Apple says free iCloud storage to end for former MobileMe users

The free ride’s over, MobileMe users.

Apple has begun informing users of its now defunct cloud-storage service, MobileMe, that they will no longer have the complimentary storage space on iCloud they’ve enjoyed the past two years.

When Apple introduced iCloud, a cloud storage service that replaced MobileMe, it allowed MobileMe customers to have 25 gigabytes of storage free even though iCloud only offered 5 GB free to new customers.

Apple said the gesture was an expression of its appreciation for MobileMe users who paid $99 per year for the service. The gesture was extended beyond September 2012, the date the free storage was initially supposed to end.

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The Cupertino tech giant, though, is now telling former MobileMe users that the complimentary storage will finally end Sept. 30.

Apple encourages former MobileMe users to reduce their iCloud storage below 5 GB before the deadline or purchase additional space.

“If the storage you’re using in iCloud exceeds the total storage available, iCloud Backup, Documents in the Cloud, and iCloud Mail will temporarily stop working,� an Apple page reads.

Users can get an additional 10 GB for $20 a year; 20 GB for $40, or 50 GB for $100.

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