If there’s one thing that I am generally terrible at, it’s remembering to back up all my data. And in my line of work, that has the potential to be a disaster. I spend a lot of time on my laptop and my phone, so both devices include a lot of important data that I can’t afford to lose.
I nearly fell victim to this not too long ago when I migrated from an iPhone 14 Pro Max to the iPhone 15 Pro Max. In the process, I nearly lost a bunch of important photos and documents that would have been safe and sound had I been backing things up. (Foolishly, I turned off automatic backups to save on data.)
You can understand, then, why I’ve been looking into some of the more common cloud-based services to avoid future fiascos. And since it’s World Backup Day this coming Monday (March 31), I thought I’d share the answers to the mobile backup questions I ran into when researching services.
Cloud-based backups may seem straightforward. But there are some things you should know going in, so you don’t get tripped up when it’s time to come up with a backup strategy. Let’s tackle some questions you might have about backing up your phone, including what options are available to you and what kind of service you can expect.
Why do I need to back up the contents of my phone to the cloud?
Two things should have you getting a backup plan in place that includes cloud storage. And the most important one is based on the first rule of tech: eventually, something will go wrong.
Even the newest phone or laptop can encounter an issue where you need to factory reset it, losing everything in the process. However, if you have a digital copy, you can be certain that you’ll never lose all your important data.
A cloud-based backup also makes moving over to a new device much easier. It allows you to quickly transfer important data and documents onto your new phone, even if you don’t have access to the original.
Say your old Samsung phone has a broken screen that won’t let you activate the Smart Switch feature for migrating to a new handset. That backup stored on the cloud lets you retrieve all your old apps and files.
What are the most widely available options for cloud-based backups?
Tom’s Guide has a round-up of the best cloud backup services for storing your most important files in another location. And while you’ll find some excellent options there, particularly for critical files, you can turn to other sources for basic backups.
For many people, the main service they’ll use will be the one that comes installed on their device. As such, I’m focusing on more basic cloud storage. To that end, I’d start with two cloud-based services that every phone owner will be able to access: iCloud and Google Drive.
If you happen to have one of the best iPhones, then you already have the basic version of iCloud installed on your Apple device. However, if you have one of the best Android phones, then you should be able to access Google Drive, usually from a preinstalled app version of the service already on your handset.
And that’s why we’re looking at iCloud and Google Drive, as opposed to some of the other backup services we’ve reviewed — those two options are readily on hand and easy to get started with if you’ve been putting off backups. Apple and Google cloud storage options offer a seamless experience with a dependable level of security.
Does my type of phone limit the cloud-based service I can use?
Let’s put that question another way: if you have an iPhone, do you have to back up to iCloud? And if you’re an Android user, are you limited to Google Drive?
It’s certainly easier to stick with the backup option that comes with your phone of choice. But nothing’s stopping you from using any service. For instance, if you have an iPhone, you can access Google’s cloud storage through the iOS version of Google Drive that’s available from the App Store. Place that app on your phone, and you can upload photos and other documents to Google Drive.
It’s a little trickier with iCloud from an Android device. While iPhones can automatically stash backups on Apple’s cloud service, Android phones can’t. However, you can access the iCloud website from a browser on your phone to upload and access photos and files. You will need to set up an Apple account first, though.
What do I get with a free account on iCloud or Google Drive?
Since both iPhone and Android devices come with their respective backup software installed, you’ll be able to access the free tiers of iCloud and Google Drive, respectively. Just be prepared for some limitations.
The free version of iCloud features 5GB of storage. Depending on how many photos you have — and what format you shoot them in — you can run into the limits of 5GB rather quickly.
Google Drive has a bigger storage limit for its free users — 15 GB. That includes backups from Google Photos and Gmail.
What are the paid options for iCloud and Google Drive?
Both iCloud and Google Drive offer different subscription tiers based on storage amounts. Apple’s iCloud has the lowest point of entry with 50GB for just 99 cents/month, but for the most part, the two services offer similar prices for the larger storage tiers.
| Row 0 – Cell 0 |
iCloud+ monthly rate |
Google Drive/Google One monthly rate |
|
50 GB |
$0.99 |
N/A |
|
100 GB |
N/A |
$1.99 |
|
200 GB |
$2.99 |
$2.99 |
|
2 TB |
$9.99 |
$9.99 |
|
2TB + Gemini Advanced |
N/A |
$19.99 |
You get more than just storage from these cloud services. iCloud and Google Drive subscriptions offer other features, too.
iCloud’s subscription service, imaginatively called iCloud+, offers users a private relay when they browse with Safari on their iPhones, meaning users can hide their IP address. iCloud+ also allows users to hide their email by creating random email addresses that forward to their personal inbox.
With iCloud+, it’s also possible to create a personalized email domain and connect home security cameras to record footage and view it securely. Finally, iCloud+ can be shared with family members with Apple accounts.
The Google Drive subscription, named Google One, has several unique features as well depending on the plan you buy. For instance, Google One subscribers have access to Google Experts for more support, advanced editing features in Google Photos, access to Gemini Advanced and even possible cashback on Google Store purchases.
Finally, much like iCloud+, you can share the Google One subscription between five family members. Unfortunately, while Google One used to offer a VPN, that feature has since been discontinued.
What are the pros and cons of iCloud and Google Drive?
Both iCloud and Google Drive offer relatively similar features with noticeable pros and cons to each. That’s especially true when you include the added features from a paid subscription.
iCloud is arguably one of the most secure services, and it feeds well into the Apple ecosystem. This means that it’s much easier to share files and backups between your Apple devices. The added security that comes with iCloud+ — remember, it can hide IPs and emails — is also a bonus.
However, if you own a mix of devices beyond the ones Apple makes, then iCloud isn’t quite as useful. While you can move files around, the cross-platform experience isn’t seamless, requiring you to change certain file extensions. Also, that low 5GB cap on storage for free accounts means you’ll probably need to upgrade to a paid tier sooner rather than later.
Google Drive and Google One have a lot to offer users. Google’s offering includes a much larger amount of storage for free, as well as access to Google Photos backups. It’s also much easier to use on non-Android devices, since Google Photos is available for the iPhone and Mac.
However, the real benefit to Google’s backup service comes when you include the features that are bundled with Google One, namely the access to Google Experts and Gemini.
Still, there are drawbacks to Google Drive. Even the larger 15GB capacity can fill up fast, especially if you have a particularly busy Gmail account. Security offerings don’t exactly stand out, especially after Google removed its VPN add-on.
Backup storage outlook
Overall, there’s a lot to love about both iCloud and Google Drive and what they offer. Hopefully, we have answered some of your questions about both iCloud and Google Drive. However, if you have any questions then please feel free to reach out in the comments.