safe from harm, when it might not be. Let’s talk about some of the pitfalls you can run into if you rely solely on iCloud, and how I back up my mobile devices.<\/p>\n Even if the picture of your puppy’s first bath time is on your iPhone and your iPad, it isn’t backed up. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to assume that since your photos, contacts, and calendar sync between devices, they’re backed up. There’s a big<\/em> difference between syncing and backing up<\/a>.<\/p>\n iCloud helps you sync content between devices. Add an event to the calendar app on your phone and iCloud pushes that change to the calendar on your Mac, too. Take a photo with the iPhone and find it in your Mac’s Photos library without having to connect the phone to the computer. That’s convenient, and most of us use that functionality all the time, sometimes without even thinking about it since in most cases, it\u2019s seamless.<\/p>\n Syncing can be confusing, though. iCloud Photo Library is what Apple calls iCloud’s ability to sync photos between Apple devices seamlessly. But it’s a two-way street. If you delete a photo from your Mac, it also<\/em> gets removed from your iPhone, because it’s all in iCloud. There is no backup copy anywhere else.<\/p>\n A relevant anecdote from a co-worker: They decided that they wanted to keep different photos on their Mac and iPhone. Achieving that state involves turning off iCloud Photo Library and syncing the iPhone and Mac by hand if needed. Now they have extra steps to get everything synced. They have to physically connect the phone to the Mac, and\u2014importantly\u2014remember to do it regularly. Bottom line: When the onus is on the individual to remember to sync, syncs happen less frequently and there\u2019s more opportunity for data to get lost. That is, of course, unless you have a dedicated backup solution. On the other hand, with sync enabled, you run the risk of deleting photos that are important not just on one device, but everywhere.<\/p>\n Relying on any of these features without having a solid backup strategy means you’re leaving it to Apple and iCloud to keep your pictures and other information safe. If the complex and intricate ecosystem that keeps that stuff working goes awry, and as Murphy’s Law demands, stuff always goes awry, you can find yourself without pictures, videos, and important files.<\/p>\n Better to be safe than sorry. Backing up your data is the way to make sure your memories are safe. Most of the people I’ve helped over the years haven’t realized that iCloud is not backing them up. Some of them have found out the hard way.<\/p>\n What\u2019s my mobile backup strategy? We touch on this sometimes when talking about \u201cdata scatter\u201d and how your data is all over the place, so I have a central computer that I use as my \u201cmain\u201d data host. How does that work? Whether I\u2019m on an iOS device or an Android (I try to maintain ambidexterity), here\u2019s what I typically do:<\/p>\n Glad you asked! As we mentioned, services like Dropbox, OneDrive, and iCloud are sync services, and sync services are not backups<\/a>. In fact, in our 2022 Backup Survey<\/a>, we found that 44% of Americans who own a computer lost access to their data when a shared drive or synced drive was deleted. That\u2019s why I use a sync service (Dropbox) to get data from my phone to my PC, then I back up my PC with Backblaze.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Apple does<\/em> have something called “iCloud Backup.” iCloud Backup backs up critical info on the iPhone and iPad to iCloud. But it’s only for mobile devices\u2014your iPod touch, iPad, and iPhone. The “stuff” on your computer is not backed up by iCloud Backup. It also doesn\u2019t back up anything already stored in iCloud\u2014confusing, we know. This includes contacts, notes, voice memos, calendars, bookmarks, reminders, messages in iCloud, iCloud photos, and shared photos.<\/p>\n Making matters worse, it’s a “space permitting” solution. Apple gives you a scant 5GB of free space with an iCloud account. To put that in context, the iPhone 11 (the smallest you can order from the factory) ships with a minimum of 64GB of space. So right off the bat, you have to pay extra to back up a new device. Many people who use the free account don’t want to pay for more, so they get messages telling them that their devices can’t<\/em> be backed up.<\/p>\n More importantly, iCloud doesn’t<\/em> back up your Mac. So while data may be synced<\/em> between devices in iCloud, most of the content on your Mac isn’t getting backed up directly.<\/p>\n Starting in 2016 with macOS X 10.12 Sierra, Apple introduced remote storage functions for iCloud including “Store in iCloud” and “Optimize Storage.” Both of these features move information from your Mac to the cloud. The Mac leaves frequently accessed files locally, but files you don’t use regularly get moved to iCloud and purged from the hard drive.<\/p>\n Macs, with their high-performance hard drives, can run chronically short of local storage space. These storage optimization features can offset that problem by moving what you’re not using to iCloud. As long as you stay connected<\/em> to iCloud. If iCloud isn’t available, neither are your files.<\/p>\n Your data is yours. It should always<\/em> be in your possession. Ideally, you’d have a local backup of your data (Time Machine, extra hard drive, etc.) AND an off-site copy\u2026not OR. We call that the 3-2-1 backup strategy<\/a>. That way you’re not dependent on Apple and<\/em> a stable internet connection to get your files when you want them.<\/p>\n iCloud Drive is another iCloud feature that can lull you into a false sense of security. It’s a Dropbox-style sync repository\u2014files put in iCloud Drive appear on the Mac, iPhone, and iPad. However, any files you don’t choose to add to iCloud Drive are only available locally and are not backed up.<\/p>\n iCloud Drive has limits, too. You can’t upload a file larger than 50GB. And you can only store as much as you’ve paid for\u2014hit your limit, and you’ll have to pay more. But only up to 2TB, which will cost you $9.99\/month.<\/p>\n iCloud is an excellent sync service. It makes the Apple ecosystem of hardware and software easier to use. But it isn’t infallible. Many folks have reported problems with calendar syncing, contacts disappearing, and music getting messed up by iTunes in the cloud.<\/p>\niCloud Sync Does Not = Backing Up<\/h2>\n
The Backup Steward\u2019s Mobile Backup Strategy<\/h2>\n
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\nBut How Often Do People Lose Data, Really?<\/h4>\n
iCloud Doesn’t Back Up Your Computer<\/h2>\n
Be Wary of “Store in iCloud” and “Optimize Storage”<\/h2>\n
iCloud Drive Isn’t a Backup Either<\/h2>\n
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