To be sure: There's no way to exclude folders from backing up to iCloud?

[toke lahti]

...if you are having "backup to iCloud" on in the settings?

Lots of free storage in ipad, iCloud is almost full and I'd like to browse some local videos, but since if anything is backupped to iCloud, everything is backupped to iCloud, I can't use the local storage on the ipad.

What would Apple do, if it had no intensive to sell more iCloud (empty) space for people who need local storage...

 

[toke lahti]

I wrote this as feedback:
"
I recently bought ipad to my daughter with big storage. She also has quite much unused storage in iPhone.
She would like to scroll through long videoclips with these devices and pic short clips from there.
Problem is, that we would like to keep using iCloud-backup with these devices.
And then the big video clip inside ipad is backupped to iCloud, even if it's not needed and it then iCloud is full.
It's quite not reasonable, that we should buy more space to iCloud to use some local files in ipad or iphone.
Therefore:
There should be a switch in Files, that you can opt out the folder in use, from iCloud."

Good or bad?

 

[toke lahti]

I tested this with VLC.
Set in the settings that VLC's folder is not mirrored to iCloud.
Copied to that folder more video than empty space in iCloud.
All good so far.
But, when I tried to backup the ipad to iCloud, it said "not enough space".

So, with iCloud-backup also the folders that are marked not to be mirrored to iCloud, will be copied to iCloud.

All or nothing.
If you want that automatic wireless backup, you need to buy 2TB og iCloud. At least with multiple 256 devices.
This sucks.
No automatic backups or pay for space you don't need or want to use.

 

[toke lahti]

Oh well, I just bought 2TB, when I just needed 300GB.
I'd call this bad customer experience, but maybe Apple knows better.
Or doesn't care.

 

[eltoslightfoot]

I tested this with VLC.
Set in the settings that VLC's folder is not mirrored to iCloud.
Copied to that folder more video than empty space in iCloud.
All good so far.
But, when I tried to backup the ipad to iCloud, it said "not enough space".

So, with iCloud-backup also the folders that are marked not to be mirrored to iCloud, will be copied to iCloud.

All or nothing.
If you want that automatic wireless backup, you need to buy 2TB og iCloud. At least with multiple 256 devices.
This sucks.
No automatic backups or pay for space you don't need or want to use.

Yeah I think people either pony up or do what I do, which is no automatic backups.

 

[toke lahti]

JTBS,
Apple tells about folders excluded from iCloud backup:

Optimizing Your App’s Data for iCloud Backup | Apple Developer Documentation

Minimize the space and time that backups take to create by excluding purgeable and nonpurgeable data from backups.

developer.apple.com

I'm not a developer, so I do not know if these guides automatically apple to iPadOS.
There's no mention about OS.

If it does work in iOS/iPadOS, this would be a nice point of monetazing that function(isExcludedFromBackup).
What would be catchy name for the app?
"Backup Slimmer"? "...Shaver?"
"Better Files"?
"Even Better Finder"?

Hmm, name of the function was link: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/foundation/urlresourcevalues/1780002-isexcludedfrombackup
and it tells it works with iOS/iPadOS8.0+...

 

[toke lahti]

Yeah I think people either pony up or do what I do, which is no automatic backups.

I'd also do what you do.
But I have no heart to force my daughter to do that.

 

[eltoslightfoot]

I'd also do what you do.
But I have no heart to force my daughter to do that.

My heart is even wussier, I don't need them because it would be me re-setting up their phones anyway. 😭

 

[toke lahti]

Sadly, I'm not living in same address with my daughter, so I can't secretly backup her devices at night.

 

[toke lahti]

Btw,
Settings -> iCloud -> Manage Storage -> Backups -> This iPad -> "CHOOSE DATA TO BACKUP"!

That is app based list of course, but for example, for storing and viewing big video clips, one could use VLC and then exclude that from the backup!

So there is a way to exclude!
It is just so deep, that there's not much info of it to find when searching for it!

 

[toke lahti]

Manage your iCloud storage - Apple Support

Free up space in iCloud storage.

support.apple.com

from "Reduce the size of your iCloud Backup"
!!!