iCloud

The best place for all your photos, files, and more.

566 'iCloud' stories May 2011 - January 2018

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iCloud was launched in 2011 as the successor to MobileMe and is Apple’s current cloud service that allows iOS and Mac users to save and synchronize information. Apple includes 5GB of iCloud storage for free with all accounts and has paid options starting at $0.99/month for 50GB.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTrO2wUxh0Q

iCloud is built into every Apple device. That means all your stuff — photos, files, notes, and more — is safe, up to date, and available wherever you are. And it works automatically, so all you have to do is keep doing what you love. Everyone gets 5GB of free iCloud storage to start, and it’s easy to add more at any time.

What is iCloud?

iCloud solved a problem that we were facing in 2011. Originally, Apple pitched the Mac as the digital hub to our life. Our iPods (and then iPhones) would sync over a cable to transfer information. As we added iPads, it became a mess. Steve demoted the Mac back to just a device and made the “cloud” the center of our digital life. Using the service, users could sync all of their data over the air. As an example, a Keynote document edited on your Mac would automatically be up to date with the latest changes on your iPad or iPhone. iCloud also allowed you to back up your iOS device for an easy path to change devices without having to set everything up manually.

The problem with this original iCloud pitch is it didn’t cover all of our photos. We didn’t get that until iCloud Photos came in iOS 8. It didn’t cover iMessage, as that didn’t come until a few years ago with messages in the cloud. It didn’t cover all of our files, but only those in the iCloud folder stored inside of app folders. We didn’t get seamless syncing of files until Apple added Desktop and Document folder syncing a few years ago.

Over time, Apple has continued to add features to iCloud, and it’s turned out to be a really robust and reliable service. Users can sync files, photos, notes, reminders, and Safari bookmarks to their Mac, iPhone, iPad, and even Apple TV (photos).

iCloud Troubleshooting

If you’re having trouble using iCloud, you may want to make sure it isn’t affected by downtime. Check Apple’s iCloud Status page here.

How much does iCloud cost?

Pricing can change at anytime (view Apple’s latest pricing page), but here are the current rates for a few countries.

United States
50GB: $0.99
200GB: $2.99
2TB: $9.99

Canada
50GB: $1.29
200GB: $3.99
2TB: $12.99

United Kingdom
50GB: £0.79
200GB: £2.49
2TB: £6.99

European Union
50GB: 0.99 €
200GB: 2.99 €
2TB: 9.99 €

Read below for all of our coverage

iCloud

Several iCloud services down for a small number of users, including Find My iPhone, iCloud Backup, and iCloud Mail

Peter Cao Jan 26 2018 - 9:52 am PT

Update: Things appear to be back to normal an hour later

Apple’s System Status page states that several iCloud services are down for a small number of users. Notable services include Find My iPhone, iCloud Backup, and iCloud Mail.

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Messages in iCloud is back in iOS 11.3 beta 1

Guilherme Rambo Jan 24 2018 - 10:18 am PT

Apple announced in a press release earlier today several new features to come with iOS 11.3, including new Animoji and health records in the Health app.

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PSA: How U.S. iCloud users can ensure their data isn’t migrated to (vulnerable?) Chinese servers

Ben Lovejoy Jan 11 2018 - 4:23 am PT

While Apple yesterday warned Chinese customers that their data would be migrated to local servers managed by a government-owned company from the end of February, TechCrunch reports that some U.S. customers are also being caught up in the migration.

After talking to a number of users, we found that Apple has included iCloud accounts that were opened in the U.S., are paid for using U.S. dollars and/or are connected to U.S.-based App Store accounts in the data that will be handled by local partner Guizhou-Cloud Big Data (GCBD) from February 28.

Apple’s terms & conditions for the transition provide an explanation for the apparent anomaly, while a support document offers a solution …

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Apple to transfer Chinese customer iCloud operations to GCBD at the end of February

Benjamin Mayo Jan 10 2018 - 2:36 am PT

Apple has today announced a date for when it will hand over operations of iCloud data services for residents of mainland China to GCBD. The change was announced last year so that Apple can comply with local laws. GCBD will manage a new Apple data center in China that will eventually store all iCloud data for Chinese customers.

Affected customers are now being notified about the transition which will start on February 28. Apple reassured users that the data will be protected by the same encryption standards as its current US policies and that no special backdoors will be created.

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PSA: iCloud Notes and iWork sharing experiencing downtime

Michael Potuck Jan 2 2018 - 10:17 am PT

Some iCloud sharing features for iWork and Notes are currently down for some users.

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Third person linked to 2014 iCloud hack that exposed explicit images of dozens of celebrities

Chance Miller Oct 23 2017 - 7:33 pm PT

A third person has been charged in the iCloud and Gmail hack that exposed explicit photos of dozens of celebrities in 2014. According to Deadline, a Chicago man agreed to plead guilty to hacking over 550 computers, most of which were those of female celebrities…

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Apple’s head of iCloud infrastructure technology departs the company

Chance Miller Oct 6 2017 - 1:44 pm PT

A new report from CNBC this evening claims that the Apple executive responsible for the company’s iCloud infrastructure has left the company. Eric Billingsley was Apple’s director of internet services operations, overseeing much of the iCloud backend…

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Apple says ‘intermittent issues’ with many cloud services, inc Apple Music, Apple TV, iTunes Store, App Store

Ben Lovejoy Oct 6 2017 - 5:20 am PT

Apple’s system status page is displaying problems with a significant number of cloud services. At the time of writing, it is showing ‘intermittent issues’ for ‘some users’ for the following services:

App Store
Apple Music
Apple TV
iTunes in the Cloud
iTunes Store
iTunes U
Mac App Store
Volume Purchase Program …

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iCloud

iCloud Mail seemingly experiencing widespread downtime

Chance Miller Sep 7 2017 - 2:19 pm PT

Update: iCloud Mail is back up after the downtime.

Apple’s iCloud Mail service appears to be experiencing a widespread outage this afternoon. Many users on Twitter report being unable to access their iCloud Mail accounts, while several 9to5Mac employees are seeing the same…

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Apple notes importance of services by adding it to descriptions of both business strategy & R&D

Ben Lovejoy Aug 4 2017 - 3:54 am PT

We noted this week the growing importance of services to Apple’s bottom line …

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iCloud

Apple’s iCloud Backup feature has been down for some users since yesterday

Chance Miller Jun 28 2017 - 3:19 pm PT

Apple this evening has updated its System Status webpage to reflect that a small number of people are unable to use iCloud Backup. According to Apple, the feature has been inaccessible since early yesterday morning, though it affects a small percentage of users…

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Sporadic reports of ‘Verification failed’ messages on iCloud as Apple acknowledges Mail & Notes issues

Ben Lovejoy Jun 20 2017 - 5:08 am PT

We’re seeing sporadic reports of ‘Verification failed’ messages when attempting to login to iCloud on devices, with one user told by Apple that the issue is affecting a limited number of users …

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As Apple boosts iCloud storage to 2TB, Amazon drops unlimited Drive down to 1TB

Ben Lovejoy Jun 8 2017 - 4:42 am PT

Just as Apple doubled its 1TB iCloud storage tier to 2TB for the same price, Amazon has dropped its unlimited storage tier down to 1TB. The change takes effect immediately for those who don’t have an existing unlimited data plan.

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Amazon Echo gains iCloud Calendar support ahead of rumored ‘Siri Speaker’ competitor introduction

Zac Hall May 31 2017 - 7:40 am PT

While Apple may be planning to unveil its ‘Siri Speaker’ next week at WWDC, Amazon is updating its Echo ecosystem to work with iCloud Calendars. Amazon’s Alexa app can now link Apple iCloud Calendars to enable Echo integration.

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Tips and tricks for iCloud email

Michael Potuck May 26 2017 - 1:31 pm PT

iCloud offers a lot of convenience, and if you have an icloud.com or me.com email address you can use one account for access to your device backups, photos and videos, purchases, email, and more. Follow along for some basic tips and tricks for iCloud Mail, where to login with your iCloud account, and more.

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iCloud

Apple allegedly retaining deleted iCloud notes past the 30-day grace period

Chance Miller May 19 2017 - 12:51 pm PT

Russian software company ElcomSoft has made headlines in the past for making discoveries related to how Apple handles cloud data. Now, the company claims that Apple is holding onto deleted notes well past the thirty-day grace period during which they’re kept in the “Recently Deleted” folder…

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App specific passwords will be required to sign in to iCloud with third party apps from June 15, here’s how to make them

Benjamin Mayo May 16 2017 - 2:58 am PT

In its ongoing efforts to ensure strong security for customers, Apple will require the use of app-specific passwords from June 15th. This affects you if you use a third-party app that logs in with an iCloud email and password (Outlook, Thunderbird, etc) to access contacts, calendar and mail messages.

If you don’t migrate to app-specific passwords by the June 15 deadline, then those apps will stop working. Luckily, it’s easy to fix: read on for step-by-step instructions on how to make app-specific passwords for your Apple ID.

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Apple updates iCloud.com wallpaper from static gradient to dynamic blue bubbles background

Benjamin Mayo Apr 28 2017 - 2:36 am PT

Apple likes rolling out changes to iCloud.com at seemingly random times throughout the year. Today, it’s updated the iCloud.com background from a static blue-yellow seaside gradient to a moving animation that tracks your mouse cursor and mimics the blue Dynamic Wallpaper on iPhone and iPad, which Apple quickly ignored after its introduction in iOS 7.

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Apple acknowledges earlier iCloud subscription errors, says everything has been resolved

Chance Miller Apr 22 2017 - 1:57 pm PT

Earlier this week, some iCloud users noticed that the $0.99/mo 50 GB and $2.99/mo 200 GB iCloud plans had seemingly disappeared. Furthermore, some users received emails informing them that their 50GB or 100GB plan had been discontinued. While the issues eventually resolved themselves, Apple today has sent out an email to affected customers offering a bit more insight…

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50 GB and 200 GB plans vanish from iCloud settings for some users, likely server bug [update]

Benjamin Mayo Apr 19 2017 - 6:09 am PT

Update: Apple appears to have fixed the issues; the page is now accessible as normal. There are no changes to iCloud tiers or prices. Original story below.

The iCloud storage plan settings on iPhone, iPad and Mac are acting a bit strangely at the moment. For some users, the panel loads but the $0.99/mo 50 GB and $2.99/mo 200 GB iCloud plans have vanished completely, leaving only the $9.99 1 TB and $19.99 2 TB options.

For other iCloud accounts, the storage settings panel simply doesn’t load at all, instead displaying an error. Apple has not announced any changes to iCloud storage tiers, so this is most likely a server-side bug …

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How to upload photos into iCloud Photo Library from iPhone, iPad, Mac, and iCloud․com

Michael Potuck Apr 10 2017 - 2:39 pm PT

iCloud Photo Library is a great feature built into Apple’s iOS and macOS operating systems, but it can feel a bit foreign depending on how you have been managing your photos and videos up until now. Follow along for how to set up this feature across your various Apple devices as well as upload photos to iCloud Photo Library.

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Apple tells users iOS 10.3 may mistakenly re-enable iCloud features that had been turned off

Chance Miller Apr 4 2017 - 3:09 pm PT

Apple last week released iOS 10.3 to the public after a lengthy beta process. The update includes a handful of new features such as Find My AirPods. One issue related to the update that is just now emerging, however, relates to iCloud. Some users have apparently had iCloud services they once turned off, automatically come back on…

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iCloud

PSA: Warn your less techy friends about scam phone calls regarding ‘iCloud hack’

Ben Lovejoy Mar 30 2017 - 4:24 am PT

While the evidence seems pretty clear that a hacking group’s claim to have obtained the details of 600M iCloud accounts is a hoax, many less techy people have only heard the claim, not Apple’s refutation. Telephone scammers are now taking advantage of this fact to pretend to be calling from Apple in order to obtain actual login details and other personal information …

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Cloud services compared, or why I’m all-in on Apple but not on iCloud

Ben Lovejoy Mar 29 2017 - 8:23 am PT

I’ve been an Apple guy since forever. I bought the very first Macintosh back in 1984. My current mobile technology line-up is a 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, 11-inch MacBook Air (now just a backup Mac), 9.7-inch iPad Pro and an iPhone SE. I’m all-in on Apple, and the ecosystem is a large part of that. Things may not always Just Work, but the Apple ecosystem gets closer to that than anyone else.

However, while I do make some use of iCloud, I’m not all-in on Apple’s cloud storage. In this piece, I compare the main cloud services out there, and finally describe the mix-and-match approach I use to get what I consider to be the best of all worlds …

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