Subscription to Apple work apps.

Numbers and Pages do not require a subscription to sync content to iCloud. What will require a subscription is if you have stored more than the 5GB of free content given to every Apple Account, and that is an iCloud subscription for any content stored there, not just Numbers and Pages.

Use this Support Article to see how much space you have available in iCloud and steps to take that will help you reduce the amount of content being stored there where it may be possible to free up enough space where you would not need to purchase an additional plan.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/108922

iCloud is a syncing service that is not required. You can still choose to save documents on your device and manually send them to other devices. If you want the convenience of having content automatically synced, that is something you will have to pay for when you want to use it for content beyond the free 5GB.

What do you mean by taken offline?

Apple's Pages, Numbers and Keynote still work fine, and connect to iCloud without any subscription. They have not been taken offline in any way, shape or form. They can save still save to iCloud just fine.

The new versions, starting with version 15, will offer a subscription for extra features, but there is nothing that requires you to subscribe to them. You can keep using them without the subscription perfectly fine.

They will continue to save files to iCloud without issue.

If you are having a specific issue with them, then please explain what that is. I can assure you Apple is not doing what you assume they are doing.

If you tell us exactly what is not working or what is happening, we may be able to help you resolve it.

• Do you have Low Power Mode turned on at  > System Settings > Battery > Low Power Mode?
• Is your Battery Indicator in the menu bar yellow?
• Do you have Low Data Mode turned on for your WiFi network at  > System Settings > WiFi > [Details] > Low Data Mode?
• Do you have Numbers allowing iCloud at  > System Settings > [name on top] > iCloud > [see all] > iCloud Drive > Apps Syncing to iCloud Drive > Numbers?

It is clear you have a syncing issue, but not sure what subscription you are referring to in order to sync. There is a subscription for Numbers, but that is only to enable AI features or custom Templates, that were never an option when using the previous versions and not required for syncing.

You said you have no VPN on. That is different than not having one at all as mentioned previously. Turning a VPN off is not likely to resolve a syncing issue, since those network altering processes are still running on your Mac. The best way to verify that there are no networking altering processes installed on your computer, post the free EtreCheck report. It does not contain any personal information. There certainly could be something there that worked in previous OS versions that is not compatible with a newly updated OS, or the third party app needs updating as well.

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-250000211

Review the collaboration requirements here:

• Both you and the person you are collaborating with must have iCloud Drive turned on.
• Both you and the person you are collaborating with must meet the minimum System Requirements, for example a Mac must be using Mac OS 26 or later.
• You must have an internet connection.

https://support.apple.com/guide/numbers/intro-to-collaboration-tan0bbbf4c04/mac

Collaborating is different than the syncing to your iCloud account where it is a document that is both visible and editable on other devices using the same Apple Account. If you have a VPN installed, that may interfere with both collaborating and automatic syncing to iCloud. For a Mac with a VPN, you would likely need to uninstall it instead of just turning it off, since the background processes that interfere with the network connection still run when it is turned off.

I don't see the message to subscribe that you referenced earlier, so it is not clear what you were referring to there. The first screenshot would be expected for collaboration when your Mac is not using OS 26 or later. I would also expect that and the message below it when there is no internet connection, or a third party app such as a VPN/Anitvirus preventing the syncing of the document to iCloud.

So, first it pops up this

Then, I manually sync my folders and it gives me the icon saying it's synced. Then, it unsyncs (I can watch the icon change in front of me) and gives me this:

It also reverted my spreadsheets I worked on and saved on the same computer back to prior versions.

My shared folders and documents used to sync automatically for years. I have extra icloud storage to use for work. I mainly use it to sync between my MacBook, iMac, iPad and iPhone. It's worked perfectly for years. Since the last OS update, not only does it not do that anymore, it will revert stuff I've saved back to prior versions with old data.

On my documents, I can pull them up and the sync icon is there for a few moments, then it reverts to the non-synced icon of a cloud with strike-through.

If I click to resolve it, it gives me this

What used to automatically sync does not anymore. I have no VPN on. I have full signal strength for wifi.

I don't have VPN. I already pay for extra icloud.

Good questions!

1. No
2. No
3. No
4. All of the work apps like Numbers, Pages, etc., are showing as syncing to iCloud