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my messages data is adding up in my icloud backup even though I’ve specifically turned it off. My phone keeps a constant error message saying backup could not complete because there isnt enough storage in your icloud…please pay to upgrade.
iPhone 11, iOS 14
Very specifically, I do not use a lot of storage for my Apps and my phone.
Maybe 8/10 of a Gig.
so the 5G free storage should be enough.
The messages portion of my “Icloud storage” is turned off, but somehow my phone shows the next backup exceeding that maximum amount.
EVERYTHING is turned off for my backup. EVERYTHING.
So I ask the question? What else is left?
When I delete photos and videos from my messages, the backup total goes down.
Again, Messages is turned off, and so is photos and videos.
Therefore, icloud is counting the photos and videos in my messages as potential storage data, even though I’ve told it specifically not to.
Don't really care if I chased you off or not, you seem like a stubborn person that doesn't listen.
Unlike the Mac you aren't able to pick what gets backed up on your backup for iOS devices. There is only ONE exception to this that was added when iCloud Messaging was added and you have already discovered it. iCloud Messaging was added so that if you were getting them on your 2 macs, iPhone and iPad instead of having to manually delete the message 4 times you would only have to do so once and it would be removed from iCloud and all four devices. But since the Backup procedure includes messages this would mean if you had iCloud Messaging turned on then your messages would be stored in iCloud twice, once in the iCloud Messages and once in your backup doubling the amount of space you use. So when you turn iCloud Messaging ON it no longer backs up Messages in your iCloud backup. Now you only have one set of Messages in iCloud. But if you turn iCloud Messages OFF then, in order to protect them, your backup will include messages. There is no additional switch that allows you turn to iCloud Messages OFF and another one to turn backing up iMessages OFF. You can ask Apple to add such a switch by going here: Feedback - iPhone - Apple.
But currently there is no way to do what you are trying to do. And yes I read and understood what you were saying before I responded. You want the iCloud Messaging switch to do something that it can't do. You are incorrect in your assumption that I read. Deal with it.
I see what you are saying.
That’s exactly my problem.
”On is Off, Off is On, On is On, and Off is off”
Forget it.
For those of you reading this, and are in the same situation as me:
There is free iCloud space available for iPhone backups and that is for a total of 5GB. That gets filled very fast and then if you want to continue to use iCloud and have complete backups of your iPhone then you will need to purchase additional storage space. You have iCloud backup set to ON however do not have enough space to complete a full backup. You are therefore getting that error message. If you do not want to see that error message then you can either purchase additional space or turn OFF iCloud backup completely.
Axel F.
Not a great way to get help in a user-to-user technical support site operated by Apple. If you are saying you turned off iCloud Message on all of your devices then when you attempt to backup your iPhone any messages you have on your iPhone will be included in that backup. If you have a lot you will run out of your free space. Delete the messages from your iPhone and they will not be backed up.
Again, thank you for your response, but I really do advise that you read the statements in full.
I truly dont want to delete my messages.
I just don’t want them to back up to my icloud.
When I turn them off, then the amount of data they would have used should go away.
You are saying
“you turned off iCloud Message on all of your devices then when you attempt to backup your iPhone any messages you have on your iPhone will be included in that backup”
doesnt make any sense.
It should “Turn Off” when -we the user -tell it to “Turn Off”
Am I right in this statement? Or is there something I’m missing…..
No, you are wrong in your statement and they reason you keep thinking we are misreading your original post is because you don't understand how iCloud Messages and backup works.
If you browse through these forums you will find people who are wanting to recover messages they have accidentally deleted. If they have turned on iCloud Messages then they are synced across iCloud to all of your devices and if you delete it off one device it will delete it from all others. And they will not be included in the iCloud back. If they had not activated this feature then they have to delete messages from each device and they are included in the iCloud backup so someone can get their accidentally deleted message back by restoring from their backup if the message was in the latest backup.
Turning iCloud Messages on will stop them from being in your backup but it will store all of them in iCloud. Turning off iCloud Messages will stop the messages from being synced via iCloud across all device but they will then be included in your backup. The "Turn Off" switch does not stop them from being included in your backup.
No, you are trying to equate two separate functions. One is iCloud backup which backups up many things unless...you turn on iCloud Messages in which case continuing to backup messages would be redundant so it stops including messages in the backup.
What you are looking for, and doesn't exist, is a an additional switch that will remove messages from your backup while you still have iCloud Messages turned on.
And you are giving poor advice to people regarding backing up their iPhone unless they want to backup manually to their computer. And you don't have to use your PC to turn off iCloud backups, you can go to Settings > (Your Name) > iCloud and turn off iCloud backups.
Thanks for the reply, but you obviously didnt Read the post.
Icloud messages keeps adding data storage even though I’ve turned it off.
