What’s new in Apple’s much improved iCloud.com?

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Apple recently updated it’s the browser based services provided by its iCloud.com online portal, and there’s a lot to like in the release. What’s new?

What is iCloud.com?

Every Apple device user should get familiar with Apple’s online iCloud.com service which gives you complete access to everything that matters to you, and a few additional features you don’t get to use otherwise.

Through the portal you can access: Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Photos, iCloud Drive, Notes, Reminders, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, and FindMy. You also get access to Apple’s News Publisher app, along with a range of controls for iCloud+ features, including Custome Email Domain, Private Relay and limited control over HomeKit Secure video.

Many of the features available via the portal were introduced during an earlier redesign in 2019, but everything has been given a big improvement in the latest update in 2023. This is cleaner, more consistent, and more usable.

Improvements include

• The Photos app online can now show you your Memories and full screen image slideshows.
• iCloud now lets you monitor your emails, but also lets you create a new email address.
• You can accept browser notifications when new emails arrive, which is effective if working on a system on which the email package hasn’t been configured for your account.
• Quick Actions are now supported, which means you can mark reminders as complete or flag a particular email.
• You can also now undo a sent message.
• When writing an email, you can now attach files from iCloud Drive or Photos from within the web-based email composition window.
• Tweaks exist across the system, preview photos, download items or delete emails all from within the interface.
• Notes gains a Shared Folder for collaboration from within Notes.

New widgets and tools

A smattering of new functionality means you can create widgets to display a specific email in a box in your personal iCloud.com front page. You’ll also find that search has improved so you should be able to find items stashed in your iCloud more easily than before.

What is iCloud+?

Every iCloud+ plan offers premium features:

• Private Relay keeps browsing in Safari entirely private from network providers, websites, and others.
• Hide My Email lets users generate unique, random email addresses whenever needed, allowing users to sign up for newsletters, offers, and more without sharing their personal address.
• HomeKit Secure Video lets users capture and review home security footage in an end-to-end encrypted format.
• Custom email domains let users personalize their iCloud email address with a custom domain — or purchase one within Mail settings.

Family Sharing enables all iCloud+ plans to be shared with up to five other people in a family group. Apple recently introduced two new high-capacity iCloud+ storage tiers, offering up 6TB ($29.99/m) and 12TB ($59.99/m) options.

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