When to use iCloud.com

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Learn about the important iCloud tasks that you can only accomplish in a web browser

Over the years, it’s been pretty clear that Apple loves the web. However, it doesn’t want you to live in a web browser – and this is a distinction that’s quite important. An exception of sorts is iCloud.com. This website is Apple’s browser-based app suite, the majority of which mirrors apps on your iPad. This means that wherever you have access to a Mac or PC with a compatible web browser (http://apple.co/1K7jWdz) a Mac or PC, you can also use web-based versions of Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Photos, Notes, Reminders, and Apple’s trio of office apps (Pages, Numbers and Keynote, all labelled as ‘beta’ versions). There are also three utilities on offer: iCloud Drive, Find My iPhone and Settings.

Although we wouldn’t especially recommend using the site regularly (that is, over the native apps), we’d say it has two specific purposes. First, it’s a handy emergency place for performing tasks: checking email if your iPad’s out of power, or finding a device if it goes missing. Secondly, it has a number of useful settings and configuration options that aren’t accessible on your iPad, and some of these are the subject of our walkthroughs. Note that you can access the site from your iPad, but the options are limited, so we’ve assumed you have access to a Mac or PC for these walkthroughs. Craig Grannell