Apple customers may sync their notes, photos, contacts, and settings across various Apple devices by storing them in their iCloud storage. It’s a little more difficult to access your iCloud data on Android, but it’s possible. Here’s how to do it.
First and foremost, you must be aware of the limits. Apple gadgets aren’t designed to work well with non-Apple devices. You can use iCloud on your Mac, iPhone, or iPad, but there won’t be an official iCloud app for Android anytime soon.
Using iCloud Online on Android
The iCloud website is the only supported way to access your iCloud services on Android. Your options are still limited—at first, you’ll only be able to access your saved photographs and notes, as well as the “Find iPhone” function.
To begin, go to your Android device’s iCloud page and sign in with your Apple ID and password.
If you have two-factor authentication enabled on your iCloud account, you may require a macOS, iOS, or iPadOS device to receive a code that allows you to sign in.
If this is the case, enter the code that appears on your Apple device during the Android sign-in procedure.
You’ll be asked if you trust the browser you’re using to sign-in on the iCloud website. If the device is yours, press the “Trust” button to sign in without having to provide a six-digit code from another iOS, iPadOS, or macOS device.
If you don’t want to trust the device, touch “Don’t Trust” or “Not Now.”
Using iCloud Photos, Notes, and Find iPhone on Android
On Android, if your sign-in credentials are right, you should see the (very limited) iCloud dashboard.
You may access your Apple account settings by tapping “Account Settings,” or you can access the Notes, Photos, or Find iPhone services by selecting one of the three icons mentioned.
These are the only Apple services that may be seen on an Android handset using a mobile browser.
Accessing iCloud Photos
Your saved iCloud photos will appear when you press the “Photos” icon.
You can add new photos by tapping the “Upload” button. Select any of the things to view or remove them from your iCloud storage or to save them to your Android device as local files.
Accessing iCloud Notes
Your saved iCloud notes will appear when you press the “Notes” icon.
This area, like iCloud Photos, has been optimized for mobile browsing. You can see, edit, and delete your current notes, or create a new note by tapping the “Add” button in the top-left corner.
Using Find iPhone on Android
The Find iPhone service is the last service that you can readily access on Android via the iCloud website. To get started, go to the main iCloud dashboard and tap the “Find iPhone” icon.
At this point, you may be prompted to re-enter your Apple account password and submit a six-digit authentication code.
After you authenticate your account, you’ll see a list of Apple devices (including iOS, iPadOS, and macOS devices) that are linked to it. To discover where any of the devices listed were last spotted and if they’re now operational, tap them.
To locate the device, press the “Play Sound” button. To remotely wipe the device, press “Erase iPhone,” “Erase iPad,” or “Erase Mac.” If you’ve misplaced your Apple device, you can use the Lost Mode option to display a message on the screen.
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Using Other iCloud Services on Android
Although you can use third-party apps to access various iCloud services, these apps aren’t official, and their quality and success with iCloud access will vary.
Your iCloud email account is the easiest service to use. Gmail or another email program can be used to set up iCloud email access on Android. This allows you to use your Android device to send and receive emails from your iCloud email account.
Other services are available through the iCloud website, but you’ll need to use the desktop mode function of your browser to see them. Even if you have a huge mobile display, this isn’t the most convenient way to view your iCloud calendar or contacts. It should still operate, but don’t anticipate the same level of performance as on an iOS or iPadOS device.
Sign in to the iCloud website using Chrome for Android to utilize these iCloud services on Android. After you’ve signed in, pick the “Desktop Site” checkbox from the hamburger menu in the top-right corner.
The mobile page will be removed, and the desktop version of the iCloud website will be loaded instead.
The whole suite of iCloud services will be available, but the page will be more difficult to read. At this point, you might wish to flip your Android handset to landscape mode for improved navigation.
To use any of the services, tap them from here. For example, tapping “Reminders” will bring up a list of your saved iCloud reminders.
The operation of these services on Android may differ because this isn’t a supported view mode. Although navigating these services will be difficult, you should be able to access your saved contacts, calendar, and iCloud Drive file storage using this display mode.
Other services, like Pages and Numbers, will theoretically load and allow you to view files, but they will be useless.
Installing iCloud as a Progressive Web App on Android
If you frequently use your iCloud services on Android, it’s worth adding it as a progressive web app on your home screen (PWA). This enables you to open the iCloud page as if it were a “real” program, without having to first launch Chrome.
To do so, open your Android Chrome browser and go to the iCloud website. Select the “Add to Home Screen” option from the hamburger menu icon in the top-right corner.
You’ll need to name your iCloud PWA appropriately. Use the default “iCloud” name or rename it, then confirm by tapping the “Add” button.
You must then long-press and drag the icon to your home screen, setting it where it is most convenient for you. Depending on your Android version, the onscreen instructions may differ.
Alternatively, tap the “Add” button to have the app automatically added to your home screen.
The iCloud symbol will now appear on your Android home screen. When you tap this icon, iCloud will open in a separate app-like environment.
You won’t be able to access your iCloud photos, notes, or Find iPhone services if you use a PWA since you won’t be able to transition to desktop mode.
Final Thoughts
We’ve gone over the list of iCloud services that you can use on Android, but others are out of reach. You can’t use iMessage on Android, and you can’t use Apple AirDrop on Android either.
As a replacement for these applications, you’ll need to use cross-platform alternatives like WhatsApp and Snapdrop.
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