iCloud Drive is a new tool from Apple that allows you to work with any documents on a user-friendly device. Anyone who has updated their device to iOS 8 and has an iCloud account can use iCloud Drive.
There are a few basic things you need to understand before upgrading to iCloud Drive. Firstly, devices running versions of iOS, OS X and Windows that do not support iCloud Drive will not allow you to access files stored in the cloud. In particular, this applies to Mac owners running OS X Mavericks, for whom there are two options: either update to one of the beta versions of OS X Yosemite, or wait for the official release of the new operating system for Mac.
Secondly, iCloud Drive is currently only available to owners of computers running Windows. Yes, iCloud Drive beta has not yet been released on OS X Yosemite; apparently, Apple is testing the software and bringing it to fruition.
Well, and thirdly, the cost of additional “cloud” space has been reduced compared to the old version of iCloud. For 20 additional GB, users will have to pay 39 rubles per month, for 200 GB - 149 rubles per month, and 500 GB and 1TB will cost 379 rubles and 749 rubles per month, respectively. The first 5 GB of space are completely free.
Now that we’ve sorted out the theoretical part, it’s time to start taking active steps to set up and use iCloud Drive.
What is iCloud Drive?
A service for storing your files in the iCloud cloud. It can be anything - a document, presentation, book in PDF format, photographs, musical compositions, etc. You upload content to iCloud Drive and then:
- You can access it from any Apple device (iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac) or even from a PC.
- Synchronize files and folders - information on all devices is updated automatically.
- Create new files and folders (in iCloud-compatible programs).
- You can work (edit) on the same file in different programs.
In other words, iCloud Drive is a cloud service for storing, synchronizing and distributing data. The closest analogues are Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, Yandex.Disk, etc.
It’s worth noting here that iCloud Drive has nothing to do with data whose synchronization is enabled in iCloud settings (contacts, calendars, Safari data, Keychain Access, etc.). In other words, iCloud Drive does not store the above data.
ON TOPIC: Backup in iCloud and iCloud Drive, what is the difference?
Saving iPhone data before resetting your account
Before you disable synchronization on your iPhone with iCloud, you need to save your personal information in a backup copy. For this:
- In “settings” select the user name.
- Go to the ICloud section.
- At the bottom of the list of commands, go to the “iCloud Backup” item.
- Select the “Create backup” command.
After the transaction is completed, the account can be reset or the cloud can be disabled.
How to enable iCloud Drive?
When setting up a new iOS device, you will be prompted to enable the service. On an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch with iOS 8 and later, the service can be enabled by going to Settings -> iCloud -> Update to iCloud Drive , sign in with your Apple ID and select iCloud Drive.
On a Mac, open System Preferences (the icon in the Dock or through the Apple menu in the upper left corner) -> iCloud . Check box next to iCloud Drive .
In iCloud.com (the web version of iCloud), select Pages, Numbers, or Keynote and click Upgrade to iCloud Drive .
Windows
iCloud Drive on the Microsoft operating system works with a special tool downloaded from the official website. No settings are needed. The developers offer to quickly log in using your personal data from your Apple ID, and then begin creative or constructive activities.
After setup, the “iCloud Photos” tab will appear in the operating system’s Explorer. There you can upload stale images and photos from your vacation. But with documents, everything is complicated - you can download some parts, but you won’t be able to quickly get them, edit them and rewrite them - there’s too much hassle.
How to access files saved in iCloud Drive?
On an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch, there is a standard iCloud Drive application, which is a file manager that allows you to access files stored in cloud storage.
On your Mac, open Finder . There will be a folder in the side menu called iCloud Drive. On a PC, use iCloud for Windows .
You can also access your files in the cloud on the iCloud.com website (you must log in from your computer). You will be required to enter your Apple ID and password.
ON TOPIC: All the secrets of iOS and macOS.
When cloud shutdown is dangerous
The iCloud cloud service for Apple has not only advantages, but also disadvantages. On the one hand, it is convenient to use for storing files, on the other hand, the data is not protected from accidental deletion.
So, when cleaning the smartphone’s memory, you can also lose the data you previously saved in the online service. And vice versa. This link can only be removed by disabling the storage. If you refuse the “cloud”, deleted photos from your phone will remain in iCloud.
Important! If the service is disabled, new smartphone photos will no longer be uploaded to it.
To refuse synchronization:
- Open Settings.
- Select your name at the top of the menu.
- Click on the “iCloud” section.
- Select "off" next to the "Photo" item.
Disabling the service will not lead to the deletion of files stored on it. They can also be accessed by logging into the system from any Apple device, or using the web version.
You should only be careful when disabling the cloud if you have previously enabled storage optimization. In this case, most fact photographs are saved on the server, remaining in the memory of smartphones in the form of reduced copies.
At the same time, disabling storage will make it impossible to quickly access full-fledged photos in good quality.
If you need constant access to photos, it is recommended to disable optimization and download all files to your device. To do this, you should make sure that there is enough memory on your smartphone to complete the process.
Can I create folders in iCloud Drive?
Yes. You can create folders both on an iOS device (iPhone, iPad), and on a Mac running macOS or in the iCloud Drive application for Windows.
Part 3. How to free up space on Mac?
using PowerMyMac
PowerMyMac removes all categories of junk files to speed up your work by removing space-consuming and redundant data. Deep scanning is performed from time to time, which improves performance and corrects errors, preventing the appearance of extraneous content. PowerMyMac removes junk from your Mac, keeps your hardware healthy, and speeds up your system with feature-rich maintenance utilities.
Free up space occupied by your email app
The built-in Mail app eats up iCloud space with excess and junk mail. You can instantly cut out some space by erasing outdated stuff. Open the Mail app, select Mailbox at the top left of the screen. Select "Remove Deleted Items" from the drop-down menu. Click Erase when you receive a notification to confirm. Also click on "Delete Junk Email".
What if I want to buy some more free space?
Well, then it's time to take advantage of Apple's paid plans! Current prices in rubles:
- 50 GB - 59 rub./month.
- 200 GB — 149 RUR/month.
- 1 TB — 599 RUR/month.
- 2 TB — 1,490 rub./month.
You can buy additional space in iCloud directly on your iOS device by following the path: iCloud -> Storage -> Buy more space.
Optimal data storage options
The free version of iCloud is limited to 5GB of storage. For many users, this volume is not enough. Photos, especially those taken on the latest iPhone models, weigh quite a lot, so the storage fills up quickly.
Apple offers proprietary storage expansion options for a fee. It is possible to connect to a tariff plan of 50 GB, 200 GB and 2T. The cost of the package is paid monthly. An additional 50 GB costs $1.00. The other two rates are $3 and $10, respectively.
Other cloud storage systems also work successfully on iPhone.
So, you can connect a service from Google, where, after setting up synchronization, media files will also be transferred. Photos can also be stored on physical media, especially since the account of a remote service can be blocked, deleted or even stolen.
Restoring rights to it often takes a long time, or even becomes impossible. Passwords are easily forgotten and emails change frequently. As an alternative to online storage, you can use removable hard drives, flash drives and even PCs.
What is this function - “Find me by e-mail”?
It’s a rather mysterious thing - you can’t completely disable it, and you can’t find information about it on the official Apple technical support website. The official description reads: “Apps will appear here that allow other users to find you using your Apple ID. These users will see your first and last name." There were no such programs on our iPhone. It can be assumed that “ Find me by e-mail ” is needed in order to more conveniently share files from iCloud Drive with your friends.
How to get out of the cloud
There can be many reasons why you may need to leave iCloud: from buying a used phone to losing your account password.
To sign out of iCloud on iPhone, you need to do the following:
- Enter “Settings”, and then “iCloud”.
- In this menu, at the very bottom of the list there will be an option “Log out”.
- After this, the account on the iOS device will be deleted and no more data will be saved.
Click on Logout
When you click the Sign Out button, a pop-up message will appear. In which there will be a warning that if the account is deleted, all data will be deleted.
To avoid this, you need to click “Cancel” and go to the “iCloudDrive” tab, which, if this option is enabled, saves data. You need to save the necessary information and turn off iCloud Drive.
About data transfer
We figured out how to view the cloud on an iPhone. What needs to be done to open a cloud service on Apple products in one case or another?
It was previously said that iCloud allows you to synchronize data using Apple ID. To transfer information to a new Apple device, you will simply have to repeat the first instructions. We are talking about authorization on a new device using Apple ID.
As soon as a person logs into his account, he can rejoice at the results achieved. The profile data will automatically be transferred to the new device.
Important: to successfully log in to your Apple ID, you will first need to connect to the Internet.
note
We wrote about how to most conveniently save contacts, notes, Safari bookmarks, passwords and other information in iCloud and synchronize between your Apple devices here.
♥ BY TOPIC: How to automatically change wallpaper on iPhone or iPad depending on time, place, etc.
Part 4: Final Thoughts
You can set up Storage Optimization to automatically clear content you consume from iTunes. To turn off Optimized Storage, follow the flight path from iTunes to ensure that all the media you own remains in place even after you've liked it. However, those who don't use iCloud services have nothing to worry about. This is convenient for those who use iCloud to sync bulk files.
Try PowerMyMac to clean up chunks of files that take up a lot of space, and you won't be caught off guard by iCloud file moves. It also calculates CPU health, memory capacity, and storage capacity before you can evaluate your Mac's health.
Let's look at the pictures
Logging into iCloud from an iPhone is quite simple. This is especially true for those who have previously registered an Apple ID. Without it, you can completely forget about logging into the Apple cloud service. This option is simply not supported without an Apple ID.
How to view photos in the cloud on iPhone? This is not difficult to do. After authorization in the cloud service, all pictures will be stored in a special section of the menu and immediately after creating the photo, data will be uploaded to iCloud.
So what should you do if you want to see the photos you took? How can you study them? And how can I view information in the iPhone cloud in general?
For photographs, the following instructions apply:
- Turn on your mobile device and, if necessary, log in to your Apple ID. As already mentioned, without this identifier it is not possible to work with the cloud service.
- Click on the “Photo” button.
- Open the “Photo” block.
All photos taken and saved in the cloud will be stored in the corresponding section. The “General” item contains pictures that are considered accessible to all users.
It is worth paying attention to one more item - “Albums”. Here all available images are divided into categories. Or rather, on albums.
