iCloud is Apple’s official cloud computing service, a SaaS, Software-as-a-Service, system that allows you to save and store on external servers any type of file or document, to access them at any time online from mobile devices, PC or Apple TV. iCloud allows you to automatically save photos, videos, music, notes and histories, back up your data and synchronize updates, and is compatible with iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and Mac OS, as well as with PCs equipped with the Windows operating system.
How to access iCloud by creating an Apple ID
To use the cloud computing system of the Cupertino company you must have an Apple ID, a reference code that allows access to all integrated services. To create an Apple ID from the PC you have to go to the site https://appleid.apple.com, activating an account by entering some personal information, such as your name and surname, country of residence and date of birth, choosing an email address, a security password and an application to retrieve data in case of emergency.
To create an Apple ID from mobile devices, iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch you can do it during the initial configurations, through the wizard that is activated automatically when you turn on the device. The operation is the same as the desktop version, so you just have to put your personal data, choosing an email address and a security password. The Apple ID account gives you access to all of Apple’s free services, including the iCloud Drive system for storing files in the cloud.
An alternative option for creating the Apple ID involves using iTunes, again following the suggested step-by-step procedure, signing up for the store for apps and activating your personal Apple profile. Once registered, the iCloud service can be used from any mobile or stationary device, including Mac OS computers, you can also use the Apple ID on Windows-based PCs to take advantage of services such as iCloud without having an Apple device.
How to activate and set up iCloud on iPhone, iPad and Mac OS
After creating the Apple ID you can set up iCloud, to activate only the services you want to use, choosing from dozens of features available in the Apple cloud computing system. To do this from an iPhone or iPad, just enter the device’s settings, tap on the item with your name and select iCloud. This will open a general screen, showing all apps connected to the cloud system.
By moving the selectors on the right, you can enable or disable automatic storage in iCloud, choosing which apps should perform this operation in automatic mode. The system supports a lot of apps, such as calendar, photos, contacts, notes, reminders, messages, Safari history, wallet and Siri, Apple’s voice assistant.
To do the same thing from the Mac OS you have to do the same procedure, just select System Preferences, choose iCloud, decide which services to connect and save the new settings. Clicking on the Manage feature, on the other hand, also within the System Preferences, you can view the storage status, to check the files already saved on iCloud Drive, which can be edited, deleted for more space or saved to another folder or storage system.
How to use iCloud with Windows
Although this is Apple’s official cloud service, the Cupertino company provides a version compatible with the Microsoft Windows operating system, so you can use iCloud even from PCs that don’t have the Mac OS. To activate the service you need to go to Apple’s official website, select iCloud and download the Windows version of the client by downloading the .exe file to your computer.
Then you need to launch it, follow the step-by-step wizard and accept all the terms of service. Once the installation is complete, it is advisable to restart the pc, to avoid any problem during activation, and finally open the program via the quick path, through the icon on the main Windows screen. Obviously also in this case it is necessary to create an Apple ID, to be able to select the programs to be connected with iCloud and save the data automatically.
How to use iCloud online
iCloud is available for both Apple mobile devices, such as iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, as well as fixed devices, Mac OS and Windows PCs, however it can be used not only as a program installed on your device, but also from your browser for web browsing. This option allows you to access iCloud online from any device, an ideal solution if you often use different devices, including computers and third-party terminals, for example while working or spending time abroad.
To use iCloud online you just have to open the search engine, enter the address www.icloud.com, put in the login credentials of your Apple ID and enter the web platform. Here you can have at your disposal all the files and documents saved in iCloud, from any device connected to your profile, so you can read emails, view your address book, look at photos, videos or music saved in the cloud, reminders and any other type of file.
iCloud Drive: how it works
iCloud Drive is a storage system similar to Google Drive and Dropbox, which allows you to save data, information and documents in servers accessible via web connection. To activate it on iPhone and iPad, just go into settings, tap on your name, select iCloud and then iCloud Drive. By configuring automatic saving you can update in real time all the files contained within, to always have the latest version available from any device connected to iCloud.
The storage space depends directly on the activated plan, so you can’t exceed the limit set on iCloud with the Drive version. The constraints for a single file are 50GB instead, so it supports even really heavy items. All saved files can be accessed from various devices, so from iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Mac OS and Windows PCs, you just need to go to the web address www.icloud.com, always using the same Apple ID for login.
To save files to iCloud Drive from Mac OS you need to open the System Preferences, click on iCloud, iCloud Drive and choose the Option item, making the setting for automatic saving of both files and folders. To access the files stored in iCloud Drive just go through the Finder and enter the program, while from iPhone and iPad you can follow the quick path through the File, Pages, Keynote and Numbers apps, depending on the item you want to open.
iCloud Drive also includes an automatic backup service, which allows you to recover deleted files up to 30 days later, by going to www.icloud.com from Mac OS or Windows pc, while from iPhone and iPad just use the File app. In this case, after opening the app, you have to tap on the items Locations > Recently Deleted > select the files you want to restore > tap Recover.
From the Mac instead you have to go to the Trash > choose the file > drag it to the Desktop or any other folder.
How iCloud Mail works
One of the most interesting options of iCloud is the iCloud Mail service, which allows you to save all your incoming and outgoing emails on servers accessible via web connection, from any mobile device iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Mac OS and Windows-based PC. First of all you need to set up an iCloud email address, using your Apple ID to create an email that ends with @icloud.com, or use an existing one as long as it ends with @mac.com or @me.com.
To perform the operation from iPhone and iPad with iOS operating system just go to Settings > tap your name > iCloud > Activate Mail and follow the instructions of the wizard. From the Mac OS you need to access the main Apple menu, enter System Preferences, click on iCloud, Mail and again carry out the operations indicated by the wizard. After setting up an iCloud Mail address you can start using the service.
Emails saved in iCloud Mail on mobile devices, or on Mac OS, will be shown automatically through notifications, otherwise you just need to access the online version through any web browsing browser. You just need to login to iCloud Mail, open your inbox and view all the messages you have received. These are labeled according to their status, including unread, replied to, attached or forwarded.
Moreover, you can add custom labels, saving messages as important, VIP contact or put them on junk lists, marking them as spam. To change the graphical appearance of the iCloud Mail inbox just select Change View, at the top of the window, choosing one of the proposed options, between internal screen view and compact two-column view.
How to use iCloud Photo Library
The iCloud Photo Library service allows you to store photos and videos in the cloud, so you don’t have to worry about your device’s performance, and you can access your files from any device – iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and Mac OS, as well as iCloud.com, Apple TV and Windows-based PCs. By activating the service, every photo and video taken with your phone or PC will be automatically saved in iCloud, and you can organize your files by creating custom collections, divided by year and moments.
Each new photo or video will then be sent to their respective folders, which will be updated in real time wherever you are. To start using iCloud Photo Library you need to go to your phone’s settings > tap your name > iCloud > Photos and activate iCloud Photos. To do this from Mac OS, just go to System Preferences > click Photos > Options > select iCloud Photo, while from Apple TV you need to select Settings > Account > iCloud > iCloud Photo.
From now on, any changes to your photos and videos will be available from any device, so files saved from your iPhone can be accessed from your Mac or Apple TV, without connecting the device with a special cable, just by logging into your iCloud account. The supported formats for photos are JPEG, HEIF, PNG, RAW, TIFF, GIF, MP4 and HEVC, including special effects slow motion, time-lapse and 4K video.
To download photos and videos just go to iCloud Web, open the archive, select the files to download, hold down the cloud symbol with the arrow and start the process, either in the same format with which they were uploaded, or modify it as you like, selecting the Download item at the end. From Mac OS you have to click on Photos, drag the ones you want to download to the desktop, or right-click on them, choosing Share and AirDrop.
iCloud pricing and cost plans
The iCloud storage service, to save your personal data from your mobile device or Mac OS computer to iCloud, provides a range of pricing plans, depending on the storage space you want to use, however it offers free up to 5GB. Above this threshold, iCloud prices start at €0.99 for 50GB of space, €2.99 for 200GB, all the way up to €9.99 for 2TB, a remarkable value that allows you to save large files, including especially videos and heavy documents from professional software.
The free plan up to 5GB is suitable for those who don’t use iCloud much, or have other services such as Google Drive and Dropbox, managing to save all documents within these systems. The 50GB package, on the other hand, is suitable for those who don’t want to run the risk of losing some data and files, using their iPhone or iPad without worries. The 200GB plan is ideal if you use the iCloud system frequently, often using iCloud Photo Library to store photos and videos made with your device.
Finally, the 2TB iCloud service is necessary if you need a really large space, to save large files, photos, videos, music and other documents from multiple different devices, using for example cloud storage from both iPhone and iPad and Mac OS PC. In this way you can have a high flexibility, especially if you use your PC or device to work in different places, to safely save all your files in iCloud.
To buy a paid plan, switching from the free version to one of those proposed, just access the settings of the Apple device in use, tap on your name > the iCloud > item; the free space and press on Edit Storage Plan. After that you need to choose the package you want to activate, finalizing the operation by tapping on Buy in the upper right corner. To buy a paid iCloud plan from Mac OS just go to System Preferences > click on iCloud > Manage > Buy More Space.
How to deactivate iCloud
In some cases you may need to deactivate the iCloud service, for example because you want to switch to another solution. In this case you should first save the files contained in the application, to avoid losing important documents, and then proceed to deactivate iCloud. To save all the folders you just need to access the online version of iCloud Web, enter the general archive, click Continue, Get a copy of the data and Start.
Then you have to select all the files you want to export from iCloud, placing a check mark next to each document, starting the process by clicking on the Continue item.
Apple allows you to download your iCloud account information and Apple ID, operations performed on iTunes, iBooks, Apple Store and Apple Music, activities contained in Game Center, AppleCare history, notes, contacts, bookmarks, maps, subscriptions, files and documents saved in iCloud, photos, videos and emails entered in iCloud Mail.
Finally you have to create an archive, choosing the size of the folder, which after being prepared will be sent automatically, preceded by an alert to your email address from Apple. In alternativa è possibile effettuare il salvataggio manuale dei file di iCloud, aprendo il servizio tramite il proprio ID Apple, entrando nella sezione desiderata e selezionando l’icona dell’ingranaggio, per scegliere quali file scaricare e finalizzare il download dal simbolo della nuvola con la freccia.
Dopo il salvataggio è possibile eseguire la disattivazione di iCloud in sicurezza.
Per farlo dai dispositivi mobili, iPhone, iPad e iPod Touch, bisogna:
- accedere alle impostazioni
- toccare il proprio nome
- iCloud
- andare verso il fondo della pagina
- toccare la voce Esci
- inserire la password personale del proprio ID Apple
- confermare l’operazione
Per disattivare iCloud da Mac OS è necessario:
- entrare nelle Preferenze di sistema
- cliccare su iCloud
- Esci