Yes, you can access iCloud from your Android device

August 20, 2019

By Kim Komando

From apples to oranges. Well, that’s one way to put it. It seems that a growing number of iPhone users are jumping ship and going with Android. Switching to a new platform can be a breath of fresh air for some, but a majority of iPhone users are finding the transition to be more complicated than expected. Why?iCloud is a key feature for iPhone users. It keeps emails, contacts, calendars and photos synced across Apple devices. Most people think this popular feature isn’t available for Android users. The good news is that’s not true.Read on to learn five simple ways to access iCloud using your Android device.

1. Access iCloud contacts on your Android

Understand, there are a variety of ways for users to access their iCloud contacts on Android. You can go through a third-party app to sync the contacts or just manually transfer the VCF (Virtual Contact File) to your device. For those who don’t know, a VCF is a standard file format for storing the contact information for a person or business. You’ll also like: How to unlock Android’s secret menu If you want to save yourself a lot of time and frustration, you should consider importing your contacts to Google. By doing this, you’ll be able to keep your contacts secured on your Google account and can access them remotely from anywhere.Just follow these steps:

• Log in to your iCloud account by using the official website and select the Contacts option displayed on the homepage.
• A list of connected contacts will open on the screen. Simply pick and choose the Contacts that you would like to move. If you want all of the Contacts, choose the select all option in the settings dropdown.
• Once you’ve made your selections, return to the settings menu and tap the Export vCard option. This will save a VCF of your contacts on the system.
• Almost done! Proceed by visiting the Google Contacts website and log in using your Google account info. Go to the left pane of the More tab and tap the import button.
• When the pop-up appears, tap either the CVS or vCard option, which will bring you to where the imported vCard file is saved.
• Upon loading the vCard, all of your contacts will be synced to your Google Contacts.

2. View iCloud email on Android

After switching from iPhone to Android, users often find it difficult to access their iCloud email. If you share the same frustration, you’re in luck. There is a way to manually set up your iCloud mail on your Android device. After you’ve linked your iCloud account, you’ll be able to access your cloud emails with ease.

• Start by going to the Gmail app on your Android and selecting the Menu button.
• Proceed by tapping the selection arrow and choose the Add Account option.
• Enter your iCloud email address and password. Tap the next button.
• From there, Gmail finishes the process for you by automatically adding your iCloud email account to the Gmail app on your Android’ s home screen.

3. Access iCloud notes

Whether it’s passwords, bank account information or home security codes, the notes in your iCloud can hold the most crucial/vital information about you. It’s important that you have access to those notes, even after you make the switch from iCloud to Google.Fortunately, your iCloud notes can be accessed on an Android device by simply syncing the notes with your Gmail account.

• Begin by going to your phone’s settings menu and selecting the Mail, Contacts, Calendars option. Tap the Personal Gmail field.
• Once you’re there, switch the Notes option to on. This will automatically sync your notes to your Gmail account.
• Open the notes on your device and click the back icon to see the folders. Now, you can alternate between the iPhone and Gmail notes and simply tap on Gmail to add a new note.
• Later on, you’ll be able to access Gmail on your system and go to the Notes section to see the newly imported ones. You’ll be able to view them on your Android as well.

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4. Access iCloud calendar on Android

It’s amazing how many users suddenly go from iOS to Android only to realize that the calendar with all of their schedules, appointments and meetings are still stored in the iCloud. Sound familiar? No problem.Here are a few easy steps to import your calendar in order to access it on your Android.

• Tap the calendar icon.
• On the left pane of the page, choose the Share Calendar button next to the calendar that you would like exported.
• A pop-up will appear. Select the Public Calendar in the window and click to copy the link.
• Proceed by pasting the link in the address bar replacing Webcal with HTTP.
• By pressing enter, the calendar will be automatically saved on your system.
• Now, you can log in to your Google account and go to the Google calendar interface.
• Found on the left panel, select other calendars and import calendar.
• Voila! Once the import is complete and you’ve added your calendar, you’ll be able to view the imported entries in the Google Calendar web interface as well as on your Android.

5. Access photos from iCloud to Android

As you may already know, the iCloud website isn’t compatible with Android devices. Apples and oranges. More like oil and water.Now, there is a way to get around this obstacle, but it will give you only a limited amount of access to your photos. In order for this to work, you’ll need to use the Google Chrome browser on your Android.

• Go to www.iCloud.com
• Since you’re on an Android device, you should see a message saying that the browser is not supported by the website. Disregard and proceed to the menu button on the top right corner on the screen.
• Choose the Desktop site.
• This will trigger the iCloud website to reload and then you should be able to log in as you normally would.
• From here, you’ll have access to some of your photos by selecting the photos icon, but this part of the website won’t work as well because you’re on Android. This will limit the number of photos that you can view.
• However, there is a trick to see specific photos and that is to create an album on your iPhone, iPad or Mac and move the desired photos into it. After that, you can move the album onto your Android by choosing the new album that you created.