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Apple iCloud is relied upon by users to securely store and backup their photos, videos, and other media files. This provides peace of mind …
Starting at $0.99 per month
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What is Apple iCloud?
Apple iCloud is a document management software offering from Apple. It includes features such as access to music, photos, calendars, contacts, and documents, and it is built into every new iOS device.
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Popular Features
- Reliability (74)9.696%
- Performance (74)9.696%
- Device sync (73)9.494%
- Video files (70)9.292%
Pricing
50GB
$0.99
Cloud
per month
200GB
$2.99
Cloud
per month
2TB
$9.99
Cloud
per month
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- No setup fee
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- Free Trial
- Free/Freemium Version
- Premium Consulting/Integration Services
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What is Apple iCloud?
Apple iCloud Technical Details
| Deployment Types | Software as a Service (SaaS), Cloud, or Web-Based |
|---|---|
| Operating Systems | Unspecified |
| Mobile Application | No |
Frequently Asked Questions
Apple iCloud is a document management software offering from Apple. It includes features such as access to music, photos, calendars, contacts, and documents, and it is built into every new iOS device.
Reviewers rate File search highest, with a score of 9.7.
The most common users of Apple iCloud are from Small Businesses (1-50 employees).
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TrustRadius Insights are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, 3rd-party data sources. Have feedback on this content? Let us know!
- Business Problems Solved
- Recommendations
Apple iCloud is relied upon by users to securely store and backup their photos, videos, and other media files. This provides peace of mind for nomadic travelers and ensures data security for business endeavors. Business teams find value in iCloud as it serves as an additional data repository, automatically backing up media files like photos, mobile settings, calendars, and contacts. This ensures accessibility from any device and promotes collaboration within the team. The standout feature of iCloud is the ability to access documents, photos, music, and videos from any device, making it convenient for presentations and effective teamwork. It is particularly popular among all-Mac shops due to its seamless syncing and compatibility with various Mac and iOS apps. Additionally, iCloud facilitates the syncing of videos, photos, and documents across different Apple devices, allowing for easy editing and sharing. Organizations utilize iCloud for storage and synchronization of documents and applications on Apple devices, especially in fieldwork scenarios and BYOD environments. Individual users appreciate iCloud for its quick on-the-go backup of mobile files and the convenience of accessing files from any Apple device. In educational settings, iCloud enhances learning experiences by creating cloud backups of Apple applications, enabling students to access their documents from different devices.
Users have provided several recommendations for using Apple iCloud. The most common recommendations are as follows: Start with the small storage option to test compatibility, be fully invested in the Apple system for optimal use, consider pricing and multi-platform access when choosing a storage plan. Additionally, it is recommended to consistently back up devices, check compatibility with current device ecosystem, configure settings for automated backups, and be cautious with settings to avoid unintended consequences. Users emphasize that Apple iCloud is a reliable tool for keeping data safe and accessible but caution that iCloud Drive may not be suitable for non-Apple users.
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Reviews
(1-25 of 26)Companies can't remove reviews or game the system. Here's why
July 29, 2021
Apple iCloud Review
I use Apple iCloud and have used it for a long time now. I use it to back up everything across multiple platforms. It has my contacts, important dates, photos, videos, and files. It is being used across my company and it addresses the worry of not having my important items backed up. I have had times where devices have failed and iCloud has backed me up and given me the reassurance that things are safely backed up.
- It is a clean platform.
- It is user-friendly.
- It is accessible wherever you may be
- Accessibility of photos on desktop platform.
- App options on desktop.
- Automatically backs up files
July 23, 2021
Does what it needs to do.
As we are a wholly Microsoft for education place, the vast majority of campus is on One Drive. However, our department is almost all on various Mac laptops/desktops and also iPads. Also, as most of us have iPhones, we're all using Apple iCloud in some capacity, so it makes sense for some things to be accessible on what we are already using.
- Seamless backups
- Pretty straightforward to use
- Sharing files is very simple
- Limited compared to the competition
- A little more pricy than the competition
- Web interface can use some work
May 06, 2021
It's Not Stormy For Apple iCloud
I use Apple iCloud for most of my company files. Mainly the files that I may need to access when I am away from the office. I have found it is an excellent business tool and has given me the flexibility I desire so I can be out of the office and still maintain access to just about anything I would want from my office computer. The files I need for mobile access are all automatically filed under my Apple iCloud folder, therefore, I don't even have to worry about making a decision where to file something or if I would want access to it later.
- Efficiency. Apple iCloud can be set up to automatically place your files for mobile access. I have needed to access a file from my office computer countless times and iCloud has made that possible.
- Security. I know security is always an issue and I have never felt that any of my files have been compromised. I believe Apple has a reputation to uphold and works hard to maintain secure cloud-based storage.
- Multi-platform. I use Apple iCloud on my devices, my personal Mac computer and my Windows based office computer. I love how I can save or retrieve a personal or work file at any time on any of my devices.
- Price. As much as I love the overall functionality of Apple iCloud, the price I pay is fairly steep in comparison and amount of storage.
- Web Interface is below par. I don't even try to create new files from the web with iCloud. Much easier from a device and then use iCloud just for storage.
Apple iCloud is used on a department by department basis within my organization. I would say that it is primarily utilized by the administrative and creative production teams at my place of work. My organization utilizes several cloud tools to store documents and files and iCloud is one of the premier solutions in the marketplace. I use iCloud to store, organize, and share with both internal co-workers and customers that use iCloud as their primary cloud business solution.
- Seamless Integration with other Apple products.
- Syncing across devices is extremely useful and reliable.
- Pricing is very competitive.
- Performs much more reliably on Apple devices compared to Windows or other operating systems.
- The user interface seems to be more functional for individuals or families compared to the business world.
- Cannot set your own encryption key.
February 27, 2020
Apple iCloud Gives Nomads Like Us Peace of Mind
After much debate over what kind of cloud storage to use, we use Apple iCloud to store all of our photos and videos for Tripawds.com and our other business endeavors such as writing, website management and consulting. We are full-time RV travelers and knowing that our data is safely stored in the cloud gives us the peace of mind we need as nomads.
- Intuitive format for retrieving data.
- Makes it easy to see if your most recent files have been backed up.
- Integration with my iPhone layout can be clunky: I sometimes have a hard time finding out how much data we have in storage.
- I would like to receive occasional reminders about how much storage is being used up.
February 26, 2020
Apple iCloud - it's worth it
I've deployed Apple iCloud across my team. Serving as an additional data repository to Google Drive. Everyone's media files (photos, mobile settings, calendars, and contacts) are automatically backed up to iCloud.
- Ease of use/integration into the whole Apple ecosystem.
- Mobility of data across devices (phone vs tablet vs desktop).
- The iCloud.com interface is not as user-friendly as the competition.
February 21, 2019
LOVE!
Apple iCloud makes it very easy to have all my files and documents in one place so I'm able to work remotely on any machine. It's also handy to have all these files in one place in case something happens to our computers or equipment, that we have a reliable backup.
- Convenient! So easy to access files anywhere!
- Affordable. iCloud is a very competitively priced cloud service.
- Speed. I don't have any issues with load time—all my files are right there, right away.
- Tutorials may be helpful. I'm sure that I'm not utilizing all its features.
- The interface on desktops seems a little elementary—could use some updates.
- Mail integration could be easier.
February 21, 2019
Apple iCloud - Strictly Personal, For Productivity - Look Elsewhere.
Our organization use for iCloud is limited to collaborating meeting notes on the Notes app and having a no local storage policy - that means everyone needs to back up everything on the cloud constantly. Or put another way, work on the cloud always. Given the integration of MacOS with iCloud, the local desktop folders are always on the cloud.
- Notes app sync across devices. Easily the only thing that iCloud does really well. It is super helpful.
- iCloud allows seamless and good backup for desktop files from the Mac to the web.
- You will constantly run into issues where iCloud is optimized or available only for Apple's own product line. That's frustrating.
- Apple's Mail app and service are just beleaguered by the likes of Gmail. Perhaps even Zoho does better than them on the web.
- iCloud seems optimized more for a mobile user, so desktop apps & services feel a bit force-fitted.
February 21, 2019
Apple iCloud for the win
It is being used by individuals throughout the organization, however, those that use it are making a personal choice to do so. Many people in my career field are required to keep up with numerous credentials and continuing education documentation. For those that use Apple devices, iCloud has become a very valuable tool for securely storing their documents.
- Apple iCloud integrates beautifully with the entire Apple ecosystem. Whether you are using a MacBook, iPhone, and/or iPad they will all sync at a moments notice through iCloud.
- As a company, Apple has a strong reputation for security. Many cloud storage providers share huge amounts of user data, however, Apple prides themselves on avoiding that.
- Even though Apple iCloud is optimized for Apple devices, data stored on the cloud can be accessed through a web browser on a computer running essentially any operating system.
- The user interface of the web version of iCloud is in need of a facelift.
- Sometimes it seems like sharing large files from iCloud to other users who are not using iCloud can be problematic. I've had people report to me that they were unable to view the information that I shared with them.
- iMessages on Mac needs to have more efficient keyboard shortcuts.
February 16, 2019
Great for Apple Ecosystem. Good Pricing options.
We have around forty Macintosh Servers and our IT staff uses company provided iPhones. We use Apple iCloud on all of these devices. Apple iCloud has a slick app and web interface. I like the fact that it is compatible with Windows, MacOS and iPhone devices, although it is not available on the Android platform. We use it for seamless file syncs across devices. We have bought the $9.99 per month plan for 2TB storage, which is enough for our current needs.
- File sync across devices is great and seamless.
- It works great for Apple's three platforms: iOS, Mac OS and Watch OS.
- Provides free 5GB cloud storage when you buy an Apple phone or computer.
- Ability to access your cloud files through a web interface. However, it lacks the ability to search through the web interface.
- It nags for upgrading the storage if you have free limited 5 GB storage.
- It is not available on the Android platform, which is a bummer if you want to access your files on an Android device.
- It is not truly cross-platform and is more suitable for the Apple ecosystem.
- Collaborative editing on iCloud is not good.
- Sharing files on iCloud with friends and co-workers is only possible through email attachments. This is a limitation as compared to some other popular vendors who provide sharing through links and having an expiration time on the shared permissions.
February 15, 2019
iCloud a delightful and necessary part of a Mac user's experience
We use iCloud across our entire team. I also use it for personal applications. We use several file sharing and collaboration platforms, but as an all-Mac shop, iCloud is the best for in-house sharing. Various Mac and iOS apps that use iCloud for syncing data and file sharing also work extremely well with it.
- File sharing - since its recent updates to allow you to share any type of file and access the whole file system through Finder on Mac and an app in iOS, iCloud is becoming the easiest to use file sharing and collaboration app in our toolkit.
- Document collaboration: iWork apps and Handoff make document collaboration extremely easy across our organization. I even am able to use it with non-Mac users via their iWork in iCloud apps.
- Handoff - the ease of transitioning between devices (handheld, desktop, laptop) has been extremely useful for client presentations and on-the-fly capturing of ideas.
- Sharing interface - the sharing interface is a little bit clunky (relative to most Mac apps) at the moment, it is sometimes difficult to tell whether the sharing functionality is working properly.
- Windows integration - as a Mac-first platform, windows users may find working with iCloud to be difficult. iCloud is perfect for mac-only environments, but will not be as ubiquitous as Google Suite until this improves.
January 15, 2018
iCloud - Personal rather than back up
I use it for back up of my documents because I have multiple iOS devices, iPhone, and iPad, which the standard cloud doesn't have enough space for. I am a paid user so I can back up documents and it's convenient because it integrates with other apps when I need to upload documents.
- Always backed up, backs up automatically when you are on wife
- Reliable, haven't lost a file yet
- Relatively inexpensive
- The look and feel is not particularly good looking
- I feel like I am saving a lot in the root directory because of the layout
- Annual billing at a discount instead of a monthly fee
January 12, 2018
iCloud for Apple Shops
iCloud is the glue that ties together desktop and mobile in our Apple environment. It lets us work seamlessly moving from iMacs to iPads and iPhones. It has a slick web interface where all of the apps can be accessed even from dumb Windows boxes. This keeps us productive no matter where we are.
- There is almost no downtime.
- It is truly seamless.
- There is no performance hit, even on mediocre networks.
- It is an attractive interface.
- Basic iCloud gives 5GB free per account - but that really needs to be per device. It is way too small when you have multiple devices.
December 06, 2017
iCloud vs. Flickr
I use Apple iCloud to temporarily back up my personal files and photos from my iPhone 7. I also use this phone for work, so sometimes my work files and photos are inadvertently backed up. The iCloud provides automatic storage for files on my phone, which means if it were damaged, lost or stolen, these files would be accessible to me.
- Set it and forget it
- Free for iPhone users up to a certain amount of data
- I find the “unable to backup” warning annoying.
- Free version is only 5Gb.
- Web interface version can be a little confusing to navigate
December 06, 2017
iCloud is Great!
It's primarily used to upload, share and store documents, photos, etc. It has provided us with a way to collaborate on projects while working across multiple locations. It improved upon our previous system that didn't work nearly as well. It also made training time easier, since many of us are iOS/Mac users and have already been familiar with iCloud.
- Store documents and photos- I think this is pretty self-explanatory.
- Allow for simpler collaboration- a few of us have started using Pages and Notes on iCloud.com to work on a few projects together. This isn't always as simple in Microsoft Office, I've found.
- Set reminders- iCloud.com has the Reminders app that we've used as a quick, dirty system to remember to make calls or follow up with one another. It's cut down on the number of sticky notes on my desk and in my notebook.
- The Notes app in iCloud.com lacks the same functionality as iOS/Mac, in that it doesn't recognize when you've inserted a table into a note.
- Pages, Numbers, and Keynote aren't as up-to-date as their iOS and Mac counterparts.
- The level of editability (adding colors, etc.) isn't there in iCloud Drive like it is with Google Drive.
July 20, 2016
Well Synchronized With Apple iCloud
Apple iCloud does data backup seamlessly. I'm already using an iPhone, iPad, AppleTV and a MacBook. Apple iCloud keeps them all synchronized. I can access my photos, contacts, calendar, notes, etc., on all my devices with the confidence that they're all updated. Simply put, once I selected to do iCloud, I don't think about synching things up anymore. It's just done behind the scenes.
- Synchronized Calendar
- Synchronized Contacts
- Synchronized Photos
- Would like the ability to have a folder on the desktop to auto upload to iCloud Drive
- Would be nice to be able to share links with people like Dropbox for file sharing within iCloud Drive
- Unclear how to not synch select photos
July 18, 2016
Apple iCloud
I use iCloud for personal devices as well as support our employees that use iCloud. It is not used by any particular department, but I support it on an individual basis for employees using Apple devices.
- Excellent for notes keeping and accessing.
- Great for backing up items and also syncing items that have been added.
- Sharing Keynotes.
- Good for tracking devices.
- When a user is new to iCloud it is a bit difficult for them to get the hang of how it works. Could be less confusing.
- The web access needs to be more robust.
- Better support for other environments. Needs to "play better" with Windows.
- Storage is pricey.
June 10, 2016
Ins And Outs - iCloud Review
Apple iCloud is being used to store data such as documents, photos, notes, music on remote servers for download to other devices or operating systems like iOS, Apple or Windows. It is also being used to share and send data to other users and to manage Apple devices if stolen or lost in terms of recovery. It also provides a way to back up wirelessly and directly to the cloud.
- Backup via wireless to the cloud through iTunes without suffering processing on the device.
- Manages storage, and backup of the applications on the device. Run manual or automatic backups.
- Data syncing center for email, contacts, calendars, bookmarks, note, reminders, documents, photos and other data.
- iCloud contains other features like Find My Phone, Find My Friends.
- Better iCloud Music Library, the iCloud music library should handle your whole music collection letting you listen to anything whenever, whether its part of your library or Apple music.
- A more simple Apple Music navigation. This is a very unpleasant experience, ineffective menus and interface.
- iCloud Voicemail.
- iCloud Encryption. I'd like to see a more robust way of maintaining our data securely.
In my organization, we have flexibility to work from different locations. We have many employees working from home. Employees have their individual accounts. They have their own storage where they can keep documents for their projects.
- Made it easier to work from home
- Modest price
- Being able to access documents and contacts across any device
- Can be be slow
- No purely business version created
- For Apple Users (not the best tool for Windows Users)
In our organization we use iCloud every day. Everyone has one or more than one Apple product so it's really useful for us. For example, We have a family sharing plan between us. It is cheaper and we can have all of our documents achieved in one place where each member of the organisation can see and edit. The Whole organisation use it, we are 4 in our team.
The most obvious problem, you need an Apple device to work with iCloud, which is really expensive. Luckily iCloud has a free web app where you can edit and manage your documents and data even if you are on Windows platforms (desktop application for windows).
The most obvious problem, you need an Apple device to work with iCloud, which is really expensive. Luckily iCloud has a free web app where you can edit and manage your documents and data even if you are on Windows platforms (desktop application for windows).
- Easy to use. It's simple, like almost everything from Apple. It simply works.
- The interface it's really friendly user. Since the first time you start to using it you can work, you don't need any learning curve to maximize your productivity with iCloud
- It's fast, when I take a photo or upload a document the other devices can show that item almost instantly.
- The price it's quite fair for what you obtain, with our family plan we can save some money and we have enough storage for our needs .
- Sometimes you don't know exactly where are the original file is or when it comes from. It would be great to have a register that shows who created the file and who has modified it.
- If there's something that you don't want share, for example photos, it is not posible to decide and choose what I want to share and with who.
- If I think in music for example, I have to pay two times. First I have to buy it trough Itunes Store and after that I have to pay again If I have more than 5GB of music for keeping this excess. I think it's not fair.
April 12, 2016
Great back up and synchronization solution
I'm using iCloud personally and I have been using Apple iCloud for over 4 years now and it has been awesome and amazing. It allows me to synchronize all my Apple devices and Macs. This is a great solution as a backup for all my devices.
- Great back up solution
- Gives you free storage and then you can pay for more storage at affordable prices
- You will never lose your iPhone with Find my iPhone
- Keep emails, contact, calendar and notes up to date with iCloud
- A little bit confusing at the beginning
- Photos are not accessible through the web
March 29, 2016
iCloud - Your Mac's Storage and Backup Solution
It is being used across the whole organization. iCloud makes sure our Mac and iOS devices are always up to date, and it lets us easily share calendars, photos, videos, and other important information on the go.
- One of the best examples is that it provides its users with means to store data such as documents, photos, and music on remote servers for download to iOS, Macintosh or Windows devices, to share and send data to other users.
- It acts as a data syncing center for email, contacts, calendars, bookmarks, notes, reminders (to-do lists), iWork documents, photos and other data.
- Instead of being reliant on manual backups to a computer, iCloud provides the means to wirelessly back up iOS devices directly to iCloud.
- A plus is that one can manage their Apple devices if lost or stolen.
- One of the functionalities that I criticize are "bugs". These "bugs" make some features unusable under earlier versions of iOS and Mac OS X.
- Privacy is always a rising issue and something that one would always need to keep up with.
- Moving a set of files from an iCloud Drive if they have not been synchronized yet will result in them being lost.
March 03, 2016
Head in the iClouds
I do not use it at my organization. I only use it personally. It solves the problem of quick on the fly back up of mobile files when you do not have access to your personal computer. However I wish the settings were more robust. I would prefer a more manual process, rather than automatic backup as the storage gets filled rapidly.
- It is automatic, no user action required.
- It means you do not have to be connected to your PC.
- The interface is visually appealing.
- Storage space gets filled quickly.
- When full, notifications will appear abundantly, which can be annoying.
- No settings for manual configuration.
February 26, 2016
Apple iCloud: Great for Consumers, Some Business Use
We do not use Apple iCloud across the organization, but many employees use it for data management and backups of their devices and documents. The typical use cases are keeping a cloud backup of their iPhones as well as easily sharing documents between their mobile devices and laptops.
- Instant-Access mobile backups.
- Accessing documents between devices and your Apple computer.
- Quickly sending mobile links from your phone browser to your laptop for later-viewing.
- The subscription model is cheap.
- Transferring data to devices not on the same account is doable but not obvious.
- Transferring data from a laptop to a phone is also doable, but restricted in types of content.
- Some apps do not back up their settings to iCloud.
February 18, 2016
Best part of the Apple ecosystem
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
We currently use iCloud to manage our phones and iPads in our office.
It allows us to keep track of devices or lock them down if lost to protect sensitive information.
- Sharing photos
- Tracking devices
- Sharing keynotes
- Stopping the log in error where it asks you to continuously log in
- Family Sharing of notes
- Web portal needs some love it's pretty useless