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iCloud is Apple’s most popular service: How to make it an even better value

Published Aug 21st, 2024 12:31PM EDT
iCloud Shared Photo Library
Image: José Adorno for BGR

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It’s been five years since Apple announced it was expanding its hardware and software business to include services. While iCloud has been one of the first subscriptions modern Apple users have taken advantage of, it’s far from being the only service the company offers.

Currently, users can access Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple News+, Apple Fitness+, and even Apple Card. In addition, iCloud is more than just a storage service; it offers even more enticing features, such as Private Relay, Hide my Email and Custom Email.

However, iCloud is almost mandatory for a better experience with the iPhone, iPad, and Mac, so it’s only natural that it remains Apple’s most popular service. After all, if you don’t subscribe to it, you’ll have to locally backup your devices, you won’t get a synced photo library easily, and so on.

In its latest report, CIRP highlighted the most important services offered by Apple, and the results are what you might expect:

  • 64% of Apple buyers pay for iCloud
  • 42% of Apple buyers subscribe to Apple Music
  • 37% of Apple buyers use Apple Podcasts
  • 35% of Apple buyers add AppleCare to iPad
  • 32% of Apple buyers use Apple TV+
iCloud is Apple's most-used serviceImage source: CIRP

This data reveals that Apple users are using Apple services more often. However, some are overpaying their subscriptions. Here’s why.

With an Apple One subscription, users can access at least Apple Music, 50GB of iCloud, Apple TV+, and Apple Arcade for $19.95/mo. However, since the iCloud, Apple Music, and Apple TV+ numbers are different, this shows that not only people aren’t using Apple One, but they also prefer to pay for these services standalone.

One reason is that some Spotify users are die-hard fans, so they won’t make the switch to Apple Music. But if you subscribe to Apple Music and Apple TV+, it instantly becomes more beneficial to use Apple One instead of paying for these services separately.

In addition, if 50GB isn’t enough for you, the second tier of Apple One offers 200GB of storage, but you can share all the subscriptions with up to five other family members, making the value of this service even better.

That said, if you want the best iCloud experience, you should get an Apple One subscription and take advantage of more services for less. Below, you can learn more about it.

José Adorno Tech News Reporter

José is a Tech News Reporter at BGR. He has previously covered Apple and iPhone news for 9to5Mac, and was a producer and web editor for Latin America broadcaster TV Globo. He is based out of Brazil.