iPhone owners warned they could lose their photo backups in days – check your device now

APPLE is set to delete the iCloud data of iPhones that are still stuck using an older version of iOS.

iOS is the operating system that iPhones run on.

It means if you're using a really old iPhone, on a decade-old version of Apple's iOS, you could lose all your iCloud backups.

Fortunately, few people will be using an iPhone and iOS that old.

People at risk are those using iOS 8 and below.

These are near-ancient iOS versions in the Apple world, having been released more than 10 years ago.

From 18 December, iCloud backups will require iOS 9 or higher.

Handsets using any software version below iOS 8 will be able to back up their iPhones to iCloud until that deadline.

After that date, your existing backups will be deleted, and you won't be able to make new ones.

This is even the case for iPhone owners paying for iCloud storage.

So be mindful that you need to cancel your subscription, or upgrade to a newer iPhone model, by 18 December.

You can check which iOS your iPhone is operating on in Settings.

Simply open Settings, click General and tap Software Update - here, you will be able to see which iOS version you have.

The move forms part of Apple's new software requirements.