iCloud: It’s a little buggy, but it can really happen.
Apple is known for keeping Android users out of its “fenced garden”. The company has only a few official apps in the Google Play store: Beats, Apple Music, Apple TV, Tracker Detect, and Move to iOS. However, Android users can still take advantage of a few iCloud services without a mobile browser. It’s not a flawless experience, but here’s how you can use Cloud on Android smartphones.
QUICK RESPONSE
To use iCloud for Android, you must go to iCloud.com and sign in using your Apple ID information.
Editor’s Note: The steps in this article were compiled using Google Pixel 4a with 5G running Android 12. We also used the Chrome version 100.0.4896.88. Keep in mind that some steps may be different when using another hardware or software.
How to use Android Cloud
Using iCloud on your Android device is very easy. All you have to do is go to iCloud.com, or enter your existing Apple ID details or create a new account, and voila, you can now access iCloud on your Android smartphone.
From here, you should see shortcuts for iCloud web applications available, including Email, Photos, Cloud Drive, Notes, and Find iPhone. You can also manage your iCloud account by going to Account Settings. Here, you can also see how much storage you have available on one website that is easy to navigate.
How to add iCloud shortcuts to your Android home screen
If you want something close to traditional knowledge, it is not easy to create browser shortcuts in its web applications and access them on your home screen. Just follow the steps below!
How to add iCloud apps to your Android home screen:
Open the Chrome browser on your Android device.
Go to Cloud.com.
Sign in to your Apple account.
Open one of the available web applications.
Tap the three-dot menu button at the top right.
Select Add to home screen.
Type a shortcut title and press Add.
Select Add to home screen.
What can you do and not be able to do?
In my experiment, its performance on Android was a bit shoddy. In theory, you should be able to access all of the above mentioned web applications as you would in any desktop browser. Unfortunately, that was not the case with me.
The keyboard will quickly disappear from the notes application after it appears, so I could not type anything, and Reminders will not appear as an option.
On the other hand, I was able to view, upload, download, and share photos from it for good. Collecting photos into albums also worked seamlessly, and I was able to easily hide and expose images.
Get an iPhone and it works perfectly.
All in all, there is still much to gather, but it is a good start. If you are using an Android device next to your Mac, iPad, or iPhone and want to take advantage of Apple’s iCloud services, this is your best shot for the foreseeable future. We do not see Apple upgrading to the traditional Android app. Anyway, hopefully it will expand on this iCloud mobile web experience to create more complete user experience – and much less.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there an official iCloud app for Android?
No. Apple has not yet developed the iCloud Android app.
Will Apple create an iCloud Android app?
Nothing has been announced about this issue. Having said that, we believe it is impossible.
Can I use the Find iPhone feature on Android?
Yes. Finding your Apple devices works flawlessly.
Can I download photos from iCloud?
Yes. Just navigate to Images and press Select. Tap on the images you want to download and select the three-dot menu button. Then select Download.
Do you still decide if you want to stick to an iPhone or migrate to Android? Let us help you decide. We have included a few guidelines that tell you what Android does better than iOS and how iOS is better than Android in some way.
