Why icloud

Tick the box beside the file s you want to restore and tap Done. Files are only available in this way for days. Version conflict: If you have files open on two devices at once, modifications made on one device may be out of sync. How to sync fast : You may sometimes find files aren't syncing across your devices as swiftly as you want. You can force sync some iCloud apps by turning your device off and switching it on again, though there are several additional approaches available. What about Android?

Got a story? Drop me a line via Twitter. Follow me there so I can let you know when fresh items are published here on Computerworld. Jonny is a freelance writer who has been writing mainly about Apple and technology since Here are the latest Insider stories.

More Insider Sign Out. Sign In Register. Sign Out Sign In Register. You can even access iCloud Drive on a Windows computer. If you want to know what exactly Apple's iCloud Drive is and does, you've come to the right place. It lets you save photos, videos, documents, music, and app data to iCloud. Not only does it let you store all your stuff in one place, but it lets you access all of your files and data from your iOS device, Mac, and Windows PC, and then keep those files and folders up to date across all your devices.

It even allows you to create new files and folders from iCloud-enabled apps and work on the same file across multiple apps. You can use Apple's website for iCloud to create, save, and share documents in Pages, Numbers, and Keynote, for instance.

This Apple support page has more about how to get started with iCloud. Apple constantly updates iCloud Drive with new features, like iCloud Drive folder sharing that launched in This feature is a Dropbox-like feature that allows you to share a folder once, and have everyone see the contents and changes in real time, but it's just one example of functions that get added to iCloud Drive with software updates.

The backup part includes iOS devices, and it's often this that sees you reach your limit - especially if you have a lot of photos on, say, an iPhone. You can even share the GB and 2TB plans with your family. After you upgrade, Apple will bill you monthly.

Pricing is as follows:. Note: If you purchased a 1TB monthly plan before June 5, , your account was upgraded automatically to a 2TB monthly plan. As for iCloud. Learn more about system requirements from Apple here. It's also possible to select people or places in an album and see related Memories.

There are a wealth of third-party apps for your iPhone and Mac that provide custom photo editing tools or film-quality filters.

These apps are designed to support Apple users ranging from beginners to advanced photographers. Since iCloud is closely integrated with Apple products, most Apple-approved apps can access files directly from the cloud making file uploads or transfers more seamless. Since iCloud will sync with virtually any gadget, it's possible to upload a photo or write a memo on a desktop and then immediately start document proofing on another device.

This makes organizing and editing digital photos simple. It also removes the extra step of having to sync devices manually, which will ultimately save time and energy. That pricing tier provides 2TB of storage, but for multiple users -- so, most families can use that storage space.

This only allows for one user account, which means that a family of four would need four separate accounts to store data. Unlike some Cloud storage solutions, iCloud has strict policies when protecting its users' information. Google scans everything uploaded to its cloud storage, Google Drive. They can transfer anything else.

Also: OneDrive tips and tricks: How to master Microsoft's free cloud storage. So we get to the store. Being early December it is crazy busy.

But the expediters are fast. A Genius came up right to the front of the store, checked us in and got Rachel's new phone. She handed it over. The staff at Apple retail locations are amazing. I love them. They are the unsung heroes of the tech support world. And they should probably be paid a lot better given the irate people they have to put up with.

I backed up her photos to Google. Can we transfer whatever else is needed for the new phone? So we go sit down at the bench. This is the part where interactions with wonderful people and a positive store experience get completely wrecked by Apple being Apple.

First, the Genius checks to see if the phone had been backed up. Apparently, it hadn't. The reason why it hadn't is that my wife saves all her photos to three different cloud services, all her major applications are cloud-based, and I saw zero reasons to purchase additional iCloud storage when we own more cloud storage than we can ever possibly use from the above named third parties. Her locally stored photos get cleaned out every month, and she can search and get everything she wants out of Google Photos and OneDrive.

Zero worries. It was also the principle of the thing. Also: How Apple Watch saved my life. She did have 5GB of free iCloud storage. The problem was, according to what we observed at the store, that her text messages and a bunch of other random unimportant apps used up about 6GB of space on that phone.

She doesn't use her phone for storing music; the actual apps do not get backed up to iCloud, only the user data does. Apps are restored directly from the App Store. But you cannot just selectively decide to back up just the text messages and omit the apps she didn't care about, the way iCloud backup is designed. The Genius just said we could back the entire thing up, or not back it up.