← Back to all tech guides
📸 Photo Storage Guide

iPhone & Android Photo Backup — A Plain-English Guide

Last verified: August 2026

Where Your Photos Can Safely LiveOne copy is a coin flip. Aim for the photos to live in two places.The phone's cloudiCloud /Google PhotosA home computercopied offthe phoneAn external driveplugged in,then unpluggedShared with familya second safepair of handsYourphotosTwo copies in two places beats one copy every time.Illustration - the idea, not a specific app screen.
Your photos should live in two places, not one.
The Backup Routine, Start to FinishTurn on automatic backup, then add one copy you control.1Open Photoson your phone2Turn on cloudbackup / sync3Copy to acomputer or drive4Check a photoactually opensDo not delete from the phone until the copy is confirmed.Illustration - screens and apps vary; steps are the same idea.
Turn on cloud backup, then add a copy you control.

Your photos are irreplaceable. Here’s how to save them — and how to skip the monthly cloud bill if you want to.

What's inside the 25-page PDF

  • Why photo backup matters (and the horror stories)
  • iPhone: iCloud pricing $0.99 to $59.99/mo explained
  • Android: Google Photos pricing $1.99 to $9.99/mo explained
  • The FREE local-only path (save $24–360/yr)
  • External SSD + NAS options compared
  • Amazon Photos (FREE with Prime — huge underused trick)
  • Pricing comparison table across every service
  • What happens to your photos when you die
  • Bill’s recommended setup for the typical household

The full guide is a 25-page printable PDF with screenshots, real prices, and Bill's recommendations for Portage County customers. Download it above — it's free, no email required, no signup.

Why I made this guide

I leave a printed copy of this guide with every customer after I install or troubleshoot iphone & android photo backup. It lives on a kitchen shelf next to the appliance manuals so they can reach for it the next time something acts up — or the next time a neighbor asks "is it worth it?"

No ads. No affiliate links. No fluff. Just what I'd want my own mother to know.

— Bill Davis

Need help with this?

Reading is one thing. Doing it is another. If you'd rather have me come do it for you, the first in-home visit is $99 flat — most jobs done in one trip.

📞 Call (330) 200-8042 📅 Book a $99 Visit

Would you rather I just do this for you?

No shame in it — plenty of folks would rather hand it off, and that's what I'm here for. I'll come to your home, set it up right, and make sure it's working before I leave. Flat $99 per visit — no jargon, no upsell, and every visit is 30-day come-back-free.

Not a hardware job? I can often fix it remotely for $49 — a secure screen-share, up to 2 hours, that you watch the whole time and can end whenever (included free for $39/mo Support Plan members, and it counts toward the $99 if it turns out I need to come out).