Verizon Cloud on my Galaxy S5

[AZgl1500]

I have been trying to get my wife's new S5 all set up, and while making sure that it was truly backing up her Contacts List to Verizon's servers, I ran into an issue with "Verizon Cloud".

You better read the fine print real close, and I highly advise that you do NOT install their PC/Mac application on your desktop PCs.

I got a notice this morning that I needed to Upgrade my Verizon Cloud plan as I had already used up all of the storage available ??

Huh? Just how much room does a Contact List need anyway?

I opened the PC Verizon Cloud app and holy smoley, that thing was trying to backup my entire PC's User files to their Cloud servers. My desktop has over almost 1.5 terrabytes of stuff on it......... duh.. and I have a backup external drive that syncs automatically for backups, I do not need a Cloud service.

I was blown away when I saw all of the pictures it had already stored........
So, started to Uninstall the app and it griped claiming that it was busy deleting files from the Cloud.

That caused me to go to the Verizon website and check in on what I had signed up for, it was supposed to only be for Contacts List, what they used to call Backup Assistant... and that is all. Well, the desktop app changed that for me and did not notify that was happening.


I removed the Cloud account from the website totally.... and yup, now it only has my Contacts List... at least that much is right.
Then I aborted the desktop app and exited it. Then I uninstalled it.

CAVEAT EMPTOR in spades.... ya gotta watch out for so called "freebie applications", they have $$$ hooks tied into them..

 

[Rukbat]

Considering how many gigabytes of free storage you can get, that you have full control over, not using Verizon's at all shouldn't be a problem. The phone can back up everything but all your emails (which you can back up manually every month or so) on its Google cloud account. And you can back up a few TB for free by signing up with a dozen free cloud servers (and there are dozens of them).

I don't think I have a file not backed up to at least 3 could servers - even stuff I haven't looked at in a few years - and I'm not close to running out of space. My phones? Auto-differential-backup (only things changed get backed up) every night.

 

[AZgl1500]

I avoid Cloud backup like the Plague.... you have NO CONTROL over who sees or accesses your information.

Just read what is going on daily with the US government prying into our daily lives.
Right now, the FBI is sueing Microsoft to reveal an email message that happens to be stored on a server in Germany.
yeah right.... that is a can of worms if there ever was one.

If they somehow get that thru the courts, just wait for every foreign government to start requesting your own personal info from our USA servers.....

nix on that, I avoid the cloud, it is too risky.... far better to control all of it in your own office space, backup hard drives are cheap.

 

[janebar10]

Hi - I used to be able to upload my pics to my computer avoiding the cloud.
I can't do it anymore. Did they change it or am I missing something? I go to
the folders on my phone and can't seem to find the pictures!! Any advice? Thanks.

 

[AZgl1500]

You should still be able to do that, the new upgrade from Verizon did not effect me being able to access my phone from my Desktop Win7 pc.

there is an app that everyone really needs to install on their phone though for safety's sake.

MyPhoneExplorer. This is the only app AFIK that is capable of accessing your phone w/o unlocking the screen.
Yes, even if the phone display is broken and the touchscreen is trashed, this app will still allow you to get into your phone from your Desktop PC and pull off all of the data that is important to you.

There might be other apps out there that can do this, but this one is intuitive, simple to use, and once you set it up, it works.
All you need do is plug in the USB cable and make sure the phone is powered ON.

* MyPhoneExplorer works even when locked and can't access screen


BUT, you must realize it must already be on the phone when you need it.... if the phone is broke, and the app is not there, tough sh*t.