Use Drive across OS X & iOS

Storing your files on iCloud Drive means you can use them on any device

The beauty of storing your work online is that it’s available on any piece of hardware through which you can access the internet – you only need to sign in to icloud.com using a compatible browser (http://apple.co/1K7jWdz) and have an app available that can open your files.

Start by making sure you’ve enabled iCloud Drive on all of your devices. On iOS, go to Settings > iCloud > iCloud Drive and ensure the switch is on. On a Mac, go to System Preferences > iCloud and check the box beside iCloud Drive. Click its Options… button to choose which apps can store documents and other data in Drive (you can still manually browse to and save files there).

To control individual applications’ access to iCloud Drive on iOS, go to Settings > iCloud > iCloud Drive and use the switch adjacent to an app’s name to decide whether it saves to iCloud. If you switch it off, your work will be stored locally, and will remain inaccessible from each of your other devices. You’ll have to share by email or AirDrop to edit things on a Mac or another iOS device.

1 Logical filing

Many iOS apps default to showing the contents of their dedicated folder, or App Library, and some (yet fewer as time passes) can see no further on iCloud Drive. If you’re on a Mac and want to continue working on an iPad, say, either save your file to iCloud Drive by clicking iCloud Drive in the sidebar and allowing the app to save to its own folder, or move your file from elsewhere to there.

2 Files and folders

Any iOS app that supports iCloud Drive is coded so that it knows exactly where to start looking for compatible documents. So long as it’s set up to use online storage, your newly copied or saved file should immediately appear in its App Library or, if it uses iCloud Drive for synchronisation, as Ember does for screenshot libraries, update its contents to reflect changes made on your Mac.

3 Use Handoff

Handoff lets you start work on one device and finish it on another. It requires certain hardware (http://apple.co/1I34axX), Bluetooth to be on, and devices to be on the same Wi-Fi network. Devices must be signed into the same iCloud account. In iOS, enable it in Settings > General > Handoff & Suggested Apps. On a Mac, go to System Preferences > General and check the 'Allow Handoff…' box.

4 Share from iOS to Mac

With Handoff enabled, your devices will recognise when an app that’s installed on them is in use on one of your nearby devices. When using a Mac, an app’s icon will appear to the left of OS X’s Dock. Put the pointer over it to confirm the device and app your Mac will receive data from. Click it to open the same app on your Mac, right down to the document or place that was open on the other device.

5 Share from Mac to iOS

Handoff works in both directions. Swipe up from the app icon that’s shown in the bottom-left corner of the Lock screen or, if your iOS device is already unlocked, open the app switcher by double-clicking the Home button and swiping to the leftmost item. That item identifies both the device and the app from which data will be received and open on your iOS device when you tap it.