Ten of the best tips for getting the most out of icloud on IOS
How to get the most out of your cloud storage
Apple’s icloud service allows all of our connected devices to communicate with each other, sharing data, files, documents and pictures so that they can be accessed anywhere. Evidence of this, beyond the behind-the-scenes syncing, can be found in your IOS Files app. Open this and tap on ‘icloud Drive’ to see all of your stored files. You can even instantly access files on your Mac by going to System Preferences>icloud, clicking ‘Options’ next to icloud Drive and enabling the ‘Desktop & Documents Folders’ option – although be warned, you’ll need a lot of icloud storage space to utilise this feature! Here we examine some of the other aspects of icloud that you need to be aware of to get the most out of the service.
1 Free up space
If you are on the free 5GB icloud plan then every megabyte counts. You can delete data that you don’t need by going to Settings>apple Id>icloud>manage Storage and then tapping on each of the apps that use icloud and deleting files and data that you no longer need.
2 Find your iphone
‘Find My’ is a very useful icloud feature that should be enabled at all times to help you locate your device if you misplace it.
But make sure you enable the ‘Enable Offline Finding’ and ‘Send Last Location’, options to make your device even easier to locate, even when not connected to Wi-fi.
3 Restore files
If you accidentally delete something from your icloud then worry not because there is a way to get it back. Log onto icloud.com on your Mac or PC and then click on ‘Account Settings’. Now scroll down to the ‘Advanced’ section at the bottom and click on ‘Restore Files’.
4 Browse versions
Still in icloud.com, click on Pages, Numbers or Keynote and open a doc. You will now be able to click on the spanner icon in the top toolbar and selected ‘Browse All Versions’ to find an earlier version of the same document.
5 iphone icloud.com
If you log into icloud.com in Safari on your iphone then the options will be different to the Mac version. You can opt to browse your icloud Photos, access Notes and Reminders and utilise the Find iphone feature. The Account Settings will also be more limited.
6 Manual backup
Your iphone will automatically back up data, including photos and files to icloud when it is on charge, connected to a Wi-fi network and locked, but if you want to force a manual save go to Settings>apple Id>icloud>icloud Backup and tap ‘Back Up Now’.
7 Spread your purchases
With icloud, it is possible to purchase music, apps and books on one device and then have them magically appear on all of your devices. Go to Settings>apple Id>itunes and App Store and then turn on the Automatic Downloads option for each service.
8 Track family
Go to Settings>apple Id>share My Location and enable the ‘Share My Location’ option. If all of your family do likewise then you’ll be able to monitor each other’s movements in the Messages and Find My apps. Very useful if you have children with iphones.
9 Family sharing
If you subscribe to a larger icloud storage plan then you could consider sharing it with family members so that they too can benefit from more storage without paying out. Go to Settings>apple Id>icloud>manage Storage and tap ‘Share With Family’.
10 Remote Screen Time
Make sure you set up Family Sharing (Settings>apple ID> Family Sharing) to get a wealth of benefits, including the option to remotely manage the amount of time your children spend on their iphones. Tap ‘Screen Time’ and work through the various settings.