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iCloud+ is Apple’s paid iCloud upgrade. Every iCloud+ subscription increases storage and adds privacy and smart-home features: iCloud Private Relay, Hide My Email, HomeKit Secure Video, custom email domains, and Apple Invites where available. Plans are 50 GB, 200 GB, 2 TB, 6 TB, or 12 TB, billed monthly and shareable with up to five other family members.
Private Relay and Hide My Email solve different problems. Private Relay changes how supported web traffic is routed so a single party cannot match your IP address with the sites you visit. Hide My Email creates random forwarding addresses so services do not receive your personal email address. The sections below explain the limits, requirements, setup paths, and which plan makes sense for your situation.
What does iCloud+ include?
Apple’s current iCloud+ overview lists six benefits in addition to ordinary iCloud storage. Availability and feature details can differ by country or region, so check the iCloud settings on your device for the options offered to your Apple Account.
- Additional iCloud storage for photos, files, device backups, Mail, and other iCloud data.
- iCloud Private Relay for privacy protection in Safari and some unencrypted internet traffic.
- Hide My Email aliases that forward messages to an inbox you choose.
- HomeKit Secure Video storage for compatible security cameras.
- Custom email domains for iCloud Mail.
- Apple Invites, listed by Apple as an iCloud+ feature in its current overview; availability can vary.
Apple Support describes the plans as monthly subscriptions. The collected plan information does not establish one current price for every market; prices vary by country or region. Open your device’s iCloud storage settings or Apple’s local plan page to see the amount that applies to you.
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- Tested for battery health and guaranteed to have a minimum battery capacity of 80%.
Which iCloud+ storage plan should you choose?
The storage tier controls how much iCloud data you can keep and, for HomeKit Secure Video, how many cameras can store recordings. The privacy features are not presented as separate add-on tiers in Apple’s plan overview.
| Plan | HomeKit Secure Video camera limit | Typical fit |
|---|---|---|
| 50 GB | One camera | A single-person account with modest photo, file, and backup needs |
| 200 GB | Up to five cameras | A family sharing a moderate storage pool or a home with several cameras |
| 2 TB | Unlimited cameras | Large photo libraries, multiple device backups, or extensive family storage |
| 6 TB | Unlimited cameras | Households with several heavy users and substantial media archives |
| 12 TB | Unlimited cameras | Very large shared libraries and backups |
The camera numbers are subscription limits, not a promise that cameras, a home hub, installation, or networking equipment are included. A person who has no HomeKit Secure Video cameras should choose based on storage consumption and family sharing rather than camera capacity. Apple states that one subscription can be shared with up to five other family members through Family Sharing.
Estimate your storage before upgrading
- Open Settings, tap your name, then tap iCloud to view current usage and the categories consuming space.
- Allow room for iPhone or iPad backups, which can grow after you install large apps or add another device.
- Include photos and videos from every family member if you plan to share the plan.
- Remember that iCloud Mail, including messages sent to a custom domain, uses the same storage pool.
What is iCloud Private Relay?
Private Relay is Apple’s two-relay internet privacy service. When supported traffic leaves your device, the first relay can see your IP address but not the website destination you requested. A second relay, operated by a different entity, can see the destination but not your original IP address. Because the information is split, no single relay has both your identity-linked address and the site you are visiting.
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How to turn Private Relay on or off
- Open Settings on an iPhone or iPad.
- Tap your name at the top, then tap iCloud.
- Tap Private Relay.
- Turn on Private Relay and follow any confirmation prompt. The exact label can vary slightly with the operating-system version.
On a Mac, open System Settings, select your Apple Account, choose iCloud, and select Private Relay. If the control is missing, check that the device is signed in to the Apple Account with the iCloud+ subscription and that the feature is offered in your region.
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What you may notice while browsing
Some websites may ask you to complete an extra sign-in step, challenge, or verification because the site sees a relay address rather than your normal network address. A site may also display content for an unexpected region. Private Relay can affect an internet provider’s ability to recognize data-cap exemptions that depend on traffic identification. These are behavior changes to plan for, not evidence that the relay has failed.
Is Private Relay a VPN?
No. Both technologies can hide an address from a destination, but Private Relay’s documented scope is Safari and certain unencrypted traffic, and its defining design is a split between two relays operated by different entities. A conventional VPN generally presents one VPN service as the network endpoint for traffic from many applications. Do not assume that enabling Private Relay protects every app or replaces a company’s VPN requirement.
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How does Hide My Email work?
Hide My Email generates a unique, random email address that forwards incoming messages to an inbox you select. You can give the alias to a retailer, newsletter, app, or other service without disclosing your personal address. Replies can be sent through the alias, allowing ordinary correspondence while the recipient continues to see the relay address.
An alias is forwarding, not a separate independent mailbox. Messages ultimately arrive in the destination inbox you configured, and the alias uses your iCloud storage when Mail is stored there. Apple reserves the right to limit how many aliases an account can create.
Create an alias
- On an iPhone or iPad, open Settings, tap your name, choose iCloud, and tap Hide My Email.
- Tap the button to create a new address, add a label or note that identifies its purpose, and confirm the forwarding inbox.
- Copy the generated address into the website’s sign-up form instead of your personal address.
You can also create an alias when a supported Apple sign-in or Mail form offers Hide My Email. The exact controls differ by operating-system release and app.
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Manage, pause, or delete an alias
Return to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Hide My Email, select the alias, and use the available management control. You can stop using an alias, reactivate it later when Apple provides that option, or delete it permanently. Disabling an alias prevents future forwarding from that address, so update accounts that still use it before turning it off.
What is HomeKit Secure Video?
HomeKit Secure Video lets supported HomeKit-enabled security cameras save activity recordings in iCloud. Apple says camera activity is analyzed on Apple devices in your home and that recordings sent to iCloud use end-to-end encryption. Your iCloud+ tier determines the number of cameras covered: one on 50 GB, up to five on 200 GB, and an unlimited number on 2 TB, 6 TB, or 12 TB.
You need all of the following:
- An iCloud+ plan that supports the desired camera count.
- A camera specifically compatible with HomeKit Secure Video; a generic Wi-Fi or smart camera is not automatically supported.
- A supported Apple device configured as a home hub.
- A home network and Apple software versions supported by the camera and HomeKit.
Check the camera maker’s current HomeKit Secure Video compatibility statement before buying hardware. The subscription does not include a camera, home hub, installation, or a guarantee that every camera feature will be available in HomeKit.
What are custom email domains?
Custom Email Domain lets you use iCloud Mail with a domain you own or purchase through iCloud.com, such as name@example.com instead of an address at Apple’s default domain. Apple allows you to invite family members to use the same domain when Family Sharing supports the setup.
Mail stored in iCloud counts toward your iCloud storage quota. If the account becomes full, new messages to custom-domain addresses can be affected because there is no space to store incoming mail. Check storage before moving an important address and keep domain registration and DNS settings current with your registrar.
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What is Apple Invites?
Apple’s current iCloud+ feature overview includes Apple Invites. The available materials do not establish a universal eligibility rule or a complete regional availability list, so treat it as a feature that may depend on your country, account, device, and software version. Look for Apple Invites in the apps and iCloud settings on your devices rather than assuming it is enabled everywhere.
How to change or cancel iCloud+
On an iPhone, open Settings, tap your name, choose iCloud, and open the storage or plan-management control. Select the option to change the plan, review the available tiers, or open downgrade and cancellation choices. Apple’s labels can change between iOS releases; follow the on-screen confirmation to complete the change.
Apple’s iPhone guidance says cancelling removes access to the additional storage and iCloud+ features. Before confirming, review your storage usage, download anything you need locally, and consider whether family members rely on the shared plan. The cited guidance does not establish a single universal procedure for handling data that exceeds the free allowance after cancellation, so do not assume that over-quota content will be treated identically in every account state.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Is iCloud+ worth paying for?
iCloud+ is easiest to justify when you need both more storage and at least one premium feature. Use this decision order:
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- Check storage pressure. If photos, backups, files, or Mail regularly approach the free quota, select the smallest tier that gives you working headroom.
- Count HomeKit cameras. One camera fits the 50 GB plan; two through five require 200 GB; more than five need a 2 TB, 6 TB, or 12 TB plan.
- Decide whether privacy features solve a real problem. Choose Private Relay for its supported browsing privacy design, and choose Hide My Email when you want disposable forwarding addresses. They are complementary, not alternatives.
- Include family usage. A plan shared with up to five other family members can be more practical than separate small accounts, but their backups, photos, and Mail all consume the shared pool.
- Check regional availability and price. Apple sets prices by country or region, and some features are unavailable in certain locations.
Do not buy a larger tier solely for unlimited camera capacity if you do not use HomeKit Secure Video. Conversely, a low-cost storage tier may become restrictive when several family members back up devices or store large video libraries.
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- Emergency SOS via satellite. Crash Detection. Roadside Assistance via satellite
- Up to 29 hours video playback. USB-C, Supports USB 3 for up to 20x faster transfers. Face ID
Common problems and fixes
Private Relay makes a website behave strangely
Try the site’s extra verification steps first. If content is tied to the wrong region or a network service depends on your ordinary IP address, temporarily turn Private Relay off in Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Private Relay, complete the task, and turn it back on afterward. If a workplace or school network blocks the relay, ask its administrator whether an exception is required.
A Hide My Email message never arrives
Confirm that the alias is still active and forwarding to the intended inbox. Check junk or spam folders, verify that the destination iCloud account has free storage, and make sure the sender is using the exact alias. If you deleted the alias, changing the destination address will not restore it; create a new alias and update the service.
HomeKit Secure Video will not record
Verify the camera’s explicit HomeKit Secure Video support, the camera limit for your plan, and that a supported Apple device is configured as a home hub. Then check that the camera and hub use compatible software and that the home network is online. A camera that works in its manufacturer’s app may still lack HomeKit Secure Video support.
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Check iCloud storage first, because custom-domain Mail shares the quota. Then verify the domain’s registration and DNS records with the registrar and confirm that the address is still assigned in iCloud Mail. Restoring free storage may be necessary before new messages can be accepted.
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