Samsung gives Galaxy fans free, unlimited cloud storage (with a slight catch)
Samsung will soon offer its users the ability to store and transfer an unlimited amount of data – for a short period of time.
True to its name, Temporary Cloud Backup stores your files Samsung cloud “up to 30 days from the date” of first storage. During that time, you can restore your data whenever you want. Samsung will notify people seven days before the time limit expires. After that everything will be deleted automatically.
The company offers people 15 GB of free storage space for each user account. However, it is limited to content from native sources. Temporary Cloud Backup does not have this limitation because it supports third-party apps in addition to “photos, videos, audio (files and) documents”. Moreover, you don’t need “PC or an external memory device” to move content.
Save space briefly
Temporary cloud backup is housed in the settings menu under General management and in the Maintenance mode tool. As shown in the image below, users can choose what they want to store in Samsung’s cloud (but there are some limitations that we’ll get into later). Give the software enough time to complete the upload and you’re done. You can restore the batch at any time.
According to the announcement, this feature can ensure that your data is safe while your phone is in a repair shop or if it is ever stolen. Galaxy owners don’t have to worry about losing important information. Moreover, you can use the tool to retain files “before doing a full reset” or transfer them to another smartphone. It has many usage scenarios.
Samsung states that if you buy a new Galaxy phone after the update is released, you will be given the option to configure temporary cloud backup. You don’t have to set the feature if you don’t want to. You can always do it at a later time.
Limits
Now there are several restrictions.
While there is “no total storage limit,” individual files cannot exceed 100 GB. You don’t need a computer to move content, but you do need a Wi-Fi connection. Additionally, you’ll need to own a Galaxy smartphone or tablet “running One UI 6,” which isn’t out yet at the time of writing. It is unknown when One UI 6 will leave beta. However, a moderator on the Samsung Korean forums claims the tech giant is “conducting a final inspection” of it. After that’s done, the beta will move on to an official release.
Temporary Cloud Backup will roll out across the world this fall “starting with Galaxy S and Z series smartphones” in South Korea. No word on when it will reach the US, UK, Australia or any other country. But we did ask. This story will be updated if we hear back.
If you’re looking to upgrade, check out TechRadar’s list of the best Samsung phones for 2023.