You can’t add storage chips or a memory card to an iPhone, so “buying more storage” means buying more iCloud space with an iCloud+ plan. On iOS 27, open Settings, tap your name, tap iCloud, then tap Manage Plan under iCloud+ Features and pick a plan. On iOS 18.4 through iOS 26, tap your name > iCloud > Upgrade to iCloud+.
In the US, plans start at $0.99 a month for 50 GB. The charge goes to the payment method on your Apple Account. Keep in mind that iCloud+ extra space holds backups, photos and files in the cloud; it doesn’t enlarge the phone’s own storage. If your iPhone itself says it’s full, the fix is freeing up space, which is covered further down.
iCloud storage vs. iPhone storage
| iPhone storage | iCloud storage | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | The built-in capacity you chose when you bought the phone, like 128 GB or 256 GB | Online space tied to your Apple Account; 5 GB is free |
| Can you buy more? | No. It’s fixed for the life of the phone | Yes, with iCloud+ in minutes |
| Warning you’ll see | iPhone Storage Full | iCloud Storage Almost Full or iCloud Storage Is Full |
| Where to check | Settings > General > iPhone Storage | Settings > your name > iCloud |
Look at the wording of the warning before you pay. An iCloud plan fixes the second problem, and with iCloud Photos set to Optimize iPhone Storage it can indirectly help the first by keeping full-size photos in the cloud.
How much does iCloud+ cost?
Apple’s US prices for iCloud+ are:
| Plan | Price per month (US) | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| 50 GB | $0.99 | One iPhone backup plus a modest photo library |
| 200 GB | $2.99 | A large photo library, or sharing with a partner |
| 2 TB | $9.99 | A family sharing one plan, or years of 4K video |
| 6 TB | $29.99 | Very large libraries |
| 12 TB | $59.99 | Heavy video shooters and big families |
Prices vary by country and can change, so check Apple’s iCloud+ pricing page for your region. Every tier includes iCloud Private Relay, Hide My Email and custom email domains, and you can share any plan with up to five family members through Family Sharing. Apple One bundles also include iCloud+ storage, so check whether you already pay for one before buying a separate plan.
How to buy more iCloud storage on iPhone
On iOS 27
- Open Settings. If you see an iCloud Storage Almost Full alert near the top, you can tap it and skip to step 4.
- Tap your name, then tap iCloud.
- Under iCloud+ Features, tap Manage Plan. Another route is to tap Storage (or Almost Full) and then Get More Storage.
- Choose a plan.
- Follow the prompts and confirm the purchase with Face ID, Touch ID or your Apple Account password.
On iOS 18.4 through iOS 26
- Open Settings and tap your name.
- If you’ve never paid for iCloud, tap iCloud, scroll down, and tap Upgrade to iCloud+.
- If you already have a plan and want a bigger one, tap Subscriptions, tap iCloud+ under Active, then tap See All Plans.
- Choose a plan and confirm the purchase.
On older versions
- iOS 18 to 18.3: Settings > your name > iCloud > Manage Plan.
- iOS 17 and earlier: Settings > your name > iCloud > Manage Account Storage > Change Storage Plan.
After upgrading, check that your backups are running again in Settings > your name > iCloud > iCloud Backup. Our guide to backing up an iPhone to iCloud shows how to run one now.
How to downgrade or cancel iCloud+
- Open Settings and tap your name.
- Tap Subscriptions, then tap iCloud+ under Active.
- Tap See All Plans to pick a smaller plan, or tap Cancel Subscription.
The change starts when your current billing period ends. Warning: if you’re using more space than the smaller plan allows, iCloud stops syncing and iCloud backups stop completing until you delete data or upgrade again. Apple says to contact it within 14 days of a plan change if you want a refund. Not sure what else you’re paying for? See how to find all your subscriptions on iPhone.
What to do when your iPhone storage is full
If the warning says iPhone Storage Full, the phone’s own storage is the problem. Buying iCloud space won’t change that number by itself. Start here:
- Open Settings > General > iPhone Storage.
- Wait for the colored bar to load. It shows what’s using the space.
- Check the recommendations under the bar and tap Enable on any you want, such as Offload Unused Apps.
- Scroll the app list, tap a large app, and choose Offload App (keeps its documents) or Delete App (removes everything).
Other ways to get room back:
- Move photos to iCloud. Turn on iCloud Photos with Optimize iPhone Storage in Settings > Apps > Photos. Your iPhone keeps smaller versions and downloads full-size copies when you open them. This is where an iCloud+ plan really pays off.
- Clear old messages. Long threads full of videos add up. Set Keep Messages to 1 year in the Messages settings.
- Use an external drive. iPhones with USB-C, and older ones with an adapter, can copy files to a flash drive or card reader in the Files app. Our guide to using an SD card reader with an iPhone shows how.
If your iPhone offloads apps when you don’t want it to, here’s how to stop automatic app offloading.
Frequently asked questions
Can I buy iCloud storage once instead of monthly?
No. iCloud+ is a subscription that renews automatically until you cancel it. There’s no one-time purchase, and the space goes away if you stop paying.
Do shared albums use my iCloud storage?
Classic Shared Albums don’t. On iOS 27, if you choose to upgrade a Shared Album to the new full-resolution version, everything added to it, including other people’s uploads, counts against the album owner’s iCloud storage.
Is my data deleted if my iCloud storage is full?
No. Nothing already in iCloud is deleted right away, but new photos, files and backups stop uploading until you free up space or buy more.
Matthew Roberts is the founder and editor of ARS Digitech. He started the site to answer the iPhone questions his friends and family kept asking him, and it has grown into a library of iPhone and iOS how-to guides. Matthew writes and maintains every tutorial on the site, checking steps and menu names against Apple’s official support documentation and updating guides when an iOS release moves a setting.