Saving videos on your iPhone can quickly eat up storage space, especially if you're capturing high-resolution footage. Learning how to upload videos from iPhone to cloud services is a practical solution that helps free up device storage while keeping your precious memories safe. This guide walks you through various methods to transfer your videos to different cloud platforms, helping you choose the option that works best for your needs.

Why Upload iPhone Videos to the Cloud?

Before diving into the methods, let's look at why cloud storage is beneficial for iPhone users:

• Free up valuable storage space on your iPhone
• Access your videos from multiple devices
• Protect your videos from loss if your phone is damaged or lost
• Share videos more easily with friends and family
• Keep your video library organized in one place

Using iCloud to Upload Videos from iPhone

Apple's iCloud is the most integrated cloud solution for iPhone users, making it the simplest option for many people.

Setting Up iCloud Photos

To automatically upload videos to iCloud:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone
2. Tap on your Apple ID at the top of the screen
3. Select "iCloud"
4. Tap "Photos"
5. Toggle on "iCloud Photos"

With iCloud Photos enabled, your videos will automatically upload to iCloud when your iPhone is connected to Wi-Fi and charging. However, remember that the free iCloud plan only includes 5GB of storage, which fills up quickly with videos.

Managing iCloud Storage

If you need more space for your videos, you can upgrade your iCloud storage plan:

1. Go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud
2. Tap "Manage Storage" or "iCloud Storage"
3. Select "Change Storage Plan" or "Buy More Storage"
4. Choose a plan that suits your needs
5. Complete the purchase using your Apple ID

Current iCloud storage plans typically include options for 50GB, 200GB, and 2TB, with monthly subscription fees.

Manually Uploading Specific Videos to iCloud

If you only want to upload certain videos:

1. Open the Photos app
2. Find and select the video(s) you want to upload
3. Tap the share icon (square with an arrow)
4. Select "Save to Files"
5. Choose "iCloud Drive"
6. Select a folder or create a new one
7. Tap "Save"

Uploading Videos to Google Photos

Google Photos is another popular option that offers 15GB of free storage across Google services.

Setting Up Google Photos

1. Download the Google Photos app from the App Store if you don't already have it
2. Open the app and sign in with your Google account
3. During setup (or in settings later), you'll be asked if you want to back up your photos and videos
4. Toggle on "Back up & sync"
5. Choose your upload quality (Storage saver or Original quality)
6. Select whether to use cellular data for backups or only Wi-Fi

Controlling What Gets Uploaded

To manage which videos get uploaded to Google Photos:

1. In the Google Photos app, tap your profile picture in the top right
2. Select "Photos settings"
3. Tap "Back up & sync"
4. You can toggle backup on/off and adjust settings like:

• Upload size (Storage saver uses less space)
• Using cellular data for backups
• Choosing which folders to back up

Manually Uploading Videos to Google Photos

To upload specific videos:

1. Open the Google Photos app
2. Tap the Library tab at the bottom
3. Tap "Utilities"
4. Select "Upload from iPhone"
5. Choose the videos you want to upload
6. Tap "Select" in the top right corner

Using Dropbox for iPhone Video Uploads

Dropbox offers a straightforward way to upload and organize your videos in the cloud.

Setting Up Automatic Uploads in Dropbox

1. Download and install the Dropbox app from the App Store
2. Sign in to your Dropbox account or create a new one
3. Tap the Account icon (usually your profile picture) in the bottom right
4. Select "Settings"
5. Tap "Camera Uploads"
6. Toggle on "Camera Uploads" to automatically upload photos and videos
7. Choose whether to use cellular data or only Wi-Fi

Manually Uploading Videos to Dropbox

For selective uploads:

1. Open the Dropbox app
2. Tap the "+" icon at the bottom of the screen
3. Select "Upload Photos or Videos"
4. Browse your Photos app and select the videos you want to upload
5. Tap "Next" or "Upload"
6. Choose a folder to save your videos
7. Tap "Upload"

Creating Folders for Video Organization

To better organize your videos in Dropbox:

1. Open the Dropbox app
2. Navigate to where you want to create a folder
3. Tap the "+" icon
4. Select "Create Folder"
5. Name your folder (e.g., "Family Videos," "Vacation 2023")
6. Tap "Create"
7. Upload videos to this specific folder using the steps above

OneDrive: Microsoft's Cloud Solution

Microsoft OneDrive is another excellent option, especially if you use other Microsoft services.

Setting Up OneDrive for Video Backup

1. Download the OneDrive app from the App Store
2. Sign in with your Microsoft account
3. During setup, you'll be asked if you want to turn on camera upload
4. Enable this feature to automatically back up your videos
5. Choose whether to upload on cellular data or only on Wi-Fi

Manually Uploading Videos to OneDrive

1. Open the OneDrive app
2. Tap the "+" icon at the top of the screen
3. Select "Upload"
4. Tap "Photos and Videos"
5. Select the videos you want to upload
6. Tap "Upload" in the top right corner

Creating Albums in OneDrive

To organize your videos:

1. Open the OneDrive app
2. Navigate to the location where you want to create a folder
3. Tap the "+" icon
4. Select "Create folder"
5. Name your folder
6. Tap "Create"

Amazon Photos for Prime Members

If you have an Amazon Prime membership, you can take advantage of unlimited full-resolution photo storage and 5GB of video storage with Amazon Photos.

Setting Up Amazon Photos

1. Download the Amazon Photos app from the App Store
2. Sign in with your Amazon account
3. During setup, enable auto-save to automatically upload your videos
4. Choose whether to use cellular data or only Wi-Fi
5. Select which folders to back up

Manually Uploading Videos to Amazon Photos

1. Open the Amazon Photos app
2. Tap the upload icon (usually a "+" or up arrow)
3. Select "Upload Photos and Videos"
4. Choose the videos you want to upload
5. Tap "Upload" or "Done"

Box Cloud Storage for iPhone Videos

Box is another cloud storage option popular among business users but also suitable for personal use.

Setting Up Box for Video Uploads

1. Download the Box app from the App Store
2. Sign in or create a new account
3. Tap the menu icon in the top left
4. Select "Settings"
5. Tap "Upload from Camera Roll"
6. Enable "Auto Upload" to automatically back up new videos

Manually Uploading Videos to Box

1. Open the Box app
2. Navigate to the folder where you want to upload
3. Tap the "+" icon
4. Select "Upload photos or videos"
5. Choose the videos you want to upload
6. Tap "Upload"

Comparing Cloud Storage Options for iPhone Videos

Cloud Service	Free Storage	Paid Plans	Auto-Upload	Best For
iCloud	5GB	50GB, 200GB, 2TB	Yes	Apple ecosystem users
Google Photos	15GB (shared with Gmail, Drive)	100GB, 200GB, 2TB	Yes	Android/Google users, photo organization
Dropbox	2GB	2TB, 3TB	Yes	File organization, sharing
OneDrive	5GB	100GB, 1TB (with Microsoft 365)	Yes	Microsoft users, Office integration
Amazon Photos	5GB (unlimited photos for Prime)	100GB, 1TB, 2TB	Yes	Amazon Prime members
Box	10GB	100GB, unlimited	Yes	Business users, collaboration

Tips for Efficient Video Uploads from iPhone to Cloud

Optimize Your Connection

For faster and more reliable uploads:

• Use a strong Wi-Fi connection whenever possible
• If using cellular data, ensure you have a good signal
• Consider setting uploads to occur only when charging to save battery
• Close other apps that might be using your internet connection

Manage Video Size

Smaller videos upload faster and use less storage:

• Consider recording in lower resolution for less important videos
• Trim unnecessary parts of videos before uploading
• Some cloud services offer compression options to save space

Batch Processing

For efficiency when uploading multiple videos:

• Select multiple videos at once rather than uploading one by one
• Start uploads before bed or during times you won't need your phone
• Create a regular schedule for backing up videos

Quick Tip to ensure your videos never go missing

Videos are precious memories and all of us never want to lose them to hard disk crashes or missing drives. PicBackMan is the easiest and simplest way to keep your videos safely backed up in one or more online accounts. 

Simply download PicBackMan (it's free!), register your account, connect to your online store and tell PicBackMan where your videos are - PicBackMan does the rest, automatically. It bulk uploads all videos and keeps looking for new ones and uploads those too. You don't have to ever touch it.

Troubleshooting Common Upload Issues

Videos Not Uploading

If your videos aren't uploading to the cloud:

1. Check your internet connection
2. Verify that you have enough cloud storage space
3. Ensure the app has permission to access your photos/videos
4. Close and restart the cloud app
5. Check if the video file size exceeds the service's limits
6. Try uploading a different video to see if the issue is file-specific

Slow Upload Speeds

To address slow uploads:

1. Connect to a stronger Wi-Fi network
2. Move closer to your Wi-Fi router
3. Check if other devices or apps are using bandwidth
4. Try uploading during off-peak hours
5. Restart your iPhone and router
6. Check if your internet service provider is experiencing slowdowns

Storage Space Issues

If you're running out of cloud storage:

1. Delete unnecessary files from your cloud storage
2. Upgrade to a larger storage plan
3. Use multiple cloud services for different types of content
4. Consider compressing videos before uploading

Privacy and Security Considerations

When uploading personal videos to the cloud, keep these security points in mind:

• Use strong, unique passwords for your cloud accounts
• Enable two-factor authentication when available
• Review privacy settings to control who can see your videos
• Be cautious about uploading sensitive or private videos to the cloud
• Read the terms of service to understand how your data is used
• Consider services that offer end-to-end encryption for maximum privacy

Accessing Your Cloud Videos

On Other Devices

One of the benefits of cloud storage is accessing your videos anywhere:

• Download the same cloud app on your other devices
• Sign in with the same account credentials
• Browse to find your videos
• Most services allow streaming videos without downloading
• Download videos to your device if you need offline access

Sharing Videos with Others

To share your cloud-stored videos:

1. Find the video in your cloud app
2. Look for a share button or option
3. Choose how you want to share (link, email, message, etc.)
4. Set permissions (view only, download allowed, etc.)
5. Add an expiration date to the share link if available
6. Send the invitation or link to your intended recipients

Frequently Asked Questions

Will uploading videos to the cloud delete them from my iPhone?

No, uploading videos to the cloud creates a copy of your videos in cloud storage. The original videos remain on your iPhone unless you manually delete them or use a specific feature like "Optimize iPhone Storage" in iCloud, which can replace full-resolution videos with smaller versions while keeping the originals in the cloud.

How long does it take to upload videos to the cloud?

Upload time depends on several factors: your internet connection speed, the size of the videos, and the cloud service you're using. A short 1-minute video might upload in seconds on a fast Wi-Fi connection, while a 4K 10-minute video could take several minutes or longer. Large batches of videos might take hours to complete uploading.

Can I upload videos to the cloud using cellular data?

Yes, most cloud services allow uploads over cellular data, but this is often disabled by default to prevent unexpected data usage. You can enable cellular uploads in the settings of your cloud app, but be aware that video uploads can consume significant amounts of data, potentially leading to extra charges from your mobile carrier.

What happens if my upload is interrupted?

Most modern cloud services handle interruptions gracefully. If your upload is interrupted due to connection issues, the app will typically pause the upload and resume it automatically when the connection is restored. Some services might need to restart the upload of the specific video that was in progress during the interruption.

Can I upload videos directly from the Camera app?

You can't upload directly from the Camera app, but with automatic backup enabled in your cloud service, videos will begin uploading shortly after you record them. The upload happens in the background once the video is saved to your Photos app. For manual uploads, you'll need to open your cloud service's app and select videos to upload.

Conclusion

Uploading videos from your iPhone to the cloud is a smart way to preserve your memories, free up device storage, and access your content from anywhere. Whether you choose iCloud for its Apple integration, Google Photos for its organizational features, or another service that fits your specific needs, the process is relatively straightforward.

Start by deciding which cloud service works best for you based on factors like free storage amount, pricing, and ecosystem compatibility. Then, set up automatic uploads for convenience or manually select which videos to transfer if you prefer more control. Remember to consider connection quality, video size, and security to make your upload experience smooth and safe.

By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can ensure your precious video memories are safely stored in the cloud, accessible whenever you need them, and protected from device loss or damage.