Windows Phone 8.1: Setting Up iCloud Email, Calendars And Contacts

Finally, Microsoft succeeded in setting up iCloud email, calendars and contacts on Windows Phone 8.1. Getting iCloud email and iCloud calendars running on Windows Phone 7 and Windows Phone 8 is a hardship. Getting iCloud contacts working is impossible, because Windows Phone 8 Update 2 (GDR 2) supports CalDAV and CardDAV only for Google contacts and calendars. However, coming with Windows Phone 8.1, iCloud email, calendars and contacts are easily set up and working seamlessly with read and write. The ‘read-only’ detour over Google calendar subscription or Outlook.com calendar subscription is not necessary anymore.

Setting up iCloud on Windows Phone 8.1_iCloud settings contacts-calendars

Here’s how to set up iCloud email, calendars and contacts on Windows Phone 8.1:

1. Go to ‘Settings‘ > ‘email+accounts‘ and tap on ‘add an account‘.
   

   Setting up iCloud on Windows Phone 8.1_01_add an account

2. Select ‘iCloud‘.
   

   Setting up iCloud on Windows Phone 8.1_02_Choosing iCloud

3. Fill in your iCloud email address (prefer to take your …@icloud.com address) and your iCloud email password and tap on ‘sign in‘.
   

   Setting up iCloud on Windows Phone 8.1_03_sign in

4. Now you see the email accounts screen and your iCloud account syncing. Done!
   

   Setting up iCloud on Windows Phone 8.1_04_syncing

Tap & hold on your iCloud account to either sync or delete your iCloud account. Tap on your iCloud account to access the iCloud settings for changing the syncing interval or the deselected the iCloud calendar or contacts integration.

Pushing on ‘advanced settings‘ delivers the contacts server (CalDAV) name and calendar server (CalDAV) name: contacts.icloud.com and p06-caldav.icloud.com.

Setting up iCloud on Windows Phone 8.1_iCloud advanced settings CardDAV-CalDAV

In addition to Google contacts and iCloud calendars, Windows Phone 8.1 supports iCloud calendars and iCloud contacts by CalDAV and CardDAV protocols at last. I cannot understand why it took a so long time for Microsoft to get this issues solved. There must have been a change in mind because there was a time where a Microsoft forums moderator stated ‘We Don’t Support 3rd Party Calendars‘…

Stay Tuned! 😉