Tips for Beginners to use iCloud and get more out of it

iCloud is one of the best cloud storage platforms that backs up your Mac, iPad, and iPhone. You can clear storage space on your devices by uploading your files, documents, and attachments to iCloud. 

Furthermore, you can tweak the settings to upload the pictures you have clicked to iCloud automatically. Then, you can download the photos on any of your Apple devices. To learn how to download photos from iCloud, click https://setapp.com/how-to/download-photos-from-icloud. 

Below are some iCloud tips that will help you get more out of this average cloud storage platform. Let’s go. 

Control what’s Backed up 

You can automatically back up all your important files to iCloud. If you are using an iPhone, go to Settings > choose your name at the top > choose iCloud > select iCloud Backup. 

However, most people need to be aware that they can control what they upload to iCloud. This means you can choose the specific applications you want to back up. 

Controlling what you upload is handy because you get 5GB of free storage. However, when this is full, and you want to expand your storage space, you will have to pay for the extra space. Therefore, you can utilize the 5GB storage space without paying anything extra by controlling what you back up to the cloud storage platform. 

You can stop applications like Instagram or Facebook from backing up to iCloud and consuming your storage space. If these apps do not get backed up, there’s no problem because they already keep all the information on their servers. 

You can disable unnecessary applications from backing up to iCloud by going to Settings > tap on your profile name > choose iCloud > Manage Storage > tap Backups > select a device under Backups > from under Choose Data to Back Up, disable unnecessary applications. Then, the iCloud backups will not back up the data from the applications you can choose not to upload. 

Sync passwords via iCloud Keychain 

iCloud Keychain is an excellent feature that you must utilize to the fullest. Although there are several third-party password managers, if you want to use something made by Apple, you can use iCloud Keychain. 

iCloud Keychain stores and encrypts your emails, usernames, passwords, etc. Whatever is stored here will be available across your Apple devices. 

This can be enabled by going to your iPhone Settings > tap your name at the top > choose iCloud > select Keychain. 

If you use a Mac, go to System Preferences > Apple ID > iCloud > Keychain. 

Use iCloud Family Sharing 

In addition to movies, music, and paid applications, Family Sharing also allows users to share iCloud storage with the members of the family who use Apple devices. 

When you enable iCloud Family Sharing, your family members will not have to pay anything for an iCloud subscription. 

Besides sharing purchases, you can also set Screen Time restrictions, share the location, communication limits of kids’ devices remotely, and find each other’s misplaced devices. 

You can enable Family Sharing by opening Settings > tap on Apple ID Profile > Set Up Family Sharing > Follow on-screen instructions. 

Share your photo albums with non-Apple users 

Thanks to iCloud, you can easily share images and video albums with all your friends and family. Whether you use an Android, iPhone, or a computer does not matter. 

This is why uploading to iCloud is ideal for sharing pictures and videos with non-Apple devices. 

Sync Safari reading list and browsing across devices 

One of the finest browsers for Apple users is Safari, and if you have multiple Apple devices, you can sync your bookmarks, history, reading lists, etc. 

On your iPhone, go to Settings > tap your name > tap iCloud and toggle Safari on. On your Mac, go to System Preferences > Apple ID > iCloud > check Safari. 

Automatically download purchases using iCloud 

iCloud allows you to download applications, books, music, etc., automatically. This ensures that when you are using a different Mac, iPad, or iPhone to purchase new music or applications, you can download the same purchases on your other devices. 

If you want this function to work, you must enable the Automatic Downloads option. On your iPad or iPhone, go to Settings > tap App Store > enable the Apps option under Automatic Downloads > go back > tap Music > allow Automatic Downloads. 

The same can be repeated for Books. 

Conclusion 

These are some tips for beginners trying to navigate iCloud storage platforms and getting the most out of it. Then, you can start uploading your essential files and documents to your iCloud account. But, once you have used up your 5GB storage, you will have to pay extra and expand your storage space. 

Remember to control what gets uploaded to your iCloud account, and you can share the account with your friends or family. But, of course, whoever you share the account with will be able to make changes.