Why does iPhone keep running out of storage when I have 3TB of iCloud storage available?
Ok I’m a millennial so I have some basic tech skills but I can’t figure this out!
Why does my iphone keep running out of storage when I have 3TB of iCloud storage available?
iPhone 11 Pro
iOS 26 (not enough storage to update)
511.6 used of my 512 GB storage space
6TB of iCloud storage (2.2TB are full, so I have over 3TB available on iCloud).
So, why doesn’t the iCloud keep my phone storage freed up like it used to???
For years it wasn’t an issue. iCloud would store my photos and videos and it would automatically keep my phone at around 350-400GB full, leaving over 100 GB free.
Now, oftentimes while taking a video the “Storage full - manage your storage” alert will randomly pop-up and cut off the recording.
Why does this happen when I have over 3 terabytes free on iCloud.
When i try to sync photos & videos to iCloud from Photos app, this message sometimes pops up:
“Syncing with iCloud paused, not enough storage”
I’ve already deleted a bunch of apps, voice memos, large attachments, and other stuff to make space. Now all that’s left is photos and videos.
Sometimes photos app WILL successfully sync though, and it’ll fix the storage problem for a short time, but less than a week later my phone is full again going thru the same thing.
I have over 100k videos and photos, and I don’t want to spend the time to go through and delete anything. That’s why I pay for the XXL iCloud storage.
What’s going on? How does this work???
Is there a way to just automatically upload everything directly to the cloud and skip saving to iPhone physical storage all together?
I’m sick of my creative projects being killed, I’m sick of being unable to send audio messages to friends, and I’m sick of constantly being interrupted by the “storage full” message — when I pay for storage!
Help please. Thank you.