Find yourself wondering “how does iCloud work?” iCloud can be really confusing if you haven’t taken the time to learn how it works so there are many myths and misconceptions out there.

In my work as a Professional Photo Organizer I’ve noticed the majority of my clients don’t actually understand how iCloud works and therefore are too afraid to make changes to their settings for fear of accidentally deleting something important. The free plan morphs into the small plan morphs into a larger plan and the feelings of defeat and frustration grow. Sound familiar?

That’s why I wrote a completely free Understanding iCloud Guide (details on that are at the bottom of this post). But, first let’s bust some myths.

5 Common Misconceptions About iCloud

“I can delete a photo from my phone to free up space and it’ll still be in iCloud.”

FALSE. iCloud is a sync, which means a photo deleted on one device is removed from iCloud and all other synced devices.

“iCloud lowers the quality of my photos.”

FALSE. iCloud does not change the quality or resolution of your photos. Even if you enable the ‘optimize storage’ setting, the full-resolution photo remains in iCloud. The full size photo downloads back to the device automatically when it’s needed (airdrop, sharing, etc).

“iCloud can only be accessed from Apple products.”

FALSE. The iCloud.com website can be accessed from non-Apple devices, but has limited features.

“iCloud is required if you use an iPhone.”

FALSE. You are in control of iCloud, it does not control you. While it is enabled by default on all new Apple devices, you can turn it off entirely or disable certain apps/settings.

“iCloud slows down my device.”

FALSE. iCloud should not alter the speed of your device. In fact if you use the ‘optimize storage’ setting it often results in your device working faster because it’s not bogged down from storing all your files locally.

Download the Free Understanding iCloud Guide

Want to bust more common iCloud myths, see my recommended iCloud settings, and more? Download my completely FREE Understanding iCloud Guide.