Apple has quietly introduced free one-month trials for its paid iCloud storage plans. The promotion is being offered if you are not currently paying for a subscription and have reached your 5GB limit. By taking advantage of the promotion, iCloud will backup all of your iOS devices without you worrying about hitting a storage limit.
According to an AppleInsider reader, the promotion pops up on your iOS device screen when you attempt to perform an iOS device backup and have exceeded the free limit.
The pop-up reads: “You do not have enough space in iCloud to back up your iPhone. A 50 GB plan gives you plenty of space to continue backing up your iPhone. Your first month is free and it’s just $0.99 each month after.”
Apple has always alerted you when you’ve exceeded the 5GB limit; this appears to be the first time the company has offered a promotion to upgrade for free, however.
Tapping on the Get 50 GB Free For 1 Month button takes you to the Change Storage Plan screen under iCloud settings.
The free-to-try options are available on each of Apple’s iCloud storage upgrade tiers, including the 50GB plan for $0.99 per month, 200GB for $2.99 per month, and 2TB plan for $9.99 per month.
After your free month, you’ll be charged monthly for your premium subscription. If you cancel before the end of your first month, you won’t be charged, and your account will be downgraded to the 5GB tier. You can downgrade (or upgrade) your iCould storage plan at any time.
To see your current iCloud storage plan on iOS, and possibly make changes:
1) Click on the Settings app and click on your account at the top of the screen.
2) Select iCloud.
3) Choose Manage Storage.
4) If you want, select Change Storage Plan.
Since 2014, the 5GB tier has been Apple’s standard free offering for iCloud storage. Late last year, the company started offering family sharing for iCloud users subscribed to the 200GB and 2TB tiers. In March, Apple increased free storage for schools to 200GB per account.
Will you take advantage of this iCloud storage promotion?