What Does This Really Mean?

[skeeter]

I accidently signed up with iCloud a few years ago. 99 cents a month isn't much, but I want to keep things on my Mac Mini. And I want to delete the account. But the message I get is bit threatening.

"
Delete your account

At any time or for any reason you can request to permanently delete your account.

For your security, they verify all deletion requests. This process takes up to seven days.

Your account will remain active while verification is in progress.



What happens when my account is deleted?

• You will not be able to access your iTunes Store, Apple Books, and App Store purchases.
• Your photos, videos and documents stored in iCloud will be permanently deleted.
• You will not receive messages sent to your account via iMessage, FaceTime, or iCloud Mail.
• You will not be able to sign in or use services such as iCloud, iTunes, Apple Books, the App Store, Apple Pay, iMessage, FaceTime, and Find My iPhone, or any other apps or services you use with your Apple ID.
• Your data associated with Apple services will be permanently deleted. Some exceptions may apply.
• If you are enrolled in the iPhone upgrade program, you must continue making payments for your device.
• Deletion does not cancel any repairs or Apple Store orders. However, any appointments you have scheduled at the Apple Store will be canceled and any open Apple Care cases will be permanently closed and unavailable once your account is deleted."

Should I really be concerned about this? What are the actual consequences? I don't buy Apple apps. And I don't have a need for iCloud. I'm an old guy and don't mess with social media. So what happens if I cancel the iCloud account. Do I lose my Mac access to my AOL email or Photos or something?

 

[TonyAguila]

I was under the impression that the default minimum iCloud space came with your Apple ID and was not aware of the 99¢ tier. I would not even consider having no iCloud Drive space at all to be able to share some data with your other peripherals or family members. I always went with the 200 GB plan in order to maintain the minimum amount of data for such purpose. If you don’t want to transfer (i.e., move) any of your local data to iCloud, just turn off Advanced Data Protection.

All of the caveats regarding deleting your storage (and account) are indeed true, so you may not want to get rid of the default minimum storage. No Apple ID means no access to the App Store, Mail, and other basic services. I’m not even sure if the basic apps like Pages and Numbers will be available to you. I can’t even imagine what not having an Apple ID would do to security on your Mac. No Apple ID might not even enable you to use Passwords. That would be a nightmare trying to remember all of the ID and passwords you have for your back account, online vendors, Recovery, and so on.

 

[Lufbrarunner]

There is no need to delete the account, the default 5gb of space is free, the 99 cents would up that to 50gb.
As Tony says, there are probably things that will not work, without the Apple ID.
I would suggest moving back to the default 5gb storage and see how that goes.

 

[Rodananne]

Apple iCloud Free Storage​

According to Apple Support, when you set up iCloud, you automatically get 5GB of free storage. This space can be used for:

• iCloud backups
• Storing photos and videos in iCloud Photos
• Keeping documents up to date in iCloud Drive
• And more

You can always check how much iCloud storage you’re using in Settings on your device or on iCloud.com. If you’re running low, you can manage your storage to make more space or upgrade to iCloud+ at any time.

Key Points:​

• 5GB of free storage is included with iCloud setup
• You can use this space for various iCloud features, such as backups, photos, and documents
• You can check your storage usage in Settings or on iCloud.com
• If you need more space, you can upgrade to iCloud+ or manage your storage to free up space

Tips to Avoid Paying Extra for iCloud Storage:​

• Delete content you’re not using to free up space
• Use iCloud’s “Recommended for You” feature to delete large files, old backups, or photos
• Consider archiving or making copies of important data before deleting
• Use iCloud’s built-in features, such as optimizing photos and videos, to reduce storage needs

Note: Apple has maintained the 5GB free storage limit since its introduction in 2011, despite competitors offering more generous free storage plans. However, you can upgrade to iCloud+ for additional storage options.

 

[Rodananne]

So Skeeter, as Lufbrarunner suggested, you could drop back to the free 5GB storage but I personally would not advise severing all contact with Apple by cancelling/deleting your Apple account. Although I cannot say specifically what problems you would encounter I'm certain there will be some.

 

[skeeter]

Thanks all. I will try to revert to the free iCloud. I'm not using it anyway. I don't want to lose basic Apple services.

 

[Rodananne]

Skeeter, you may be surprised at how much of iCloud you are using. Basic things like Calendar, Contacts, Bookmarks and Passwords in Safari and Keychain, Notes and Find My... which is not only a means of locating your device but a security measure that prevents a thief from reusing/reselling your computer. All of these are backed up to iCloud by default usually and are synced automatically to other Apple devices you are logged into with the same Apple ID.