iCloud If you pay for iCloud+, what is your use case?

[xxray]

Just curious what makes you use iCloud over other options.

I previously was spending the $3/mo for 200GB of storage mainly due to the convenience of iCloud backups, photos backing up and syncing across all my Apple devices, and the integration with iOS apps and software. However, I stopped paying and deactivated a lot of the features due to the whole CSAM scanning plan. I also didn’t realize until the CSAM thing that my iMessages and Backups aren’t end-to-end encrypted in the cloud.

I’m now attempting to go iPad only, and it seems my only option for backups are iCloud since the only other option is to use a Mac/PC to backup my iPad. I want iCloud due to the convenience, but I don’t know if I can accept the privacy risk anymore.

 

[Wando64]

I have the 200GB plan and I use it to do backups all of my and my wife’s iDevices, Photos storage and synching between devices (again for me and my wife) and finally for my two HomeKit security cameras.
At £2.50 (GBP) is a bargain.

I still use OneDrive for my main cloud file storage as I think it is better for traditional file storage but also because I need MS Office anyway.

I am annoyed by the CSAM scanning as a matter of principle and as a concern regarding where it could lead in the future, but it obviously does not affect me in any way at the moment.
I don’t think you should be concerned about privacy risks any more than you were before.

 

[glenthompson]

We use Apple One Premier for the 1tb of storage for photos and documents. I like having them synced across all,our devices. In addition we use Music, News, and Apple TV+. We also share it with our son, his fiancée, and my sister-in-law. Very cost effective in that scenario.

 

[Mentok]

I have the 200GB option which is enough for me right now. I use it over other cloud offering as it works well across my MacBook, iPhone, and iPad.

The CSAM scanning is a concern but de we know how private other cloud providers are?

 

[Brenster]

My wife & I have been Mac users since 2003, so have photo libraries that date back to iPhoto on OSX Panther. We’ve also have .mac family accounts since Tiger was released, so also have many years worth of accumulated mail through MobileMe and into the iCloud era.

Adding in device backups for my family (wife, son & I) plus documents on the macs & my iPad Pro, we’re using 484.4GB of the 2TB allowance, which in turn is part of our Apple One Premiere subscription. We were paying £6.99 for 2TB iCloud, £14.99 for Apple Music family, £9.99 for Apple News+ (cheaper than separate magazine subscriptions we had), so Apple One Premiere is already cheaper that what were were paying for separately.

Also pay for 100GB Google Drive space for myself (belt & braces photo library backup), and get 1TB each for Office 365 family subscription (Office itself & space used heavily for the distance learning course I’m on).

Why iCloud? For mac, iPad Pro & iPhone backups & syncing, it works hand in glove with them and rarely have to consciously think about our usage or deal with any issues.

 

[400]

It works across my devices. There are hiccups, but usually pretty good. 2tb option considering the size of the Photo library. I use iCloud as an option for part of a back-up of that library but my backup solution can quite easily live without iCloud but I lose the functionality across devices. Especially useful is out snapping with the big lens, take a snap on the iPhone and its there in the system. OK, I still have to load the dslr files in but the other shots are there.

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

I already had Apple Music $10/month and 50GB storage for $1/month so why not get all the other stuff that is included with the plus subscription for $15/month. Additionally, for months Apple was crediting $5/month back so I was effectively getting everything free for what I was already paying for Apple Music.

 

[Vlad Soare]

My use case is simple. I have a big photo library, and my wife has a big photo library as well. We need a lot of space. I started with 200 GB, but that soon proved to be insufficient, so I moved on to the 2 TB option. One 2 TB family storage plan, catering to four people (and possibly a fifth one coming soon), for about $11 a month, that's pretty hard to beat.

 

[rui no onna]

I am annoyed by the CSAM scanning as a matter of principle and as a concern regarding where it could lead in the future, but it obviously does not affect me in any way at the moment.
I don’t think you should be concerned about privacy risks any more than you were before.

Same here. Cloud anything is a privacy risk so I already weighed that in before I started using cloud services. For me, the benefits (offsite backup, accessible from all my devices) outweighs the risk.

The iCloud syncing and automatic device backups while charging is just so convenient. If not for iCloud sync/backup, my parents would have lost all their photos, contacts, etc. when their phones crapped out.

 

[clarencek]

I have the 2TB plan only. I have a large photo library and ALL my documents are on iCloud… I have over 1TB of documents there.
Saved my bacon a few times when I was out and needed a random doc and go it on my phone.