Summary
- iOS users can easily back up videos on iCloud for a seamless storage option within the Apple ecosystem, while Google Photos is great for anyone.
- pCloud allows for one-time payments rather than only subscriptions, and has strong encryption.
- If cloud storage isn’t ideal, storing videos on a hard drive is easy, affordable, and secure.
I’ve been there a million times—suddenly I can’t update my phone because all 64GB are taken up by videos of my cat. Here are the easiest ways to store the media taking up all that space on your phone.
iOS Users Can Back Up Videos on iCloud
The easiest way to store videos for iPhone users will be using iCloud. iCloud is a good option if you’re deep in the Apple ecosystem and don’t plan on leaving it. But if you have any plans on getting an Android device in the future or need to access your videos on another non-Apple device, iCloud is probably not the best option for you.
You already get 5GB of free iCloud storage to begin with, which is a solid amount of video storage to start with. If you need more storage, you can always buy more. 50GB is just $1 per month, and subscription plans go all the way up to 12TB for $60 per month.
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Google Photos Is a Great Option for Anybody
No matter which smartphone you’re using, you can use Google Photos to back up your photos and videos. Google Photos is a good option for anyone, regardless of operating system, since it can be accessed on any device. It’s also helpful that it comes with a lot of storage to begin with.
You get 15GB of free storage with your Google Cloud account, making it easy to store lots of videos for free. If you run out of space, you can pay for more with a Google One plan, starting at $2.79 per month for 100GB of storage, all the way up to $27 per month for 2TB. You can also pay annually to save a bit overall.
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You Can Use Amazon Photos If You’re a Prime Subscriber
Anyone with an Amazon account can use Amazon Photos to back up 5GB of photos or videos, and Prime members get unlimited photo storage as well as 5GB of video storage. This is a great cloud backup option for anyone who is already a Prime member, since you get so much storage to begin with specifically for videos.
If you need more, you can pay for a monthly or yearly subscription to Amazon Photos. The cheapest plan is $2.79 per month, or $25 per year, for 100GB of storage, and up to 2TB for $28 per month or $250 annually.
pCloud Is Another Trusted Cloud Option
If subscriptions aren’t your speed, pCloud is an encrypted cloud storage option that has both subscription and one-time payment options for securely storing your videos. The cheapest lifetime tier is $300 for 500GB. It’s expensive, but that is a lot of cloud storage you only pay for once. You can also pay annually, starting at $60 per year for 500GB.
pCloud boasts great security with highly secure encryption, and you can optionally pay for another layer of encryption. For a one-time payment of $230, you can also get client-side encryption, meaning the encryption is done on your device before being stored on a server, so you’re the only person who can access your files.
Upload Videos to Your Computer
If you’re not so into cloud storage, a reliably easy storage option for videos is uploading them to your computer. If you have a lot of available storage, storing them locally on your computer is quick, simple, and secure. It doesn’t cost anything extra since you’re using a device you already have, you don’t have to worry about vulnerabilities in a cloud server, and you always know where your files are.
Using a Physical Hard Drive
If computer storage is limited, or you want to store your videos separately from your computer so you don’t lose them in the event of a malfunction, store your videos on a hard drive. Hard drives can store more data than ever before and are relatively cheap, depending on what size you get. This is a great option if you don’t want to store anything on a cloud server, and want something easy to move and store in a physical space.
Whether you want to store everything on a cloud server or on a physical device in your home, you’ve got a lot of options for video storage when your phone starts to get a bit too full. Just remember to regularly sync or upload your videos to keep your phone storage situation managed.
