Valentine’s Day have to be coming, as Apple is admittedly displaying Home windows customers some love this week. Along with the discharge of standalone Apple Music and Apple TV apps, Apple has utterly overhauled the iCloud expertise for Home windows customers.
The brand new Apple Music and Apple TV apps not solely sign that iTunes’ days are lastly numbered; in addition they carry native Apple TV+ assist to Home windows customers for the primary time. Prior to now, the one approach Home windows customers may take pleasure in Apple’s authentic programming was to open television.apple.com in a browser. Now, Apple TV for Home windows delivers the identical capabilities that Mac customers have been capable of take pleasure in since Apple TV+ launched in 2019.
Alongside related traces, Apple’s new iCloud for Home windows replace lastly lets iPhone customers preferring to reside in Microsoft’s world on their desktops take pleasure in significantly better safety by unlocking the usage of {hardware} safety keys.
You’ve been capable of affiliate a Safety Key together with your Apple ID since iOS 16.3 got here early final 12 months. It’s an effective way to make sure that solely you possibly can log in to your Apple ID, however the catch is that every one the gadgets you employ together with your iCloud account need to assist it. Which means iOS 16.3, iPadOS 16.3, or macOS Ventura 13.2.
Nonetheless, Apple customers on Home windows had been unnoticed of the get together since iCloud for Home windows didn’t assist safety keys. They may nonetheless allow it, however doing so would lower off their PCs from any entry to iCloud.
Fortunately, Apple has addressed this in iCloud for Home windows 15, as famous in an up to date assist doc on utilizing Safety Keys together with your Apple ID. This provides an additional layer to Apple’s Superior Knowledge Safety, which helps you to end-to-end encrypt almost every thing in your iCloud account and has included Home windows customers since its inception, because it was added to iCloud for Home windows 14.1 in December 2022.
Along with safety enhancements, iCloud for Home windows 15 sports activities a completely new design that’s greater than only a contemporary coat of paint. Let’s face it, prior variations appeared like they had been perpetually caught within the bygone period of Home windows 8, and the person expertise was not simply substandard — it was decidedly un-Apple-like, as if the Cupertino firm was passive-aggressively making an attempt to punish iPhone customers for being on Home windows.
That each one adjustments with this newest model, which seems like a correct Home windows app for the fashionable period, and in addition presents a a lot simpler onboarding expertise, sooner picture syncing, and fewer nagging sign-in prompts. You’ll additionally be capable to see the standing of your iCloud sync.
Syncing contacts and calendars with Outlook has at all times been one of many ache factors in iCloud for Home windows, however Apple has promised that is a lot improved — so long as you’re operating the newest model of Home windows 11, which is 22H2 as of this writing.
Aside from the brand new design, which is way nicer to take a look at, iCloud for Home windows helps you to plug iCloud Drive into Home windows File Explorer, see your iCloud Pictures in a folder view there as effectively, and even create iCloud Shared Albums like you possibly can in your iPhone. The iCloud Passwords app, which was added to the suite in 2021, additionally offers you quick access to your iCloud Keychain, together with your Passkeys, assuming you’re not already utilizing an alternate password supervisor like 1Password or Sticky Password.
If you happen to’re already utilizing iCloud for Home windows, you need to get the model 15 replace robotically, however if you happen to’ve by no means tried it or uninstalled it in frustration and disgust, it’s price trying out once more.