Guide2026-06-10

How to Stop Paying for iCloud Storage by Switching to Google Photos

A practical guide to moving your photos from iCloud to Google Photos and downgrading your iCloud plan — saving up to A$119/year.

iPhone showing storage full notification

If you're paying for 200GB or more of iCloud storage just to store photos, you're probably spending more than you need to. Google Photos offers 15GB free, and if you need more, Google One is significantly cheaper than iCloud at the same storage tier.

Here's how to make the switch and cancel or downgrade your iCloud plan.

What You're Currently Paying

iCloud storage pricing in Australia:

50GB: A$1.49/month (A$17.88/year)

200GB: A$4.49/month (A$53.88/year)

2TB: A$14.99/month (A$179.88/year)

If photos are the main reason you're on 200GB or 2TB, that's worth addressing.

What Google One Costs Instead

Google One storage pricing:

15GB: Free

100GB: A$2.49/month

200GB: A$3.99/month

2TB: A$12.99/month

For most people moving from iCloud 200GB, you'd drop from A$4.49 to A$3.99 — a small saving, but you're also getting more flexibility since Google storage is shared across Gmail, Drive, and Photos.

For 2TB users, the saving is more significant: A$14.99 vs A$12.99 per month, or A$24/year.

The Real Saving: Downgrading to 5GB Free iCloud

If photos are your main iCloud storage use, moving them to Google Photos might let you drop to the free 5GB iCloud tier entirely. That's a saving of A$53.88/year (200GB) or A$179.88/year (2TB).

The free 5GB iCloud plan still covers iCloud Keychain, iCloud Mail, app backups for contacts and calendars, and a small amount of iCloud Drive. Most people find 5GB is enough once photos are out.

Step 1: Move Your Photos to Google Photos

Before you cancel anything, you need your photos safely in Google Photos. Doing this from your iPhone directly is slow and unreliable for large libraries — Google Photos on iOS can only upload photos that are locally on your device.

The reliable way is from a Mac:

Download [Migrate Moments](/download)

Connect your Google Photos account under Destination → Google Photos

Set your archive age cutoff (or export everything)

Click "Export to Google Photos"

Migrate Moments downloads your originals directly from iCloud and uploads them to Google Photos. It tracks what's been uploaded so you can run it multiple times without duplicates.

For a 10,000-photo library, expect 2–4 hours depending on your internet connection.

Step 2: Verify Your Photos Are in Google Photos

Don't cancel iCloud storage until you've verified the transfer:

Open Google Photos on your phone and check that photos are there

Search for photos from different years — make sure your oldest photos transferred

Check that videos are present and play correctly

Compare counts: Google Photos should have roughly the same number as iCloud

Google Photos might show a slightly higher count because it counts edits separately. That's normal.

Step 3: Check What Else Uses iCloud Storage

Before downgrading, check what else is using your iCloud storage. Go to Settings → [your name] → iCloud → Manage Account Storage.

Common culprits beyond photos:

iPhone backup (can be 5–20GB)

iCloud Drive files

Messages (if you have iCloud Messages turned on)

If your phone backup alone is 8GB, you won't fit on the free 5GB tier. In that case, downgrading to 50GB (A$1.49/month) might be the right move rather than going fully free.

Step 4: Downgrade Your iCloud Plan

Once your photos are verified in Google Photos and you know how much iCloud storage you actually need:

On iPhone: Settings → [your name] → iCloud → Manage Account Storage → Change Storage Plan

Select your new plan (or "Downgrade Options" for free)

Confirm the change

The change takes effect at the end of your current billing period.

Important: If you downgrade below your current usage, iCloud will warn you that data may be deleted. This is why verifying your Google Photos transfer first is critical.

What Stays in iCloud After You Switch

Even after moving photos to Google Photos, some things should stay in iCloud:

Contacts and calendars — these sync via iCloud and work seamlessly across Apple devices. Keep these in iCloud.

Keychain — iCloud Keychain for passwords. Keep this.

iCloud Mail — if you use an @icloud.com email address.

Find My — doesn't use iCloud storage.

You don't need photos in iCloud to use any of these. They're separate services that share the same iCloud account.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will my iPhone still back up if I downgrade iCloud?

Yes, but iPhone backups count against your iCloud storage. If your backup is 6GB and you're on the free 5GB plan, backups will fail. Either pay for 50GB or turn off iCloud backup and use iTunes/Finder to back up to your Mac instead.

Can I keep some photos in iCloud and others in Google Photos?

Yes. Migrate Moments lets you export photos older than a certain age (3 years, 5 years, etc.) while leaving recent photos in iCloud. This is a good middle ground — keep your recent camera roll in iCloud for seamless iPhone integration, and archive everything older to Google Photos.

What if I change my mind later?

Google Photos lets you download all your photos at any time via Google Takeout. You're not locked in.