Apple Upgrading Existing iCloud Subscribers to More Affordable Plans

Just a day after unveiling new pricing for iCloud, Apple has begun emailing existing iCloud subscribers to notify them that the company is upgrading their accounts to the new price points and will be refunding them the difference. However, users will be allowed to keep the same storage sizes.

For example, a user subscribed to the 25 GB plan, which is no longer an option under the new iCloud pricing, will have their price reduced from $40 a year to $11.99 a year. The discounted price is in line with the new $0.99 a month price for 20 GB, although established iCloud customers do get an extra 5 GB. However, once a user changes their plan away from "legacy plans" like the 25 GB, they cannot return to them.

Apple says the new price points are in effect due to iCloud Drive, which lets users store and access data from any of their devices. The launch of both iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite will see the launch of iCloud Drive this fall.