What Is An iCloud Drive on iPhone? iCloud Drive vs iCloud Explained 2022

If you are an iPhone user then you have come across iCloud Drive. But if you don’t know about iCloud and its use in the iPhone and looking for such article that could help you in knowing about its uses then you have landed on the right platform. In this article, we will guide you about iCloud Drive and its services.

Many iPhone users are there who still has confusion between iCloud and iCloud Drive they think both are the same. No, iCloud and iCloud Drive both are different and iCloud Drive is neither the other name of iCloud. In this article, we will also discuss the difference between iCloud and iCloud Drive. Let’ get started.

iCloud is a service offered by Apple that is free e. Similarly, the iCloud drive is also a free service provided by Apple to store your data online. Although both iCloud and iCloud Drive is a service that lets you store data online in iPhones but both are different.

What is iCloud

iCloud is an Apple’s cloud service where you need to create an account and sign in to store and backup your data. It was launched in the year 2011 by Apple. The saved data in the iCloud syncs with other devices. It securely saves data like photos, files, passwords, contacts, documents and other data in the cloud. It automatically updates all your data to your other devices when they are online. It is the best service of the Apple cloud that enables you to sync your data with your family members and friends.

When you create an id on iCloud it offers you 5 GB of data for backup data from their different Apple devices like iPod, iPhones and iPad. It also syncs your documents, pictures, email and other stuff with your mac and mobile phone. If you want more storage then you can upgrade to iCloud+ where you also get some premium features.

What is iCloud Drive

iCloud Drive is a part of iCloud and it works like Google Drive, Dropbox or One Drive. Like iCloud Drive, iCloud offers different services comprising office suite of apps, Find my iPhone, iCloud Backup and many more. It is a file storing and sharing platform. It allows you to store files, documents, photos, notes, etc. in the iCloud drive but in the limit of 5 GB which is set by Apple.

You can also say that iCloud is a cupboard and iCloud Drive is one of its drawers that is used to store items that can not be kept anywhere else. In iCloud Drive you can save your word documents, PDFs and screenshots.

Difference between iCloud and iCloud Drive

As we have read above that iCloud Drive is a file storing and backup platform that can also backup those file formats that doesn’t support your iOS device. It is not mandatory to use iCloud Drive it depends on your choice whether you want to use the service or not. But when you are an iPhone user you definitely use the iCloud service for storing different types of files.

iCloud backups data from default and third-party apps that you have installed from the App Store like Whatsapp, Instagram, Gmail, notes, Safari, Snapchat and many more. It also backup contacts, reminders, calendars, photos app, iMessage, game centre information, Apple mail accounts, iCloud drive

files and many more. iCloud also syncs data with the other devices having the same Apple Id. All the music, podcasts, photos, movies, documents you have uploaded to the iCloud Drive will be saved there and whenever you access a device that is compatible with iCloud Drive, you will get all the data on that device.

iCloud Drive is free to use or not

Yes, iCloud Drive is free to use and you need not pay anything to store your data on it. When you create an account on an Apple phone you get 5 GB of free online storage where you can keep your photos, files, documents, videos, notes and all other files which you want to sync with your other devices.

Some users are satisfied with the storage limit of 5 GB but many are there who find it less. For that Apple offers three paid storage subscription plans so whenever you exceed the limit of 5 GB or run out of cloud storage you can purchase the plan.

  • 50 GB for $0.99/ month
  • 200 GB for $2.99/month
  • 2TB for $9.99/month

How to turn on iCloud Drive On iPhone, iPad and iPod

The first and the basic thing you need to do before turning on iCloud Drive is to update all your devices to the latest versions. After that sign in with the same Apple ID on each device. If you entered different accounts then your data won’t get synced. Following are the steps to turn on iCloud Drive:

  • Firstly, go to the settings of your device and then [your name] and then iCloud.
  • Now, scroll down the page and turn on iCloud Drive.