iCloud cloud storage. How to use it on iPad

As you know, Apple gives each registered user (when creating an Apple ID) 5 GB of disk space in the iCloud cloud for free, but many iDevice owners fill up the storage in a matter of weeks and then face the problem of creating backups, copying important data, etc. It is noteworthy that in 99% of cases this situation is a consequence of incorrect synchronization settings.

Free space on iPhone or iPad is not the same as free space on iCloud

Unfortunately, many users, seeing the message “Cannot create a backup for this iPhone because there is not enough free space in iCloud” on the screen, not understanding its meaning, begin to delete everything, freeing up the iOS device’s storage.

Free space on iPhone or iPad- remaining storage space on the iOS device (internal memory). Everything that is downloaded to the device is stored here (software, applications + cache, downloaded and created photos and videos, etc.).

Free space in iCloud- remaining space in iCloud cloud storage. Basically, the iCloud cloud is designed to create automatic backups, as well as to synchronize personal data.

Why did iCloud run out of memory?

Of course, 5 GB by modern standards is, to put it mildly, not very much. However, often even this memory is filled with data that is not at all what the user really needs. Typically, the lion’s share of disk space is “eaten up” by backup copies that most people don’t need, as well as photos and media files, which are saved twice.

How does this happen? When the iCloud Backup option is enabled, the device, when connected to a power source and Wi-Fi, automatically copies the entire media library to the cloud, and then additionally creates a backup copy, which also includes all media files.

Why did we call iCloud backups unnecessary for most users? Because first of all, users are interested in restoring contacts, notes and photos. To save contacts, notes and photos in the Apple cloud It is not necessary to use automatic iCloud backup. Here you should understand the difference between the concepts: iCloud Backup and Synchronization with iCloud. We talked about this in detail in this material.

How to check how much free space is left in iCloud?

It’s quite easy to check this - go to Settings → Apple ID (your first and last name) → iCloud → Storage. The chart that appears will visually represent iCloud storage, including the amount used and sorting by type of content.

How to free up space on iCloud?

By following the path Settings → Apple ID (your first and last name) → iCloud → Storage management, you will probably see the “heaviest” sections “Backups” or “Photos” at the top of the list. They are the ones that clog up space in iCloud. Delete unnecessary files to free up space in Apple's cloud storage.

In addition, you should turn off future automatic backups to iCloud (either completely or selectively).

To completely disable iCloud backups, go to Settings → Apple ID → iCloud → Backup and turn off iCloud Backup.

The optimal option for most users is to manually specify files when creating backups (selectively prohibiting copying of Media Library data).

You can do this as follows:

1. Go to Settings → Apple ID → iCloud → Storage management → Backups;

2. Select the desired device;

3. Move the “checkbox” opposite the “Media Library” item (and other applications if desired) to the passive position;

4. In the same menu, click the “Delete copy” button to clear the cloud;

5. Return to Settings → Apple ID → iCloud → iCloud Backup and create a new copy without the voracious photos and media files.

How to view data (photos, videos, files) stored in iCloud?

You can view the data stored in iCloud (and, if you wish, delete it) using the web version of the Apple cloud service located at icloud.com (you need to log in from a computer). The main sources of the “heaviness” of the occupied volume are data from the Mail, Photos and iCloud Drive web applications. They can be removed if desired.

How to increase iCloud storage? Is this paid?

You can change your iCloud storage plan by going to Settings → Apple ID (your first and last name) → iCloud → Manage storage → Change storage plan.

Current iCloud storage plans and costs:

What about iCloud Drive?

Another feature that many would like to get rid of is syncing application data to iCloud Drive. For most users, the need to use this data occurs less frequently than the appearance of Halley's Comet. Therefore (if you do not use the Files application on iOS), we can safely recommend completely or selectively disabling this automatic procedure in the Settings → Apple ID → iCloud → iCloud Drive menu.

How to properly use iCloud space?

First of all, you need to understand the difference between the concepts: iCloud Backup and Synchronization with iCloud.

For Apple ID owners with the basic starting iCloud storage size of 5GB, we recommend turning off Backups completely.

In addition, it would be a good idea to cancel synchronization of the Photos library - just set the “checkbox” opposite the “Photos” item to the Off position along the path Settings → Apple ID → iCloud.

To synchronize photos or videos with iCloud, buy more space (prices and tariffs are listed above) or use third-party free cloud services Google Photos or Yandex.Disk.

Based on materials from yablyk

Photos and videos taken on iPhone and iPad take up a huge amount of free space on the devices. If you need more memory, you don't necessarily have to resort to deleting content or moving it to other media. Using the iCloud Photo Library service, you can store photos and videos in the cloud by setting up automatic data optimization on the iOS device itself.

How to enable Content Storage Optimization for iCloud Photo Library

iCloud Photo Library automatically uploads your photos to cloud storage, allowing you to access it anytime, from any device. Storage optimization is a useful option that replaces photos and videos in the original resolution with optimized versions if the memory on the device runs out. The full resolution file is quickly loaded if you need to view it, edit it, or send it to social networks. To enable this option follow these steps:

1. Open the Settings app.

2. Select the Photo and Camera section.

3. Check the “Optimize device storage” option.

After activating this option, the system will automatically move the original versions of the files to iCloud, leaving only recently captured photos and videos full-size. The process may take a long time, depending on the number of files and connection speed.

How to free up space on iCloud

The total size of files you can store in iCloud is not unlimited, and you have several options to free up space.

Option A: Clear Photo Library

Browse through albums that might contain selfies, panoramas, screenshots, or time-lapse videos. Perhaps among them there are those that can be deleted. Important note: You can't delete files from just iCloud or just from your device; if you delete them on your iPhone, they'll disappear from everywhere.

After deleting unnecessary pictures and videos, do not forget to visit the Recently deleted section and clear it. Otherwise, the files will still be stored on the device, occupying free memory for 30 days.

Option B: Buy additional iCloud storage

If you don't want to worry about storing your photos and videos and you're willing to pay for cloud storage space, you can increase the amount of available space in your iCloud Photo Library. Currently, prices for additional iCloud storage are as follows:

5 GB - free
50 GB - 59 rubles/month
200 GB - 149 rubles/month
1 TB - 599 rubles/month

You can change your tariff plan or cancel it at any time.

When a message appears that a backup cannot be created because there is not enough space in iCloud, the question immediately arises of how to clear iCloud storage. We will look at several ways to do this.

Method number 1. Removing data from apps from the cloud

This problem arises for the simple reason that you are allocated only 5 GB on iCloud. At first, this is quite enough to store all contacts, backups and other data there. But over time, all this accumulates and 5 GB becomes too little. This, by the way, is another unpleasant surprise from Apple.

You can free up some space by deleting backups. If you have photos, you can use any other cloud storage if you are afraid of losing them. Therefore, from time to time it is necessary to clear Aylaud from backups.

Go to the settings on your device, open the “General” section.
There, find the item “Storage and iCloud”, click on it. Scroll down the open window to the “Storage” section. There will be a “Manage” button, which you also need to click. The “Photos” section will appear and a list of devices from which data is stored from iCloud. If you want to delete copies of photos, select the first section, and if there are other backup copies, click on the device. We will consider the second option in detail, since with the first everything is extremely simple - click on the photo and the delete button.

Clue: If for some reason you are unable to enter the iCloud control menu in the manner described above, you can also open “iCloud” in the settings and go to “Storage”. You will be taken to the same menu.

On the next page you can see which applications take up how much space in the cloud storage. Set the switch to the "On" position. next to those programs whose backup copies you want to delete.
Scroll down the window and click on “Delete Copy.” Another window will appear asking if you really want to delete the copies. Click "Turn off and delete".

This instruction is the same for both iPhone and iPad. Unless the interface will be slightly different, the actions are completely identical.

After the above steps, the cloud storage will be slightly freed up. To delete everything from the cloud, you must first select “Photos,” delete all copies of the photos, and then delete data from all programs.

Method number 2. Creating a new backup

If you create a new backup, the old one along with all its data will be deleted.

This is done as follows:

In settings, find the item “iCloud” and “Backup” (it’s at the very bottom).
There, click on the “Create a backup” button. Wait for the creation process to complete.

Important! In some cases, you also need to enable the Backup switch. This is the same page shown in Figure 3. Then the button to create a copy will become available. This is a small glitch of the iOS operating system.

Now, as you understand, the old copy will be deleted and a new one will be created. At the same time, data from programs, contacts and other important information will be preserved in full.

Only the photos will be lost. But in most cases, it is because of them that cloud storage becomes very cluttered.

In some cases, it is better to connect 50 GB instead of 5 GB on the cloud. Yes, it costs money, but then you can forget about the clutter for several years. By that time, you will probably want to buy something newer and more interesting.

This pleasure costs only 1 dollar per month (0.99 USD to be precise), which is equal to approximately 59 rubles or 26 hryvnia. For most people who can afford an Apple gadget, this is quite a bit.

To purchase additional space, in the settings you need to go to “iCloud”, then to “Storage” and click on “Buy more space”. 200 GB costs 3 bucks there, and 1 TB costs 10 units of American currency.

So if running out of space is an issue, clear out everything you don't need and consider expanding your cloud.

After installing OS X Yosemite (which, by the way, I had problems with) and iOS 8 GM, I decided to connect iCloud Drive. Let me remind you that it can only be controlled using these systems. I thought for a long time whether it was worth buying additional space in the Apple cloud, because the new prices allow me not to even think about this issue. However, does iCloud Drive make sense at all and will we use it? Let's think about it.

As before, 5 GB are available for free, which can be increased to 20 GB for $0.99 per month. The amount is ridiculous, but is it worth it?

Let me remind you that iCloud Drive is a competitor to Dropbox, Google Drive and other cloud storage services. That is, new iCloud functions have been added to the old ones, which will allow you to use it as a cloud for your files. There are already a lot of questions about the service.

Firstly, it simply doesn’t work well. Of course, this can be attributed to beta, but the inability to upload a file to cloud storage, seriously? This could be fixed. When you upload a file to iCloud Drive, endless synchronization begins.

Secondly, why didn’t Apple think about creating a separate iOS application for iCloud Drive? This would be much more convenient than working with each individual file in different applications.

And now the main question: which tariff to choose? If you intend to migrate to iCloud Drive from another cloud, I would recommend the minimum plan of 20 GB for $0.99 per month. I don’t know what to store in Apple’s cloud other than documents and photos.

Of course, if you have a lot of devices, backups, and photos, you'll need a lot more space. However, in this case, you have already purchased it.

Do you see a need to buy iCloud Drive space?

A year and a half ago, Apple launched one of its most powerful Apple services for its users - iCloud online storage. Recently, the storage service received the status of “broken” among i-device owners. Many began to blame iCloud for discovering shortcomings. Each iCloud user with their own Apple ID receives 5 free gigabytes to back up applications, as well as other iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch settings. The main key features of the online service include syncing photos, documents, emails from your Mac and mobile devices. When developing and introducing the service to the circle of apple lovers, the idea pursued by sunny California engineers was the ability to access all your data, regardless of what device you use. For many, this storage and interaction with it may seem confusing, however, like any other product, you need to get the most out of it. Here are some tips for you to get the most out of Apple's cloud service.

Two-stage verification system

The first thing you should do is create a two-step verification system that adds an extra layer of security to your cloud account. Using appleid.apple.com, sign in to your account with the email address and password you use to download apps. Next, in the lower left corner, visit Password & Security. The first option involves a two-step verification, so click “Get Started”. You'll have to wait about three days before the two-step verification starts working, but it's worth the wait.

Activate iCloud on Mac

Make sure Apple's iCloud is activated on all your devices. Here's an example of how you can activate the service on a Mac: go to System Preferences and select iCloud, enter your Apple ID and password, check all the items you want to sync: photos, contacts, email, etc.

Activating iCloud on iPhone, iPad and iPod

Here's how to activate iCloud on your mobile device (iPhone/iPad/iPod): go to the settings section, go to the iCloud menu, after activating it, select what you would like to store in the cloud.

Synchronization

Now that you're a full member of iCloud, make sure you sync the items you care about most. We especially recommend syncing your contacts, notes, reminders, and bookmarks so you can access them across any of your devices and across the web.

Use iCloud storage just like Dropbox

There is a way you can “trick” iCloud by using virtual folders to store any file. If you use Dropbox, you're probably pretty familiar with the general concept. In order to make iCloud online storage as close as possible to Dropbox, first make sure that Documents & Data is enabled in the iCloud system settings. Next, open Finder and press Ctrl + Shift + G. A dialog box will open inside Type ~/Library. This will allow you to discover your hidden library folders. Once you're inside, scroll down Mobile Documents. You don't need to change anything inside this folder because the files belong to the apps your iCloud storage is already using. However, you can now leave your own files and folders here. Items located in this folder will be available on any other device accordingly.

Take full advantage of Docs in the cloud

You can store any documents, including Word and Excel spreadsheets, in the cloud using your account. Make sure Documents & Data is synced with iCloud. This will allow you to upload text documents, presentations, drawings and more to iCloud. Plus, there are third-party application developers who also provide the ability to save material to your account. Once your documents are saved to iCloud, you can access them from iCloud.com, from your Mac, or from your iPhone and iPad.

Sync reading lists from Safari

If you suddenly left an unread article on your computer, you can always “pick up” it on your iPhone or iPad. To do this, enable the Reading Lists function in the Settings of both your computer, smartphone and tablet. Make sure to check your bookmarks on all devices. This feature works using the glasses icon only in the Safari browser.

No need to connect your iPhone or iPad to your PC over and over again

The iPhone and iPad backup feature is the most useful feature of iCloud. Whenever your device connects to a Wi-Fi network, it will automatically sync settings, apps, music, photos, etc. with your iCloud account. If you ever feel the need to restore something, all you need to do is sign in with your Apple ID and download everything you need from iCloud. In the storage settings, you will find a backup option.

5 GB of free space

You only get 5GB of free space when you get an account, so use it wisely. Here's a way to check how much space is left available. On your Mac, go to System Preferences, select iCloud, then Manage in the bottom right corner. Seeing the number of saved items, including backups, game files, and documents, will give you a clear idea of how much space you have left. If necessary, you can always buy more space. This section can also be accessed from your iPhone or iPad via Settings > iCloud > Storage & Backup > Manage Storage.

You can free up space by deleting old backups, deleting backups of applications that are not important to you.

Possibility of purchasing additional memory

Apple gives you 5GB of free cloud storage. If you have multiple devices or simply need more space, you'll have to fork out some cash. Apple offers 20 GB for $40 per year or 50 GB for $100 per year. That's a pretty steep price compared to Google Drive, which gives you 25GB for $2.50 per month ($30 per year). And Dropbox gives you 100GB for $100 per year. You can purchase additional storage space on your Mac in System Preferences or through your iPhone or iPad in iCloud Preferences.

Use iCloud to download apps and music across all your devices

In iTunes, you can set your Mac preferences to automatically download music, apps, books, and other purchased items from the iTunes store. In the same way, you can activate the option on your mobile device.

Take Advantage of Photo Stream

Photo Stream is one of the neatest ways to automatically sync photos with other devices. Photos from your iPhone or iPad will automatically appear on your Mac. This option also needs additional activation in the settings.

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