People often confuse iCloud with iCloud Drive, but they do not mean the same thing. Under the surface, they are quite different. iCloud is a cloud storage service used for various services offered by Apple; iCloud Drive works like OneDrive, which falls under iCloud. So what are the other key differences between iCloud and iCloud Drive?
Plenty of. While they may look confusing and sound the same, there are many differences under the hood. We will explain what they are, what they do, how they differ, and how they are similar.
Let’s start.
What is iCloud?
iCloud is a cloud storage service primarily launched by Apple in 2011. It is a cloud storage and computing solution that offers many services, including but not limited to iCloud Drive. Some other services include iCloud Backup, Find My iPhone, Keychain, suite of office apps like Keynote and much more. It allows users to save any type of data across an umbrella of services that can be easily accessed with your Apple ID.
iCloud represents all of these services that Apple offers in the cloud and lets you access them from anywhere, on any device. iCloud Drive is just one of the features borrowed from its parent’s name. It’s just a bad naming strategy!
What is iCloud Drive?
Part of the iCloud family of products and services, iCloud Drive works like Google Drive or OneDrive. It is a file storage and sharing platform that you can use to create, access and share files on the go. iCloud is a file hosting service available on the web, Windows, macOS, iOS, and iPadOS. No cookies for Android.
You can store any file you want, provided there is enough space. All Apple users get 5GB of free storage, after which you need to subscribe to a plan.
How Is iCloud Different From iCloud Drive?
iCloud provides a backup solution. It will back up everything like app settings, photos stored in the Photos app, contacts, emails, reminders, iMessage, Game Center info, Safari browser bookmarks and history, biometric IDs, Apple Pay details, Apple Mail accounts, and of course iCloud. Driver files. Under Settings > Apple ID > iCloud, you have full control over the apps and services you want to back up to iCloud.
These backups also include third-party apps you’ve installed from the App Store. It makes it easy to restore everything to a new Apple device. Then there are things like device settings, music purchase history from Apple Music, apps from the App Store, and other items you’ve purchased. Note that Apple will only keep a record of the product you purchased, not the product itself. Think of it as a registrar. This means that when you restore, you have to download the app or music again, but not buy them again. This is useful when you have limited storage space in iCloud because it takes up less space.
If you read carefully, you will realize that what you don’t buy from Apple is not backed up. This includes music, movies, podcasts, and books that you rip from CDs or import directly from a computer. Apple can’t back up a record of things you’ve never bought from them. This is where iCloud Drive comes into play.
iCloud Drive stores and saves all the files you throw at it. This includes music, photos, movies, podcasts, documents and other files. Just upload it to iCloud Drive and it will stay there forever. You can access these files from any compatible device with an iCloud app.
As one Apple user detailed:
Think of iCloud as a filing cabinet and iCloud drive as one of the cabinet’s drawers you can use to store things. It is designed to store files that do not fit in any of the other drawers.
How you access these files differs depending on the device you are using and the file you are trying to access. For example, photos can be accessed using the Photos app on iPhone. There’s a video app for accessing videos and the Files app for everything else. The lack of a centralized app to search for and access all types of files in a single UI seems to be the hallmark of iCloud. Some people like it, but others are not happy with the system. Most file hosting sites like Google Drive and OneDrive work differently.
How Similar Are They
Both iCloud and iCloud Drive are cloud storage services used to provide backup and restore features to users. Also, both are free in nature up to your cloud storage limit of 5GB for free account holders. Both iCloud and iCloud Drive use cutting-edge technologies to secure your data online on Apple servers. This does not mean that they are flawless, as was discovered by many celebrities a few years ago.
iCloud Drive is part of iCloud. All these other apps also use iCloud to sync data.
The truth is, you don’t need iCloud Drive to make a living. You can use any other cloud storage and file hosting app, but you need and should use iCloud. It offers a lot of useful and essential features that should be avoided. More useful examples include Find iPhone and Find Friends, Family Sharing, Backups, and more.
in the cloud
iCloud offers many important services, and iCloud Drive is just one of them. The next is part of the previous. Whether you use iCloud Drive will depend on many factors, including how deeply you invest in the Apple ecosystem. But if you’re using an Apple device, you’re probably using iCloud in some way and to some capacity. And that’s a good thing.
Next: Getting too many iCloud notifications on Windows 10? Click on the link below to learn how to disable them completely.
Support our work ❤️
If you enjoyed this article, consider leaving a tip to help us keep publishing great content.
