ICloud

iCloud is the personal cloud service of Apple. Launched on October 12, 2011, iCloud enables users to store and sync data across devices, including Apple Mail, Apple Calendar, Apple Photos, Apple Notes, contacts, settings, backups, and files, to collaborate with other users, and track assets through Find My. iCloud's client app is built into iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS, macOS, and visionOS, and is available for Microsoft Windows. iCloud may additionally be accessed through a limited web interface.

iCloud offers users 5 GB of free storage which may be upgraded through optional paid plans to up to 12 TB; all paid plans include iCloud+ providing additional features. Optional end-to-end encryption has been available since 2022 for all iCloud data, except Calendar, Contacts, and Mail, which rely on legacy sync technologies for compatibility with third-party apps (CalDAV, CardDAV, IMAP). As of 2018^[update], the service had an estimated 850 million users, up from 782 million users in 2016.

iCloud was announced on May 31, 2011, in a press release. On June 6, 2011, during the WWDC 2011 keynote, Steve Jobs announced that iCloud would replace MobileMe, which had been widely seen as a "failure", a fact which Steve Jobs acknowledged during the announcement. iCloud was released on October 12, 2011, and MobileMe was discontinued on June 30, 2012. Previous MobileMe users could keep their @mac.com and @me.com email addresses as aliases to their new @icloud.com address. Earlier versions included Back to My Mac, which was previously part of MobileMe. This service allowed users to create point-to-point connections between computers. It was discontinued on July 1, 2019.

iCloud had 20 million users within a week after launch. It received early criticism for bugs, especially with Core Data syncing. These issues were addressed in iOS 7 and OS X Mavericks.

At launch, iCloud was partly hosted on Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure. In 2016, Apple replaced Azure with Google Cloud Platform. In 2021, The Information reported that Apple was storing 8 million TB of data on Google's cloud, and was on track to spend $300 million that year. Apple also operates its own data centers, including one in Maiden, North Carolina.

In June 2019, iCloud was introduced to Windows 10 via the Microsoft Store.

In June 2021, Apple introduced iCloud+, which added Private Relay, Hide My Email and Custom Email Domain to paid users of the services, as well as an unlimited storage limit for video from cameras added through HomeKit Secure Video.

In March 2022, Apple settled a class-action lawsuit alleging that it had misled users by storing data on non-Apple servers.