iCloud Drive Review

iCloud offers 5GB of storage for free when you create an Apple ID. This is similar to a Microsoft or Google account, where one login grants you access to several tools and apps. If you have an Apple device, then chances are you already have 5GB of free storage space. On a Windows device, you can download iCloud, create an Apple ID and then use the free iCloud account.

Purchasing an iCloud plan means upgrading to iCloud+. With iCloud+, you can choose from various amounts of storage space at different price points. The main difference in pricing relates to the HomeKit Secure Video function. Each plan increases the number of cameras you can connect, with the highest amount offering unlimited cameras. The iCloud+ plans are as follows:

• iCloud+ 50GB, $0.99 per month
• iCloud+ 200GB, $2.99 per month
• iCloud+ 2TB, $9.99 per month
• iCloud+ 6TB, $29.99 per month
• iCloud+ 12TB, $59.99 per month

To upgrade to an iCloud+ plan, you must use either an Apple device or the downloaded iCloud app if you’re on a PC. You can’t purchase an iCloud+ plan from a web browser. Additionally, iCloud doesn’t have a money-back guarantee when you make a purchase. However, you can request a refund from Apple, or you can cancel at any time since iCloud+ is paid monthly.

The price points for iCloud+ plans are competitive with other cloud services. If you use iCloud as your primary cloud storage, then upgrading to iCloud+ is certainly worth considering. However, if you aren’t tied to the Apple ecosystem or you want a little more freedom with your cloud storage provider, then an iCloud+ plan probably isn’t worth it

File previews work best when accessing iCloud Drive on the web or a mobile device. If you try to view a file through the desktop folder, it will just open it. The “file preview” feature supports many file types, which obviously includes all Apple-based apps. You can preview PDFs, images and videos. If a file type isn’t supported, you’ll get a prompt to download the file (at least on a Mac).

File previews work better on iPhone as you can use the “quick look” feature to see files beyond Apple’s apps. For example, you can double-tap a Word document to see its contents. However, each file you preview will get downloaded to your device first.

File retention essentially works by accessing the “recently deleted” tab in your iCloud Drive and restoring any files that are available there. Items in this tab are held for 30 days before they are permanently deleted.

iCloud Drive doesn’t have file versioning. With Apple, all file versioning happens in a respective app. For example, you can see previous versions of a Pages file within the Pages app (if you have that file in iCloud Drive), but these versions won’t be visible from iCloud Drive itself. 

iCloud Drive is included in the core apps for Mac devices. Once you create an Apple ID, you automatically get access to the 5GB free iCloud plan and the iCloud Drive folder. You can drag and drop items into the folder through the Finder app. In fact, that’s the only way to add items to your iCloud Drive folder.

The iCloud app on PC is less intuitive than its Mac counterpart since it doesn’t interact with as many PC-based apps. iCloud Drive installs a folder in your File Explorer, and you can add items using the same drag-and-drop method. Other options include creating a new folder or adding a shortcut. Note that you can’t activate an iCloud account on PC, meaning you’ll have to set it up on a Mac or iOS device first.

iCloud Drive works wonderfully on an iOS device — potentially even better than on a Mac desktop. You can find the iCloud Drive folder through the Files app. It’s possible to scan a document using an iPhone or iPad, which is a handy feature for creating PDFs. Additionally, since there’s already a Photos app, iCloud Drive doesn’t have an option to upload photos.

Despite some workarounds and third-party apps that enable sync features, iCloud Drive isn’t officially supported on Android devices. Since there’s no Apple app for iCloud Drive on Android, we won’t cover external methods in this article.

Seeing a message stating that your “iCloud account needs review” is a common occurrence. This could result from screen time restrictions, which you can adjust in the settings. Another option could be a conflict with your profile, especially on iPhones issued for business purposes.

You can share any item in your iCloud Drive folder, either through the web interface or within the app. iCloud Drive gives you two options: send a copy or collaborate. If you stay within the Apple ecosystem, you’ll also have other sharing options, like using AirDrop, adding to Messages or using Mail.

iCloud’s sharing features are limited as you can’t add a password or a link expiration date for added protection. If you were hoping to request upload links, you can’t do that either. Sharing with iCloud is a straightforward experience. 

You can also share items from the iCloud Drive folder on your Mac or Windows device by right-clicking an item and selecting “share.” On a Mac, you can choose the “send copy” or “collaborate” options. The “send copy” method is the default, and you can share the item using apps. Picking “collaborate” lets you manage link access, like limiting access only to those invited.

Sharing via the web interface or your mobile app will provide the exact same options. On the web interface, using apps is limited since none of them are connected. Choosing “send a copy” opens your default email client. Selecting “collaborate with others” gives the same access management options, and lets you send an email or create a link to share.

On a PC, you’ll see options to add email addresses, use apps or share nearby, if that feature is turned on. While using a PC, there’s no option to manage access when using email addresses. However, you can click on the “copy” icon and paste the item where you want to share it.

iCloud Drive doesn’t have many customizable file sync options, nor does it support block-level sync. This means that it updates the entire file every time a change is made. Alternatively, you can opt to leave items in the cloud. Doing so won’t take up space on the device you are using.

iCloud does support selective sync since you can choose which folders or apps use your iCloud account. However, iCloud Drive doesn’t have that level of sync granularity. In fact, iCloud Drive is one of the apps that you can exclude from using iCloud. If you turn it off, then iCloud Drive won’t update on that particular device.

iCloud Drive doesn’t have many security features that you can interact with or customize. However, you can enable two-factor authentication for your larger iCloud account. Another option is to sign out of all browsers, which you can find in your iCloud settings.

iCloud as a whole — including iCloud Drive — has what Apple calls standard data protection. With this level of protection, data is encrypted while in transit and at rest. The encryption keys used for decryption are stored at Apple’s data centers. Some data elements, like information found in the Health app or iCloud Keychain, are end-to-end encrypted by default.

Apple lets you enable advanced data protection, which extends end-to-end encryption to nearly all of your data. It’s recommended that you set a recovery key since Apple can’t help you if you forget your password. Even still, advanced data protection doesn’t apply to iCloud Mail, your contacts or your calendars.

Apple uses the internal CPU processor to determine what type of encryption protocol to use, as you can see from the table above. Generally, devices with older chips use AES 128-bit encryption, while those with newer chips use AES 256-bit encryption.

With zero-knowledge encryption, a cloud storage provider can’t access your password, which means your data is secure from unauthorized parties. iCloud doesn’t have true zero-knowledge encryption even with advanced data protection enabled, as Apple can still access some categories of data.

If you use Apple products — especially iCloud — and you value your privacy, we recommend enabling advanced data protection. This ensures that your data and account are as private as Apple allows you to make it. 

Apple makes it clear that it collects a lot of data on you, including personal data like contact and transactional information, usage data, as well as location and financial information. Additionally, Apple’s privacy policy indicates that it could receive personal data on you from other sources, such as individuals or its partner affiliates.

In Apple’s privacy policy, nothing is out of the ordinary regarding how it uses your data. However, Apple also clearly states that it may share your personal data with outside entities, although not for marketing purposes. Apple won’t sell your personal data, either.