Thanks Alex. This is the outcome that I was afraid of.
The way this shakes out is that once a user reaches 5GB of anything on their iOS device(s) that are uploading to iCloud, there is only the choice of deleting and losing content or making the lifetime commitment of paying for cloud storage with Apple. Google & Co. solved that problem for us with Google Photos, and document content is discrete to the document, so those types of files can be backed up elsewhere, then erased from the iOS device(s) and ultimately from iCloud. Messages however, along with the associated attachments is kind of like an Outlook .pst file, in that it can't be 'subdivided' if you will. While I have found free third party software that will actually offload the iMessage and texting content from my iPhone, it won't grab the images and attachments. So, if I were to delete content from the iOS devices, I'd lose the attachments.
Welcome to Apple Support Communities! I understand you want to know how to download messages from iCloud and you need an explanation of Messages storage. I'm happy to help you with this. If you turn off Messages in iCloud on an iPhone or iPad, your message history will be included in a separate iCloud backup. Download Messenger for macOS 10.12 or later and enjoy it on your Mac. Made for big screens and close connections. Get access to free. texting, and high-quality voice and video chat built specifically for desktop.
iCloud is, to me, the best way to back up iOS devices because it is so painless, but committed users who have multiple iOS devices with discrete content on each quickly run out of storage space on iCloud. While it is cheap to buy more space, 12 bucks a year, being unable to download to a mass storage device connected to a PC makes this a lifetime commitment.
How To Download Messages For Mac
Download Google Messages For Mac
Am I missing anything?
Mar 7, 2019 12:01 PM