Apple Deletes iCloud Backup After 180 Days iPhone Users Warned

Apple automatically deletes iCloud backups if a new backup has not been created after 180 days. This can be extremely annoying – especially if you have relied on an old backup and suddenly cannot find it.

By coincidence, this behavior of the iCloud is now passed through in the media. A user had asked the online magazine Tidbits in surprise when he discovered a corresponding clause on the use of iCloud. Previously, he had found that there was no backup in the iCloud because Apple deleted the iCloud backup, which was more than 180 days old.

The terms of use say, “If a device has not been backed up to iCloud for a hundred and eighty (180) days, Apple reserves the right to delete any backups associated with that device.” Apple not only reserves the right but actually deletes it quite rigorously.

When the deletion occurs?

The whole thing is not new, there should only rarely be cases in which this comes into play. Many users use iCloud as a permanent backup, which is why new backups are always available and are not deleted. However, it is different if, for example, you have exchanged your iPhone for an Android smartphone and then come back again – the old iOS backup might have served very well but is no longer available.

Apple documents this fact of deletion in various places. But: iCloud does not warn of the 180-day limit and also not of an impending deletion. If Apple would send a corresponding time warning, for example by email, you could still act or object to the deletion. The only alternative is to store the backup on the PC and not in the cloud. However, the backups may require significant storage space, which can be problematic for those with little memory.