Do I Need To Sync "Mail" To iCloud Drive?

[desertman]

I just noticed that Mail is part of my iCloud Drive synchronization. Do I really have to do that?

Should my IMAP mail (including one icloud.com email address) not anyway be synchronized across my devices?

Or is icloud.com IMAP mail only working through iCloud Drive?

Thanks. Desertman

 

[revmacian]

I just noticed that Mail is part of my iCloud Drive synchronization. Do I really have to do that?

Should my IMAP mail (including one icloud.com email address) not anyway be synchronized across my devices?

Or is icloud.com IMAP mail only working through iCloud Drive?

Thanks. Desertman

I have two iPhones, an iPad Air and two macs and I’ve never had to sync mail.. mail has always synced on its own.

 

[adrianlondon]

Maybe it's for the "maildrop" function to store large attachments?

 

[desertman]

Yes, that is correct. However, the mail from IMAP email addresses has to be stored somewhere on a server - and the question here is whether the storage of mails from icloud.com addresses (in my case taking up several GB's) is part of the iCloud Drive storage (which I now, after writing it down here, think is the case).

 

[jpn]

Yes, that is correct. However, the mail from IMAP email addresses has to be stored somewhere on a server - and the question here is whether the storage of mails from icloud.com addresses (in my case taking up several GB's) is part of the iCloud Drive storage (which I now, after writing it down here, think is the case).

i think you're right.
keeping email on apple's iCloud server does count towards yr iCloud Drive storage.
syncing by itself, doesn't count per se, but keeping those messages in the cloud does count.

in my case i use iCloud Drive for Documents & Desktop, and Photos storage and access across all devices.
but for email i only really use the mail syncing part, to ensure that once my mac fetches mail it actually downloads it to folders on my mac local drive, removing it from the server, keeping it locally as my mail permanent storage.
for temporary or mid-term mail that i need for anytime/anywhere reference, i do keep some mail Archived on the iCloud server but not a whole lot.

 

[nicho]

Yes, that is correct. However, the mail from IMAP email addresses has to be stored somewhere on a server - and the question here is whether the storage of mails from icloud.com addresses (in my case taking up several GB's) is part of the iCloud Drive storage (which I now, after writing it down here, think is the case).

It is indeed the case:

 

[adrianlondon]

iCloud Mail takes up some of the 5GB of iCloud storage one gets, but it's still separate to iCloud Drive (which also takes up part of the 5GB). Same with backups, contacts, calendars etc.

 

[BrianBaughn]

I thought that if "Mail" was on for "APPS USING ICLOUD" that iCloud is just saving/storing/backing up/syncing the login information for all your email accounts…so that if you restore from an iCloud backup you don't have to re-enter your credentials.

 

[Hawaiian Starman]

Mail is separate from other iCloud functions. Nothing has to be done for its synchronization with other related devices as long as those other devices mail a/c's are setup in the same fashion. And as others have said, its file size is included in your overall iCloud plan.