Consumer group Which? has filed a £3 billion lawsuit against Apple, accusing the tech giant of forcing iCloud usage and overcharging customers.
Consumer group Which? has filed a £3 billion lawsuit against Apple, accusing the tech giant of forcing iCloud usage and overcharging customers.
I don’t use logic, but yeah the whole iWork suite, Freeform, Reminders, Notes. I think HomeKit data is also synced, and given how much data corruption happens in HomeKit as it is, I would dread any other complication.
There’s also the transparent encryption that happens where even Apple can’t get your stuff.
I mean I’d be a fan if Apple published a requirement spec for the iCloud api and opened it up to third parties, but it will be a lot to unpack and implement.
I use all of those and I don’t need to pay for iCloud.
You must not use a lot of data on those apps then. My Logic files alone go easily over the free tier. Add to that iPhone and iPad backups for the family and there’s no way I could have anywhere near the same level of service without paying for iCloud.
Sorry, I didn’t mean to include Logic in that. I don’t use that. But like Homekit and Reminders and stuff? It’s never been an issue.
Why did you simply gloss over backups? But it’s not just that, there’s all kinds of files and documents.
Sure, if you use very little synced data and the free tier suits you, then you don’t need to pay.
That’s not the same as not needing to pay for iCloud. What you’re saying is that people don’t need to keep their data synced across devices but that should really be a user choice and not mandated by the platform.
What I’d like is for Apple to publish the iCloud API specs and allow 3rd-parties to offer alternative services that you configure somewhere in Settings.
Ideally, there would be a self-hosted option where you can simply point it to an arbitrary URL but I suspect the latter will never happen “because security”.
Of course, that last point is only really valid if their promise of E2E encryption is not more than a promise.
I glossed over backups specifically because, as I said, there are free alternatives.
For example, I back up my photos remotely to Google Photos. I also back them up locally.
That’s not what’s in iPhone and iPad backups. If you keep moving the goalpost, there’s no point in this discussion.
I’m not moving any goalposts. I’m not sure why you’re being so hostile. I’m telling you what I do for the data I back up. I don’t know what backups you’re talking about, backing up the entire device and everything that’s on it including all the apps? It’s just not something that I think is necessary. On the other hand, I have ways to store all the photos, videos, music, texts, and any other things like that which might need backing up and can’t just be re-downloaded from the app store.
I agree, if you’re using something like Logic, paying for iCloud makes sense right now even if it is overpriced and unnecessary.
Very well, I will give you the benefit of the doubt one last time.
On an iPhone, Settings -> Apple Account -> iCloud -> iCloud Backup -> Back Up This iPhone.
That’s not how it works. App binaries are not backed up as part of this. Neither are photos if they’re already backed up as part of iCloud Photos (though still part of iCloud).
One of the major advantages of using this kind of backup is that I never worry that I’m going to be without my access to my bank. Even if my phone is lost or stolen, worse comes to worse I can restore the backup on a new phone and all encryption keys, biometrics authorisations, OTP, etc. are restored with it.
“I have ways” is not the same as there being an iCloud alternative. You may have ways. Does the average user, without having to go through hoops and likely getting lost in the process? That’s what an iCloud alternative has to look like to be an actual alternative.
This last point alone shows how much you don’t seem to understand what the problem statement is. Using iCloud may be unnecessary, but that was never under discussion. Of course, no one needs automatic and transparent syncing between devices. The point is that if you want that feature and you’re using an Apple device, your only alternative is locked down to what Apple offers.
That is what it means to not exist an alternative to iCloud.
I hope this helps clarify. If you are going to respond, please keep this last point in mind as that’s the part that’s important.