Apple Reportedly Storing Over 8 Million Terabytes of iCloud Data on Google Servers
Apple has dramatically increased the amount of iCloud user data it stores on Google Cloud, according to The Information.

The report claims Apple now has over eight million terabytes of data stored on Google's servers. As of mid-May, Apple was reportedly on track to spend around $300 million on Google cloud storage services this year, which would represent an increase of roughly 50% from all of 2020. Apple is said to be the largest corporate client for Google Cloud, dwarfing other high-profile customers like Spotify.
Google Cloud staffers have apparently even given Apple an internal code name that hints at its size as a customer: "Bigfoot."
Apple relies on a combination of its own data centers and third-party cloud storage services, such as Google Cloud and Amazon Web Services, to store iCloud user data like photos and messages. Apple does not provide third-party cloud storage providers with the keys to decrypt user data stored on their servers, ensuring a strong level of security.
The report speculates that Apple's increased use of Google Cloud suggests the company's rising cloud storage requirements have outpaced its ability to develop and operate its own data centers needed to handle the resulting data.
Related Stories
Apple may be planning to rival Amazon, Google, and Microsoft with its own cloud infrastructure services, according to a speculative report by Protocol.
The report highlights the fact that Apple has initiated an aggressive cloud computing hiring spree, selecting a range of well-known software engineers working in a range of cloud technologies such as containers and Kubernetes. The hires...
Adobe today announced the launch of Creative Cloud Express, an app and web-based service that allows for drag-and-drop content creation, ranging from social media posts to marketing materials like logos, flyers, and banners. Creative Cloud Express offers thousands of templates, 20,000 fonts, 175 million royalty-free Adobe stock images, and other design assets. "Quick Actions" powered by...
Wednesday December 22, 2021 7:29 am PST by
Sami FathiAccording to a new survey, more users trust Amazon and Google to handle their personal user data and internet browsing activity than Apple, while users overwhelmingly distrust Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram.
The survey conducted by The Washington Post sampled over 1,000 internet users in the U.S. about how much they trust Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, Google, Microsoft,...
Google has announced early access to Chrome OS Flex, a method of replacing the operating system on older PCs and Macs "within minutes" to essentially turn them into Chromebooks. The company is encouraging individuals, schools, and businesses to download Chrome OS Flex so they can "easily try modern computing with cloud-based management" while extending the lifespan of older devices, thereby ...
Back in 2017, Sony was planning to launch the PlayStation Now cloud gaming service on mobile phones, according to a leaked document sourced from the Epic v. Apple trial by The Verge.
An Apple document referenced an unannounced "mobile extension of an existing streaming service for PlayStation users, streaming access to over 450+ PS3 games to start, with PS4 games to follow."
No such...
Due to limitations surrounding the distribution of cloud gaming services on the App Store, Facebook is bringing its gaming service to iOS users through a progressive web app starting today, reports The Verge.
Apple's App Store guidelines don't permit cloud-game-based apps to appear on the platform unless developers submit each app offered in the service individually for review. The...
Friday November 26, 2021 2:16 am PST by
Sami FathiApple and Google were today fined 10 million euros ($11 million) by Italy's Competition Authority for allegedly using user data for commercial purposes without their explicit consent, an apparent violation of Italy's Consumer Code.
The authority claims that both Apple and Google utilize user data they collect through their services for promotional and economic activity without the user's...
The Google One app for iPhone and iPad appears to have mysteriously disappeared from the App Store this morning, and it is no longer available for download.
As noted on Reddit, attempting to download the Google One app in the United States and Canada pops up an error message that says "App Not Available."
It is not clear why the app has been removed from the App Store at this time, and...
Popular Stories
Earlier this week, The Information's Wayne Ma outlined struggles that Apple has faced during the development of its long-rumored AR/VR headset. Now, in a follow-up report, he has shared several additional details about the wearable device. Apple headset render created by Ian Zelbo based on The Information reporting For starters, one of the headset's marquee features is said to be lifelike...
While Apple's early M1-based Macs can only officially support a single external display, there are ways around the limitation. Anker is launching a new 10-in-1 USB-C docking station today which delivers just that.
The Anker 563 USB-C dock includes two HDMI ports and a DisplayPort port, and it leverages DisplayLink to carry multiple video signals over a single connection. Given that this hub...
Apple today shared a new ad highlighting iPhone privacy features like App Tracking Transparency and Mail Privacy Protection that are designed to give users more transparency and control when it comes to their personal data being collected.
The ad revolves around a young woman named Ellie who discovers that her personal data is being sold at an auction house, with bids being placed on her...
The Apple Watch Series 8 could feature an all-new design with a flat display, according to the leaker known as "ShrimpApplePro."
In his latest video on the YouTube channel Front Page Tech, Jon Prosser highlighted information from ShrimpApplePro that suggests the Apple Watch Series 8 could feature a flat display in what seems to be a design originally rumored for the Apple Watch Series 7. ...
Sony this week came out with an updated version of its popular over-ear noise canceling headphones, so we picked up a pair to compare them to the AirPods Max to see which headphones are better and whether it's worth buying the $400 WH-1000XM5 from Sony over Apple's $549 AirPods Max.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. First of all, the AirPods Max win out when it comes ...
With around four months to go before Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 14 lineup, the overwhelming majority of rumors related to the new devices so far have focused on the iPhone 14 Pro, rather than the standard iPhone 14 – leading to questions about how different the iPhone 14 will actually be from its predecessor, the iPhone 13.
The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max are expected...
Apple last week demonstrated its upcoming AR/VR headset to Apple board members, indicating that the device is in an advanced stage of development and could see a debut in the not too distant future, reports Bloomberg. Apple has also ramped up development of the software that runs on the headset, with that software expected to be called "RealityOS," or rOS for short. Render via designer Ian ...
Top Rated Comments
Google doesn't have access to the data. What's a shame?
Apple does not provide third-party cloud storage providers with the keys to decrypt user data stored on their servers, ensuring a strong level of security.