How to access my messages and stuff on my iCloud account
Please don’t be a hater I don’t know how to access or use my account and apps I appreciate it thanks
iPhone 16 Pro Max, iOS 26
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I warn you, this could turn into a very, very long topic. If you are near an Apple Store you may wish to go there where somebody doesn't have to type long essays into a web browser. ;-)
iCloud basically provides an interface between all your Apple hardware by channeling it through online storage at Apple. If you do something on one device, it appears on other devices automatically. I take a photo on my iPhone, it copies to Apple's iCloud computers and then when I next turn on my computer at home it copies from there to my home computer, all automatically.
First, do you have iCloud activated? If you do not then there's nothing there. iCloud is Apple's remote servers. It isn't "on" your iPhone except as an interface that needs activating and services selected. See Set up iCloud on all your devices - Apple Support
Read this support article about how to change your iCloud feature settings [iOS and Mac] - Change which apps sync and store data with iCloud - Apple Support - "'When you turn off an iCloud feature on a device, information stored only in iCloud for that feature is no longer available on the device. If you turn off Mail, Contacts, Calendars, Notes, Reminders, or iCloud Photos on just one device, you can still view and change your information on iCloud.com and on another device you set up for that feature."
For your "stuff", your iPhone has a series of apps that show you things on your iPhone which can then be configured to connect to iCloud. Use the Photos app to see photos that are on your phone. If you also have photos on a computer and you have iCloud photos activated on both your phone and the computer then your computer's photos will automatically also transfer to your iPhone.
Apple provides 5GB of free online storage which isn't very much by modern day standards. Back when we had an iPhone with 16GB storage, 5GB was plenty, but these days it is very little. Apple offers higher amounts for a subscription, but I simply minimize my iCloud usage and I still get by with 5GB.
