iCloud

The best place for all your photos, files, and more.

566 'iCloud' stories May 2011 - March 2015

iCloud was launched in 2011 as the successor to MobileMe and is Apple’s current cloud service that allows iOS and Mac users to save and synchronize information. Apple includes 5GB of iCloud storage for free with all accounts and has paid options starting at $0.99/month for 50GB.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTrO2wUxh0Q

iCloud is built into every Apple device. That means all your stuff — photos, files, notes, and more — is safe, up to date, and available wherever you are. And it works automatically, so all you have to do is keep doing what you love. Everyone gets 5GB of free iCloud storage to start, and it’s easy to add more at any time.

What is iCloud?

iCloud solved a problem that we were facing in 2011. Originally, Apple pitched the Mac as the digital hub to our life. Our iPods (and then iPhones) would sync over a cable to transfer information. As we added iPads, it became a mess. Steve demoted the Mac back to just a device and made the “cloud” the center of our digital life. Using the service, users could sync all of their data over the air. As an example, a Keynote document edited on your Mac would automatically be up to date with the latest changes on your iPad or iPhone. iCloud also allowed you to back up your iOS device for an easy path to change devices without having to set everything up manually.

The problem with this original iCloud pitch is it didn’t cover all of our photos. We didn’t get that until iCloud Photos came in iOS 8. It didn’t cover iMessage, as that didn’t come until a few years ago with messages in the cloud. It didn’t cover all of our files, but only those in the iCloud folder stored inside of app folders. We didn’t get seamless syncing of files until Apple added Desktop and Document folder syncing a few years ago.

Over time, Apple has continued to add features to iCloud, and it’s turned out to be a really robust and reliable service. Users can sync files, photos, notes, reminders, and Safari bookmarks to their Mac, iPhone, iPad, and even Apple TV (photos).

iCloud Troubleshooting

If you’re having trouble using iCloud, you may want to make sure it isn’t affected by downtime. Check Apple’s iCloud Status page here.

How much does iCloud cost?

Pricing can change at anytime (view Apple’s latest pricing page), but here are the current rates for a few countries.

United States
50GB: $0.99
200GB: $2.99
2TB: $9.99

Canada
50GB: $1.29
200GB: $3.99
2TB: $12.99

United Kingdom
50GB: £0.79
200GB: £2.49
2TB: £6.99

European Union
50GB: 0.99 €
200GB: 2.99 €
2TB: 9.99 €

Read below for all of our coverage

Obama weighs in as China demands access to data services provided by U.S. companies

Ben Lovejoy Mar 3 2015 - 4:21 am PT

8 Comments

President Obama has publicly criticized China’s plans to expand ‘security’ policies that would effectively prevent U.S. tech companies like Apple selling their products in China without completely compromising data security.

Reuters reports that the Chinese government plans to require foreign tech companies to host in China all data servers used by their products, and to allow the government access to the data. As this would include iCloud backups, this would provide the Chinese government with complete access to all data stored on iPhones and iPads sold in China.

In an interview with Reuters, Obama said he was concerned about Beijing’s plans for a far-reaching counterterrorism law that would require technology firms to hand over encryption keys, the passcodes that help protect data, and install security “backdoors” in their systems to give Chinese authorities surveillance access …

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Apple releases first OS X 10.10.3 Public Beta with new Photos app

Mark Gurman Mar 2 2015 - 10:22 am PT

47 Comments

Apple today released the first Public Beta of the upcoming OS X Yosemite 10.10.3. The new release includes the iCloud-based Photos application for the Mac, new Emojis across the system, and simpler login to Google accounts for profiles with two-factor authentication enabled. This beta is labeled as build 14D87, which is the same as the second 10.10.3 beta for developers, which was released a week ago. The Public Beta is available in the Mac App Store Software Update tab for registered beta users. Apple plans to release the first Public Beta of iOS 8.3 in mid-March, according to sources. Thanks, DJ!

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iOS 8 How-to: Set up and Use Find My iPhone, iPad and iPod touch

Sarah Guarino Feb 28 2015 - 9:00 am PT

5 Comments

Find My iPhone was first released in June 2010 initially for the iPhone. Now, Find My iPhone allows you to track the location of your device, be it an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch, in case it gets lost or stolen. This is a great benefit because when you locate your device using Find My iPhone, the device makes noise until it is found and will show you were it is located using Apple Maps. Recently, the police used Find My iPhone to track and save a woman’s life. However, Find My iPhone did require the device to be turned on and connected to the internet in order for it to work completely. New with iOS 8, you have the option to automatically send the location of the device to Apple when the battery is critically low. In this how-to I will discuss how to set up Find My iPhone, and how to use Find My iPhone.

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Pages, Numbers, & Keynote apps arrive on iCloud.com for users without Apple devices

Jordan Kahn Feb 26 2015 - 12:50 pm PT

9 Comments

Apple has opened access to its Pages, Numbers, and Keynote apps at iCloud.com to all, even those without an Apple device (via TechCrunch). Earlier this month Apple opened the apps to those without an Apple device while offering 1GB of free storage (an iCloud account with an Apple device has free access to 5GB). However, previously access to the apps for those without an Apple device was limited to the iCloud beta site at beta.icloud.com where Apple frequently tests new iCloud features before launching them to the primary site. Today they move to the main site at iCloud.com.

While the apps themselves remain in beta mode, they are now accessible to all through iCloud on the web.

Apple has a new FAQ with all the details regarding web-access to iCloud and the Pages, Numbers, and Keynote apps on its website.

Apple releases second OS X 10.10.3 pre-release w/ latest Photos app version, new Emoji, more

Zac Hall Feb 23 2015 - 10:03 am PT

20 Comments

Earlier this month, Apple released the first OS X 10.10.3 pre-release update to testers with a beta version of the iPhoto replacement app called Photos. Today an updated build is rolling out to testers through the Mac App Store. Apple has also released a new beta of iOS 8.3 for testers. We’ll dig in.
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Microsoft updates Office for iOS apps w/ support for iCloud, other third-party storage providers

Jordan Kahn Feb 17 2015 - 5:59 am PT

10 Comments

Microsoft is today rolling out an update to its Office apps for iOS devices bringing the ability to save to iCloud and tap into storage from other services across all three apps.
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Apple opens up iWork for iCloud apps to anyone, no need to own an Apple device

Ben Lovejoy Feb 13 2015 - 3:48 am PT

15 Comments

Apple appears to be aiming to tempt Android and Windows users to try out its iWork apps, making Pages, Numbers and Keynote for iCloud available to anyone, with no requirement to own an Apple device. A new banner promoting the offer was last night added to the iCloud beta site, beta.icloud.com …
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Activation Lock has reduced iPhone theft by 25% in NY, 40% in SF, 50% in London

Ben Lovejoy Feb 11 2015 - 4:06 am PT

15 Comments

Officials in three major cities have reported dramatic reductions in iPhone thefts since Apple introduced Activation Lock as part of iOS 7, preventing devices being re-activated without the original owner’s iCloud login. Reuters reports that the number of reported iPhone thefts has fallen year-on-year by 25% in New York, 40% in San Francisco and 50% in London …
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Apple’s new Photos app means big future changes for free photo storage

Jordan Kahn Feb 6 2015 - 10:40 am PT

76 Comments

Apple yesterday released a preview of its upcoming all-new Photos app for Mac, which replaces iPhoto and Aperture with a simpler all-in-one photo editor and library manager. Most of the discussion of Photos focused on the huge number of changes from iPhoto and Aperture, burying one very important detail: Apple is changing the way it handles cloud-based photo storage.

Before Photos, Apple offered free storage of photos with limitations in a feature called Photo Stream, which didn’t count against iCloud storage. But the new Photos app uses Apple’s beta iCloud Photo Library feature, which was recently added in iOS 8.1. iCloud Photo Library promises to let you synchronize your entire photo collection including edits and albums across all of your devices… but you have to share your iCloud storage with photos, and album syncing and edits don’t apply to the free 1,000 – 25,000 image storage of Photo Stream.

As most long-time iOS users know, the free 5GB of iCloud storage Apple offers is often not enough to store much more than a single device backup, and for many that will mean no spare room for a photo collection. Consequently, Apple is suggesting that users should buy additional iCloud storage, paying monthly fees to store and sync their photos. As the Photos app is rolling out, Apple is allowing users to stick with the old Photo Stream feature and continue using the new Photos app without turning on the iCloud Photo Library. But it remains to be seen if that will be an option long-term once Photos is released publicly and how users will respond when they find out their free 5GB iCloud storage isn’t cutting it for their photo collection…

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Apple invests $2b in failed GTAT sapphire plant to create global command center

Zac Hall Feb 2 2015 - 12:27 pm PT

8 Comments

Following the October surprise bankruptcy filed by GT Advanced Technologies—a key sapphire supplier for the iPhone—Apple today announced plans to invest $2 billion over the next 30 years in the failed plant. The Mesa, Arizona-located plant will become the central command center for its various data centers around the globe.

“We’re proud to continue investing in the U.S. with a new data center in Arizona, which will serve as a command center for our global networks,” Kristin Huguet, a spokeswoman for Cupertino, California-based Apple, wrote in an e-mailed statement on Monday. “This multibillion-dollar project is one of the largest investments we’ve ever made.”

Shortly after the bankruptcy announcement from GT Advanced Technologies, Apple described the decision as surprising while adding that the company would focus on job preservation.
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1Password for iOS adds one-time password tool for two factor auth, new login creator, more

Zac Hall Jan 26 2015 - 8:04 am PT

9 Comments

The popular secure password management app 1Password is out with a big update today adding new features on both iOS and Mac. Arriving in version 5.2 of 1Password for iOS is a new login creator tool, a one-time password tool for use with two factor auth, new entry fields for pro users, and more. On the Mac side, 1Password version 5.1 was released adding a number of improvements to sync. This includes the ability to sync secondary vaults to iOS over WiFi. More on the major new features below:

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Tim Cook agreed to allow Chinese government to conduct security audits on Apple devices – local media

Ben Lovejoy Jan 23 2015 - 5:45 am PT

6 Comments

Beijing News reports that Tim Cook has agreed to allow China’s State Internet Information Office to carry out security audits of Apple products sold in the country. Cook reportedly made the offer during his meeting with China’s Cyberspace Administration minister Lu Wei in December.

China has long expressed suspicion over the security of Apple products, seemingly resulting from frosty relations with the U.S. Government. A state-run TV station in China described the iPhone as a “national security concern” last July due to its location-tracking capabilities. Apple responded by pointing out that location data is stored on the phone, not on Apple’s servers, and is encrypted …
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Logic Pro X 10.1 arrives w/ tons of new sounds, AirDrop sharing, redesigned plug-ins, & editing improvements

Zac Hall Jan 21 2015 - 1:47 pm PT

9 Comments

Apple today released a new version of Logic Pro X, its professional audio editing software, bringing the current version to 10.1 and adding a long list of new features. Among the new additions to Logic Pro X in version 10.1 includes 10 new Drummers, the intelligent beat profile feature, focused on hip hop and electronic styles. OS X Yosemite users will appreciate the ability to share projects from Logic Pro X to other users using both Mail Drop, which lets you send large files over email using iCloud storage, and AirDrop, which lets you share files wirelessly between nearby Macs.

In addition to updating Logic Pro X, Apple released version 1.2 of its Logic Remote iPad app with a new plug-in view for remotely controlling parameters and adding or rearranging plug-ins. The new version also allows you to adjust mic and input settings with compatible audio interfaces from the app. Apple’s MainStage 3 Mac app ($29.99) updated to version 3.1 as well. You can read our full review of Logic Pro X here, and see the full change log of new features below:

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Five Apple logins remain unprotected by two-factor authentication when using an unknown device

Ben Lovejoy Jan 14 2015 - 5:50 am PT

9 Comments

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKKZfZUqk3I]

More than four months after Tim Cook promised emailed login alerts and the reintroduction of two-factor authentication in the wake of the high-profile celebrity iCloud hacks, five Apple logins remain unprotected by the system. Hackers of NY founder Dani Grant used videos to demonstrate each of the vulnerabilities in a blog post.

Grant showed that two-factor authentication isn’t needed when using an unknown Mac to login to iMessage, iTunes, FaceTime, the App Store or Apple’s website. According to Grant, only one of the five services sent an email notification advising that an unknown device was used to log in …
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New password-hacking tool for iCloud claims to evade Apple’s brute-force protections

Benjamin Mayo Jan 2 2015 - 6:17 am PT

13 Comments

Update: We are now receiving reports that the vulnerability has been patched. People trying to use the tool are apparently now being correctly locked out from repeated password attempts.

A new tool submitted to GitHub claims to be able to perform password dictionary attacks on any iCloud account, seemingly able to evade detection from Apple’s rate-limiting security that is supposed to prevent such dictionary attacks from happening. In September, Apple reported it had closed one such hole that allowed brute-force attacks to occur.

The sourcecode for the tool has been released onto GitHub. Upon inspection, the tool is really rather crude in its complexity. It simply tries every possible word in its 500-long word-list as the password for a given iCloud account email. This means whilst it will succeed “100%” at trying 500 times over, the tool is by no means guaranteed to succeed at cracking your password.

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Photos app mysteriously vanishes from iCloud.com (Update: Back for some, Apple says fixed)

Benjamin Mayo Jan 2 2015 - 4:46 am PT

16 Comments

Update: Some users are once again reporting the availability of the beta Photos web app on iCloud.com (although not everyone just yet). Let us know if you’re still seeing issues.

Update 2: Apple has acknowledged the outage on its system status page and says the issue is resolved.

The Photos app has been mysteriously pulled from the iCloud.com site, in the last few days. The app, which shows pictures stored in iCloud Photo Library, is now no longer listed on the iCloud.com homepage when logged in … with no comment from Apple to explain the disappearance.

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Algoriddim releases djay Pro for Mac w/ Spotify integration, 4 deck support, iCloud syncing, more

Zac Hall Dec 18 2014 - 6:05 am PT

6 Comments

Algoriddim is ending the year with a bang with the launch of djay Pro for Mac — its most powerful version of the popular music mixing app. Spotify integration added access to over 20 million songs for djay users in May, and Algoriddim released djay for Android for the first time this part October. With the release of the professional version of djay for the desktop, Algoriddim is adding access to your Spotify library for mixing right in the DJ app and highlighting ‘pro’ features and capabilities with this brand new version.
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Phone Breaker iCloud-hacking software now supports 2FA, allows access to WhatsApp & iWork files

Ben Lovejoy Dec 18 2014 - 5:46 am PT

5 Comments

Elcomsoft’s Phone Breaker software, used by law enforcement agencies but also thought to have been used by iCloud hackers to access celebrity nudes, has been updated to support accounts using two-factor authentication, reports MacWorld. It can also now access WhatsApp message files and iWork documents.

It’s not as scary as it sounds – the software can only be used once the attacker already has an Apple ID and password, together with either a second trusted device or your recovery key. A phishing attack is the most common way to obtain these, so as long as you use strong, unique passwords and don’t click on links in emails claiming to be from Apple, you should be safe. But it does allow users of the software to download either entire iPhone backups or selected data direct from iCloud much more easily than having to go through a compromised device by hand.

The more security-conscious will, though, want to heed Apple’s advice not to store your account recovery code on any of your devices: the software can automatically scan both your Mac and any external drives for these.

If you don’t yet have a recovery code for your Apple ID, do get one: even an unsuccessful hack attempt can lock you out of your account, and without a recovery key, there’s no way back in.

Via Engadget

Did Apple drop Google Maps for good? Apple Maps now rolling out on iCloud.com

Jordan Kahn Dec 9 2014 - 9:47 am PT

21 Comments

Apple appears to have finally dropped Google Maps from iCloud.com, replacing it with its own in-house maps almost two years after removing Google Maps from iOS and most of its other products. Apple started slowly rolling out the feature to its iCloud beta site for select users earlier this year before pulling it, but it now seems to have replaced Google for all users of iCloud.com’s Find My iPhone feature (pictured above).
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PSA: Make sure you have a recovery key for your Apple ID – you’ll need it if you get hacked

Ben Lovejoy Dec 9 2014 - 4:23 am PT

4 Comments

If, like me, you skipped over the recovery key step when switching on two-factor authentication for your Apple ID, thinking that having the password plus a trusted device was sufficient, you’ll want to correct that.

TheNextWeb‘s Owen Williams recently found that if someone tries to hack your account, and you get locked out, there’s no way back in without a recovery key.

While Apple states on its website that a new recovery key can be generated so long as you know your password and have access to one of your trusted devices, this is not true once the account is locked. No recovery key, no access. No amount of pleading by Williams would persuade Apple to help. Apple increased its security measures following the phishing attack on iCloud.

In Owen’s case, he did have a key, he just couldn’t find it. It was only by digging it out of a Time Machine backup that he was able to regain access to his account.

So, if you don’t yet have a recovery key, or can’t lay your hands on one, here’s what you need to do:

Go to My Apple ID
Select Manage your Apple ID and sign in with your password and trusted device
Select Password and Security
Under Recovery Key, select Replace Lost Key

Panic’s Transmit App no longer allowed to ‘send’ files to other services, developers request reprieve

Seth Weintraub Dec 8 2014 - 1:16 pm PT

7 Comments

In a blog post today, Mac/iOS developer Panic explained why a recent version of its venerable Transmit FTP/File transfer app no longer uploads to iCloud, and it turns out, other services:

Transmit iOS 1.1.1 is out, fixing a few bugs in our surprisingly powerful file management app for your iPhone or iPad.

Also, at Apple’s request, we had to remove the ability to “Send” files to other services, including iCloud Drive.

In short, we’re told that while Transmit iOS can download content from iCloud Drive, we cannot upload content to iCloud Drive unless the content was created in the app itself. Apple says this use would violate 2.23 — “Apps must follow the iOS Data Storage Guidelines or they will be rejected” — but oddly that page says nothing about iCloud Drive or appropriate uses for iCloud Drive.

If the issue is just iCloud Drive, why did we remove the other destinations? We had no choice. iCloud Drive exists in this sheet.

The developers are taking their case public a few days after the app update was released in an effort to persuade Apple to change their minds in this case. Seems like a no-brainer. What say you Apple?

Apple releases Safari updates for OS X Yosemite, Mavericks, and Mountain Lion (Update: pulled)

Mike Beasley Dec 3 2014 - 2:15 pm PT

6 Comments

Update: Apple appears to have pulled this update. Apple previously pulled a Safari update when it accidentally released a beta to the general public, but this doesn’t seem to be the same type of situation. The security document for the update is still live.

Apple has released a small patch for the three most recent versions of Safari running on OS X Yosemite, Mavericks, and Mountain Lion. The new versions are 8.0.1, 7.1.1, and 6.2.1, respectively.

The updated builds include fixes for features like WebGL graphics running on Macs with Retina displays, and problems with iCloud Keychain and syncing of browsing history. There is also a new option for importing saved usernames and passwords from the Firefox browser.

You can download the updates from the Software Update tab of the Mac App Store. There are no standalone installers, as Safari is now bundled with OS X.

Hyper’s Black Friday: $50 off the world’s only external MacBook battery, $10 battery packs (Reg. $50), $2 iPad cases (Reg. $30), much more

Jordan Kahn Nov 27 2014 - 7:14 am PT

1 Comment

Hyper, the brand behind a number of popular Mac and iOS products we’ve reviewed in the past, is today offering its best deals ever for Black Friday. The sale includes big deals on external battery packs and other iOS accessories including the world’s only external MacBook battery.

Some of the notables: A $10 3600 mAh battery pack (Reg. $49), a $20 7200mAh battery pack (Reg. $70), and up to $50 off the company’s external battery for MacBooks. Head below for the full list of deals.
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iCloud reportedly held back by ‘deep organizational issues’ within Apple

9to5 Staff Nov 24 2014 - 2:41 pm PT

40 Comments

The Information has published a report that claims “deep organizational issues” within Apple are holding up iCloud development and complicating products. The cloud-based service, which helps keep data in sync between iPhones, iPads, iPods and Macs, reportedly lacks from a centralized iCloud team at the Cupertino-based company.
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