When it comes to cloud services for your iOS device, iCloud and iCloud Drive are the most convenient and available. However, if you want to start using these services, their similar names can be a little confusing.
You are right if you thought that iCloud and iCloud Drive were not the same. Before using any of the options, it would be best to know what each one is and how it works. This article will explain just that, give you a brief breakdown of iCloud and iCloud Drive, and describe the differences between the two.
What is iCloud?
You’ve probably heard of iCloud as the essential cloud storage solution for Apple users. This service is very convenient to backup your data and jailbreak your device. You can turn on iCloud backup on your iPhone or iPad and the service will store various files in the cloud, including:
- Photos
- Videos
- Contacts
- Music
- Calendars
- Any iTunes purchase
- Messages
- Application data
- Settings
- Ringtones
These files will be stored automatically, but you will have to add other information manually if you want to back up. Optional iCloud backups include your call history, emails, iCloud Drive files, and health data.
The default storage space you will receive with your Apple account is 5 GB. If you need more storage space, you can purchase additional gigabytes. Please note that iCloud will not replace previous versions of backup files with new ones.
Regarding app backup, it’s worth noting that iCloud will only back up information about your App Store purchases. This means that the apps themselves will not be transferred to your iCloud account. Still, the service will note everything you’ve previously installed, making it more convenient to set up the same app if you change devices.
What is iCloud Drive?
You can think of iCloud Drive as Apple’s exclusive Dropbox variant. In other words, this is a cloud-based sharing service that you can set up on your iOS devices. However, iCloud Drive is not completely the same as widely used services like Google Drive or Dropbox. It works a little differently.
Unlike most sharing services, iCloud Drive doesn’t keep your collection of shared files in the app. Instead, you can access files through the application corresponding to the specific file type. For example, if you want to access your photos stored in iCloud Drive, you’ll need to use the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad.
The main thing that differentiates iCloud Drive from iCloud is that you cannot back up your devices through the Drive service. It will sync selected data automatically and the sync can be two-way, but the app will not provide the same backup as iCloud.
This doesn’t mean you can’t use iCloud Drive to keep certain documents and files secure. Anything you choose to upload to iCloud Drive will remain safe even if something happens to your device or you accidentally delete the files. However, if you enable two-way sync, deleting a file on any of your iOS or Mac devices will also delete the file from iCloud Drive.
There is another important option in iCloud Drive that can be useful. While iCloud will back up certain files, iCloud Drive won’t have any limitations in terms of the files you can upload. In other words, you can upload any file that doesn’t have a designated place in the iCloud structure to iCloud Drive.
The crucial differences between iCloud and iCloud Drive
The most crucial difference between the two services is that they are not equally important. While iCloud is an essential part of your Apple account and is accessible and usable as soon as you activate the account, iCloud Drive is designed as part of that service.
To put it another way, anything you upload to iCloud Drive will also be uploaded to iCloud. The same won’t apply the other way around: if you put a file in iCloud, it won’t appear in iCloud Drive.
On the one hand, iCloud is intended to store files from your devices. On the other hand, iCloud Drive is designed to share those files between Apple devices. This means you won’t have to worry about copying files or transferring them by other means.
Using iCloud
Setting up iCloud on your iOS device is relatively simple. You can do it by following these steps:
- On your iPhone or iPad, open “Settings.”
- Go to “Apple ID, iCloud, Media & Purchases.”
- Select “iCloud.”
- In the “iCloud” menu, find “iCloud Backup” and select that option.
- If iCloud is currently disabled, tap it to change the gray button to green.
- You can exit the “Settings” menu now.
- To back up your device, make sure it is plugged into a power source, connected to Wi-Fi, and locked. The backup will start automatically as soon as these conditions are met.
- Alternatively, you can choose the “Backup Now” option from the “iCloud Backup” menu you selected in Step 4. This will perform the backup immediately.
After you activate iCloud, your data will be backed up periodically. If the backup fails, you should check if your Wi-Fi connection is stable while your device is charging and the screen is locked.
Using iCloud Drive
Setting up iCloud Drive shouldn’t be a complicated process on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac computer. Here’s what you need to do to get started using this service:
- Make sure your iOS or macOS is running the latest version and iCloud is set up as described above.
- Sign in with your Apple ID on all devices where you want to share files.
- Open “Settings” on your iOS device. Alternatively, go to “System Preferences” on your Mac.
- Click “Apple ID.”
- Select “iCloud.”
- On iOS devices, you can activate iCloud Drive by activating the corresponding button in the “iCloud” menu. For Mac computers, skip this step and continue with the next.
- From the “iCloud” menu, select “iCloud Drive.”
- Enable the “Desktop and Documents” option.
- You can copy files to iCloud Drive using the “Desktop & Documents” folder. This folder is located in Finder, under “iCloud.”
Using iCloud Drive on a Windows computer
Once you’ve set up the iCloud Drive service on one of your iOS or Mac devices, you can continue using the service on a Windows PC. Follow these steps to do just that:
- Go to Microsoft Store, download and install iCloud.
- Open the iCloud app and sign in with your Apple ID.
- Check the box next to “iCloud Drive” and select “Apply.” After this, iCloud Drive will be enabled on your Windows computer.
What you can do with iCloud
Naturally, you can use iCloud to backup your devices. However, if you have some extra storage, you can use the service for some additional features.
First, you may want to enable iCloud backup on all devices. Whenever you need to restore a device, you can do it as follows:
- Go to “Settings” and go to “General.”
- Select the “Reset” option.
- Wait for the device to reboot and then choose “Restore from iCloud Backup”.
Next, you can enable photo and video backups to your iCloud. This option will upload high-resolution copies of your images to the cloud and store optimized versions on the device. Don’t worry, though: your device will access iCloud storage to display the full-resolution version when you want to view a photo.
The same goes for videos, although there will be a notable difference with this type of media. As a general rule, video files are much larger than images. Therefore, streaming a video may take some time, especially if your Internet connection is not particularly fast.
You may also want to check if your apps are set to store data in iCloud or on your devices. This can be very useful in certain situations as the app data will not end up clogging up your system. However, it’s worth keeping in mind that iCloud’s default storage is limited. If you start to run out of space, it might be best to disable the app’s data storage option.
Finally, many users consider iCloud to be a primary tool for iOS devices, but you can also use the service to lighten the load on your Mac computer. If you need to free up space on your Mac using iCloud, here’s what you should do:
- Go to the Apple menu.
- Choose “About this Mac.”
- Navigate to “Storage” and go to “Manage.”
- Enter the “Store in iCloud” option to store all files in the “Documents” and “Desktop” folders in iCloud.
The files will still be accessible from your Mac, but your computer will pull them from iCloud instead of local storage.
How to share files using iCloud Drive
If you want to share files via iCloud Drive, you can easily do so by following these steps:
- On an iOS device, navigate to the file or folder you want to share.
- Press and hold on what you want to share to open the menu.
- Choose the “Share” option and then “Add People.”
You will have different options regarding sharing files through iCloud Drive:
- “Only the people you invite”
- “Anyone with the link”
- “Only view”
- “You can make changes”
The first two options will determine who can access the files, while the last will determine what other people can do with the shared content.
Take your files to the cloud
By combining iCloud and iCloud Drive, you can get more flexibility when it comes to storing and sharing files. Get comfortable with these essential services and you’ll be able to get the most out of your iOS and Mac devices and your Apple account.
Have you activated iCloud and iCloud Drive on your devices? How did you use the services? Let us know in the comments below.