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Cloud Agent on android devices is a pre-installed system or service that serves to upload pictures and other items in the Gallery on your phone to a cloud-based space. Cloud Agent is only available on certain models of Samsung devices.
This means that Cloud Agent automatically uploads items from your Samsung phone’s Gallery to your Samsung account, given that you have created one and allowed Cloud Agent access to the account.
Much like Dropbox, Cloud Agent requires internet availability to backup your files into your Samsung account (as do all other cloud storage). This creates a copy of the same file, the original that initially existed and the other one created by Cloud Agent.
Which android phones come with Cloud Agent?
Cloud Agent comes pre-built into certain Samsung handsets. Although you may not find Cloud Agent in the newer and latest versions of Samsung phones, the system was pre-built in the older Samsung phones such as Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and Samsung Galaxy Avant.
The basic function of Cloud Agent on Samsung phones was (is) to upload photos taken by the native Samsung camera from the device’s memory to a Samsung account (if the device owner has one).
Cloud Agent Integration with Dropbox
Although we are not sure why Samsung added Cloud Agent even though it already had the famous cloud service, Dropbox pre-installed in most handsets (even the old ones), Cloud Agent can easily be integrated with Dropbox.
Upon integration with Dropbox, Cloud Agent is capable of syncing images to the device gallery.
To enable successful integration of Cloud Agent with Dropbox, turn on ‘Camera Upload’ in Dropbox. This will make two copies of the same image on your Samsung device.
This translates to the device storing the ‘actual’ picture and Cloud Agent storing a copy of the ‘actual picture’ in its storage space.
Advantages of Cloud Agent on Android
Is it any good to have Cloud Agent on your Samsung device? The answer is yes; there are a handful of advantages that Cloud Agent has to offer. Beyond cloning the items in your Gallery and creating a failsafe for when any of the important data gets lost, Cloud Agent provides the following advantages:
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Easily usable and accessible
Cloud Agent, like all other cloud-based storage, has a simple interface and provides an easy drag and drop feature for any item in your Samsung Gallery. This makes Cloud Agent easy to use.
Besides ease of usability, Cloud Agent is also incredibly easily accessible. Since it creates a copy of the items in your Gallery to your Samsung account, you can easily import any video file, GIF, or pictures to a new device. The only prerequisite is that the device that you want to import the items from Cloud Agent must have your Samsung account (which you connected to Cloud gent) logged in.
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Cost-efficient
Cloud Agent is a pre-built service in myriad Samsung devices that can be used free of cost. Not only is Cloud Agent free, but it also gives a few great cloud-based storage options a huge run for their premium prices.
If you have a limited number of important files that you want to create a clone for, Cloud Agent can easily manage the same, while a number of cloud-based storage charge for it.
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Automation
We can not begin to explain how pestering it would have been to manually create a backup clone for all the files in your Gallery. Thus, the automatic uploading of files, images, videos, etc., saves you from the tedious amount of work you will have to do to manually upload each file onto the Cloud Agent if it wasn’t automated.
The automation also works to the user’s advantage since the app does not have to intervene in the other tasks being performed, and the upload takes place remotely in the background.
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Synchronization and Convenience
Just like any other cloud vendor, Cloud Agent provides synchronization, so you can sync your data, be it images, files, or videos, to any device you want. As long as you have the credentials to log into your Samsung account on a new device you want to sync your data onto, Cloud Agent can easily sync and make your files accessible on the device. All changes made to the files in your storage are synced on all devices that have access to these said files.
Apart from synchronization, Cloud Agent also provides feasibility. Unlike other times when you have to copy your files into a hard drive or flash drive and then connect it to the device you want to view your data on, Cloud Agent does it all online.
You do not need an external drive to view your data, and all that is required is an internet connection to surf your data, which will not occupy any space on the device either.
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Disaster Recovery
In case of data loss, you will always have a backup copy of all your items in the Gallery in your Samsung account, since Cloud Agent makes a copy of every item in the Gallery to a safe space (your account, in this case) which is isolated from any sort of data loss.
Similar to Dropbox and other cloud-based storage, Cloud Agent provides an efficient method of disaster recovery for retrieving data.
Disadvantages of Cloud Agent on Android
Although Cloud Agent is a fairly decent cloud-based storage system in Samsung devices, it has its own set of disadvantages too:
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Takes up too much space
The most significant issue with Cloud Agent is that it eats up a colossal amount of space on your android device, which can cause issues with storage management. Since you have a copy of items from your Gallery in the Cloud Agent’s folder located on your device, Cloud Agent takes up a lot of space.
This can slow down certain operations on the device while also creating complexities such as irregular freezing and the device running out of storage space. When you run out of storage space on your device, it is likely to lag and work slower than usual.
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Requires internet availability
As for all cloud-based storage, Cloud Agent depends on the internet to upload your files on the cloud and create a copy of the same. The internet dependency is not a problem as long as you have enough data to perform your chores while also being able to spend a little extra on creating a copy of the files for Cloud Agent.
However, with limited internet or no internet at all, Cloud Agent may be an obsolete service for your android device.
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Can cause errors on the device
If you are a Samsung user with Cloud Agent pre-built into your device’s system, you are highly likely to find your device popping up an error message that says, “Unfortunately CloudAgent has stopped.”
Although we are not very solid on what triggers the error, the instigator is Cloud Agent, which interferes with the system’s regular operation. If you have Cloud Agent on your device, you could commonly face this error when you are browsing your Gallery. However, the error message also often pops up when browsing other applications or on the lock screen.
How to fix the “Unfortunately CloudAgent has stopped” error?
If you do the maths, it isn’t hard to understand that the error “Unfortunately CloudAgent has stopped” only affects Samsung devices (since Cloud Agent is only pre-built on Samsung devices). The problem occurs when you have Cloud Agent enabled (once enabled, Cloud Agent keeps running in the background for automatic upload of items from the Gallery to the cloud) and suddenly stops working.
Although we could not get to the very root of the problem, it is easily inferable that the problem has something to do with the automatic uploading and synchronization of pictures from the Samsung Gallery to Dropbox.
The error causes a crash on the device. So, what do you do? Of course, disabling the service is an easy fix, but here’s the catch: the photos from your Dropbox won’t be available for viewing on your Gallery. You can still, however, access your images and videos in Dropbox itself.
So, along with disabling Cloud Agent, below we have enlisted a few workarounds that can help in resolving the error:
Sign out and sign in again into Cloud Agent
Cloud Agent integrates itself with your Samsung device’s native interface using the Gallery on your phone. This means your Gallery is likely to crash if you face the error “Unfortunately CloudAgent has stopped.” The easiest way to try and fix the problem is to sign out and in to Cloud Agent.
This will require you to clear data of the service from the device. Follow the steps below:
- Go to Settings on your Samsung device.
- Open Application Manager; depending on your device’s model, it could be named differently.
- Once in the Application Manager, scroll down until you find Cloud Agent. Tap on it.
- Open storage, and right under the storage, look for ‘Clear Data’ and ‘Clear Cache.’
- Tap on each of them, one after the other. This will log you out of the Cloud Agent, and you will need to log in again.
- Restart your Samsung device.
- Once fully rebooted, navigate to the App menu on your android device and open the Cloud Agent service in it.
- You will be prompted to sign in again. Sign in using your credentials.
- When prompted to integrate Cloud Agent with the Samsung device, skip it.
Update the app
Updating the app may help fix the problem, especially if it has not been updated in a while. If there is an update available for Cloud Agent, maybe it’s time to finally stop contemplating and hit the ‘update’ button. A number of apps, besides Cloud Agent, may start misbehaving if there have been changes in the system, but the app has not been updated in sync yet.
Besides, if there was a bug in the last update of Cloud Agent that is causing the error “Unfortunately CloudAgent has stopped,” updating to the latest version should resolve the issue. Here is how you can update Cloud Agent (if updates are available):
- Go to the Settings on your device.
- Go to the ‘About Phone section in the Settings.
- Check for updates in the ‘Updates’ section.
- Click on ‘Update’ after going through the information provided about what system services shall be updated in the overall update. If you find Cloud Agent listed as one of the services included in the update, update the whole system right away.
- Restart your device to check if the issue has revolved.
Force Stop and Restart CloudAgent
Cloud Agent, in general, deals with the integration of built-in cloud (in Samsung devices, itself) and third-party cloud-based storage such as Dropbox, OneDrive, etc.
Force stopping Cloud Agent and restarting it can help troubleshoot the error and hopefully relieve your android device of the very obvious bug. Here is how you can do it:
- Open Settings and go to Application Manager.
- Tap on ‘All Apps’ or ‘Select All’ depending on your phone’s model.
- Navigate to Cloud Agent on the list and then tap on ‘Clear Data.
- Next, tap on ‘Force Stop’ and then restart your device.
Note: This will prevent integration of Cloud Agent with Dropbox, and other cloud-based apps if present on the phone and thus, help fix the problem that often pops up when you open Gallery.
Reset to factory settings
If none of the methods above have worked and you are still struggling with the same unpleasantry named “Unfortunately CloudAgent has stopped,” resetting to Factory Settings is probably your last resort.
Before proceeding with this method, make sure to create a backup for all your essential files since your device will restore back to its original state (as it was when it came with the
Here is how you can perform a factory reset on your Samsung device that is troubled with the error “Unfortunately CloudAgent has stopped”:
- Go to Settings and open Backup and Restore.
- Next, go to ‘Factory Data Reset’ and tap on ‘Reset Device.’
- Next up, tap on ‘Erase Everything.’ You will be prompted to enter your passcode, PIN, or pattern if you have activated a lock on your phone. Enter the same to confirm the factory reset and begin the process.
- Upon tapping on ‘Erase Everything,’ the process will take about 5-10 minutes to complete.
- This will also reboot your device. Upon reboot, you can follow the instructions on-screen to set up your factory reset device.
Should You Keep Cloud Agent on your Android Device?
Whether or not you should keep Cloud Agent on your android device is completely up to you. If you ask us, we would say you are better off without it.
Although Cloud Agent is decently useful in creating backup files for items in your Gallery, the disadvantages far outweigh the advantages (at least in our opinion).
Not only is Cloud Agent a resource hogger, but it can often cause errors on your android device, the most significant and troublesome being the “Unfortunately CloudAgent has stopped” error.
Besides, if you already have third-party cloud-based storage available on your android device, Cloud Agent will probably be rendered useless – if you are comparing Dropbox and Cloud Agent, the former wins by far.
It is worth noting that Cloud Agent is a system service, which means it can not be uninstalled. You can only disable it or turn it off, the steps of which are mentioned below.
How to Turn off Cloud Agent in Android?
- Go to Settings and then go to Application Manager.
- From the list of applications and services, select ‘Cloud Agent.’
- Tap on ‘Force Stop’ to force stop the Cloud Agent from running in the background.
- Alternatively, you can also disable it as well. Go back to step 2 and then tap on ‘Disable’ instead of ‘Force Stop’ to disable the service.
If you have a rooted phone, you can easily freeze the service on your android device and even remove it from your phone altogether.
