I am investigating whether I have to trade in my iPhone for an /e/OS Phone.
Recently I placed 12 GB of music files (with the plan for 40 to 60 GB) on my iPhone, to play with Flacbox. If I then wanted to make a backup, my iPhone reported that that was not possible, because there is too little room in my iCloud.
Under iCloud > Backups I had Flacbox the green slider ‘out’ to exclude them from the backup from now on. And so I tried to make a new backup. But for half a day, I kept getting the message that there was too little room in my iCloud…
Q1: I get the idea that Apple is trying to push me to buy more iCloud Storage. Can the above also happen to /e/os phone?
Q2: Is there documentation that states, until when I receive software updates and security patches with a Pixel 7?
Specs: Iphone 14, ios 18.5: 128 GB, with 46 GB in use (music files are now removed).
Icloud subscription: 50 GB, with 30,7 GB in use.
I don’t think files get permanently removed straightaway. They are put in ‘recently deleted’ for 30 days. This is an excellent strategy for forcing people to buy more storage.
Apple storage pricing is pretty fair and the delayed deletion is a benefit to most. The issue is the walled garden. /e/OS behaviour in Music file sync would’ve created a similar quota problem.
As to Flacbox and local music streaming: I found subsonic (a protocol, see apps that use it) to have improved streaming habits at home, but it depends on the existing device zoo if there’s a natural place for you to put all files others stream from. Takes cloud out of the equation though.
I have 2 iphones from before I moved over to the murena phones. Not wanting to waste them, I kept one as an office phone for sms codes from banks etc. I reset it and since, it has never been logged in to an icloud account or our router or updated. It has no apps installed on it, even Apple ones that I was able to remove. I am hoping that this makes it relatively private for just this limited use. I have not done anything with the other one yet as I have not thought of something to use it for.
In terms of music, I prefer to store all my music locally and use an old mp3 player. I also have a small music collection on the sd card on my murena phone for when I am away from home.
For 3/4 years, I used iphones in the traditional way, and icloud. But, as I became more knowedgable about privacy issues and started trying to separate our devices of the apple ecosystem, I came to realise how impossible Apple made it to use their devices in a more separate and private way. Now, I no longer use cloud services either except proton drive, very occasionally.
But, I am intending to try out Yunohost as suggested by one of the other members here, Vaughan. It sounds like an interesting option.
Storage costs are certainly low but, most apple users do reach the point of needing it quite quickly as they rely more and more on their phones for a wide range of tasks, over time. I would imagine that the vast majority of Apple users do pay for storage. But, I think Apple’s main objective for their customers is to trap them and make it difficult for them to break free. It took me about a month to achieve this.
In terms of delayed deletion, if I click the “delete button”, that is what I expect to happen, immediately. I have already decided this is what I want. Otherwise, I would expect the button text to say " delete in 30 days".
sure, not that I disagree. iCloud pricing is a honeypot. But what is best for the OP? imo just getting into a local-lan (music) files habit irrespective of device and OS?
Q2: Pixel 7, 7 Pro is projected for vendor firmware updates until Oct’27, Pixel 7a to May’28. After that it’s framework updates only. A lot of users continue to run their devices on framework updates (many more years) because the biggest threat to them remains fast traffic and a wrong diet, not sophisticated cyberthings.
There are some options here. However, I think most people would tell you to ditch Apple services at the minimum. It may take a bit of effort but it’s better to spend time to find alternatives to Apple services and apps. This way if something goes wrong with anything apple/iPhone your services are not effected by anything changes apple may have made. If your apps are cross-platform that would only make it easier for you to move to any device you like with minimal hassle.
With that said… if you need Cloud storage, why not look into Cloud providers you only have to pay once? Some providers offer Lifetime options. Pay one-time. End to end encrypted. That’s it. pCloud, IceDrive, Internxt are a few to look into. Other offer big discounts and annual subscriptions, like Filen or Koofer.
If you want to stream your music collection, one option maybe iBroadcast. it’s a paid service but it’s crossplatform and it is dedicated cloud streaming option for your personal music library… https://www.ibroadcast.com/home/
If you don’t mind doing a little-bit of work to set things up, try looking into Funkwhale for storing and streaming your music.
FunkWhale: Free Open-source Decentralized Music Platform
In the end, getting a Murena Phone in which you have full control of not only your services but the actual phone is something worth considering.
