What is Apple iCloud cloud service and how to use it? All the necessary documentation in the cloud service. All keys in one bunch.

What is iCloud? A convenient service for storing data or an attempt by Apple to interest the buyer? Learn how to use it and you will answer this question.

   To use the cloud, you need a Mac, Windows 7, 8, or an iOS 5.0 device or higher. Be sure to register your Apple ID; you need it to sign in to iCloud. When everything is ready, follow these steps:
  1. Go to Settings\u003e iCloud. Enter the Apple ID with password in the form.
  2. After authorization, create mail on the @ icloud.com domain, it is needed to use the Mail, FaceTime and Messages applications.

ICloud menu after authorization in the service:

   The service automatically puts the data of your device into cloud storage, you just need to connect the Internet. All saved data can be synchronized with another device and quickly transfer information to the new iOS tablet. The service provides 5 gigabytes of memory. If there is not enough space, then you can buy it or clear the memory at any time, for example, delete some of the photos.

In the storage menu you can disable backup  for any application.


   Backup occurs every time the device is locked or charging. The service copies the following information:
  • Photos and videos on the device;
  • Purchase History AppStore, iTunes, iBooks;
  • Device settings, notes, bookmarks and more;
  • Application Data.

You can upload information to the cloud at any time. To do this, click on the "Create backup" button.


   In case of theft or loss, the “Find iPad” function will help to lock the phone with a four-digit password. It allows you to display the owner’s phone number on the monitor, find out the approximate location of the device and even erase data from it. Such devices cannot be used until the owner has entered four-digit password  or does not disable the loss mode. You can lock your phone on the iCloud website or download the Find iPhone app.


“Family Access” will allow the exchange of information between family members. It can be purchased applications, movies or music. With this feature, you can share photos and videos. Inside the family there will be a shared calendar, notes, purchased books on iBooks, and more. Creating family access is relevant if your family has multiple iOS devices. Family access can be up to six people. When registering, you must add a valid credit or debit card.

You can make the location of each family member visible on the map.


   No less useful is the Keychain feature. It saves information about accounts and passwords in the Safari browser, passwords authorized Wi-fi. It also stores numbers credit cards  and data on their expiration dates. The function allows you to synchronize this data with other devices. To do this, enter the security key on the new device and confirm the transfer of the "keychain" on the old one.

Apple uses 128-bit data encryption. Such ciphers are used by financial institutions.


   iCloud is a service that stores very important personal data. Can Apple guarantee their safety? The company uses a strict privacy policy, has a multi-level verification and additional security measures.


At first glance, iCloud gives the impression of an additional service with a bunch of “junk”, but it’s worth to find out how the basic functions work - and the impression changes dramatically. Apple offered not just a repository of personal information, but also a new way to fill your life with harmony.

For a long time, Apple did not explain how the new iCloud Drive service would work. Will there be a separate client for accessing files? How to work with documents in the cloud on mobile devices? How to be users of OS X Mavericks? Gradually, everything fell into place.

In fact, iCloud Drive is an almost complete analogue of Dropbox, Yandex.Disk and Google drive  and works on the same principle. If previous version  Since iCloud was just a thin layer for applications and services, the new service provides the user with full access to the content and opens up wider possibilities for using the “cloud”.

ICloud Drive has deeper integration with Apple devices and provides access to the Numbers, Pages, and Keynote web application suite. In addition, the storage is integrated with the Mail application and helps to send big investmentsnot supported by many email services. Free of charge for each user is 5 GB of disk space.

How to enable and configure iCloud Drive in iOS 8

Step 1: In order to enable iCloud Drive in iOS 8, go to the Settings menu and go to the iCloud section. Apple will immediately warn that when switching to a new service, access to documents stored in iCloud will be closed until devices are upgraded to iOS 8 or OS X Yosemite.


Step 2: Click Update to iCloud Drive.

Step 3: A warning appears about the restriction of access to the service from devices on older versions of the OS. If you use OS X Mavericks or iOS 7, you should refrain from switching - access to data will be possible only through icloud.com. In the case of the PC there will be no problems, since back in September Apple released

Step 4: Click Continue. After a few seconds, the iPhone and iPad will activate the service and update the data in the cloud.

It should be noted that iCloud Drive does not have a separate application for the iPhone and iPad, so out of the box interaction with it is possible only through the interface of other programs. If you need an application to view the contents of iCloud Drive on iOS 8, you will have to use a third-party solution. For example, a free application. Perhaps in future updates to iOS 8, Apple will offer a proprietary solution.

Many popular apps  Already learned how to save files to iCloud Drive. Right now, Scanner Pro, PDF Expert and some others let you upload files by simply dragging and dropping them to a folder through the Finder in OS X Yosemite.


I must say that free 5 GB is often not enough. If you store iPhone and iPad backups in the cloud, the specified limit tends to end quickly. However, the prices for the service are quite affordable and quite affordable for most users. In Russia, iCloud prices include 20 GB for 39 rubles per month, 200 GB for 149 rubles per month, 500 GB for 379 rubles per month and 1 TB for 749 rubles per month.

iCloud Drive is a complete alternative to familiar cloud services. And thanks to the high synchronization speed, native integration with Apple devices and low prices, iCloud Drive is the best solution cloud storage  Data for iPhone, iPad, and Mac owners.

If you haven’t yet used Apple’s proprietary cloud storage, you’ve lost a lot. In addition to the fact that through iCloud (Russian icloud) content is automatically distributed to all devices connected to the same Apple ID, you can store backup copies of iPhone and iPad, photos, phone book, notes, calendars, etc. It is also remarkable that the changes that are made to iCloud from any device are automatically applied immediately to all.

Singing the praises of Apple and iCloud, in particular, can take a long time, but let's get down to business: “under the cut” information on what iCloud is, what it is for, how to connect iCloud to iPhone and iPad, Mac and Windows.

  • enables the user to access their music, photos, documents and other files from any device;
  • saves, helps the owner find lost devices  and allows you to share photos with other people. (Apple) But that's not all.

What is iCloud for?

If you have at your disposal any device (or several at once): iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch or Mac, iCloud is simply irreplaceable for you. Why, you ask?

  • Purchases
    Through iCloud, all purchases in iTunes Store, App store  and iBooks Store automatically become available on all connected devices.
  • iCloud Drive
    Work with any documents on a convenient device. Documents ( text files, spreadsheets, presentations, PDFs, images, etc.) created in applications that support synchronization with iCloud are available on any device.
  • Family access
    One purchase from the iTunes Store, App Store, and iBooks Store is free for the whole family. Shopping at Apple's online stores is available free of charge to all family members (up to six people). How to turn on family access  read.
  • A photo
    Photos taken on an iPhone or iPad camera are automatically available on all connected devices.
  • Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Notes and Reminders
    Through iCloud, contacts, calendar events, notes, and reminders are automatically synced across all your devices. Changes apply simultaneously on all devices.
  • Find iPhone, iPad or Mac
    If you, or put the Mac somewhere, it’s easy to find through iCloud, or.
  • ICloud and Safari Keychain
    Reliable cloud storage of logins, passwords and credit card numbers. The username and password stored in the keychain for the website or application is available for authorization on this website or application on all devices connected to iCloud.
  • Backup
    Automatic or manual backup copy iPhone  and iPad in iCloud, allows completely after or.
  • Apps from the App Store
      that support synchronization with iCloud, automatically upload their data (settings, backups, saves, etc.) to the cloud storage, from where they are transferred to all devices connected to iCloud.
  • Access to my mac
    A Mac connected to iCloud can be remotely controlled from another Mac via the Internet. You can copy files and transfer them from remote computer  Mac to local and vice versa.

System Requirements for iCloud

To take full advantage of Apple’s cloud technology, we recommend that you use the most latest versions  iOS, OS X and software (iTunes, iPhoto, Safari, iWork).

To use iCloud in a Windows environment, the following must be installed on your computer:

  • Microsoft Windows 7 or later;
  • iCloud for Windows 4.0 (free download);
  •   or later;
  • Outlook 2007 or later
  • Internet explorer  10 or later, Firefox 22 or later, or Google chrome  28 or later (desktop mode only).

The minimum system requirements for each individual iCloud function are available on the official Apple website at the link.

Free on iCloud, every user gets 5 GB. You can use this volume to store iCloud mail, application data from the App Store, backups  iPhone and iPad, notes, calendar, etc.

For photos, there are no restrictions on their size, but there is a “ceiling” in number. iCloud will carefully store 1,000 of your photos in the last 30 days. Earlier pictures, if the total number of photos in the “cloud” exceeds 1000, are deleted.

5 GB for each iCloud user is provided free of charge, this does not mean that the place in the cloud storage cannot be increased, as they say: "Any whim for your money!".

Paid tariff plans in iCloud are only 4: 20, 200, 500, 1000 GB for 39, 149, 379 and 749 rubles per month, respectively. More recently, Apple has reduced iCloud tariffs and now they are more than pleasant.

You can select or change the tariff plan at any time directly on the iPhone or iPad, as well as on Mac or Windows in the corresponding menu. Money for paying for cloud storage is debited from the credit or debit card connected to. If it’s yours, you won’t be able to switch to a paid tariff plan, in the settings account  always possible.

Register for iCloud

A separate registration in iCloud is not necessary; for authorization and content management, iCloud uses a single Apple ID account (identifier and password).

How to access iCloud?

Access to iCloud content can be obtained from any computer, smartphone or tablet via the Internet from a web browser, just go to http://icloud.com/ and log in with your Apple ID.


Apple devices: iPhone, iPad and Mac computers have deeper integration with iCloud, all data in them is downloaded from the “cloud” automatically.

How to connect iCloud on iPhone and iPad?

ICloud cloud storage is an integral part of the Apple eco-system and, as a result, its management is located in the system settings of iOS and OS X.

If you have forgotten the password for your account, it is possible. To do this, click on the active link “Forgot your Apple ID or password?”.


To connect iCloud to windows computer  must be installed: iCloud for Windows 4.0 (free download) and iTunes 12 or later.



How to disable iCloud without password for Apple ID?

“Unlinking” iPhone, iPad, and Mac with iCloud's Find My iPhone, iPad, or Mac disabled is quite simple, with a few simple steps. If your device was “tied” in iCloud to your Apple ID and the “Find iPhone”, “Find iPad” or “Find Mac” functions are turned on, in order to exit the “cloud” you need to enter a password from your account, but and it’s not difficult.

Problems arise when you safely forget the Apple ID password or the iCloud on the device is connected not from your Apple ID, but rather from the account of its previous owner. In such cases, the output is only 2:

Let me remind you: lock iPhone activation  and iPad with iOS 8.0 and higher installed. Her condition can be checked.

!Tip
  If on your iPhone or iPad in “Settings -\u003e iCloud” an Apple ID is connected to which you do not have access, the restoration and updating of the firmware is contraindicated to you. After flashing such a device, the activation lock will turn it into a “”.

How to disable iCloud on iPhone and iPad?

If, for some reason, you have a need or desire to “untie” your iPhone or iPad from iCloud, for example, to restore your device (just turn off the “Find iPhone” function and not iCloud in general) or iOS updatesIt is very simple to do.

How to disable iCloud on Mac and Windows?

On OS X and Windows, disabling iCloud is as easy as on an iPhone. Again, if u on your mac computer “Find Mac” function is enabled, to disable iCloud you will need to enter a password, but not the Apple ID, but the administrator password.


And here there is one “BUT", the same password as in iCloud can be used as the administrator password and Mac unlock password, that is, from Apple ID. You can set a single password in “System Preferences -\u003e Users and Groups -\u003e Button” Change Password “-\u003e Button“ Use iCloud Password ”. Thus, there is no need to remember 2 passwords, one for Mac, the other for Apple ID.


To log out of iCloud on Mac:



On Windows, the procedure is similar, just start iCloud for Windows and click on the “Exit” button.


As you can see, iCloud offers great opportunities for synchronizing, recovering data and finding a lost or stolen iPhone, iPad or Mac. With its features, Apple's cloud service has gone far ahead of the competition and allows very flexible integration of all iOS and OS X devices into one system, which opens up wide horizons for their owners. If you haven’t managed to connect iCloud to your iPhone or Mac yet, do it, I’m sure, cloud storage and its functions will not disappoint you.

If you are having difficulty connecting or disconnecting iCloud, or additional questionswelcome to comment. If the information presented was useful to you, we will be very grateful for the link to the source on your page in social networks.

Using iCloud for Windows, photos, documents, and bookmarks stored on a Windows computer are automatically updated on your Apple devices.

Necessary software and hardware

Before downloading iCloud for Windows, iCloud must be configured on all of your Apple devices. Can . Follow the setup instructions for iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iOS 5 or later, or Mac with OS X Lion 10.7.4 or later.

Depending on the type of information you need to sync using iCloud, you may need additional programs.

  • Mail, Contacts, Calendars, and Reminders: Outlook 2007–2016.
  • Bookmarks: Safari 5.1.7 or later, Internet Explorer 10 or later, Firefox 22 or later, or Google Chrome 28 or later.
  • Docs: Set up a service on all your devices. If you need to add files from the Desktop and Documents folders on your Mac to iCloud Drive, then.

Configure iCloud for Windows



Upload photos and share them with friends

When you turn on the Photo program, the iCloud for Windows program creates a folder in the explorer with the name iCloud Photos. unloads new photos and videos that are added to the “Uploads (iCloud Photos) folder” on the PC computer so that they can be viewed in the “Photos” program on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch  Macs, as well as iCloud.com. New photos and videos created on devices are automatically downloaded from the iCloud library, and you can choose to download the entire collection for a specific shooting year. And with the “Share Photos in iCloud” feature, you can view, export, and comment on photos and video files that you share with other users.


To search for photos on a computer running Windows, follow these steps:

  • Windows 10: Scroll the Start menu down and open the iCloud folder. Select iCloud Photos.
  • Windows 8.1: on the home screen, click the down arrow in the lower left corner, and then click the iCloud Photos icon.
  • Windows 8: From the Start screen, select “iCloud Photos”.
  • Windows 7: Click the Windows Start button and select Images. Select “iCloud Photos” or “Photo Stream” in the Favorites menu in the left pane. To view photos, double-click the My Photo Stream album. In the window that appears, it will also be displayed as a folder.

View files in iCloud Drive

When iCloud Drive is enabled, iCloud for Windows creates a folder with the corresponding name in Explorer. All documents saved in iCloud will be automatically downloaded to the iCloud Drive folder in Explorer. Files created on a computer running Windows and saved to this folder will be automatically copied to your other devices.


Files in iCloud Drive can also be accessed at iCloud.com.

Sync email, contacts, calendars and reminders on all your devices

Make sure iCloud Mail is configured on your devices.

  • On a Windows computer, open iCloud for Windows, select Mail, Contacts, Calendars, and Tasks, then click Apply. Your iCloud Mail account will appear in the folders pane on the left side of the window microsoft programs  Outlook versions 2007 to 2016.
  • On the iPhone device, iPad, or iPod touch go to Settings\u003e [your name]\u003e iCloud and activate the Mail option. In iOS 10.2 or earlier, go to Settings\u003e iCloud.
  • On a Mac, go to the Apple menu\u003e System Preferences, then click iCloud and Mail.

Manage iCloud storage and account information

ICloud storage can be managed, or reduce storage usage. If you need to make changes to your Apple ID, you can update the address email, mailing address or other account information.

  • To view the available storage capacity, open the iCloud for Windows program.
  • To change the settings, click "Storage". Select a program to view its volume, or click Buy More Space to increase the available space.
  • To change information apple ID  ID, open the iCloud for Windows program and click on “Account”. Then click "Manage Apple ID."

Updating iCloud for Windows

To check for updates, open on the computer running the OS Windows program  Apple Software Update. To receive notifications of new updates using Apple Software Update, select Edit\u003e Preferences and set a schedule for checking for updates. You can select Daily, Weekly, Monthly, or Never.

Before starting the upgrade, log out of your iCloud account on a computer running Windows and install the iCloud for Windows program.

Disabling or uninstalling iCloud for Windows

If you disable any service in the iCloud for Windows program, your information will not be automatically synchronized in iCloud and you will not see updates made on other devices. To disable a service or iCloud, follow these steps:

  • To disable a service on a Windows computer, open the iCloud for Windows program and check or uncheck the box next to the service you need. Click the Apply button to save the changes.
  • To disable iCloud for Windows, open it and exit your account.

Before uninstalling iCloud for Windows, make a copy of the iCloud data and save it on a computer running Windows. Then log out of your iCloud for Windows account on this computer and follow these steps:

Windows 8 and later:

  1. Go to the home screen and right-click in the lower left corner, or left-click and select "Control Panel".
  2. Click the “Uninstall a program” link.
  3. Choose iCloud\u003e Delete.
  4. When a confirmation message appears, click Yes.
  1. Choose Start\u003e Control Panel.
  2. Click Programs\u003e Programs and Features.
  3. Choose iCloud\u003e Delete.
  4. To continue, click OK.

Date of publication: 05/07/2017