iOS 15 Offers Temporary Extra iCloud Storage to Help Setup New Devices

BY Mahit Huilgol

Published 7 Jun 2021

Apple is often criticized for offering only 5GB of free iCloud storage space. The limitation comes in your way every time you want to backup and restores your iPhone. While Apple didn’t increase the free storage tier, it did announce a new feature. Apple has announced temporary iCloud storage to help people upgrade to new iPhones.

Typically, iPhone backups run in several gigabytes. And the worst part is you cannot back up your entire device on other service providers like Google Drive. So the 5GB free iCloud data falls short when you want to upgrade and restore your data on a new iPhone. Apple is giving extra free iCloud storage so that you can transfer data to a new device. However, the increased iCloud data storage will only be available for three weeks.

“Now, when you buy a new device, you can use the iCloud backup to move your data to your new device, even if you’re low on storage. iCloud will grant you as much storage as you need to complete a temporary backup, free of charge, for up to three weeks. This allows you to get all your apps, data, and settings onto your device automatically.”

At the WWDC, Apple announced a new iCloud+ service. The service includes new features like Private Relay, Hide My Email, and HomeKit Secure Video. Surprisingly, Apple has not increased the price of iCloud.

The Private Relay feature encrypts your outgoing traffic with the help of two different relays. This way, your data will be safe, and even Apple will not be able to access it. Hide My Email is a new feature on Mail, and Safari. As the name suggests, you can hide your email and set up email forwards. In addition, third-party services and apps will no longer be able to view or store your primary email address. Currently, iCloud restricts users from pairing more than five cameras. However, this restriction is removed for iCloud+.