Top 8 iCloud for Android Alternatives: What Can I Use instead of iCloud on Android Device? (Updated)

Sophie Green
2023-05-06
Home > Resources > Phone Transfer > Top 8 iCloud for Android Alternatives: What Can I Use instead of iCloud on Android Device? (Updated)

Summary

iCloud is a very brilliant Apple service to sync or back up photos, music, videos, contacts and other data on your iDevices. But more and more iPhone users recently switch to Android phones to experience the advanced new technology. They are used to iCloud on iPhone and will naturally not be accustomed to Android phones without iCloud. So, is there an iCloud equivalent for Android? And what can I use instead of iCloud on Android device?

Well, this article is here to offer you the latest information about the top 8 iCloud for Android alternatives. Just read more to find out the best iCloud alternative for Android.

icloud for android alternative

Top 1. Samsung Messages Backup

Samsung Messages Backup is the best iCloud alternative for Android. Like iCloud on iPhone, it can back up and restore overall Android phone's data in one click without limitations on data size, including contacts, SMS, call logs, music, videos, photos, eBooks, apps, documents, etc. Besides, it also supports to selectively transfer music, videos, photos, SMS, call logs, contacts and other files between computer and your Android phone. In addition, you can also manage Android data on computer before syncing.

Specifically, It supports to add, delete and edit contacts on computer, send, reply, forward, copy and delete text messages directly on computer, install and uninstall apps from PC, export contacts to Outlook and import contacts from Outlook. It is indeed the best iCloud alternative for Android devices.

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Supported devices:

* Android 4.0 and later versions (Android 14 included)

* Windows 11/10/8/7

* macOS X10.9 or later

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Pros:

* One-click operation.

* Automatically scanning out all data on Android devices.

* Able to sync all files or just wanted a single file.

* Preview and select before transferring files.

* Support all data on Android phones & tablets.

* Support almost all file formats, like CSV, VCF, BAK, XML, HTML, TEXT, APK, MP4, JPG, JPEG, GIF, BMP, etc.

* Support all Android smartphones and tablets.

* Easy to operate, absolutely secure, fast, light in size and user-friendly.

* Simple and clear interface.

* All people can handle it without any difficulty.

* Do not need to log in with an account.

Cons:

* The interface is flat in color.

See more: This guide will tell you the way to mirror your Android screen to a Windows 10 PC. Let's check it out.

Top 2. Samsung Backup and Restore

Samsung Backup and Restore is an amazing iCloud for Android alternative. With it, you can easily back up everything from Android device to computer and restore the computer backups to any Android device in one click. And it supports contacts, call logs, SMS, photos, music, videos, documents and apps.

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Supported devices:

* Almost all Android phones and tablets with Android 4.0 and above versions, including Android 14

* Windows 11/10/8/7

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Pros:

* Easy and quick file transfer.

* One-click operation without any difficulty.

* User-friendly interface.

* Keep the original data quality and file format after transfer.

* Require no network during file transfer.

Cons:

* Cannot preview data before file transfer.

Further reading: If you have a great Android Manager for PC to manage your Android phone easily, maybe your phone will live longer than others. So do you want it?

Top 3. Google Drive

Google Drive is a popular cloud-based iCloud equivalent for Android, which supports to upload archive files (ZIP, RAR, TAR, GZIP), audio files (MP3, MPEG, WAV, OGG, OPUS), images (JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, TIFF, SVG), code, text, videos, Adobe files, Microsoft Office files and Apple files from Android phone to Google Drive and downloads uploaded files from Google Drive to your phone. Besides, it only offers users 15GB free storage to share files, once used up, you will have to pay for expanding more storage.

Supported devices:

* Android version 5.0 or above versions

* iOS 11 or later versions

* Windows 7 and above versions, not including Windows Server editions

* macOS 10.12 and later versions

* Linux is not supported

* Browsers: The 2 most recent versions of Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer 11 & Microsoft Edge on Windows computer and Safari on Mac

icloud equivalent for android

Pros:

* Transfer files on Android devices.

* Android version of iCloud to selectively transfer music, videos, photos and documents.

* Provide 15GB free storage for all users.

* Trace file details and history easily.

Cons:

* Cannot sync all Android files to Google Drive.

* Must pay for more storage after 15GB free storage is used up.

* Require good condition of network when transferring files.

* The speed is slow when transferring large files.

* Many people think that its interface is not intuitive.

Check if you need: Want to back up music on Android but have no good idea? Don't worry. This post has shared 10 effective solutions to you. Let's check them out.

Top 4. Dropbox

Dropbox is another alternative to iCloud for Android devices and it supports to transfer images (GIF, JPG, PNG), Microsoft documents, Adobe Acrobat files, audio, videos and javascript from your Android phone to Dropbox. Similar to Google Drive, it does not support all files on Android and offers only 2GB free storage for all users.

Supported devices:

* Android 6.0 or later versions

* iOS 11 or later

* Windows 10/8.1/8/7

* macOS X Yosemite to Catalina (macOS 10.10 to 10.15)

* Linux Ubuntu 14.04 or higher, Fedora 21 or higher versions

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Pros:

* Offer 2GB free storage for all users.

* Intuitive and user-friendly interface.

* Easy to use.

* Provide Business plans for business users.

* Offer SSL encryption to keep files highly secure.

* Allow automatic backup.

* Photos, audio, videos and documents sharing is convenient.

Cons:

* Not support to transfer all Android data but only photos, videos, audio and documents.

* Simply offer 2GB free storage for all users.

* Relatively costly for users if you want to purchase the paid plans which offer relatively less storage, compared with similar apps.

* Sometimes, the desktop app may not work well when syncing files.

* The transfer speed may be very slow when there is poor network condition or the transferred files are large in size.

You might like: If you wonder more information about Mi PC Suite, you can enter it to have a look. Besides, it will tell you 4 nice alternatives.

Top 5. Windows Live SkyDrive

Windows Live SkyDrive, or OneDrive, is a less-known iCloud for Android alternative developed by Microsoft company. It lets you freely access and share photos, videos, albums and documents on all devices from anywhere, and back up photos and videos automatically. Besides, the Android app offers 5GB free storage for every user. In addition, the Windows Live SkyDrive also links with Windows Live Hotmail, thus, users can also transfer Microsoft Office documents to Windows Live SkyDrive from Hotmail.

Supported devices:

* Android 6.0 and later versions

* iPhone, iPad or iPod touch with iOS 12 or later versions

* Windows 10/8/7/Vista

* macOS X 10.12 or later versions

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Pros:

* Automatic scanning and backup of photos and videos on Android devices.

* Offer 5GB free storage for Android users.

* Search photos by the content, like beach, snow, window, etc.

* Highly secure since it encrypts all files during transfer or at rest and lets users sign in with identity verification.

Cons:

* Not support all Android files.

* Only offer 5GB free storage for all users.

* Require a stable network to transfer files.

* Lack some basic features, such as no password protection for individual files, no table of contents and no scrollbar.

* Compared with other cloud storage, it offers less storage space.

* Some users report that it will stop working after a short time media playback and needs to restart the app.

See also: Looking for the Android PC Suite? Why not see this introduction offered 5 powerful methods?

Top 6. SugarSync

SugarSync is a paid iCloud equivalent for Android devices and it offers multiple plans and pricing for people. With it, you can access, share, sync and back up all documents, photos, music and movies across computers and phones effortlessly. Besides, it guarantees data security by using TLS and AES security protocols.

Supported devices:

* The system requirement for Android or iOS devices is unknown

* Windows 10/8.1/8/7

* macOS X 10.12 - 10.15

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Pros:

* Provide both personal and business plans.

* Offer at least 100GB storage space for all users.

* The restore feature lets you restore backups easily.

* Easy to use.

Cons:

* Cannot back up or sync everything on Android phone, but simply photos, music, movies and documents.

* Offer no free use.

* Has a 300MB limit on the size of each file.

* Cannot preview files before transferring to the cloud storage.

* Charge additional fees for live technical support.

* Very expensive to use.

* Difficult to cancel the subscription.

* Inadequate features.

Bonus: To transfer contacts from iPhone to iPhone without iCloud, you might try several ways, but luckily, this article will give you 5 useful methods to do the contact transfer.

Top 7. Amazon Cloud Drive

Amazon Cloud Drive, or Amazon Drive, is another good iCloud for Android alternative. This service offers secure cloud storage, file backup, sharing and management on web browsers, desktop, mobiles and tablets. Besides, US users can purchase photo prints and books via its prints service. In addition, it also provides free and unlimited photo storage if you are an Amazon Prime subscriber or Kindle Fire user. Also, it offers 5GB free storage.

Supported devices:

* Part of Android phones, iDevices, Windows and Mac computer

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Pros:

* Clear and user-friendly interface.

* Quick and easy sharing options.

* Best app for Fire TV or Kindle Fire tablet users.

* Automatically back up images or videos from mobile phones to Drive without notification.

Cons:

* Cannot share folders nor sync files.

* The desktop app has limited features and no intuitive interface.

* Lack of basic features, such as file versioning, schedule backup, etc.

* The update from Amazon Cloud Drive to Amazon Photos makes it a bit confusing.

* The plans are not 100% clear for users when first purchasing.

* The uploaded files will not belong to you if you are no longer a Prime version subscriber.

* A bit expensive than other similar Android versions of iCloud.

Tips: With these practical methods, you can easily transmit iCloud backup data to Android.

Top 8. Samsung Cloud

Finally, what does Samsung use instead of iCloud? Well, Samsung Cloud on Samsung device is an exact iCloud equivalent for Samsung, which can back up, restore and manage Samsung files easily. The file types it supports to back up and restore embrace calendars, contacts, call history, clock, home screen (layout, wallpapers and screen settings), apps, settings, messages, music and documents. Furthermore, you can also delete or restore the deleted Gallery files from Samsung Cloud.

Supported devices:

* Currently available on Samsung smartphones: Galaxy Z Flip 5G/Z Flip/Fold/S20/S20+/S20 Ultra/S20/S10+/S10e/S9/S9+/S8/S8+/Active/S6/S6+/S6 Edge/Active/Note 20/Note 20 Ultra/Note 10/Note 9/Note 8/Note 5/Note 4/Note Edge/J3 (2016, 2017)/J7 (2016, 2017).

* Currently supported Samsung tablets: Galaxy View2/Tab S7/S7+/Tab S5E/Tab S4/Tab S3/Tab S2/Tab A.

* Web browser: Google Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Safari, Internet Explorer, etc.

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Pros:

* Offer 15GB free storage for new Samsung users excluding Verizon customers.

* Sync data on multiple devices at the same time.

* Able to create personal links of selected files and share it to other people.

Cons:

* Only the data stored in internal memory can be synced to Samsung Cloud.

* Samsung Cloud does not support to back up important data stored in the third-party apps on Android anymore.

* Only work well with new devices and do not support all Samsung models.

* Unavailable on Verizon devices.

Conclusion

iCloud is a classic and successful feature on iPhone, while Android also has its own iCloud for Android alternatives. Have you decided which iCloud equivalent for Android to use after reading this article? Well, this article compares top 8 Android versions of iCloud about their features, compatibilities, pros and cons from users.

As I have tried all above iCloud equivalents for Android devices before I compose this article, I highly recommend you to try Samsung Messages Backup, the best iCloud alternative for Android, or Samsung Backup and Restore, which are similar to iCloud in features, one-click operation, highly secure and fast to sync. While other apps lack of basic features or not easy to use. Of course, you can try other Android versions of iCloud if you are interested.

Meanwhile, if you encounter any problem during use, feel free to leave a comment below.

Related Articles:

Samsung Manager - How to Manage Samsung Easily in 4 Top Methods

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How to Back Up and Restore Android Phone/Tablet on Computer? (5 Ways)

How to Transfer Contacts from Android to Android in 2023? [Solved]

How to Transfer Files Between Huawei and Computer? (2 Ways)

Android Manager to Manage Files on Windows/Mac

 
Sophie Green Chief Editor

Sophie Green, Chief Editor of Samsung-messages-backup website, has been focusing on the realm of Android Recovery, Android Transfer (Backup), Android Device Tips, Phone Clean, and Phone Transfer technologies. Recognized contributions on leading platforms attest to her esteemed expertise and reliability.