For the past few weeks, my iPhone has prompted me with an annoying message about how iCloud does not have enough space to continue backing up the device. Apparently I need an additional 2.1 GB of storage to backup my iPhone, but I would rather not pay for a higher tier than the free 5 GB of storage that Apple provides by default.
If you’re in the same shoes as me, there is actually a simple solution. Apple makes it easy to delete your iCloud backups right on your iPhone. You can even manage how your backups work so that you are only backing up essential data. Read ahead for step-by-step instructions on how to delete old iCloud backups on iPhone…
How to delete old iPhone backups from iCloud
Step 1: Tap on the Settings icon from the Home screen.
Step 2: Scroll down and tap on iCloud.
Step 3: Scroll down and tap on Storage.
Step 4: Tap on Manage Storage.
Step 5: Tap on your iPhone from the backups list. If you have several iOS devices, they will all be listed here. It might be a good idea to delete your old iPhone or old iPad backups to save up space.
Step 6: Scroll down and tap on Delete Backup.
Step 7: Tap on Turn Off & Delete Backup.
Step 8: If you wish, toggle iCloud Backup back on afterwards.
If you find yourself constantly running out of space, I recommend toggling off Camera Roll as part of your iCloud backup. You are better off backing up your photos through iTunes or to an external hard drive, that way you do not run out of iCloud storage so quick. For example, my last iPhone backup was 3.5 GB, but over 3 GB of that consisted of photos.