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If you aren’t already relying on iCloud, you are missing out on an opportunity to free up major storage and prolong your phone’s ability to download, save, and store items (not to mention do wonders to increase your freedom to snap more photos and video). But if you’re new to the concept of iCloud, it’s time to play catch-up. There are iCloud settings that can play a major role in freeing up data — and this setting is at the top of tech experts’ lists.
Connect a VPN
The most important iCloud setting to keep on to free up data involves your VPN, according to Olivia Tan, the co-founder of CocoFax. “I always have a VPN connected and switched on when using public or unsecured WiFi,” Tan says. “Using a VPN prevents unwanted access to your device from malicious actors. When you’re browsing through a VPN, your traffic is encrypted protecting and freeing up your data and your privacy.”
A connected VPN may free up your data by up to 30 percent, Tan says — and this will boost your storage space and increase the longevity of your phone.
“To turn on the feature, simply go to Settings > Privacy > Analytics & Improvement > tap to turn on Share iCloud Analytics,” Tan says.
If you still need a bit of convincing to make use of your iCloud, Cybersecurity Specialist Isla Sibanda says Apple’s iCloud allows users to sync and store their data seamlessly across multiple devices, hence freeing up a lot of storage space on your phone.
“Apple’s iCloud offers 5GB of free storage to every user, which can be upgraded,” Sibanda explains. “To turn this feature on, open settings and click on iCloud. This is where you’ll see an option that says iCloud Drive; click this option and toggle it on. This will require you to login to your Apple ID. Once you have logged in you will be presented a list of applications that you must toggle on or off to indicate whether you want that app's data to be backed up to the cloud or not. The applications that usually take up the most storage are generally Photos and Mail; to save as much data as possible, users should back both up to the cloud. This is the most efficient method of freeing up data from your iPhone.”
So while you are connecting to a VPN and finally making use of your iCloud settings, remember to store the data that takes up the most space on your phone to make the most of this feature.
