iCloud and your data
Top tips for making the most of the data that your devices and applications push to Apple’s iCloud servers
> Notes You’re able to follow up on bright ideas anytime, anywhere
Keep a note on one device Notes you don’t want to sync can be stored locally on your Mac or iOS device. In iOS, go to Settings > Notes and turn on the “On My iPhone/iPad” account. On a Mac, choose Notes > On My Mac Account from the menu. You can always move them to iCloud later. Multiple acc ounts Notes can sync with other services. On a Mac, choose Notes > Accounts, and on iOS go to Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars, then work your way through your various online accounts enabling or disabling syncing of notes. Other services don’t support all of iCloud’s features, so if you move a local note with an interactive checklist to a Google account, that list becomes a plain old bulleted one. Searching for notes You don’t need to remember the service to which you saved a note. The search feature on Notes for Mac’s title bar, and above each list of notes on iOS, aggregates results from every account you’ve configured. However, when searching in the web version of Notes at iCloud.com, you’ll only see results stored in iCloud, of course.
> Apple Musi c Streaming’s great, but what about when you‘re offline?
Conserve your mobile data You can restrict Music to use Wi-Fi only, so that you don’t accidentally use up your mobile data allowance by streaming from iCloud. Go to Settings > Music and switch off Use Mobile Data. Turning off the switch below that lowers bandwidth usage by reducing the quality of streamed music. Listen while you’re offline With an Apple Music or iTunes Match sub, you can download tracks from your iCloud Music Library to play without an internet connection. If the album, track or playlist you want is in Apple Music’s library but not your own, tap the three dots next to it, then tap the + icon (iOS) or choose Add to My Music (Mac). Next, tap the three dots next to an item in your library, then the cloud icon with an arrow (iOS) or choose Download (Mac). Filter out online tracks If your iOS device has a limited mobile data allowance, you can restrict iOS’s Music app to show only tracks stored on the device. In the My Music tab’s view of your library, tap the category selector and then switch on Only Downloaded Music.
> Keychain Take the pain out of remembering all those passwords
Cross-platform keychain You can’t use iCloud Keychain with Windows. Consider 1Password ( agilebits. com) if you need cross-platform password syncing for a work PC or in Boot Camp. Boost keychain security By default, attempts by new devices to access the keychain are verified by a sixdigit code. To increase security, switch to a complex or random security code instead. In System Preferences > iCloud, click Options beside Keychain, then Change Security Code, followed by Advanced. Manage keychain contents To manage web form credentials and credit card details in your keychain, go to Safari’s AutoFill preferences on your Mac, or on iOS, to Settings > Safari then Passwords or AutoFill, respectively.
Your iCloud Keychain contains other things besides website login details and credit cards, including passwords for email and other internet servers, Wi-Fi network passwords, and more. You can manage these on your Mac: open the Keychain Access app from /Applications/Utilities and simply click iCloud in its sidebar.