you share data between devices and keep it safe
Apple’s iCloud acts as a storage, data-sync
and backup service for your iPhone, iPod
touch or iPad. Through iCloud, iOS devices
were fi nally freed from being accessories to Macs
and PCs, because the likes of calendar events
and contact data would be synchronised on-thefl
y, rather than updated when
you plugged your device in
and synced.
But iCloud goes further than
ensuring your appointments
and phone numbers are up
to date. Increasingly, other
services rely on iCloud,
including browser bookmarks,
photo-sharing, app document
sharing, and the means to fi nd
your device should you lose it.
Additionally – and
perhaps most importantly –
iCloud enables you to keep
your data safe, by backing it
up to the cloud.
This walkthrough assumes
you already have an Apple ID.
1. Sign in
During the setup of a new or
upgraded device, you’ll get the
chance to sign in using your
Apple ID and then to use iCloud.
If you skip this step, you can still
set up iCloud on your device
— open the Settings app, and
then select iCloud. In the iCloud
window, type in your Apple ID
and password and then tap Sign
In. The device will most likely
take a few seconds to verify
your account.
2. Choose your services
You’ll next be asked whether
you want to merge the data
already on your device with iCloud. This means, for
example, if you’ve used your iPhone to enter some
appointments in Calendar, these will then be sent to
iCloud and made available on other devices signed
into the same iCloud account. Again, it will take
the device a short while to save this setting, so be
patient while it does so.
3. Allow location services
You’re next asked whether you allow iCloud to
use the location of your device. Given that you
control who else can see this, we recommend
turning this feature on. At the very least, it enables
you to discover the location of your device in the
Find My iPhone app, should you lose it. Turning
this feature on also means
you can invite other people to
see your location in the Find
My Friends app.
4. Choose your services
By default, iCloud turns
everything on, but you can tap
the switches to turn specifi c
options o if you don’t want the
associated data shared with
iCloud, or if you have no use for
the service. For example, if you
want your Safari bookmarks to
be device-specifi c and _not_
shared between devices, turn
o Safari. Note that with Mail,
iCloud sharing relates to an @
icloud.com address and not all your email. Should
you want other email to be readily accessible and
synced across devices, investigate IMAP.
5. Start your backup
Scroll down to and select Storage & Backup.
Within, you’ll see how much total storage space
you have available on iCloud (5GB free by default),
and how much is available. iCloud backup will
be on by default, and will be triggered when
the device is plugged-in, locked and on Wi-Fi.
However, you can also manually start a backup
by tapping Back Up Now. Backups are incremental
(as in, they only upload new data), but the fi rst one
may take some time.
6. Manage your backups
Depending on your iCloud
usage, you may fi nd Apple’s
5GB for free fi lls up quickly. In
fact, if you’ve existing backups
in iCloud or too much data on
a single device, you’ll have to
either pay for more storage
(tap Buy More Storage, select
an option, and cover your ears
to block your bank account’s
blood-curdling screams), or tap
Manage Storage and select a
backup to edit.
7. Prune backup data
On selecting a backup, you’ll
(after a sometimes lengthy
delay) in the Backup Options section see the data
that’s being stored, and how much space each
app commands. Should you need to remove items,
prioritise those that take up most space but that you
can also easily restore from elsewhere. For example,
Camera Roll images will be being saved to Photo
Stream and downloaded into iPhoto if you have that
connected to iCloud.
8. Back up to iTunes
It’s possible to restore a new or existing device from
your iCloud backup. New devices o er the choice
during setup; older ones can be deleted via Settings
> General > Reset and tapping ‘Erase all content and
settings’; you can then opt to restore from a backup
during setup. However, iCloud
does occasionally go wrong.
Therefore, also periodically back
up to your Mac or PC via iTunes.
To do so, select your device, and
in the Summary tab, click Back
Up Now. The backup may take
some time.
9. iExplorer backup
Occasionally, it’s useful to back
up data from a specifi c app,
thereby enabling you to restore
it later (versus restoring an entire
backup); for example, you might
have completed a game and
want to free up space, but don’t
fancy the idea of some time in
the future starting from scratch after a reinstall. Some
games pull down saved data from iCloud, but most
don’t. Manual saves can be made using iExplorer.
Connect your device to your Mac or PC and select
Apps from the sidebar. Select the Documents and
Library folders, Ctrl-click and export them to your
computer. On a later app reinstall, these can be
dragged back to reinstate your progress.
10. Reset iCloud or your backup
If everything goes horribly wrong, take o and nuke
the entire thing from orbit — it’s the only way to be
sure. To do this, go to Settings > iCloud and tap
Delete Account. The service will be removed from
your device, and you can then start afresh.