When Apple announced iCloud way back in 2011, Steve Jobs was the man who took to the stage to share the news. He said that Apple would give every iPhone owner 5GB of free storage for mail, documents, and backing up data. Today, Apple offers that same free 5GB of iCloud storage, a figure that simply isn't big enough for anyone to use without paying for additional space — a fact that could be enough to see the company face a class-action lawsuit.

The lawsuit argues that while Apple offers 5GB of free storage, "as Apple’s iCloud revenues attest, most users find this insufficient for their storage needs and purchase a supplemental iCloud storage plan.” What's more, it argues that while some data can be backed up by third-party services from the likes of Microsoft and Google, some key data cannot. That data includes iPhone configuration files which means that doing a full iPhone backup requires iCloud, hence the issue at hand.

The lawsuit, which was filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, doesn't currently have class action status, but it might only be a matter of time. It requests such a status and would include users who bought iCloud plans and were overcharged as a result of the lack of competition.

Restricted files

The matter of which files can be backed up to alternative services is a key one, with the lawsuit saying that the 5GB of iCloud storage simply isn't enough to store everything that cannot be backed up elsewhere, reports Bloomberg Law.

"While competing cloud providers can access and host certain iPhone and iPad data (e.g., photos and videos), Apple arbitrarily sequesters a set of files (mainly app data and device settings) and denies all but iCloud permissions to host them," the lawsuit explains. "These sequestered files—hereafter  “Restricted  Files”—are significant because they include data needed to restore a device when it is replaced. But from a technological and security standpoint, these files are no different from all other data that accumulates on Apple’s mobile devices. The storage infrastructure required to host all file types is the same."

The lawsuit goes on to use Samsung as an example, adding that it allows the backing up of data using services other than Samsung Drive. Apple, however, limits backups to iCloud.

Meanwhile, the lawsuit says, iCloud represents "almost pure profit" as a result of the lack of competition.

"In other words, undisciplined by competition, Apple has marked up its iCloud prices to the point where the service is generating almost pure profit," the lawsuit argues. "Apple’s ability to sustain these prices is a testament to its monopoly power."

Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP represents lead plaintiff Julianna Felix Gamboa and the proposed class, with a jury trial having also been requested. If class action status is granted there is a potential for tens of millions of members across two pools of people; a California subclass and a wider nationwide class of those who bought iCloud storage at prices said to have been artificially inflated by a lack of competitive forces.

Apple's iCloud prices beyond the free 5GB currently cost $0.99 per month for 50GB, $2.99 per month for 200GB, and $9.99 per month for 2TB of storage. Additional storage is also available as part of the Apple One subscription bundle, too. Each iCloud Plus plan — including additional storage — also offers iCloud Private Relay, Hide My Email, Custom Domain, and HomeKit Secure Video support.

More from iMore

• iCloud Plus: Everything you need to know!
• Which iCloud storage plan should you get?
• iCloud Photo Library: The ultimate guide

Whenever you upload data to iCloud Drive, including via iCloud Photos and other methods, that data is stored on hard drives in servers that are themselves located in data centers all over the world. But hard drives are problematic because they have to be replaced every few years and have been known to fail. However, a new type of storage is being developed that could replace those hard drives in some use cases.

That new storage is being developed by a company called Cerabryte which has released a video showing its new storage system. Built using off-the-shelf parts, it can store 10,000TB of data on a cartridge the size of the palm of your hand. That cartridge is made up of glass and ceramic and promises to last for more than 5,000 years — more than long enough to keep someone's photos safe.

While the new technology is likely to be years away from being implemented en masse, it's a sign that companies like Apple might have a new type of storage system to look forward to and one that will revolutionize how information is stored in data centers everywhere.

The Monolith

Cerabryte shared a video of what it calls the Monolith in action, with TechRadar spotting it. The video explains how the technology works on the back of a previous video shared last month.

Between those two videos, we learn that the technology goes well beyond anything even the best SSDs have to offer today. The sheer amount of data these things can store is incredible, with talk of 10,000TB making even the biggest iPhone 15 Pro seem short on space. As a comparison, the ceramic cartridges promise TB/square-centimeter areal densities, a huge improvement over the 0.02TB/square-centimeter offered by traditional hard disks like those used in data centers right now. That means that companies like Apple, Google, and others would be able to store more data in much less space — something that could be a huge bonus as we all generate ever-increasing amounts of data.

How the system works is complicated, with each cartridge featuring a thin layer of glass atop a dark ceramic layer. That's where the data is stored, written by a laser that is sharpened by a digital micromirror and then shaped by microscope optics. The laser then writes the data to the ceramic layer in a series of holes that represent binary information. A microscopic camera then reads the information to ensure it's valid — with the same camera also responsible for reading the data back when required.

All about the archives

As you might have already guessed, writing data to a ceramic tile doesn't necessarily lend itself to rewriting them later. That means that these cartridges are write-only, making them more suited to specific uses than others.

If Apple were to make use of this technology, it wouldn't make up the bulk of its storage solution for example. Instead, it could be used as backup media or for long-term redundancy to ensure that data is kept safe and sound without any possibility of being overwritten or corrupted. With a 5,000-year-long lifespan, these things are more likely to outlive Apple than the other way around. You can't say the same about any hard drive bought today, and existing long-term storage solutions like tape drives are normally only good for up to 30 years, too.

As for when we can expect this storage technology to arrive, TechRadar's report claims 2030 is a possibility. Just don't expect to buy a new iMac with a ceramic drive inside any time soon.

More from iMore

• iPhone 15 Pro: Everything you need to know
• iPhone 15 Pro Max review
• Why I don't regret upgrading to the iPhone 15 Pro Max

If you've ever run out of iCloud storage space you're in for a good time following the news that Apple has started to offer two new storage plans at the very top of the lineup.

The move means that iCloud Plus options include new options for 6TB and 12TB of storage, giving people more space than ever for storing things like photos, videos, and files.

None of it is cheap, though. The 6TB plan will cost you $29.99 per month while that doubles to $59.99 per month for the range-topping 12TB option.

Store all the things

If you're wondering why Apple has enabled such large storage options, wonder no more. Apple's press release makes it pretty clear — it's all about those new iPhones.

"The new plans are a perfect complement to the powerful 48MP Main cameras on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro lineups that take photo and video capture on iPhone to the next level with super high-resolution photos and 4K videos," Apple says. "With iCloud+, users can keep large libraries of original, high-resolution photos and videos safe in iCloud and easily accessible across all of their devices and the web — all while keeping beautiful, optimized versions on their iPhone, automatically saving space."

Other iCloud Plus benefits include Private Relay for safer internet browsing as well as Hide My Email for signing up for services without handing over your real email address. HomeKit Secure Video and support for customer mail domains round things out.

The previous iCloud Plus plans remain, with 50GB, 200GB, and 2TB options available for $0.99, $2.99, and $9.99 per month, respectively.

As for those new iPhones, the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max all go on sale this coming Friday, September 22. They'll be joined by the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2.

Apple introduced new child safety protections to help detect known child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in August of 2021. Little more than a year later, it backed down on its CSAM-scanning plans -- and now we know why.

Part of Apple's child protection initiative was to identify known CSAM material before it was uploaded to iCloud Photos, but that proved controversial among privacy advocates who worried that a precedent was being set and that the technology could be misused. It appears that Apple ultimately agreed.

Apple is again being taken to task over its lack of CSAM iCloud protections and that's triggered the company to explain its thinking, saying that “scanning every user’s privately stored iCloud data would create new threat vectors for data thieves to find and exploit."

Privacy first

A child safety group known as Heat Initiative recently sent a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook to demand the company does more to protect children who are abused, according to a Wired report. Cook didn't respond, but Erik Neuenschwander, Apple's director of user privacy and child safety, did.

The response was also provided to Wired which means we now get a better understanding of Apple's thinking behind its decision to ditch the scanning of CSAM content — despite many misunderstanding how it would actually work.

Alongside creating new thread vectors, Neuenschwander argues that scanning iCloud data "would also inject the potential for a slippery slope of unintended consequences. Scanning for one type of content, for instance, opens the door for bulk surveillance and could create a desire to search other encrypted messaging systems across content types.”

Apple ultimately chose privacy over trying to prevent known CSAM material from being stored on its servers, it seems. “We decided to not proceed with the proposal for a hybrid client-server approach to CSAM detection for iCloud Photos from a few years ago,” Neuenschwander reportedly said in the response to Heat Initiative. “We concluded it was not practically possible to implement without ultimately imperiling the security and privacy of our users.”

Heat Initiative chief Sarah Gardner called Apple's decision "disappointing," telling Cook that “Apple is one of the most successful companies in the world with an army of world-class engineers,” Gardner wrote in a statement to WIRED. “It is their responsibility to design a safe, privacy-forward environment that allows for the detection of known child sexual abuse images and videos. For as long as people can still share and store a known image of a child being raped in iCloud we will demand that they do better.”

The experience of buying a new Ford may change dramatically in the next 24 months -- and it’s all thanks to Apple.

Ford on Monday morning announced that it had hired former Apple exec Peter Stern to head a new push for subscription services at the car giant. Stern had been vice president of Services, overseeing Apple TV+, iCloud, Apple News+, Apple Books, Apple Arcade, and more. Apple had two subscription services when he joined, Stern noted; it had over a billion subscribers when he left. Thanks to Apple's success in subscription services, other companies are looking to grow subscription revenues as well -- including Ford.

At the transportation giant, Stern will push to dramatically expand the volume of subscription services the company offers as it moves from being “merely” a car company to a software and services company. It’s a massive change to the business model and a huge switch to the entire industry, explained Ford President and CEO Jim Farley.

“Everyone’s focused on the switch to EVs. But I keep saying, the biggest change in our industry is to go to a digital product and digital services,” Farley said.

Stern joins another former Apple exec at Ford: Doug Field served as VP of special projects at the iPhone maker and spearheaded the company’s efforts to make an autonomous electric car, called Project Titan. He joined Ford in Sept. 2021. Together, the pair will head up the release of a new EV platform in 2025 and a massive software and services push.

“We will be together often and extremely close,” Stern said. But he noted that the subscription services won’t be limited to EVs. Indeed, the Ford F150 -- America’s best-selling vehicle for ages and ages -- will also be getting the subscription system.

$5 per month for heated seats? Hardly

What exactly will subscription services look like in these cars of the future? Ford’s new vehicles will be fully software-upgradeable, but does that mean you’ll have to subscribe to everything? Will you need to pay to turn on the windshield wipers, for example? Farley was dismissive of these concerns.

“I would not view this as nickel and diming our customers,” Farley said. “We’re not going to charge for things that don’t make sense to charge for.” He cited heated seats and heated steering wheels as obvious features that a customer shouldn’t pay for. Nor would Ford charge for e-commerce capabilities or content. “We’re going in a completely different direction,” he said.

So what will you pay for? The cornerstone of Stern’s vision lies in BlueCruise, Ford’s hands-free driving experience based on a package of driver-assistance technologies. BlueCruise and other hardware features will be built into vehicles and unlocked or enabled through subscription services.

Safety and security features will be the starting point for most customers, and a foot in the door to other services, he said; they will have “high penetration” -- due in part to a 90-day free trial, a feature the company also announced on Monday. BlueCruise's safety features will open the opportunity to sell other services that have a “significant opportunity to generate higher revenue per customer.”

While many today may view the concept of subscribing to a vehicle with a gimlet eye, both Stern and Farley were insistent that this change would be welcomed and embraced.

“The more we build an always-on customer experience … the more they’re going to love their Fords, and that will elevate the user experience,” Farley said.

Apple has increased the price of iCloud storage in a number of countries around the globe although pricing in the United States remains unchanged.

The fact that the prices have changed internationally, and only in some territories, might suggest that the hike is related to local currency exchange rates but the result is that people will now have to pay more for their iCloud storage.

This move comes as Apple gets ready to bring My Photo Stream to an end, removing a free photo storage option and pushing people towards iCloud Photos — a feature that is likely to require them to pay for more iCloud storage.

Going up

The price increases were first spotted by 9to5Mac and will impact the United Kingdom as well as a number of other countries. Of the ones that have been reported so far, iCloud storage now costs more in Poland, Romania, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Sweden, Tanzania, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates. It's possible that more countries are affected by these increases, however.

As an example of the increase, U.K. iCloud users previously paid as little as £0.79 for 50GB of storage. That's now been increased to £0.99. At the other end of the scale, a 2TB plan will now cost £8.99 per month, up from the previous £7.99. Apple's mid-tier 200GB option has also increased in price from £2.49 to £2.99 per month.

These prices relate to iCloud Plus, a subscription that gets users additional features including iCloud Private Relay and more.

The iCloud storage price increase doesn't appear to have impacted the Apple One subscription bundle, however.

Looking to save some money elsewhere to make up for Apple's price increases? Be sure to check out the very best Apple Prime Day Deals before placing your order for any Apple product.

If you're using Apple's "My Photo Stream" service to sync photos between your iPhone, iPad, and Mac you're probably going to want to start making plans for what comes next — because Apple is killing the option off in July 2023.

The My Photo Stream service has been around for years and syncs the last 30 days' (or 1,000) photos between devices. But Apple is set to bring the curtain down on the service on July 26, 2023.

As a result, new photos will no longer upload to My Photo Stream starting from June 26, which is less than a month away.

iCloud Photos

The canning of My Photo Stream means that people who relied on the feature will now need to look elsewhere. The most obvious solution is to switch to using iCloud Photos, although that might also come with a cost — especially if you need more space to allow all of your photos and videos to be uploaded to Apple's servers.

The iCloud Photos option is baked into all of Apple's iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple Watches, and the Apple TV which makes it a great option for people who just want to set it and forget it. It also opens the door to things like iCloud Shared Photo Library, a feature that makes it easier for people to share photos and videos with each other.

With Apple set to announce iOS 17 during its WWDC23 event on June 5, it's possible that we will see some upgrades to iCloud Photos and iCloud in general, not to mention the Photos app across all of Apple's platforms. That update won't be released to the public until this fall, however, assuming Apple sticks to its own release cadence. That's also when we expect the iPhone 15 lineup to be unveiled as well.

iCloud Drive is Apple's cloud storage system, think of it as the brand's answer to Dropbox. With access to your iCloud Drive account, you're able to access all of the files, documents, folders and more that you're currently storing and syncing with Apple.

On iOS, you can find your folders and documents in the Files app. You can access iCloud Drive on the web or via a Finder window on the Mac. Our guide below will show you how to set-up iCloud Drive and view and access all of your files whichever device you're using. 

If you want to find out more, make sure you read our everything you need to know about iCloud guide. For photo-related advice, take a look at how to share photos with Family Sharing and iCloud.

How to enable iCloud Drive on your Mac

If you haven't already enabled iCloud Drive on your Mac, you can do so manually at any time on any of the best Macs, whether you have an older computer or the brand new MacBook Air with M2. 

1. Click on the Apple menu icon in the upper left corner of your Mac.
2. Click on System Settings.
3. Choose your Apple ID at the top left. 
4. Toggle on iCloud Drive to enable it.

How to access iCloud Drive from a web browser

You can access all of your iCloud files right from the web on any device, even a PC.

1. Navigate to iCloud.com from your web browser.
2. Enter the email address and password associated with your Apple ID.
3. Click or tap on the Arrow next to the password.
4. Enter the verification code sent to your trusted device for two-factor authentication if prompted.
5. Click on iCloud Drive.

You can view files from the web browser and either download them onto your Mac, move them to a different folder, email them, or delete them.

How to access iCloud Drive from Finder on your Mac

You can also access iCloud Drive right on your Mac without having to use a browser in a Finder window.

1. Launch Finder on your Mac.
2. Click Go on the menubar. 
3. Choose iCloud Drive from the pull-down menu. 

You can also search for iCloud Drive in Spotlight to quickly find iCloud Drive on your Mac.

How to disable iCloud Drive on Mac

If you don't want to keep iCloud Drive on your Mac, you can disable it the same way you enabled it.

1. Click on the Apple menu icon in the upper left corner of your Mac.
2. Click on System Settings.
3. Click on Apple ID.
4. Untoggle iCloud Drive to disable it.

Now you can use iCloud Drive on Mac

If you're an iCloud user, you'll definitely want to take advantage of iCloud Drive. You can use it to store the most important files that you want to access across your Apple devices. If you know how to open a folder on your Mac, you already know how to use iCloud Drive. 

Using iCloud for a specific reason? Take a look at our iCloud photo sharing guide and our iCloud music library guide. 

iCloud is Apple's cloud-based storage service. It allows you to securely store your files, photos through iCloud Photo Library, passwords, notes and other kinds of data in the cloud. It offers other features too, like multi-device backup, syncing your calendars and more. You can then access everything from any Apple device, including the latest devices from the brand, like the iPhone 14 Pro and MacBook Air with M2. It's a great alternative to using one of the best flash drives instead for your iPhone. 

But which iCloud storage plan should you get? All iCloud accounts get 5GB of online storage space for free, but if you plan to use either the file storage or backup features, that 5GB can vanish in an instant.

Luckily, Apple provides a number of different paid storage options for its users, which are called iCloud+. So if you're close to your storage limit or have already run out, you might be considering the best Apple iCloud plan to cover your needs. Here's everything you need to know about iCloud+.

What are iCloud's storage tiers?

Apple currently offers four different subscription tiers, one that is the regular, free-to-use iCloud and three paid tiers for iCloud+. These subscriptions can be split between all the devices you're using. This includes iPhones, iPads, Macs, and supported Windows computers.

Note: If you're on a Family Sharing plan and purchase the $2.99 or $9.99/month plans, you can share your storage space with up to five other family members. While you'll share the total space, everyone will have private iCloud accounts and private storage, and individual members can always buy their own space if necessary.

• Free: 5GB of storage
• $0.99/month: 50GB of storage
• $2.99/month: 200GB of storage
• $9.99/month: 2TB of storage

Here's what counts toward your iCloud storage space:

• Anything you store in iCloud Drive
• App data stored in iCloud
• Contacts, calendar, mail, notes, and reminders data stored in iCloud
• Photos and videos stored in iCloud Photo Library
• iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch backups
• Any tracks you upload to your iCloud Music Library
• Desktop and Documents sync for macOS

Which is the best iCloud storage plan for you?

When debating which iCloud storage plan to choose, you should ask yourself a few key questions:

• Are you running out of iCloud storage space due to your iPhone and iPad backups alone?
• Do you use iCloud Drive to store your documents, or do you store files in another cloud service like Dropbox or Google Drive?
• Do you use iCloud Photo Library to store your pictures and videos, or another cloud photo service like Google Photos or Dropbox?
• Do you plan to use iCloud's Desktop and Documents feature to sync multiple Macs?

If you plan to regularly use iCloud's various features, you'll likely need the storage space to match. 

What about Apple One's storage plan?

Apple recently revealed a new all-in-one subscription service called Apple One, which bundles a number of Apple's key features together, including iCloud. 

Apple One consists of up to six Apple services, including Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple News+, Apple Fitness+, and iCloud storage.

There's a total of three plans to choose from, and depending on which one you choose, you'll get more iCloud storage.

If you have friends and family who are also planning on buying iCloud storage, the Family Plan is great option. Not only you get 200 GB of iCloud storage, but you'll also get access to all the other Apple services you might already use.

The Premier Plan is also a great option if you need 2TB of space, plus all the other Apple services, including the upcoming Apple Fitness+, which is not available in other plans. And, just like with the family plan, if you plan to split the payment with five other people, it would actually be cheaper than just buying 2TB.

Although, international readers should keep in mind that the Premier Plan will only be available in the US, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada.

How to buy more iCloud storage

If you've decided which is the best iCloud storage plan for you, it's easy to upgrade right from your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.

1. Open Settings on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap on the Apple ID banner at the top of the screen.
3. Tap iCloud.

4. Tap on Manage Storage.
5. Tap Change Storage Plan.
6. Tap on an available plan to upgrade your storage.

7. Tap Buy.
8. Enter your iCloud account password
9. Tap OK.

1. Open the System Preferences app.
2. Select the iCloud tab.
3. Click on Manage.
4. Click the Change Storage Plan button. (You may have to enter your Apple ID and password.)

5. Choose your new plan.
6. Press Done.

1. Open Settings on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap on the Apple ID banner.
3. Tap iCloud.

4. Tap on the Manage Storage.
5. Tap Change Storage Plan.
6. Tap Downgrade Options.

7. Choose which plan you want to downgrade to.
8. Tap Done.
9. Tap Downgrade.

1. Open the System Preferences app.
2. Select the iCloud tab.
3. Click on Manage.
4. Click the Change Storage Plan button. (You may have to enter your Apple ID and password.)
5. Click the Downgrade Options button.

6. Choose your new plan.
7. Press Done.

What other iCloud storage options are there?

If you're not sold on buying an iCloud storage plan, there are plenty of other cloud storage services available. If you want the best option for your budget, you can check out our guide to which cloud storage has the best value, which covers a range of options, including iCloud, Dropbox and more.

What about iCloud Photo Library?

Your iCloud Photo Library is where all of your photos are stored within your iCloud account. That means the storage option you choose will cover the Photo Library.

We've got plenty of guides to help you get you up-and-running and get the most of the service, including how to set up and use iCloud Photo Library on iPhone and iPad and how to back up your iCloud Photo Library.

New iPhones will have to go without iCloud's new end-to-end encryption feature.

As spotted by MacRumors, developers testing out iCloud's new Advanced Data Protection feature have noticed that new devices are unable to turn on the feature right away. The expanded iCloud encryption, which offers end-to-end encryption on iCloud backups, was announced by the company earlier this week.

One user took to Twitter to share a screenshot which said that, due to their device recently being added to their Apple account, they would not be able to turn on Advanced Data Protection until February 2, 2023.

They said that the most recent device added to their account was the iPhone 14 Pro Max when it launched back in September.

There appears to be a buffer

According to the report, Apple has added the buffer to "prevent a malicious actor from enabling the feature if a user is hacked." Users can, of course, still enable the feature on an older device like an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, so you're not fully blocked from enabling Advanced Data Protection.

One thing that is currently unclear is exactly how long Apple considers a device "recently added." The report notes that some users have reported seeing restrictions until January or February of next year, so it roughly appears to be upwards of six months on new devices.

Even with the restriction, it's great to see Apple is rolling out end-to-end encryption for iCloud backups. The feature is rolling out to users in the United States by the end of the year and globally throughout 2023. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern, Apple's Craig Federighi said that the feature would even be coming to China.

When he was asked about the country, which doesn't have the greatest track record when it comes to user privacy, the executive said "We want to roll out across the world." When asked how the Chinese government feels about this, Federighi said, "they have not told me," with a grin.

Advanced Data Protection is one of the most important new features to arrive on iCloud. Available with iOS 16.2, it adds further encryption to its cloud computing service. It comes at a similar time to Lockdown Mode, which you can find out more about in our how to enable Lockdown Mode on iPhone and iPad guide.

Here's a close look at how the new service works and how to set it up on the iPhone 14 Pro and other supported devices, including all the best iPhones and best iPads. 

What is Advanced Data Protection?

For years, Apple has been committed to providing industry-leading data security for its products and services. Much of this focus has been on iCloud, Cupertino's cloud computing and backup service. With Advanced Data Protection activated, Apple brings to 23 the number of sensitive data categories that use end-to-end encryption. In addition, it now includes iCloud Backup, Notes, and Photos. 

With the change, only iCloud Mail, Contacts, and Calendar are not covered by end-to-end encryption. Apple says this is because of "the need to interoperate with the global email, contacts, and calendar systems."

Advanced Data Protection is not turned on by default; e.g., it's an optional setting. When activated, iCloud data access is restricted to your trusted devices only. This means Apple and hackers alike can't decrypt your data.

What happens after activating Advanced Data Protection?

Apple explains in its Advanced Data Protection support document that your trusted device performs two actions once the service is turned on. First, communication is made between it and your other supported devices, indicating you want end-to-end encryption on iCloud. This process involves writing code into the iCloud Keychain. 

Second, it removes the previously installed iCloud authentication tools from Apple data centers. Apple notes this "deletion is immediate, permanent, and irrevocable." Once the removal, Apple can no longer access your iCloud data that are protected by end-to-end encryption. 

Finally, Apple contends, "After the service key rotation is successful, new data written to the service can't be decrypted with the old service key. It's protected with the new key which is controlled solely by the user's trusted devices, and was never available to Apple."

Advanced Data Protection requirements

There are important requirements for using Advanced Data Protection. These include: 

• Two-factor authentication must already be activated.
• You must be signed in to your Apple ID devices.
• Each of your devices must be updated to at least iOS 16.2, iPadOS 16.2, macOS 13.1, tvOS 16.2, watchOS 9.2, and the latest version of iCloud for Windows.
• Finally, you must set up at least one alternative recovery method. One or more recovery contacts or a recovery key. These are required to recover iCloud data if access is lost for whatever reason. 

Activating Advanced Data Protection

The optimal way to activate Advanced Data Protection is through an iPhone with iOS 16.2 or later installed. Here are the steps:

1. Tap on the Settings app on your iPhone. 
2. Choose your name at the top of the page. 
3. Select iCloud.

Next:

4. Scroll down, and select Advanced Data Protection.
5. Tap Turn On Advanced Data Protection.
6. Choose Set Up Account Recovery.

You can either assign a recovery contact or create a recovery key. You'll need to keep track of your selection if you can no longer access your iCloud connection. 

To add a recovery contact on the active page: 

7. Tap Add Recovery Contact.
8. Choose Add Recovery Contact a second time.
9. You can select a contact from your existing Apple Family list or add someone else. 

From there: 

10. Tap Next at the top right.
11. Choose Send. Once you do, the person on the other end will receive a text for which they must accept to become your recovery person. They too need to have a supported device to make the acceptance. 

If you rather create a recovery key, go back to Step 3 above, then: 

1. Tap Recovery Key.
2. Toggle on Recovery Key.
3. Confirm your selection by tapping Use Recovery Key. 

From there: 

4. Type your iPhone passcode.
5. Make a note of the recovery key on the next screen and KEEP A PHYSICAL COPY SOMEWHERE SAFE. 
6. Tap Continue.
7. Manually type in the recovery key. 
8. Tap Next.

That's it; your recovery key has been activated. Again, keep a physical copy of this key somewhere. Apple DOES NOT have a record of this. From now on, 23 sensitive data categories in iCloud will be protected through end-to-end encryption.

Turning off Advanced Data Protection

You can turn Advanced Data Protection off at any time by:

1. Tap on the Settings app on your iPhone. 
2. Choose your name at the top of the page. 
3. Select iCloud.
4. Scroll down, and select Advanced Data Protection.
5. Tap Turn Off Advanced Data Protection. Follow the additional instructions. 

A good beginning

Advanced Data Protection is launching in the United States at the end of 2022. It will arrive in the rest of the world in early 2023. We'll update this post for whatever changes that may come between now and when Apple releases iOS 16.2 and other software updates in the coming weeks. 

For the first time, Apple will soon offer full encryption for iCloud. It's just one of the new security-based features the iPhone maker surprisingly announced on Wednesday. 

In a press release, Apple introduced three advanced security features, iMessage Contact Key Verification, Security Keys for Apple ID, and Advanced Data Protection for iCloud. Each of the services is expected to launch sometime in 2023. 

As the Washington Post quickly noted following this news, these changes will effectively put Apple's cloud storage system "out of reach of most hackers, spies and law enforcement.

A lot to unpack

With iMessage Contact Key Verification, Apple promises users will soon be able to verify they are communicating only with who they intend. The new technology is ideally suited for anyone who faces "extraordinary digital threats," such as human rights activities, journalists, and government officials, although anyone can use the verification tool. 

Apple explains: "Conversations between users who have enabled iMessage Contact Key Verification receive automatic alerts if an exceptionally advanced adversary, such as a state-sponsored attacker, were ever to succeed breaching cloud servers and inserting their own device to eavesdrop on these encrypted communications. And for even higher security, iMessage Contact Key Verification users can compare a Contact Verification Code in person, on FaceTime, or through another secure call."

Meanwhile, the new Security Keys will allow users to further use third-party hardware security keys to enhance Apple's two-factor authentication system for Apple ID. 

Per Apple: "For users who opt in, Security Keys strengthens Apple's two-factor authentication by requiring a hardware security key as one of the two factors. This takes our two-factor authentication even further, preventing even an advanced attacker from obtaining a user's second factor in a phishing scam."

Finally, the most controversial of the announced services is Advanced Data Protection for iCloud. The technology will protect most iCloud data even when there's a data breach in the cloud. 

According to Ivan Krstić, Apple's head of Security Engineering and Architecture, "Advanced Data Protection is Apple's highest level of cloud data security, giving users the choice to protect the vast majority of their most sensitive iCloud data with end-to-end encryption so that it can only be decrypted on their trusted devices." 

Currently, iCloud already protects 14 sensitive data categories with end-to-end encryption. These include passwords in iCloud Keychain and Health data. With Advanced Data Protection, this number will jump to 23 and (finally) include iCloud Backup, Notes, and Photos. 

Apple explains, "The only major iCloud data categories that are not covered are iCloud Mail, Contacts, and Calendar because of the need to interoperate with the global email, contacts, and calendar systems."

In announcing today's news, Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering, says, "Our security teams work tirelessly to keep users' data safe, and with iMessage Contact Key Verification, Security Keys, and Advanced Data Protection for iCloud, users will have three powerful new tools to further protect their most sensitive data and communications."

Availability

The new services will launch at different times. Apple says iMessage Contact Key Verification "will be available globally in 2023," while Security Keys for Apple ID will arrive in "early 2023." 

Beginning today, members of the Apple Beta Software Program in the U.S. only will be able to use Advanced Data Protection. It arrives for everyone else in the U.S. before the end of the month. The rest of the world will get its hands on the feature in "early 2023." 

If you haven't visited iCloud online recently, today would be a good day to stop by.

Today, Apple has officially rolled out its massive redesign for iCloud on the web. As users will see when they log into the iCloud website, the entire user interface has been refreshed, and a new widget system has taken over the dashboard. The redesign has been available in beta for a few weeks, but the company is now rolling it out to all users.

This starkly contrasts with the old version of iCloud.com, which showed you the available app icons upon login. Choosing one of those apps would, of course, take you into it, but outside of seeing the app icons themselves, the only insight you got into each app on the home screen is a notification dot.

It's all about the web widgets, baby

With the new redesign, Apple has replaced all the individual app icons with a customizable set of widgets. Users can customize their dashboard with widgets for Photos, Mail, Calendar, iCloud Drive, and more. Within each device, Apple will preview your most recent photos, calendar appointments, the newest emails in your inbox, or your most recently used files.

iCloud on the web has always seemed to be an afterthought for Apple as the company tends to focus more on building out iCloud features for its devices. The iCloud experience has historically been faster and more feature-rich on the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV. I can't honestly remember the last time I used iCloud through my browser.

However, it's good to see that iCloud on the web is still getting some attention from the company. In addition to having it to fall back on if you need to, there must be some subset of users that Apple sees who regularly access the service through their browser.

Apple's iCloud service offers a number of features for users who want to share items with their colleagues, friends, and family. iCloud Photo Sharing is one of those. You can use the Photos app on iPhone, iPad, or Mac (or a PC) to add images to a shared album that your friends and family can then access, comment on, and even add their own contributions to the set. It's also possible to share photos with Family Sharing and iCloud.

Once you've set up iCloud Photo Sharing, here's how you can create, view, and edit shared photo albums on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or PC.

How to view shared photo albums on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and PC

Note that by default, when you open the Shared section in Photos on the best iPhone and iPad, you'll be taken to your activity feed for shared albums, which shows things that have been added or comments that have been made.

On iPhone and iPad

1. Open Photos on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap on the Albums tab.
3. Scroll down until you see the Shared Albums category and tap See All to view shared albums.

On your Mac

1. Launch the Photos app on your Mac.
2. Tap the Shared Albums section on the sidebar.

From here, you have two options for viewing shared images:

• Activity: This mode lets you view all recent activity in your shared albums
• Shared Albums: This shows you all your currently shared albums and all albums shared with you.

On your PC

1. Open your iCloud Photos folder.

From here, you have two options for viewing shared images:

• Activity: This album lets you view all recent activity in your shared albums.
• Open a folder: The other folders in your iCloud Photos library include your shared albums and any regular albums you've created.

How to create a shared photo album on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac

If you want to share photos with your friends and family, you can create a shared photo album through iCloud and invite them to view it.

Note: In order for your recipients to properly view these images, you'll need to add the contact information they use for their iCloud account — it may well be different than their regular contact info, so make sure to check if you're in doubt.

On iPhone and iPad

1. Launch the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. From the albums tab, scroll down to Shared Albums and tap See All.
3. Tap Edit in the upper right corner.

4. Tap Add button in the upper left corner. It looks like a plus symbol (+).
5. Name your album and tap Next.
6. Add the contacts you want to share the album with and tap Create.

7. Tap on the newly created Shared Photo Album.
8. Tap the Add button in the album tray. It looks like a plus symbol (+).

9. Select photos you want to add and tap Done in the upper right corner.
10. Add a comment, if you like, and tap Post.

You can repeat steps 7-10 every time you want to add a new photo or video.

On your Mac

1. Launch the Photos app on your Mac.
2. Click on Shared Albums in the sidebar.

3. Click on the Add symbol next to the word "Shared Albums" in the sidebar.
4. Name the album and enter the contact for your friends and family. Make sure you use their iCloud contacts.

5. Click on Create.
6. Double or Control-Click on the newly created Shared Photo Album.

7. Click on Add photos and videos in the upper left corner of the window.
8. Select the photos you want to add to your Shared Photo Album and click on Add in the upper right corner.

You can repeat steps 6-8 every time you want to add a new photo or video.

On your PC

1. Open your iCloud Photos folder.
2. Open (or create) the folder where you wish to add your new images.
3. Click the New shared album button.
4. Add all email addresses for your friends and family.

5. Give the album a name.
6. Click Next.
7. Select all the photos you want to add from your computer.
8. Click Done.

All the photos added to this folder will now be available as a shared album; anyone you invited will be able to access them after pressing OK.

How to add images and video to a shared photo album on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or PC

Once you've created an album, you can add more images or videos to it at any time with the tap of a few buttons. Here's how.

On iPhone or iPad

1. Open the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Select the Albums tab and scroll down until you see Shared Albums.
3. If you don't see the album you want right away, tap See All to view all shared albums.

4. Tap on the album you'd like to add photos to.
5. Press the plus button square at the top of the album.

6. Select the images you wish to add and press Done.
7. Add a comment, if you like, and tap Post.

On your Mac

1. Open the Photos app on your Mac.
2. Choose the Shared Album where you want to add more images and video.

3. Click on the Add photos and videos button at the top of the album.
4. Choose the images you want to add and press Add.

On your PC

1. Open your iCloud Photos folder.
2. Open the folder where you wish to add your new images or video.
3. Click on the Add photos or videos button.

4. Choose the new images or video you wish to add to the folder.
5. Once you're ready, press Done.

How to delete images from a shared photo album on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or PC

Don't want to share a particular picture or video after all? You can delete images from your shared photo album at any time — even if you weren't the one who added them!

Note: Anyone you've added to a shared photo album can download their own copy of an image or video once it's been added to the album. If you delete the photo or video after it's been available in the album, there's a chance it may have already been downloaded to another device.

On iPhone and iPad

1. Launch the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. From the Albums tab, select the Shared Album you wish to delete photos from.
3. Tap Select in the upper right corner.

4. Select the photos you want to delete and tap the Trash icon in the bottom right corner.
5. Confirm by tapping Delete Photos.

This will remove the photos or videos in the album for all of your iCloud connected devices and any friends you gave access to the album.

On your Mac

1. Launch the Photos app on your Mac.
2. Click on the Shared Photo Album from which you want to delete photos.

3. Right or Control-Click on the photo you want to delete.
4. Select Delete from Shared Album from the list of options.
5. Click on Delete to confirm that you want to remove the photo from the shared album.

On your PC

1. Open your iCloud Photos folder.
2. Open the shared folder in question.
3. Delete or move the images you'd like to remove from the shared photo album.

How to subscribe to a shared photo album on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or PC

When someone invites you to a shared photo album, you'll have to subscribe before you can view photos and video (and, if the owner has allowed you to, add your own images and video). Here's how to do it.

On iPhone or iPad

1. Open the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Select the For You tab.
3. Under Invitations, tap Accept or Decline to join or reject a shared album.

On your Mac

1. Open the Photos app on your Mac.
2. Select the Activity album under the Shared section of the sidebar.
3. Under Invitations, tap Accept or Decline to join or reject a shared album.

On your PC

1. Open your iCloud Photos folder.
2. Select the Activity folder.
3. Under Invitations, tap Accept or Decline to join or reject a shared album.

How to unsubscribe from a shared photo album on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or PC

Decided you no longer want to be part of a shared photo album someone else sent you? It's a simple process to unsubscribe from that album.

On iPhone or iPad

1. Open the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Scroll down to Shared Albums and choose the album in question.
3. Select the People tab.

4. Tap on the Unsubscribe button.
5. Press the Unsubscribe button once more to confirm.

On your Mac

1. Launch the Photos app.
2. From the Shared Albums tab, choose the album in question.
3. Select the People icon in the toolbar.

4. Tap on the Unsubscribe button.
5. Press the Unsubscribe button once more to confirm.

On your PC

1. Open your iCloud Photos folder.
2. Choose the folder you'd like to delete.
3. Click Info.
4. In the box that appears, click Unsubscribe in the bottom left corner.

How to delete a shared photo album on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or PC

If you decide you no longer want to share an album with a group, you can delete it; this removes it from iCloud on all your connected devices and all those you shared it with. (If you want to remove a shared album from your device that someone else created, you'll have to unsubscribe instead of deleting it.)

Note: Anyone you've added to a shared photo album can download their own copy of an image or video once it's been added to the album. If you delete the photo or video after it's been available in the album, there's a chance it may have already been downloaded to another device.

On iPhone and iPad

1. Launch the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Scroll down to Shared Albums and tap See All.
3. Tap Edit in the upper left corner.

4. Tap the red Delete icon next to the shared album you want to delete.
5. Tap Delete to confirm deletion.

On your Mac

1. Launch the Photos app on your Mac.
2. Right or Control-click on the Shared Photo Album you want to delete.
3. Select Delete Shared Album from the list of options and tap Delete once more to confirm.

On your PC

1. Open your iCloud Photos folder.
2. Find the shared folder in question.
3. Delete it.

Sharing simplified

Now that you know how to create and share albums in iCloud Photo Sharing, you can easily involve family and friends in your photo adventures. Once you have this down, it's an easy and intuitive way to safely share photos with anyone you like.

Updated August 2022: Updated for latest operating system.

In recent years, Apple has added many more privacy tools for its customers. As part of these privacy initiatives, it's now possible to completely delete your Apple ID and its associated data. Depending on your circumstances, you can also temporarily deactivate your Apple ID, which might be a better solution. 

In this article, you'll learn how to delete your Apple ID forever, deactivate it, and what happens when you do. 

What happens when you delete your Apple ID

Deleting your Apple ID shouldn't be taken lightly. When your Apple ID is deleted, your account details and the associated data are removed from Apple's servers. Once you complete the deletion process, you'll no longer be able to access any data, content, or services associated with that Apple ID. 

This means photos, documents, and other content are permanently deleted, including:

• Messages or calls sent via iMessage, FaceTime, or iCloud Mail.
• No more access to services such as iCloud, the App Store, iTunes Store, Apple Books, Apple Pay, iMessage, FaceTime, and Find My iPhone. 
• In addition, Apple Store appointments and AppleCare support cases associated with the account are canceled.

Before deleting your account

Before deleting your Apple ID, Apple strongly recommends performing some critical steps. This will ensure you have offline access to many of your essential files. 

First, it's strongly suggested you back up your iPhone, iPad, and Mac currently associated with your Apple ID. You should also download your DRM-free purchases related to iTunes Match and the Music app. 

You should cancel active subscriptions, including those for the App Store, Apple News+, Apple Fitness+, Apple Arcade, and Apple TV+. Your Apple Music membership you also be canceled, if applicable. 

Your Apple ID is connected to an iCloud Drive. Go through this drive and copy the necessary files to an external drive. If you don't, those files will be deleted forever.

Finally, sign out of your Apple ID on all your Apple devices. You should also take steps to remove Activation Lock and turn off Find My across your devices. 

Deleting your account

After you perform the above steps, you can delete your Apple ID, by following these steps on one of the best Macs or other devices:

1. Go to the website https://privacy.apple.com/.
2. Log into your Apple ID. 
3. Scroll down, and click "request to delete your account."

4. Next, scroll down, and select a reason for the removal request. 
5. Click Continue and follow the additional steps. You cannot delete the account online if your Apple ID includes published content on iTunes or App Store. Instead, you'll need to contact Apple support. 

Once you successfully begin the account deletion process, either online or by contacting Apple support, the company will verify that you are the account holder who made the request. Once this proves successful, the account is permanently deleted. 

As Apple explains, however, "When you delete your Apple ID, Apple makes our best effort to delete all personal data associated with your account. However, we are required to retain past transaction information for financial reporting purposes, and we may be required to retain certain information to comply with a court settlement or other ongoing legal procedure."

Before deactivating your account

There's another solution that doesn't go quite as far as permanently deleting an Apple ID. Instead, you can deactivate the account. When deactivated, your Apple ID is temporarily suspended, meaning you can't sign into your account or use it. But, Apple still keeps your account and data intact on its servers. 

When your Apple ID is deactivated, you can't access data that you stored with Apple services that use your Apple ID, such as iCloud, iTunes, Apple Books, the App Store, Apple Pay, iMessage, FaceTime, and Find My iPhone. 

Once again, Apple offers some suggestions on what to do before deactivating your Apple ID. These should look familiar:

• First, back up your iPhone, iPad, and Mac that are currently associated with your Apple ID. You should also download your DRM-free purchases associated with iTunes Match and the Music app.
• Next, cancel any active subscriptions, including those for the App Store, Apple News+, Apple Fitness+, Apple Arcade, or Apple TV+. Your Apple Music membership you also be canceled, if applicable.
• Your Apple ID is connected to an iCloud Drive. Go through this drive and copy necessary files to an external drive. If you don't, those files will be deleted forever.
• Finally, sign out of your Apple ID on all your Apple devices. You should also take steps to remove Activation Lock and turn off Find My across your devices.

Deactivating your account

After you perform the above steps, you can deactivate your Apple ID, by following these steps:

1. Go to the website https://privacy.apple.com/.
2. Log into your Apple ID.
3. Scroll down, click "request to deactivate your account."
4. Next, scroll down, and select a reason for the deactivation request.
5. Click Continue and follow the additional steps.

Reactivating your account

You can reactivate your Apple ID by using the unique alphanumeric access code you received from Apple. When you're ready to reactivate your Apple ID, contact Apple Support, provide your access code, and they'll help you reactivate your account. Unfortunately, if you lose this code, they won't be able to help reactivate your account. 

All done!

The steps mentioned here will get the job done if you're thinking about deleting or deactivating your Apple ID. It's essential to think long and hard about whether to do so. If you continue to use Apple products, it doesn't make much sense not to have an Apple ID. It's your choice, of course. 

Updated August 25, 2022: With new steps and information.

Update (August 16, 2022, at 5:30 PM EST): Apple says that it has resolved all of the issues affecting its iCloud and Photos services.

iCloud is having all kinds of issues right now.

On the Apple System Status website, the company has confirmed that a number of its iCloud services are currently experiencing issues. The full list of affected services is as follows:

• iCloud Bookmarks & Tabs
• iCloud Calendar
• iCloud Contacts
• iCloud Drive
• iCloud Keychain
• iCloud Mail
• iCloud Storage Upgrades
• iCloud Web Apps (iCloud.com)

In addition to all of the issues with iCloud, the company has also confirmed that its Photos service is also experiencing some problems.

With each service that is having problems, Apple says that the problem is the same: "This service may have been slow or unavailable."

The company has not provided a reason as to why exactly all of these services are having performance issues or when the problems will be resolved.

iCloud is just a part of a larger picture now

iCloud is certainly one of the services pillars for Apple, but it is just one of many now. As Apple explains in its recent ad for Apple One, the company offers a ton of services now. You can watch the ad below:

Apple One includes all of Apple's services rolled up into one subscription bundle. You can grab three tiers of the Apple One bundles, but the best one if Apple One Premier which includes everything in the Apple services world.

Update (August 16, 2022, at 5:30 PM EST): Apple says that it has resolved all of the issues affecting its iCloud and Photos services.

In an update on the System Status page, Apple has announced that it has resolved all of the problems affecting iCloud and Photos. The company says that the issues affecting both services started at 2:05 PM EST and were resolved at 4:41 PM EST.

So, if you were having issues with iCloud or Photos, you should be back in business!

While most of your photos are probably on your iPhone thanks to the built-in Photos app, what about the images that you have on your favorite Mac? We're talking about your stunning photos taken with your DSLR of choice, a point-and-shoot camera, or just images that you've collected from all over the internet? How are you supposed to get those pictures on your Mac to your iPhone or iPad?

The easiest solution is probably to use the iCloud Photo Library because all of your photos, whether from your iPhone 13 Pro, iPad, or Mac, get synced in full resolution across all of your devices. But of course, this requires enough space for your entire photo library, which means you need a paid iCloud storage tier. Thankfully, there are other ways to transfer photos from your Mac to your iPhone, so don't sweat it — we'll show you all you need to know. And we also have a guide on how to transfer photos from your iPhone to your Mac instead, if you need that too.

What content can I view on my iPhone or iPad?

The Photos app on iPhone and iPad can display several different types of file formats without issue. These will all appear fine in the Photos app, but you won't be able to tell what format they are on the surface — it will all appear rather seamless.

• JPEG
• PNG
• TIFF
• RAW
• HEIF (these are HEIC images and is what your iPhone saves natively if High Efficiency is turned on)
• Live Photos
• GIF (these only animate in the Photos app on iOS 11 or later or macOS High Sierra or later)
• MP4 video
• HEVC video (similar to HEIC, it is the High-Efficiency video format)
• Slo-mo video
• Time-lapse video

As long as your photo or video is in one of these formats, it will show up fine in the iOS Photos app once you transfer photos from your Mac to your iPhone. Otherwise, you'll want to consider using the iOS Files app.

How to use iCloud Photo Library

iCloud Photo Library is probably the easiest way to keep your photos on Mac and iPhone in sync, but you do need a newer Mac that can get the Photos app on it (macOS Yosemite and later). Here's how to enable the iCloud Photo Library.

1. Launch the Photos app on your Mac.
2. Click Photos in the top left of the menu bar and select Preferences (or click the Command and , keys on the keyboard).
3. Click the iCloud tab.
4. Make sure that the iCloud Photos option is checked.

If this is the first time you are launching Photos on Mac in macOS Catalina or later, you may need to make sure that the System Photo Library is on before you can enable the iCloud Photos option.

1. In the Preferences for Photos app, click General.

2. Click Use as System Photo Library. It may take a little bit of time to complete.

When you have the iCloud Photos option enabled on your Mac, you will want to ensure that it's also enabled on your iPhone or iPad.

1. Launch Settings on your iPhone.
2. Scroll down and tap on Photos.

3. Tap the toggle for iCloud Photos to ON (green).
4. You can also turn the toggle for Shared Albums to ON (green) if you want to share your iCloud Photos albums with others.

Once iCloud Photos is enabled, it may take up to 24 hours before all of your content is synced up between devices. iCloud Photos also won't sync unless you're on WiFi, so make sure that's good to go before wondering where all of your content is.

Upload photos from iCloud.com

If you don't want to deal with iCloud Photos (it does come with some headaches), you can actually use the good old-fashioned method of uploading to the web. That's right — iCloud Photos can be accessed from the web, and it's another way to transfer photos from Mac to iPhone, or any platform, really.

1. Make sure that you have iCloud Photos enabled on your iOS devices.
2. Visit icloud.com and sign in to your Apple ID.
3. Click the Photos icon.

4. After everything loads up, click the Upload button (it looks like an up arrow to a cloud icon).

5. Choose the images from your hard drive that you want to upload.
6. Click Choose.

Your images will then get uploaded to iCloud Photos manually. A progress bar at the bottom of the screen lets you know how the uploads are going, and you can click Stop Upload at any time if you change your mind.

Sync via iTunes or Finder

For those who don't want to use iCloud Photos, you can do the good ol' syncing method with the computer itself. You know, with a — * le gasp* — cable.

If you are using macOS Mojave or earlier, then you will do this with iTunes. But if you are on macOS Catalina and later, you do this through the Finder, since Apple split iTunes up into separate Music, TV, and Podcasts apps.

The reason you may want to sync with your Mac with a cable is that because you may be running an older version of iPhoto or Aperture, you may have certain albums in Photos, or you have specific folders or albums of images in your Pictures folder. Therefore, it's important that before you manually sync through iTunes or Finder, you have all of your images that you want to transfer from Mac to iPhone organized appropriately.

1. Ensure your photos are organized the way you want them to be organized.
2. Plug in your iPhone or iPad to your Mac.
3. Launch Finder (iTunes in macOS Mojave and earlier) if it doesn't open automatically.
4. Click on your iOS device icon in the device list.

5. Click the Photos tab.

6. Click the checkbox next to Sync Photos.

7. Click the source of the photos that you want to sync from in the drop-down menu.
8. Click the checkbox next to the option you want: Sync All Folders or Sync Selected Folders.

9. Choose the Folders that you want to sync from your chosen source.
10. Click the checkbox next to Include videos if you want.
11. Click Sync in the bottom right corner to begin syncing.

Use AirDrop to transfer photos from Mac to iPhone

One of the easiest ways to transfer photos from Mac to iPhone is with AirDrop. Apple introduced AirDrop back in OS X Lion (10.7), so your Mac should work with AirDrop, even if it's a little older (Lion works on Macs from 2008).

AirDrop uses Bluetooth Low Energy to broadcast, discover, and negotiate connections, allowing point-to-point Wi-Fi for transferring data. Between Macs and iPhones, and iPads, this is a quick and easy way to transfer files, such as photos and videos.

1. Launch Finder on your Mac.
2. Open a new Finder window or tab so that you can view two Finder locations at once.
3. Locate and select the photos and video that you want to transfer to your iPhone or iPad.
4. In the other Finder window or tab, click AirDrop from the side menu.

5. On your iPhone or iPad, make sure that it is unlocked and awake.
6. Make sure that your iPhone or iPad has AirDrop receiving enabled and set to Everyone.
7. Drag your selected photos and video to the iPhone or iPad option in the AirDrop Finder window.

8. If your iPhone or iPad prompts you, tap Accept.

While AirDrop is excellent, it works best for smaller batches of photos and video rather than your entire photo library. If you want to transfer your entire library, it's best to use iCloud Photos or sync via Finder or iTunes.

Utilize a third-party syncing service

Another great option to consider when you need to transfer photos from Mac to iPhone is to use a third-party syncing service, like Dropbox. For example, you could upload your pictures to your Dropbox account directly on the web or add photos to your Dropbox folder once you install Dropbox on your Mac. Dropbox has an excellent walkthrough to help you get started if you're a newbie to the service. Then on your iPhone or iPad, download the Dropbox app and access your photos and videos directly.

While I prefer to use Dropbox for my photos, there are also other options that you can use, such as Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, Amazon Drive, and more. It just comes down to personal preference here.

Take your photos with you everywhere

We all have a lot of photos that we take and they're probably on our Macs right now. Once we're done editing them, we may want to just have them on our best iPhone to show them off. Thankfully, there are a few ways to get our favorite photos from our Mac to our iPhone, as we just showed you here.

And if you need to do the reverse, which is getting your photos from your iPhone to your Mac, the process is pretty easy and straightforward too. Apple has made it convenient, and you can also use your preferred cloud syncing service of choice too.

Updated August 2022: These are still the current steps for transferring photos from your Mac to your iPhone and iPad.

Those who are stuck on Windows but still want to use iCloud to handle their passwords are in for a treat after a stealth update added support for two-factor authentication (2FA) codes for the first time.

2FA codes are a second layer of security beyond a simple username and password combination and Apple has allowed people to generate them since the arrival of iOS 15 and macOS Monterey last year, but those who used iCloud Passwords on Windows have been out of luck — leaving them to use third-party apps from the likes of 1Password and Authy. As one Redditor recently noticed, that all changed with an update that arrived over the "last couple of weeks." As a result, people can now generate their own 2FA codes without resorting to using other apps.

That doesn't mean that there aren't caveats, though. Just like before, iCloud Passwords for Windows is only compatible with two web browsers — Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. Anyone using another browser is going to have to make alternative arrangements, just as before.

A solid, free option

While that limitation is one that could cause some people to balk at the idea of using iCloud Passwords, it remains one of the better options for those whose credentials live inside iCloud yet still need to be able to access websites and services from a Windows PC from time to time.

Other options for people that live a cross-platform lifestyle include LastPass and 1Password, the latter of which is one of the best Mac password managers around. It's also an excellent choice on iPhone and iPad, with a Windows version available, too.

One advantage that iCloud Keychain and Passwords for Windows has is the fact it's completely free, no matter what. The lack of a dedicated app, regardless of the platform, remains a gripe that many have with Apple's password management offering and some had hoped that the release of iOS 16 and macOS Ventura would fix that particular issue. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

Over time, you're going to end up with a lot of photos — especially if you have kids and pets — but even your best iPhone only has so much space. Thankfully, you can store your photo and video memories in the cloud with Apple's own iCloud Photo Library, and everything can be viewed across all of your iPhones, iPads, and Macs, as long as you have the available iCloud storage. It's one of the best ways to keep all of your memories together on your Apple devices.

However, as great as iCloud Photo Library is on your favorite iPhone, iPad, and Mac, it's not failproof (nothing really is). That's why if you are truly serious about keeping all of your pictures and video safe, you want some redundancies in your backup process. I mean, there is no such thing as "too many backups" and it's better to be safe than sorry.

Here are a few ways that you can back up your iCloud photos using your greatest Mac.

How to back up iCloud Photo Library to your Mac's hard drive

The best way to back up the images and video in iCloud Photo Library is to make sure you're downloading all your content onto your Mac.

Note: If you plan to back up your entire digital library to your Mac's hard drive, you'll likely want to do it on a desktop Mac with at least a 1TB drive or more. Otherwise, consider backing up to an external drive.

1. Launch the Photos app on your Mac.

2. Click Photos in the App menu in the upper left corner of your screen.
3. Select Preferences from the drop-down menu.

4. Click the iCloud tab.
5. Click Download Originals to this Mac.

Your Mac will now download full-resolution copies of all your images to your Mac's hard drive, stored inside your Photos app library. Depending on how big your iCloud Photo Library is, it may take a while — just be patient.

How to back up your iCloud Photo Library content to an external drive

There are two ways to back up your iCloud Photo Library to an external drive: backing up your Photos library automatically or manually. (You can also export sections of your library if you don't want to back up the whole thing.)

If you've turned on the Download Originals option for your Photos library, you can back up your Photos library as part of your regular backup routine with Time Machine or even an online clone service like Carbon Copy or BackBlaze. No matter which method you prefer (though it's highly recommended to use both), your Photos library (and all images and video automatically downloaded from iCloud) will be backed up as well. And if you don't currently use a backup service, well... now's a good time to start!

If you've turned on the Download Originals option for your Photos library but don't want to back it up automatically, you can always copy your Photos library to an external drive regularly.

1. Connect an external drive to your Mac via USB, USB-C, or Thunderbolt.
2. Open a new Finder window on your Mac.

3. Click on Pictures in the sidebar.
   • If Pictures is not already in your sidebar, drag the Pictures folder from your Macintosh HD into the sidebar.

4. Drag your Photos Library to your external drive.

5. Wait for it to copy over.

If you have one of the best external hard drives just laying around, you should consider using it for making an external library to backup your iCloud Photo Library. If you go this route, it's highly recommended to set up bi-weekly reminders for the following steps to keep the Photos library backed up regularly.

Don't want to back up your entire library? You can export individual images and videos to your external drive.

1. Connect an external drive to your Mac via USB, USB-C, or Thunderbolt.
2. Open the Photos app.

3. Select the photos and video you want to back up.
4. Go to the File menu.
5. Hover over the Export option.

6. Select either Export # Photos or Video or Export Unmodified Original for # Photos or Videos.

7. Select an option for Photo Kind, information to include (title, keywords, and caption, as well as location information), File Name, and Subfolder Format. The first two options only show up if you chose Export # Photos or Video in Step 6.

8. Press Export.

9. Choose your external drive.
10. Press Export.

How to make an online backup of your iCloud Photo Library

Even though your entire iCloud Photo Library is (as the name implies) stored online in iCloud, it's worth considering a second online backup as one of your redundancies. After all, you can never have too many backups, in all honesty.

Good news: If you already use a service to back up your hard drive and you've already synced your full iCloud Photo Library to your Mac, it's easy to back it all up there too. If not, consider it a good time to start!

If you don't store your iCloud images locally, this is a bit trickier: you can use the external drive method we mentioned above to export portions of your library to an external drive, and then sync that drive to your preferred online backup service, but it's a bit more labor-intensive. In general, this is why I tend to recommend backing up your full library to your Mac or storing a library on an external drive.

Always back it up, and then back it up again!

When it comes to backing up iCloud photos, these are the best solutions possible. It's pretty easy, and we always recommend keeping everything backed up on an external hard drive, as well as an off-site service as well. Remember, you can never have too many backups, and again, it's much better to be safe than sorry.

Updated June 2022: These are still the proper steps to back up your iCloud Photo Library.

iCloud Drive is Apple's solution to document and file management across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. If you have an iCloud account, you can use iCloud Drive.

You automatically get 5GB of storage for free, but you can choose to increase your storage with a monthly subscription. Subscriptions range from free to $9.99 a month, depending on your storage needs.

If you aren't sure where to start, we can walk you through the setup process and how to start using iCloud Drive on your best iPhone and/or your best iPad! Alternatively, consider one of the best flash drives for iPhone as a more traditional backup method.

How to enable iCloud Drive manually on iPhone and iPad

When you set up your iPhone or iPad for the first time, you should be prompted on whether or not you'd like to set up iCloud Drive. If you said yes, you don't need to do anything further and can continue to the next section. However, you can enable iCloud Drive later with just a few taps if you say no.

1. Launch the Settings app.
2. Tap on the Apple ID banner (with your picture and name).
3. Tap iCloud.
4. Scroll down and tap iCloud Drive.
5. Toggle Sync this iPhone on.

Remember, if you turn off iCloud Drive, nothing will save to it until you have re-enabled it.

How to increase iCloud Drive storage space on iPhone or iPad

By default, iCloud Drive comes with 5GB of space for free. If you don't feel this is enough, you can subscribe to more storage. Or, if you are already paying for an iCloud subscription, you can change it to best fit your current needs.

Not sure how much iCloud storage space you need? Check out our complete guide to choosing the perfect plan.

1. Launch the Settings app.
2. Tap on the Apple ID banner.
3. Tap iCloud.

4. Tap Manage Account Storage.
5. Tap Change Storage Plan.
6. Tap to choose the storage plan that works best for you.

7. Tap Buy.
8. Sign in with your Apple ID to confirm the purchase.

How to move files in the Files app on iPhone and iPad

iCloud Drive is stored within the Files app on iPhone and iPad. The Files app opens up many possibilities for storage and file organization on iOS. You needn't stick to app-based folders for organizing content — you can treat the Files app like you would Dropbox or Box.

1. Launch the Files app
2. Tap Browse at the bottom of the screen.
3. Tap iCloud Drive in the Locations section.
4. Tap on a folder to open it.

5. Tap and hold on the file you want to move.
6. Tap Move from the pop-up menu.
7. Tap a folder to choose a destination for the files.
8. Tap Move in the top right corner of the screen.

How to delete files in the Files app on iPhone and iPad

If you run out of space or want to declutter, you can quickly delete any files you don't need.

1. Launch the Files app
2. Tap Browse at the bottom of the screen.
3. Tap iCloud Drive in the Locations section.
4. Tap on a folder to open it.

5. Tap and hold the file you wish to delete.
6. Tap Delete in the menu that appears (Note: There is no confirmation step. Deleting the files will mark them for deletion, though they can be recovered in the Recently Deleted location in the Files app).

How to turn cellular data on or off for Files app syncing

If you store many documents in the Files app and you're on a limited data plan, you may want to prevent the app from using cellular data. Here's how!

1. Launch the Settings app.
2. Tap Cellular.
3. Scroll down until you find the Files app.
4. Tap the On/Off switch to toggle cellular data use off.

This will make sure no cell data is used for iCloud Drive. Save your money!

Learn how to iCloud Drive

If you're not using iCloud Drive yet on your Apple devices, it's time to get started. We hope this article helped you to begin the process of taking full advantage of this convenient service that's available for anyone with an Apple ID. You can also explore our iCloud Drive ultimate guide for more tips and tricks.  

iCloud Drive lets you store all your files up on Apple's servers and sync them across all your devices, including iPhone, iPad, and Mac. While you can let iCloud create files for you and drop files where it thinks they belong, you can also create your own folders and move any of your files into them. Here's how!

How to access iCloud Drive on your Mac via Finder

Thanks to iCloud Drive, Apple's cloud-based file sharing system, we can share files between Mac and iOS seamlessly. On iOS, you can find all of your files under the iCloud Drive app. On your Mac, everything can be found in the Finder window. Here's how.

1. Click on the Finder icon in your Mac dock.

2. In the Favorites section, click on iCloud Drive.
   • Alternately, you can find iCloud Drive in the Go menu at the top of any Finder menu if you've removed it from the Favorites section.
   • Or, you can always use the keyboard shortcut command + I.

How to manually create a folder in iCloud Drive on Mac

1. Click the Finder icon in your Mac's dock.
2. Click on iCloud Drive in the menu on the left in your Finder window.

3. Right-click inside the Finder window.
4. Click on New Folder
5. Enter a name for the new folder.

You can create folders inside of folders in iCloud Drive on Mac. Just double-click a folder and then follow steps 3 - 5 above.

How to manually create a folder in the Files app on iPhone and iPad

Creating folders in iCloud Drive is a bit different thanks to the Files app, which replaces the iCloud Drive app.

1. Open the Files app.
2. Tap iCloud Drive.
3. Tap the More icon in the upper left corner. It looks like three dots in a circle.

4. Tap New Folder.
5. Name your new folder.
6. Tap Done.

And there you go, your new folder has been created. You can now feel free to move documents and other items into it.

How to move files to new folders in the Files app on iPhone and iPad

Once again, you'll head to the new Files app to move your iCloud Drive files around.

1. Open the Files app and make sure you're in the iCloud Drive folder.
2. Tap Select in the upper righthand corner.
3. Choose the files you want to move once you've found them.

4. Tap the folder icon at the bottom.
5. Choose the folder you want to move files to.
6. Tap Move.

How to create a new folder in iCloud Drive on a PC

If your Mac or iPhone is not handy, you can also create folders in iCloud Drive from any other Mac or PC thanks to iCloud.com.

1. Open your web browser and navigate to iCloud.com.
2. Enter the email address and password associated with your Apple ID.
3. Click on iCloud Drive.

4. Click on the New Folder icon at the top of the screen. It looks like a folder with a plus (+) symbol inside of it.
5. Enter a name for the new folder.

How to move files to new folders in iCloud Drive on a PC

You can also move files to different folders on any other Mac or PC thanks to iCloud.com.

1. Open your web browser and navigate to iCloud.com.
2. Enter the email address and password associated with your Apple ID.
3. Click on iCloud Drive.

4. Select the folder you want to move the file or files from.
5. Select the file or files you want to move to a different folder.
6. Drag the file or files to iCloud Drive in the bottom left corner of the window.

7. Click the back arrow button in the upper left corner of the window to navigate back to the main iCloud Drive folder.
8. Select the file or files you just moved into iCloud Drive.
9. Drag and drop them into the folder you want to move them to.

Get organized

Through these simple steps, you can organize your iCloud files and folders on any device. It's an excellent system for streamlining your important documents in a way that can be accessed from anywhere. By creating and organizing your iCloud folders, you'll be able to access what you need quickly and efficiently.

Update May 2022: Updated steps for the latest operating system.

As part of an effort to help you save space on your computer while keeping you connected to everything important to you, Macs support Desktop & Documents Folders syncing in iCloud Drive.

With Desktop & Documents Folders iCloud Drive syncing enabled in macOS Monterey, every photo, file, and folder you save to your desktop will automatically keep in iCloud. You can access it from your best iPhone, iPad, another Mac, and even a Windows-based PC via iCloud Drive, the Files app, or iCloud.com.

It also means that every file, folder, or document usually stored in your best Mac's Documents folder will automatically save in iCloud.

No matter where you are or what you do, your most important files can be stored in the cloud, making it possible for you to access them from anywhere.

Should you use Desktop and Documents Folders syncing on your Mac?

When you first set up your Mac, you will be prompted to turn on Desktop & Documents Folders syncing. However, you can hold off on enabling the feature and manually turn it on later. Why would you choose to wait? Mainly, iCloud storage space.

You can't choose Desktop OR Documents folders so consider how much space both will use in your iCloud storage.

If you are on Apple's free 5GB iCloud Storage plan and have no intention of upgrading, you probably shouldn't turn on Desktop & Documents Folders syncing in iCloud. It does count against your storage and can potentially eat up a lot of it. Even if you don't have very many files or folders on your desktop, the Documents folder is usually where your Mac automatically stores files from third-party apps and programs, and it might be massive.

You can also upgrade your iCloud storage, choosing the package that matches your needs.

If you are nearing your iCloud storage limit at any tier and don't plan on upgrading, it might be better to hold off on using Desktop & Documents Folders in iCloud until you've freed up space in your storage. Depending on what you have in your Documents folder and what you keep on your desktop, it can take up anywhere from just a few GBs of space to a few dozen GBs of space.

Here's how to save your Desktop and Documents folder to iCloud Drive:

How to add Desktop and Documents Folders to iCloud on Mac

If you didn't enable Desktop & Documents Folders syncing in iCloud when you first set up your Mac, you can do so at anytime by following these directions.

1. Launch System Preferences on your Mac.
2. Select Apple ID in the upper right corner.
3. Click the Options button next to iCloud Drive.

4. Check off the box for Desktop and Document Folders.
5. Click Done in the bottom right corner of the window.

Your files and folders will be added to iCloud, where you can access them from your iPhone or iPad using the Files app, another Mac, or even a PC via iCloud Drive or iCloud.com.

How to access your Desktop and Documents Folder on iPhone and iPad in the Files app

Once your desktop and Documents folders are stored in iCloud, you can access and even edit them on your iPhone or iPad.

1. Open the Files app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap iCloud Drive.
3. Choose the Desktop or Documents folder, then the file you want to open.

You can even edit some documents right inside the Files app without opening another app.

How to remove desktop files from iCloud Drive

Whenever you move a file from your desktop to another place on your Mac, like a folder stored in your computer or Dropbox, it will be transferred to the new location and deleted from iCloud Drive. As a result, it will no longer be accessible from your other devices.

You have to drag and drop it from your desktop into a new, non-Cloud location. You will see a pop-up asking you to confirm the changes. Click move to continue.

How to stop syncing Desktop and Documents folders to iCloud Drive on your Mac

If you decide that syncing your desktop and Documents folder is not for you, you can always revert to the old way by disabling the syncing feature.

1. Launch System Preferences on your Mac.
2. Select Apple ID in the upper right corner.
3. Click the Options button next to iCloud Drive.

4. Check off the box for Desktop and Document Folders.
5. Choose Turn Off in the pop-up box.
6. Select Done in the bottom right corner of the window.

Remember that disabling Desktop & Documents syncing with iCloud doesn't mean that your files will automatically move back to their original locations. Instead, they will remain available in your iCloud Drive in the Documents and Desktop folders. You'll have to manually move the contents back to your Mac's local disk from iCloud to revert to the way things were before turning on Desktop & Documents syncing.

Great feature

As you can see, the Desktop & Documents Folders feature makes it possible to access important files across multiple devices and sync. It's a valuable tool that can save precious device space if needed.

Updated May 2022: Updated for macOS Monterey.

Apple's iCloud service includes iCloud Photos, a free service Apple offers for the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and PC. It lets you create shared albums that your friends, family, and co-workers can access, comment upon, and even add their own images and video. By default, iCloud Photos uses iCloud accounts, but you can also create a private iCloud.com website for non-iCloud users to view photos and video.

Why use a shared album instead of a service like Instagram or Facebook? iCloud's albums allow for greater privacy than both services — iCloud Photos is encrypted, and your activities are only shared with the people you've invited to the group instead of the general public.

How to enable iCloud Photo Sharing

When you enable iCloud Photo Sharing on your best Mac or smart device, you can create and share albums with other people that also have an iCloud account. You can also be invited to share someone else's album after you've enabled it.

1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Scroll down and tap Photos.
3. Toggle the Shared Albums switch on.

1. Launch the Photos app on your Mac.
2. Select Photos from the app menu in the upper left corner.
3. Select Preferences from the drop-down menu.
4. Select the iCloud tab.
5. Tick the box for iCloud Photos.
6. Tick the box for Shared Albums.

1. On your PC, open the Start Menu and navigate to the iCloud folder.
2. Open the iCloud application.
3. In the box that pops up, click on the Options button next to Photos.

4. Check the box labeled iCloud Photos to enable this option.

How to disable iCloud Photos

Want to turn off iCloud's photo-sharing features? You need only switch off the option in settings.

1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Scroll down and tap Photos.
3. Toggle the Shared Albums switch off.

1. Launch the Photos app on your Mac.
2. Select Photos from the app menu in the upper left corner.
3. Select Preferences from the drop-down menu.
4. Select the iCloud tab.
5. Untick the box for Shared Albums.

1. On your PC, open the Start Menu and navigate to the iCloud folder.
2. Open the iCloud application.
3. In the box that pops up, click on the Options button next to Photos.
4. Uncheck the box labeled iCloud Photos.

Navigating iCloud Photos

There are a lot of ways you can organize, view, and interact with shared albums in iCloud Photos. You can view and create shared photo albums, but you can also interact with them in a social media-like way by liking, commenting, and adding subscribers as well.

Now you're all set!

iCloud Photos is easy to use once you have it enabled on your iPhone, iPad, or computer. Keep in mind it can take a while for the photos on your devices to sync to the cloud, so don't be alarmed if some content doesn't show up right away. Once everything is synced up, your library will look the same across all devices.

Updated December 2022: Updated to reflect the latest on iCloud Photos.

If you've enabled iCloud Photos on your iPhone or iPad, you may have noticed that some of your content isn't showing up. I first noticed this a few days ago while searching for a video I know I had taken on my iPhone a few days prior. For some reason, it wasn't showing up on my iPad, which also has iCloud Photos enabled. Digging deeper, some photos that I actually took on my iPhone were also missing. As it turns out, there are a few steps you can take to get content syncing properly to and from iCloud Photos.

What happened to my albums after turning on iCloud Photos?

After you turn on iCloud Photos in your iPhone's settings panel, you may notice that some albums seem to have disappeared and others just suddenly appear in the Photos app. Don't worry! Your photos and videos are still there, but iCloud Photos organizes them a little differently. For example, the photos that were in your My Photo Stream and Camera Roll albums can now be found in the All Photos album:

1. Launch the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap Photos on the bottom left.
3. Select the All Photos view.
4. All of your photos and videos are organized here according to date.

If you think that some photos and videos are still missing, there are additional steps you can take to sync them properly.

How to check your Recently Deleted folder

The most common reason why some photos and videos disappear from iCloud Photos is that they were accidentally deleted. You can check this easily:

1. Launch the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap Albums.
3. Scroll down and tap Recently Deleted.

4. If you find any photo or video that was unintentionally deleted, simply tap it and then tap Recover.
5. Tap Recover one more time to confirm.

Any recovered images will be returned to the All Photos album.

How to sign in with the same Apple ID on all devices

If you have different devices that are synced with different Apple IDs, then your photos and videos will not sync on all devices with iCloud Photos. Make sure they are all signed on with the same Apple ID for content to sync properly between devices with iCloud Photos. To check Apple ID, do the following:

1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap Your name right at the top, where it also says Apple ID, iCloud, iTunes, and App Store.
3. The name and email associated with your Apple ID will display at the top. Make sure this is the same on all devices.

If you have multiple devices signed in with different Apple IDs, you'll need to sign out and sign in with the same Apple ID across all devices:

1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap Your name right at the top, where it also says Apple ID, iCloud, iTunes, and App Store.
3. Scroll all the way down and tap Sign Out.
4. Confirm by tapping Sign Out again.

5. Now scroll back up and tap Sign in to your iPhone.
6. Enter the same Apple ID email and password you use on your other devices and tap Next.

Once all devices are signed in to the same Apple ID, the same iCloud Photos content will sync across each device. It may take a while for everything to sync, so be patient. Sometimes it's better to step away and check again the next day to make sure everything has synced properly.

How to check your iCloud storage limit

If your iCloud Storage limit has been exceeded, then photos and videos will stop syncing across devices, even if iCloud Photos is on. You can check if the storage limit has been reached:

1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap Your name right at the top, where it also says Apple ID, iCloud, iTunes, and App Store.

3. Tap iCloud
4. Here you can see how much iCloud storage has been used.

If your iCloud storage limit has been reached, your photos and videos will no longer sync properly. In this situation, you can either manage your storage usage to make more space, or upgrade your iCloud storage plan.

How to unhide photos and videos

If photos or videos get hidden from the All Photos view, you'll only be able to see them if you go to the Hidden folder, rather than iCloud Photos. Here's how:

1. Launch the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap Albums
3. Scroll down and tap Hidden under Other Albums.

4. To unhide a photo or video, tap Select.
5. Tap the Share icon in the bottom left.
6. Scroll down and tap Unhide.

This will unhide photos and videos across all devices.

All fixed!

These steps should help resolve any issues you have with iCloud Photos. For more on the iCloud Photos system in general, consult our ultimate guide on everything iCloud Photo. Once you have it mastered, your entire photo management experience will be streamlined and secure.

Updated May 2022: These are still the accurate steps for troubleshooting iCloud Photo Library.

What you need to know

• A judge has ruled against a lawsuit that claims Apple deceives its customers over iCloud storage prices.
• Plaintiffs alleged that Apple deceived customers by making them think 5GB of free storage would be enough for users.
• They also claimed that Apple charged users without consent to renew their storage and failed to disclose its cancellation policy.

A lawsuit that claims Apple's iCloud pricing is deceptive has been thrown out, with the plaintiffs required to amend their suit if it is to have any chance of success.

As Bloomberg Law reports:

A suit against Apple had alleged that Apple "deceives consumers into thinking they can maintain their data storage for free", where in reality "they quickly exceed the free 5GB limit and then must pay for an increasingly costly service." A judge said the group had not supported their claims under California's auto-renewal law "which requires certain disclosures and customer consent before a subscription is renewed." The judge further stated that Apple was not in fact failing to obtain consent from users who pay for iCloud subscriptions stating "there was no plausible explanation for how iCloud users who pay for storage didn't agree to do so."

According to the report plaintiff's also failed "to support claims that Apple didn't properly disclose its iCloud cancellation policy," pointing out that Apple tells users where and how to cancel the service. Finally, a claim that Apple breached a promise about being able to use less than 5GB of storage was found to be untrue:

The plaintiffs can amend their complaint and will need a serious rethink of their case if they are to have any success against Apple. iCloud is one of the best iPhone features on devices like the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13, letting users view content like photos across multiple devices, and backing up data that can be transferred to new devices on upgrade or when a device is lost.

We have to use our email addresses for an awful lot of things these days, so it's prudent to try and implement privacy best practices wherever possible. While some folks have a backup email to use with people or organizations that may not be quite so careful with it, it can be a hassle managing different details.

The Hide My Email feature in iOS 15 allows you to skip this step by assigning you a randomly-generated email address that automatically forwards any communications to your real account. Here's how to use it in Apple's Mail app.

What is Hide My Email?

Hide My Email is a feature available to iCloud+ subscribers that allows you to better protect your email address. Here's how Apple puts it:

It's pretty straightforward to set up Hide My Email, which you must do first before attempting to use it. Then you can use it in a few places on your iPhone and iPad instead of typing in your actual email address. Let's take a look at how it works in the Mail app.

How to use Hide My Email in the Mail app

If you are an iCloud+ subscriber, you can choose to use Hide My Email in the Mail app on your iPhone or iPad while composing a new message.

1. Open Mail.
2. Hit the Compose button. It looks like a pencil in a square.
3. Tap the Cc/Bcc, From: field.

4. Tap your email address.
5. Tap Hide My Email.
6. Type out your email as normal. When you enter a recipient in the To: field, the Mail app will automatically generate a random forwarding email. Tap Send when you're done.

The Hide My Email-created address will then be saved in your settings with the recipient as the label. Whenever you email that person or organization in the future, simply tap Hide My Email again, and the system will automatically pull in the previously used forwarding email each time.

Note that Hide My Email's random email generation is only supported when there is a single recipient.

How to turn off Hide My Email forwarding

One great aspect of using Hide My Email with the Mail app is that it's super easy to turn off mail forwarding on a per-address basis.

Therefore, if you want a particular person to no longer be able to reach you, a company is sending you too many emails, or a data breach has meant your randomly-generated email address is now on some spammer's list, you can cut that email address off. Here's how.

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap your name.
3. Tap iCloud.

4. Tap Hide My Email.
5. Tap the randomly-generated email address you wish to remove.

6. Tap Deactivate email address.
7. Tap Deactivate to confirm.

Once you deactivate a Hide My Email address, messages sent to it will no longer be forwarded to your real email.

Stay private

You might not use Hide My Email all that often, but it's one of the best iPhone features to add to your privacy arsenal when contacting someone new. It's conveniently built right into the Mail app on iPhone and iPad, so you can better protect your personal info with just a few taps.

Updated May 2022: Updated for iOS 15.4.

You've been able to share and collaborate on iWork documents for a while, but iPhones, iPads, and Macs can share and collaborate on documents in real time, directly through iCloud Drive. Here's how it works.

Note: iCloud Drive is found inside the Files app on iPhone and iPad.

How to share a document for collaboration in iCloud Drive

You can share a document with someone else that also uses iCloud and the same app on an iPhone or any Apple device. You can also invite someone to collaborate on those documents without having to open the original app directly.

1. Launch the Files app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap iCloud Drive.
3. Tap the folder for which you would like to select the document.

4. Tap Select in the upper right corner.
5. Tap a document on which you would like to collaborate.
6. Tap the Share icon.

7. Tap Share File in the Share Sheet.
8. Select how you would like to invite others to collaborate.
9. Enter a contact.
10. Tap Send to send the invitation.

1. Launch a Finder window on your Mac.
2. Select iCloud Drive from your sidebar.
3. Open the folder that contains the document you want to collaborate on.
4. Right or Control + click on a document on which you want to collaborate.

5. Click on Share from the drop down menu.
6. Click on Share file.

7. Select how you would like to invite others to collaborate.
8. Enter a contact.
9. Tap Send to send the invitation.

How to adjust permissions for a document in iCloud Drive

You may want to allow some people to make changes to a document, while only allowing others to view the document. You can adjust your permissions per person or for everyone.

1. Launch the Files app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap iCloud Drive.
3. Tap the folder containing the desired document.

4. Tap Select in the upper right corner.
5. Tap the document for which you would like to adjust permissions.
6. Tap the Share icon.

7. Tap Manage Shared File in the Share Sheet.
8. Tap Share Options to change the permissions for everyone
9. Tap a contact to change the share permission for an individual.
10. Tap the permission settings.

1. Launch a Finder window on your Mac.
2. Select iCloud Drive from your sidebar.
3. Open the folder that contains the document you want to select.
4. Right- or Control-click on the document for which you want to change permissions.

5. Click on Share from the drop down menu.
6. Click on Manage Shared File.

7. Click on Share Options to change the permissions for everyone
8. Select a contact and click on the More icon to change the share permission for an individual. It looks like three white dots.
9. Select the permission settings.

How to remove someone from collaborating in a document in iCloud Drive

If you no longer wish to collaborate with someone on a document, you don't have to open the original app to un-invite collaborators. In iOS 11 and later, you can do so right from iCloud Drive.

1. Launch the Files app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap iCloud Drive.
3. Tap the folder that contains the document you'd like to modify.

4. Tap Select in the upper right corner.
5. Tap the document you no longer wish to collaborate on.
6. Tap the Share icon.

7. Tap Manage Shared File in the Share Sheet.
8. Tap the contact you wish to remove from collaboration.
9. Tap Remove Access.
10. Tap OK.

If you are collaborating on a document with multiple people and would like to remove access for everyone, you can tap Stop Sharing at the bottom of the invite list.

1. Launch a Finder window on your Mac.
2. Select iCloud Drive from your sidebar.
3. Open the folder that contains the document you want to modify.
4. Right- or Control-click on the document on which you no longer wish to collaborate.

5. Click on Share from the drop down menu.
6. Click on Manage Shared File.

7. Select the contact you wish to remove from collaboration.
8. Click on the More button next to the contact. It looks like three white dots.
9. Click on Remove Access.
10. Click on Done.

To share or not to share

iCloud Drive is the simplest, most convenient way to share files and keep them updated among family and friends. They will always stay up to date on the cloud, so everyone sees the latest version. This works for any type of document, file, or image on iCloud Drive.

Updated May 2022: Updated steps for the latest version of iOS and macOS.

What you need to know

• An investor has lost some $650,000 in crypto and NFTs after falling for an iCloud scam.
• Domenic Lacovone received a call from someone posing as Apple who asked for a verification code to reset his iCloud password.
• Lacovone's MetaMask seed phrase was stored in his iCloud keychain, giving the thief access to all of his crypto wallet.

An investor has lost an estimated $650,000 in cryptocurrencies and NFTs after being duped into handing over a verification code for iCloud to someone posing as Apple on the phone.

CNET first reported the plight of Domonic Lacovone over the weekend:

Assets taken included $160,000 worth of ether, a Mutant Ape Yacht Club NFT worth $80,000, $100,000 of Ape Coin cryptocurrency, and $250,000 in Tether.

According to one crypto security expert, the scam involves a caller ID spoof, which makes a random number look like a call from Apple, as Lacovone noted in his story. The caller requests a password reset using the victim's Apple ID, and then asks the victim for the verification code sent by Apple, usually a six-digit number, once they have that code, they can reset the victim's password, accessing all of their iCloud data. According to the report, that data would include the seed phrase used to protect MetaMask, an Ethereum-based crypto wallet. According to the report, MetaMask took to Twitter Sunday, warning users to disable iCloud backups for MetaMask:

In response, crypto security expert Serpent offered the standard advice regarding falling for such scams, namely, never give out your Apple verification codes to anyone, and remember that companies like Apple "will never call you" in situations like this. Serpent also warned crypto and NFT investors to use a cold wallet to store valuables.

Anyone on the free, 5GB iCloud storage plan knows that that's not a lot of space at all. You'll fill it up fast, so you need to be judicious about what you store in an iCloud backup. This is especially true if you have, say, both an iPhone and an iPad.

One way you can free up some additional storage to use elsewhere is by manually choosing what app data gets stored, and what won't! Or you can of course upgrade your iCloud storage plan if you want to store all your things, all the time — there are a ton of options to choose from! But here's how you can selectively back up your data over iCloud.

How to choose what app data gets backed up to iCloud for iPhone and iPad

1. Open Settings on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap Apple ID banner.
3. Tap iCloud.

4. Tap Manage Storage.
5. Tap Backups.
6. Tap your iPhone or iPad under Backups.

7. Tap Show All Apps if the apps you want to manage aren't among the first five displayed.
8. Tap the switches next to any apps that you no longer want to back up to flip them to the white "off" position.

Note that turning off app data doesn't mean that app won't return to your device during an iCloud restore, it just means the app's data will not return.

Typically, games or photo- and document-centric apps are the most storage-hungry. If you decide to turn these off, just make sure you're okay with losing the data within them in the event of a restore. We'd suggest saving any documents or photos to your computer frequently to free up storage space.

Best to back up

If you want the best iPhone and iPad experience and don't want to spend any money on additional iCloud storage, you're probably going to have to manually manage what data gets backed up into your free 5GB allowance. Thankfully, it's easy to do.

It's always best to have a copy of any data that is important to you in case something bad happens to your device, though, so we don't advise you just switch iCloud backups off completely and forget about it. Instead, back up your iPhone or iPad to your computer or use a third-party service like Google Photos or Dropbox.

Updated April 2022: Updated for iOS 15.

Apple has a cloud-based storage service, called iCloud, that you can use to store and sync photos, documents, movies, music, and a whole lot more. You can find all of your iCloud content on any of your Apple devices using the same Apple ID, from re-downloading apps and games to watching TV shows and movies. Here's everything you need to know about iCloud on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

How to set up, sync, back up, and restore with iCloud

The very first thing you'll need to do before you can use iCloud is set it up. This involves choosing what data you want to sync and what you want to back up. You'll also need to decide whether or not you need to buy additional iCloud storage space, which we'll help you with as well.

If you're already using iCloud on one Apple device and need to know how to get all your stuff to a new device, this is the guide for you. We will walk you through setting up a device as new, restoring from a backup, and lots more. You'll walk away feeling confident you have complete control over your iCloud data, how it's stored, and what you need to do in order to recover it.

How to use iCloud Photo Library

iCloud Photo Library is available to anyone with an iPhone or an iPad. iCloud Photo Library keeps your entire photo and video library in sync between any iPhones, iPads, and Macs you own. This is done through the Photos for iOS and Photos for Mac apps. Create an album on your iPhone, it's instantly synced to your Mac, and vice versa. iCloud Photo Library can also help you free up tremendous amounts of storage space on your best iPhone or iPad by streaming photos and videos instead of physically downloading them. A great compromise for anyone who wants the best of both worlds.

How to use iCloud Photo Sharing and My Photo Stream

iCloud Photo Sharing and My Photo Stream are both parts of the Photos app on iPhone, iPad, and Mac as well. iCloud Photo Sharing lets you create shared photo albums that friends and family can view, add to, comment on, and like. It's a great way to share photos with only a small group of people, no social network required.

My Photo Stream can automatically store your last 30 days of photos, or most recent 1,000, whichever is larger. These are then available across any device that supports Photo Stream. It doesn't store videos like iCloud Photo Library but may be enough for some people. Check out our guide to learn some of the most important differences between the two.

How to use Find My

The Find My app lets you locate any Apple devices that you may have misplaced. Things mean devices like your iPhone or Mac, but also accessories like AirTags Not only can you send an alert with a message to a device you can't find, you can also remotely wipe data from it if worse comes to worst. The best part is that if you have Find My enabled, potential thieves won't be able to turn it off without your iCloud password. We highly recommend enabling and learning everything you can about how this free service can help you protect your devices and your personal data.

How to use Family Sharing

Family Sharing lets you share iTunes and App Store purchases with other members of your household. Even better, parents can take advantage of the "Ask to Buy" feature which requires young children to request purchases. You'll get a notification and can approve or reject their request remotely. Family Sharing also adds convenient tracking features which are handy for children in the household. When they're old enough to be on their own plan, you can hand their Apple ID over to them to manage on their own.

We can walk you through how to set up child ID's, track someone's lost device in your Family Sharing group, and anything else you need to know about Apple's Family Sharing service.

How to use iTunes in the Cloud

iTunes in the Cloud lets you access, stream, and re-download content you've purchased from iTunes. This includes items from the App Store, iTunes Store, and iBookstore. If you have an Apple TV in your home, you can access all your purchased movies, tv shows, music, and more just by logging in. They'll be instantly available for streaming. And if you have Family Sharing enabled, you can also stream purchases belonging to someone else in your Family Sharing group.

How to use iCloud Music Library

iCloud Music Library lets you compare your entire library with the iTunes music catalog: If it finds the same song, it lets you stream or download it from iTunes, to any of your Apple devices, immediately or for as long as you stay a subscriber. If it doesn't find the same song, it uploads your version and lets you stream it just the same. Because your music is always available on Apple's servers, it works like a backup, making sure you don't lose your collection even if you lose your device.

How to use iCloud Keychain

iCloud Keychain tries to bring sanity to password management. If you save a password in Safari on your Mac for use later, iCloud Keychain can sync that same convenience to Safari on your iPhone or iPad. iCloud Keychain can also store credit cards, addresses, and other personal details so you can easier fill out forms when you need to. Need to generate a strong password for a new account? iCloud Keychain can do that too!

Don't forget iCloud+

When you pay for iCloud, rather than using the free version Apple offers, you'll get access to iCloud+.

Cloud+ brings with it some new features, though, namely the privacy-focused Hide My Email and Private Relay, plus enhanced HomeKit Secure Video storage. iCloud+ also comes with custom email domains for iCloud Mail accounts. So be sure to check it out, to see if it's for you.

iCloud Keychain is Apple's password management system. With it, your account names, passwords, and credit card numbers can be safely and securely stored on your Mac, iPhone, or iPad keychain and synced across all your devices using iCloud.

When you're using Safari, you can easily access passwords or auto-fill shipping and credit card information. You can also access passwords stored in iCloud Keychain while in third-party apps. Here's everything you need to know about iCloud Keychain.

How to enable (or disable) iCloud Keychain

iCloud Keychain is an excellent program for creating, storing, and accessing your complex passwords. Since it's built right in, it's super easy to set up iCloud Keychain on iOS and get up and running with iCloud Keychain for Mac, too.

By using it, you'll always have your passwords and credit card details at your fingertips and won't need to rely on a third-party password manager app.

How to generate a password with iCloud Keychain on your iPhone and iPad

In today's technology-driven world, we have dozens, if not hundreds, of passwords to keep track of. It's easy to be tempted to use the same password continuously, but that's precisely the opposite of what you should be doing. So instead, create a password using iCloud Keychain, and you'll have a super-secure, pseudo-random password to log in with.

The best part is you don't have to remember the random collection of letters, numbers, and symbols as your iPhone or iPad will auto-fill it for you when needed. You can also create iCloud Keychain passwords on Mac.

How to manually add your personal and credit card information to iCloud Keychain on iPhone and iPad

iCloud Keychain is more than just a password manager. It also stores your credit card details and personal data, like your shipping address and phone number. Once you set it up, you can use it to fill out forms and pay for items online without remembering that long string of numbers. It even stores your credit cards' expiration dates, so you only have to remember your card verification code. Three numbers are much easier to remember than 16.

When shopping online, iCloud Keychain will offer to remember your details for the next time. However, you can manually add personal and credit card information to iCloud Keychain if you want to. There's also an option to edit iCloud Keychain information on your Mac if that's where you prefer to do your shopping.

How to access and view your iCloud Keychain passwords

The point of iCloud Keychain is to make it easy for you to fill out passwords in Safari and some apps, but there will always be times when you need a password, and you're not trying to log into a website or an app. So don't worry; your passwords aren't hidden from you.

Though there's no app for iCloud Keychain, your details are stored on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac in your Passwords tab. So you can go in and view your iCloud Keychain passwords, copy and paste your login name or password, and head back to wherever you need to enter it quickly.

How to delete saved passwords and credit cards from iCloud Keychain on your iPhone and iPad

So you stopped using that photo editing service and no longer need the login credentials. Or maybe you got a new credit card to replace the old one, and it has an entirely different number. No problem. In just a few easy steps, you can delete saved passwords and credit card data from iCloud Keychain.

Remember, since this is iCloud, changes sync across all your devices. So if you delete it from the iCloud Keychain on your iPhone, it also disappears from your Mac.

How to stop iCloud Keychain from storing and auto-filling credit cards or passwords in Safari

Even though you may love the ability to create, store, and access your passwords across your devices with iCloud Keychain, you may not want all of the features the service provides. For example, you may have no use for auto-filling and autosaving your personal and credit card information.

If, for example, you share your Mac with your roommate or your iPad with your kids, you probably don't want them to be able to use your account details to log into your social media sites or buy stuff on Amazon. You can keep your passwords stored in iCloud, but turn off iCloud Keychain AutoFill if that sounds like a better solution for you.

Keep it protected

Whether you're just getting set up with iCloud or you already use it for storing and syncing plenty of data, iCloud Keychain is worth spending the time to master.

It's one way to ensure you are making the best iPhone, iPad, and Mac security decisions and helps to keep your other online accounts and personal information safe.

Updated March 2022: Updated for iOS 15 and macOS Monterey.

Family Sharing is one of the best Apple iCloud services for family groups. It allows you to share storage space, purchase accounts, subscriptions, Apple Music plans, Apple Arcade and much more between multiple iCloud users. This includes managed accounts for young children. 

Besides all those benefits, Family Sharing also integrates with Shared Albums -- a free feature that provides your family with a secure shared album so you can easily share images and videos in one place. Each family member in your circle has their own separate iCloud Photo Library but they can choose to send media to the Family album, providing everyone with a communal space. It's perfect if you want to share your latest vacation snaps or photos of the kids with everyone in a secure environment.

Here's how to use iCloud Photo Sharing alongside Family Sharing. Once it's set up, you can easily access the Family album on your shiny new iPhone 14 Pro, one of the best iPads, or the latest MacBook Air M2, and everything in between.

Note: Before following these steps, make sure you've enabled iCloud Shared Albums. It's not possible to use the Family album unless it's switched on. There's no need to use iCloud Photo Library to enable sharing if you prefer another syncing alternative.

How to view the Family album on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac

If you want to see which of your family members have already added to the album, you'll need to open the Shared section of your Photos app. That's also how you view the Family album. Here's what to do.

1. Open the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap on the Albums tab.
3. After scrolling down to Shared Albums, tap the Family album. (If you can't see the album, tap See All and browse through the shared albums until you find it.)

1. Open Photos on your Mac.
2. Look under the Shared section of the Sidebar, and click Shared Albums.
3. Click the Family album.

How to add new photos or video to the Family album on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac

Adding new photos to the Family Album is pretty much as easy as adding photos or videos to any other album. If you're not sure though, here's what to do.

1. Tap the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap the Albums tab at the bottom of the screen.
3. After scrolling down to the Shared Albums section, tap the Family album. (If you can't see it, tap See All and browse through the shared albums until you find it.)

4. Tap the plus sign.
5. Tap the photo or photos you want to share, then tap Done in the upper right corner.
6. Type a description if you'd like to add some context, then tap Post in the pop-up window.

1. Open Photos on your Mac.
2. Click on the photos you want to share with your family members (shift-click or command-click to select multiple).
3. Click the share button on the upper right of the window. It's a box with an upward arrow.
4. Click on Shared Albums to find the right album.
5. Click Family. The images will then sync over to your family member's device near instantly, depending on everyone's internet connection.

How to remove photos or video from the Family album on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac

If you want to remove any photos or videos from the Family album, you're only a couple of clicks or taps away. All members of the group can delete content they don't want to share any more. Here's how to do so.

1. Open the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap the Albums tab to find the album.
3. Scroll down to Shared Albums and tap the Family album. (If you can't see it, tap on See All and browse through the shared albums until you find it.)

4. Tap Select in the upper right corner.
5. Tap the photo or video you wish to delete from the shared album. It won't remove it from your device -- only the shared album.

6. Tap the Trash icon in the bottom right corner of the screen.
7. Tap Delete Photos to confirm that you definitely want to delete the selected photos.

1. Open the Photos app on your Mac.
2. Click on Shared Albums in the sidebar of the app.
3. Click the Family album.
4. Select the images you want to delete from the shared album.

5. Tap the Delete key on your keyboard.
6. Click Delete on screen to confirm that you want to remove the photo from the shared album. Again, this will only remove the image from the shared album, not the original on your device.

Share your favorite memories with Family Sharing

It's simple to use Family Sharing and iCloud to share your favorite moments and memories with your loved ones. More convenient than trying to set up a private Facebook or Instagram account (and liaising with who shares what), you get all the benefits of the security that iCloud brings with an effort-free experience for all. 

Providing everyone in your family group knows how to use their Apple devices (and why wouldn't they?), Family Sharing means they can figure things out just as easily as if they were saving to their regular Camera Roll.

You also get the benefits of receiving a notification any time someone shares a new photo or video, which can make updates fairly exciting when there's lots going on in your circle.

With the number of usernames and passwords we have to use these days, it's practically impossible to remember them all. That's especially true if you use a different password with every service you sign up for (if you don't, you really should!).

Instead of doing the wrong thing and reusing passwords, it's highly recommended that you use a password manager. That way, you can have strong, unique passwords for all of your accounts without having to rack your brain every time you log in somewhere. While third-party password managers have existed for a long time, Apple has its own built-in solution in the form of iCloud Keychain.

It's a great tool that encourages you to have better password hygiene. However, the fact that it operates mostly in the background and doesn't make it clear where to see and amend your data means it still falls short of dedicated apps like 1Password and LastPass. That's why it's finally time iCloud Keychain got its own app.

The promise of iCloud Keychain

I use Apple devices pretty much all day and iCloud Keychain has become an essential tool for creating strong passwords. It remembers all of my log-in credentials so I don't have to by allowing me to auto-fill them. iCloud Keychain is integrated into Safari, as well as within apps on iOS and macOS. My stored passwords sync across my devices, so I can pretty much always log in with just a scan of my face or fingerprint, depending on which device I am using.

For me, it works basically as well as Apple's pitch describes:

That sounds pretty amazing. How many times have you, or someone you know, been staring at your phone wondering what password you might have used or going through the rigmarole of resetting it (only to be told you can't use the same password again...)? Show that short description to anyone who struggles with their passwords and they'd probably ask where they can sign up immediately.

Of course, it's only really a great solution for those that are all-in on Apple devices since it uses iCloud to keep everything in sync, lacking the cross-platform smarts of some of the third-party solutions. But it is free for Apple users and lowers the barrier to using a password manager.

Except, it also doesn't. iCloud Keychain in its current form, I'd argue, potentially puts off more folks than it attracts given the confusing implementation and obfuscated organization of data. Putting an app on the Home screen, protected by Face ID, Touch ID, a passcode, or even a unique master password would make a world of difference for discoverability and ease of use.

A confusing Settings experience

iCloud Keychain has become much more than a simple storage and syncing solution for your credentials over time. With iOS 14, the service gained security recommendations to alert you to compromised, easily-guessed, or reused passwords. iOS 15 brought two-factor authentication codes and the latest beta software allows you to add notes to your passwords in iOS 15.4. There's a lot going on in iCloud Keychain and the experience of using it isn't as seamless as it could be.

The main argument against consolidating the iCloud Keychain experience into its own app is that you can already manage your information via the Settings app. While true, it's not exactly a pleasant experience.

Say you wanted to manually update a password for one of your many internet accounts. That's pretty straightforward to do since there's a top-level Passwords tab in the Settings app. But how about changing the credit card details that iCloud Keychain stores? Well, that's hidden away somewhere entirely different (it's three layers deep within Safari's AutoFill settings, for those wondering).

iCloud Keychain also stores your Wi-Fi passwords. Where are these kept? On macOS, they are hidden away, managed via your advanced network settings within System Preferences. And good luck managing them on iOS because you can only forget or change the passwords for Wi-Fi networks in your immediate vicinity.

Features of iCloud Keychain being split out into various different sections of your devices' settings may have made sense at first but it makes no sense today, worsened by the fact that functionality can differ from device to device. It's time Apple brought all of iCloud Keychain together in one easy-to-understand app for a straightforward and consistent experience everywhere.

Where is the dedicated iCloud Keychain app?

There's no sign of a standalone iCloud Keychain app in the latest iOS 15.4 beta, but perhaps it's on the docket for iOS 16 later this year. I certainly hope so.

The app would soon become the best iPhone app for security, making it easier for folks to create, store, and save passwords securely, find out if a password has been compromised and take action, make use of two-factor authentication, manage their Wi-Fi networks, and easily update their credit card information. A dedicated app even opens up the possibility for added functionality like the storing of sensitive documents, sharing and updating select passwords between family members, or sharing account access between colleagues.

Given security is a lever Apple likes to pull when it comes to differentiation and marketing, it would suit the company's privacy-first mantra to offer a Keychain app that makes it easier for more people to make better security decisions.

It's important to know how to delete old iCloud backups given how cluttered they can get over time. That goes even more so if you've owned an iPhone for a while. Filled with sensitive and private data, from messages from loved ones to emails with work, or passwords or banking details, that information would be a pain to lose, but it can get messy too.

All iCloud users get 5GB for free but that doesn't stretch very far these days. You might have already figured out which iCloud storage plan you should get but by managing your iCloud account through deleting old backups, you could reduce how much space you actually need to pay for.

We err on the side of having more than is necessary as iCloud is crucial when upgrading to one of the best iPhones. Similarly, if you're upgrading to the latest iOS -- iOS 17 -- it's wise to backup your iPhone or iPad beforehand so you don't run the risk of losing anything. Even if you're paying extra for more iCloud storage, there's no need to have old iCloud backups cluttering your storage. 

That's where we're here to help. For those times when you need to delete old iCloud backups, we have all you need to know about how to do so. If you have multiple iPhones and iPads, this will be even more important. 

Here's how to view and delete old iCloud backups on your iPhone and Mac, leaving you with more space for new backups in the future.

What is an iCloud backup?

iCloud automatically backs up all of the data on your iPhone or iPad every day, as long as the device is connected to Wi-Fi, turned on, locked, and connected to a power source. This makes it easy to restore a device if you lose it, it's stolen, you need to wipe it to sell it or you simply want to set up a brand new iPhone or iPad easily with all of your existing data.

Here's what gets backed up to iCloud:

• Purchase history from Apple services, like music, films, apps and books
• Photos and videos (unless you have iCloud Photo Library enabled)
• Device settings
• App data
• Home screen and app organization
• iMessage, text messages, MMS messages (if restoring, the SIM card used during back up is required)
• Ringtones
• Visual Voicemail password (if restoring, the SIM card used during back up is required)
• Health data
• HomeKit configuration
• Apple Watch backups

All of this information combined can take up a lot of space. Often more than the 5GB that Apple gives you for free. That's why we definitely recommend taking a look at which iCloud storage plan works best for your needs first, though Apple's prices are pretty reasonable compared to other cloud services.

Personally, I've used iCloud as my primary backup method for my iPhone for the past few years, and I've had zero issues. I find having iCloud backup as an option to be well worth the cost, along with plenty of space for my iCloud Photo Library.

Why it's good to keep your iCloud backups

Holding onto your iCloud backups means you get to access and restore your iPhone or iPad's data from just about anywhere. It's convenient for people with multiple devices too, especially those who rely on Accessibility settings since you don't have to set everything up again manually. So if you already own an iPhone and get a new MacBook Pro with M3 Max, you can add everything you need from your iCloud account to it, like messages, purchases and more.

Why you need to delete iCloud backups

With all of that considered, why would anyone want to delete an iCloud backup? 

Firstly, don't worry. Getting rid of old and outdated iCloud backups is normal and recommended. For instance, get an iTunes backup of your iPhone or iPad going, then you can have a backup of your backup, just in case. And don't forget, if you turn iCloud backup on again, your device will still be backed up when you're connected to Wi-Fi, the device is locked, turned on, and connected to power.

The reason you'll want to delete old iCloud backups is you simply won't have enough room to keep hold of them all. You also won't need to. As you add new messages, photos, settings and movies there's no reason you'd need a backup you made months ago. But how do you safely delete iCloud backups?

How to delete iCloud backups on your iPhone or iPad

1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap your Apple ID banner right at the top of the screen.
3. Tap iCloud.

4. Tap Manage Account Storage under iCloud.
5. Tap Backups.
6. Tap the device whose backup you want to delete.

7. Tap Turn off and Delete from iCloud

Important: Using this method, when you delete a backup, it will also turn off iCloud Backup for your Apple device. This is a good option if you're selling your phone or need to wipe it. 

But don't worry. If you follow this steps accidentally you can always turn iCloud Backup back on in iCloud settings on your device. Check out our guide to how to backup your iPhone.

How to delete iCloud backups on your Mac

1. Launch System Settings from the dock, your Finder, or by clicking the Apple icon on the top left of your screen.
2. Click your Apple ID and sign in if prompted.
3. Click iCloud in the right hand window.

4. Click Manage next to Account Storage.
5. Click Backups.

6. Click the device backup you wish to delete.
7. Click the minus sign underneath it.
8. Click Delete to permanently delete the backup.

Do you need to backup your Apple devices?

Your iPhone is also the home of all your memories, photos, along with important data, work related emails, and so forth. Think about how you'd feel if you lost all that data. That's why it's so important to backup your Apple device regularly so that you won't miss out on anything. That doesn't just apply to iPhones either with all Apple devices needing regular backups. 

iCloud is one of the easiest ways to make sure that all your data is automatically backed up every day. It means it's simple to transfer data from iPhone to iPhone when you're upgrading or switching between phones, but also, you've always got everything you need ready to retrieve. Even better, you rarely need to think about it as iCloud backs up your data in the background. Most of the time, it's a seamless and smooth process and can even help any out of storage errors you may come across. 

However, those backups take up iCloud space and it can get pretty unwieldy. That's why it's important to follow the steps above to delete older backups that you no longer need. Chances are high that those older backups are long out of date and if you've just snapped up a new iPhone 15 Pro, you want it to have the newest data possible. It might seem like hassle at first but these steps mean you're only a few minutes away from more space.

Making or subscribing to a shared photo album on iCloud is just the beginning: Once you're part of a shared album with your friends, family, or co-workers, you can add comments, like photos, invite more pals into the fray, and more.

If you want the social media experience without having to plaster your images across the internet, iCloud Photo Sharing offers some great tools for it. Here's how you can like your friends' images, add new people to an existing shared album, and add comment threads to photos and videos.

How to share albums with people who don't use iCloud

Want to share vacation images and videos with someone who doesn't have an iCloud address or an Apple iPhone? Apple makes it easy for you to show your photos and clips to others by creating an unlisted iCloud.com website for your album: All you need to do is give your friend the URL.

Unlike the Photos app, Apple's website won't allow users to like or comment on your images or video, and they won't be able to upload additional images or clips to the page. That said, they can still download a copy of the images onto their devices.

Note: Only the album owner and creator can change this setting. In addition, your album won't have any sort of privacy check beyond the private URL: Anyone with the link can access your images and video.

1. Launch the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap Albums at the bottom of the screen.
3. Scroll down to Shared Albums and select the album for which you want to allow anyone to view photos from a web browser via iCloud.com. If you don't see the album right away, click See All and scroll through until you see the album you want.

4. Tap People icon at the top of the screen.
5. Toggle the Public Website switch on to allow anyone with the URL access to the shared album from a web browser.

Once you've turned on the website function, you can share it with anyone by copying the album link.

1. Launch the Photos app.
2. Open the Shared album.

3. Click on the People button in the toolbar.
4. Check the box next to Public Website to allow anyone with the URL access to the shared album from a web browser.

How to add someone to a shared photo album

Want to show a new person the photos and videos you've added to an existing shared album? It only takes a few clicks.

Note: Only the album creator and owner can add new people to a shared album — make sure whoever creates the album doesn't mind adding new people over time!

1. Launch the Photos app from your Home screen.
2. Tap Albums at the bottom of your screen.

3. Scroll down to Shared Albums and tap the album you would like to access.
4. Tap People.

5. Tap Invite People...
6. Type in the name of the person you'd like to invite.

1. Launch the Photos app.
2. Open the Shared album in question.

3. Click on the People button in the toolbar.
4. Click on the box that says Invite People.
5. Add the iCloud email address of the person in question.
6. Press the Return key on your keyboard.

How to remove someone from a shared photo album

Whether you accidentally invited someone to the wrong shared album or you just don't want them to have access anymore, you can get rid of a subscriber to a shared album pretty quickly.

Note: Only the creator and owner of the shared album can change this setting.

1. Launch the Photos app from your Home screen.
2. Tap Albums at the bottom of your screen.

3. Tap the shared album you would like to access.
4. Tap People.

5. Tap the name of the person you'd like to remove.
6. Tap Remove Subscriber at the bottom of the window on your screen.

A prompt will appear, so just tap Remove again to take them out of that shared album completely. The person will no longer be able to access the shared album.

1. Launch the Photos app.
2. Open the Shared album in question.
3. Click on the People button in the toolbar.

4. Click on arrow next to the subscriber you wish to remove.
5. Press Remove Subscriber.

How to let other people add photos and video to your shared photo album

iCloud's photo sharing service isn't just a one-way trip: You can create collaborative shared albums so that everyone can contribute. Whether you want to collectively share vacation photos with your family or are collaborating with work friends, everyone can upload to the same shared album. Here's how.

Note: Only the creator and owner of the shared album can change this setting.

1. Launch the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap Albums at the bottom of the screen.
3. Scroll down to Shared Albums and select the album. If you don't see the album right away, click See All and scroll through until you see the album you want.

4. Tap People icon at the top of the screen.
5. Toggle the switch Subscribers can Post on to allow others to add their photos to your shared Photo Stream.

1. Launch the Photos app.
2. Open the Shared album.
3. 1. Click on the People button in the toolbar.

4. Check the box next to Subscribers Can Post to allow anyone to contribute to the album.

How to like or comment on photos or videos in a shared photo album

Turn iCloud into your own private social network with its liking and commenting features: When you open a photo or video in a shared album, you'll be able to like and comment on them, just as you would on a service like Facebook or Instagram. It's just more private.

1. Launch the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap Albums at the bottom of the screen.
3. Scroll down to Shared Albums and select the album. If you don't see the album right away, click See All and scroll through until you see the album you want.

4. Select a photo.
5. Tap Like in the bottom right corner to like the photo.
6. Tap Add a comment in the bottom middle to add a comment.

You can also hide all comments in a shared Photo Stream by tapping Hide Comments under a photo that has a comment attached to it.

1. Launch the Photos app.
2. Open the Shared album.
3. Select a photo or video you wish to like or comment on.
4. Press the Speech Bubble icon in the lower-left corner to add a like or comment.
5. Press the smiley face to Like the post.
6. Tap the Add a comment field to add your comment.

How to disable notifications for a shared photo album

If people are frequently adding images to or liking photos in a shared photo album over a short period of time, you might not want to repeatedly get notifications. Here's how to shut off notifications for a single album.

1. Launch the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap Albums at the bottom of the screen.
3. Scroll down to Shared Albums and select the album for which you want to allow anyone to view photos from a web browser via iCloud.com. If you don't see the album right away, click See All and scroll through until you see the album you want.

4. Tap on the shared album you'd like to stop notifications for.
5. Tap on People.
6. Turn Off the option for Notifications.

1. Launch the Photos app.
2. Open the Shared album.
3. Click on the People button in the toolbar.

4. Un-check the box next to Notifications to turn off notifications for this album.

How to disable all shared photo album notifications

Don't want to see notifications for any Photos-related content? You can shut off these notifications entirely by adjusting your settings.

1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap on Notifications.

3. Tap Photos.
4. Turn Off the types of notifications you don't want to receive. That can be badges, sounds, banners, or other options. You can also disable Photos app notifications completely by using the first toggle.

1. Open the System Preferences app.
2. Go to the Notifications tab.
3. Select the Photos notifications pane.
4. Turn off all notification settings for Photos.

Ready to roll

With all of these easy-to-follow steps, you'll be connecting with family and friends in your shared albums in no time. Avoid all the stress and hassle of social media with this fun and convenient feature.

Updated February 2022: Updated to a new format and replaced outdated screenshots.

iCloud Drive is Apple's answer to a cloud-based storage system. It syncs with your Files app on iPhone and iPad. Over the years, it has improved a lot in terms of usability, including working across various platforms. If you've been storing files in another storage service, like Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive, and you want to condense down to just iCloud Drive, you can easily move all of your data with just a few steps.

How to move data from Dropbox to iCloud Drive on a Mac

Dropbox automatically creates a Favorites shortcut in the sidebar of your Finder window, so you can drag and drop files on your Mac.

1. Open Finder from your Mac's dock.
2. Click on Dropbox in the sidebar.

3. Select the files and folders you want to move (or select them all if you want to completely move away from Dropbox reliance).
4. Drag and drop the files to iCloud Drive in the sidebar of the Finder window.

Your files will sync with iCloud Drive and be removed from Dropbox. If you change your mind (like you forgot you were sharing a folder with someone), you can always drag files and folders back from iCloud Drive into Dropbox the same way.

How to move data from Google Drive to iCloud Drive on a Mac

After you've downloaded Google's Backup and Sync app for Mac and set it up, Google Drive automatically creates a Favorites shortcut in the sidebar of your Finder window, so you can drag and drop files on your Mac.

1. Open Finder from your Mac's dock.
2. Click on Google Drive in the sidebar.

3. Select the files and folders you want to move (or select them all if you want to completely move away from Google Drive reliance).
4. Drag and drop the files to iCloud Drive in the sidebar of the Finder window.

Your files will sync with iCloud Drive and be removed from Google Drive. If you change your mind, you can always drag files and folders back from iCloud Drive into Google Drive the same way.

How to move data from OneDrive to iCloud Drive on a Mac

One Drive does not automatically create a Favorites shortcut in the sidebar of your Finder window, but you can manually create one. If you cannot locate the OneDrive folder easily, use the Spotlight Search feature on your Mac to find it.

1. Open Finder from your Mac's dock.
2. Locate and select the OneDrive folder (Make sure it is the folder where your files are stored and not the application itself).

3. Select the files and folders you want to move (or select them all if you want to completely move away from OneDrive reliance).
4. Drag and drop the files to iCloud Drive in the sidebar of the Finder window.

Your files will sync with iCloud Drive and be removed from OneDrive. If you change your mind, you can always drag files and folders back from iCloud Drive into OneDrive.

How to copy files from Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive into iCloud Drive

If you don't want to actually remove files from Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive, but want a secondary security measure for backing up your data, you can make copies of files.

1. Open Finder from your Mac's dock.
2. Click on Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive from the sidebar.

3. Select the file or files for which you want to make copies.
4. Click Edit in the top menu bar and select select Copy from the dropdown menu.

5. Click on iCloud Drive from the sidebar.
6. Click Edit in the top menu bar and select select Paste from the dropdown menu.

Any questions?

Do you have any questions about how to migrate files and folders from Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive to iCloud Drive? Post them in the comments section and I'll help you out.

Update Feb, 2022: Updated for Monterey.

In 2021, Apple rebranded paid iCloud accounts as iCloud+. Though pricing didn't change, the new plus-branded accounts gained some new features, including the ability to use a custom email domain with iCloud Mail.

If you already have a domain that you own and want to use with iCloud Mail, we're here to show you how to get it set up.

How to add a custom email domain for iCloud Mail

To set up a custom email domain in iCloud Mail, you must first ensure you are an iCloud+ subscriber. If you pay for iCloud storage or subscribe to the Apple One bundle, then you already are.

You also need to have Apple ID two-factor authentication enabled and a primary iCloud email address set up. Further, the domain name you want to use must be owned by you.

If you check the above boxes, you can then follow these instructions to add a custom email domain to iCloud Mail.

1. Open iCloud.com and log in.
2. Click on Account Settings.
3. Scroll down and click Manage in the Custom Email Domain section.

4. Indicate who will use the domain by selecting either Only You or You and Your Family.
5. Enter the domain name and click Continue.

6. If you have existing email addresses that use this domain, add them when prompted.
7. Click View and follow the onscreen instructions to finish setting up your domain.

Depending on the domain, you may be prompted to sign in to your domain registrar to update your records automatically. Alternatively, you may need to manually update your DNS records.

1. Choose a default email address to use when you send iCloud Mail.

If you want to share the custom domain name with your family members, you must have Family Sharing set up. In addition, each member of your family who wants to use the custom domain must also have two-factor authentication turned on, as well as have a primary iCloud email address set up.

How to stop using a custom email domain for iCloud Mail

1. Open iCloud.com and log in.
2. Click on Account Settings.
3. Scroll down and click Manage in the Custom Email Domain section.

4. Select the domain you want to stop using.
5. Scroll to the bottom, click Stop using this domain, and then follow the onscreen instructions.

How to add a custom email domain for iCloud Mail on iOS

Though the custom iCloud Mail domain feature is live on the iCloud.com site, the feature hasn't officially shipped to iPhone and iPad users just yet. That being said, the iOS 15.4 beta does include the ability to set up a custom email domain for iCloud so we're including the steps below.

Apple occasionally offers updates to iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS, and macOS as closed developer previews or public betas. While the betas contain new features, they also contain pre-release bugs that can prevent the normal use of your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, or Mac, and are not intended for everyday use on a primary device. That's why we strongly recommend staying away from developer previews unless you need them for software development, and using the public betas with caution. If you depend on your devices, wait for the final release.

Note that you'll only have the option to add a custom email domain if you're running the latest iOS 15.4 developer or public beta release and that these instructions may change during the beta process.

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Your Name.
3. Tap iCloud.

4. Tap iCloud Mail.
5. Tap Custom Email Domain.
6. Tap Add Domain and fill out the details for your domain as instructed.

Again, depending on the domain, you may be prompted to sign in to your domain registrar to update your records automatically or you might have to do this manually.

Very professional

If you want to turn your device into the best iPhone or iPad for business, getting set up with a custom domain is a great way to give off a professional vibe. In addition, setting it up via iCloud.com means you still get to use Apple's underlying iCloud Mail infrastructure rather than relying on something like Gmail to do the same thing.

Updated February 2022: Updated with instructions for iOS 15.4 beta.

What you need to know

• Apple says it has fixed iCloud sync and CloudKit problems that have been an issue for developers.
• Third-party apps have been suffering from sync issues for some time thanks to iCloud instability.
• Developers have been told that the issues have been fixed.

Apple says that it has fixed an iCloud sync and CloudKit issue that caused third-party apps to suffer from syncing instability. That instability often caused apps to be unable to sync data which users saw as a problem with the app itself. As a result, some developers went so far as to add new pages to their apps that showed whether iCloud was functioning correctly, or not.

Despite developers reporting the problem to Apple on numerous occasions, nothing seemed to improve. However, following media reports of the problem in recent days it seems Apple has taken notice and fixed whatever was causing the problem. As one developer noted on Twitter, sometimes running to the press does work after all.

Apple isn't specifically saying what it did to fix the issue, nor what it was in the first place, but developers are unlikely to care too much. Having sync working once more is a big deal, especially for those who had users complain of missing data due to sync being unreliable.

The integration of iCloud is one of the best iPhone features that Android doesn't quite match, but it isn't perfect. Issues like this show how opaque Apple can be when problems crop up and, like in this instance, persist with seemingly no sign of a resolution. It's unfortunate that it took the story appearing in the media for Apple to take note.

What you need to know

• A major iCloud outage took place overnight.
• Many Apple users were left without access to iCloud services or were unable to log in.
• Apple says that the issues have since been resolved.

Apple says that a series of issues affecting its iCloud services overnight has been resolved.

Late Tuesday it emerged that many key services including iMessage and iCloud were experiencing major issues. At around 6:15 pm EST Apple advised that Game Center, iCloud Backup, iCloud Mail, iCloud Storage Upgrades, Web Apps on iCloud.com, iMessage, and Photos were all affected.

This morning, Apple's system status page indicates that the six issues were resolved through the night. This is reflected in a steady decrease in reports of outages on Downdetector both in the U.S. and UK and should hopefully mean that everyone is now able to access these services without issue.

Earlier this year many users on T-Mobile began encountering issues with iCloud Private Relay, a more recent addition from Apple that comes with iCloud+ and iOS 15, according to T-Mobile this occurred because of a change in iOS 15.2 that led to the feature being toggled off.

What you need to know

• Apple is currently experiencing issues with a number of its services.
• iCloud Mail, iMessage, Photos, and more are currently having problems.
• It's currently unclear what the issue is or when it will be fixed.

Apple is currently experiencing performance issues with a number of its services.

As reported on the company's System Status Apple is currently having issues with the following services:

• Game Center
• iCloud Backup
• iCloud Mail
• iCloud Storage Upgrades
• iCloud Web Apps (iCloud.com)
• iMessage
• Photos

According to Apple, the issues with all of the affected services began at 6:15 PM EST. The company says that some users may be affected and that they may be unable to access or use the service while the problem persists.

Apple has not said exactly what might be the cause of the issue or when they anticipate it to be resolved.

We'll keep this post updated as the company releases updates on the problems and when they announce that they have been fixed.

We're not here to tell you what photos you should and shouldn't take with your iPhone. That's your business. However, we are here to tell you that any photo you do take with your best iPhone is stored in iCloud by default. What does this mean? Well, it means that in some form, any photos you take are on the internet and susceptible to being "found."

Now, although we love everything iOS 15 allows you to do with the photos you take, you may not be comfortable with having your private photos on iCloud. The good news is you can keep your photos off iCloud; it just requires a few steps. Here's how you can keep your photos off iCloud.

Turn off iCloud Photos

iCloud Photos syncs every photo you take on your iPhone up to Apple's servers and then syncs it back down to any other Apple devices you have logged into the same account. That includes personal, private, even intimate photos. It doesn't differentiate or distinguish cinnamon buns from, well, human buns. That's your job.

So, if your camera roll is filled up with photos you don't want on Apple's servers — or anyone else's servers, you can turn off iCloud Photos. You'll lose your backup, but you might decide the peace of mind is worth it.

1. Launch Settings from your Home screen.
2. Tap your Apple ID banner at the top of the menu.

3. Tap iCloud.
4. Tap Photos.
5. Tap the iCloud Photos On/Off Switch. The switch should be grey when the feature is off.

If you later change your mind and decide you do want to backup your photos to iCloud, you can toggle it back on by following these same steps above.

Turn off My Photo Stream

iCloud Photos has more or less replaced My Photo Stream, but it's still there for people who have been using it. If you're one of them, and you're now concerned about just how much flesh tone or family business is included in those pics, you can shut it down too.

1. Launch Settings from your Home screen.
2. Tap your Apple ID banner at the top of the menu.

3. Tap iCloud.
4. Tap Photos.
5. Tap the My Photo Stream On/Off Switch. The switch should be grey when the feature is off.

If you later change your mind and decide you do want My Photo Stream to live again, you can toggle it back on by following the same steps above.

Delete photos in chat or IM

If you don't just take private photos but share them, then it's possible your messaging client of choice has copies of those photos stored as well. Whether it's Apple's iMessage, Snapchat, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, WeChat, Line, or any of the half-dozen or so Google apps that offer messaging, if you want your pictures gone, you'll have to get rid of them there as well.

Some apps let you set photos to automatically evaporate after a short period of time. Others require you to delete them manually. Take a look through the settings and choose the options that make sense to you.

You might even be able to manually or bulk delete any photos already in the app. Just realize there's almost no way to make sure the person you sent the photos to has likewise deleted them. Saving, screenshots, even taking photos of the screen with another phone or camera are all possibilities.

The only truly deleted photo is the one never shared or taken. Everything else is mitigation.

Opt for local backups

If you want a backup of your photos — all your photos — but don't want them online, you can backup your photos to your Mac or Windows PC using iTunes or any camera capture app. This makes sure you'll still have your photos in the event you lose or break your iPhone but it also means there'll be copies on your computer, which is another place you'll have to protect.

At the end of the day, decide how important having the photos are to you. If they're treasured memories you'd be devastated to lose, then back them up. Even online if it's easier. If they're just for fun and you'd be crushed if they ever got out, treat them as disposable. Don't back them up, and delete them as soon as possible.

The only copy that can't get out is no copy at all.

More iCloud Photo Library help

While you certainly need to turn off iCloud Photos if you want to ensure your photos are staying off the cloud, there are lots of reasons why you may still want to use the iCloud Photo Library. Don't forget to check our iCloud Photo Library ultimate guide to ensure you're using iCloud Photos the way you want.

Updated January 2022: Updated for iOS 15.

With iOS 15 and macOS Monterey, Apple debuted a new program for passing on information to loved ones once you're no longer around. While facing up to our own mortality is a bleak prospect, there's an awful lot of important stuff on our devices these days that our friends and family may need after we're gone.

With its Digital Legacy program, Apple lets you select trusted people with whom to share information in the event of your death.

Data that Legacy Contacts can access

After the account owner's death, the chosen Legacy Contacts will be able to access data like photos, notes, and iCloud mail. Here's the full list of accessible data:

• iCloud Photos
• Notes
• Mail
• Contacts
• Calendars
• Reminders
• Messages in iCloud
• Call history
• Files stored in iCloud Drive
• Health data
• Voice memos
• Safari bookmarks and reading list
• iCloud backups

The above data from the deceased person's account can be viewed on iCloud.com and downloaded to the Legacy Contact's device. Additionally, an iCloud backup can be restored onto an iOS or iPadOS device, and data is also accessible on a Mac.

It's important to reiterate that the above information is only available in the event of the original account holder's death and after Apple has approved a request through its Digital Legacy portal. The data is not automatically available to all Legacy Contacts in real-time while the original account holder is alive.

Data that Legacy Contacts cannot access

Apple's Digital Legacy program doesn't cover everything and there are some exclusions you may want to consider. Apple explicitly states that iCloud Keychain, payment information, subscriptions, and licensed media will not be accessible to Legacy Contacts. Here's the complete list, according to Apple:

• Licensed media; for example, films, music, and books that the account holder has purchased
• In-app purchases; for example, upgrades, subscriptions, game currency, or other content that was bought inside an app
• Payment information; for example Apple ID payment information or cards that have been saved for use with Apple Pay
• Information stored in the account holder's Keychain; for example, Safari usernames and passwords, internet accounts (used in Mail, Contacts, Calendar, and Messages), credit card numbers and expiry dates, and Wi-Fi passwords

Apple notes that if you have more than one Legacy Contact set up, any one of them can make decisions about your account data after your death including permanently deleting it. Therefore, it's worth considering with great care who you add as a Legacy Contact.

Will my data be available to Legacy Contacts forever?

No. A period of three years begins once Apple approves a Legacy Contact request wherein a Legacy Contact Apple ID will allow a Legacy Contact access to the original account holder's information.

After this period ends, the Legacy Contact Apple ID will no longer work and the deceased individual's data and account will be permanently deleted. Note that the three-year time frame begins when the first legacy account request is approved.

Get your digital affairs in order

Now that you've learned what data and information can be handed down to your loved ones, you can make a more informed decision about opting into Apple's Digital Legacy feature. It's not a perfect system but it's the best iPhone data-sharing system we've seen yet and could help to reduce frustration at what is already a very difficult time for surviving family members and friends.

If you decided to make use of it, you can add Legacy Contacts on iPhone or set up Legacy contacts on Mac if you prefer.

What you need to know

• Some European carriers want iCloud Private Relay to be banned.
• Carriers claim iCloud Private Relay prevents them from managing their network.

Update, January 10 (9:20 pm ET): T-Mobile is blocking iCloud Private Relay for T-Mobile and Sprint customers in the United States.

Apple's iCloud Private Relay feature is designed to prevent anyone from snooping on what you're doing on the internet, but a number of European cellular carriers want it banned. They claim that iCloud Private Relay prevents them from properly managing their networks.

That's according to a Telegraph report, with carriers saying that the feature has "significant consequences in terms of undermining European digital sovereignty." Quite what that actually means isn't immediately obvious.

Here's what iCloud Private Relay actually is, according to our guide:

But despite being a VPN, European carriers including Vodafone, Telefonica, Orange, and T-Mobile say that the feature "will impair others to innovate and compete in downstream digital markets and may negatively impact operators' ability to efficiently manage telecommunication networks."

While it's true that VPN services also have the same impact, it's likely the carriers are concerned about iCloud Private Relay because of its potential reach. While still listed by Apple as a beta, the company will surely enable it by default at some point in the future — potentially locking carriers out of the data they say they need across their entire iPhone-using customer base.

Whether the carriers are telling the whole truth here is something else that isn't clear. By locking carriers out, Apple also potentially impedes their ability to sell data-shaping services.

iCloud Private Relay is just one of Apple's privacy-based features and with privacy being one of the best iPhone selling points it could be a hard sell for carriers when they try and argue against it.

Update, January 10 (9:20 pm ET) — T-Mobile is blocking iCloud Private Relay for T-Mobile and Sprint customers in the United States

In an updated report from 9to5Mac, it appears that T-Mobile and Sprint customers in the United States are noticing that iCloud Private Relay is no longer working when connected to cellular.

Those who are noticing the issue are getting the following error message in the Settings app:

A report from The T-Mo Report says that the issue could be related to users turning on service-level filtering features like Web Guard, but 9to5Mac says that users who reported the issue had those turned off.

We'll need to wait to hear more from T-Mobile and Apple to understand if the carrier plans to end support for iCloud Private Relay or if this is more of a misunderstanding due to certain T-Mobile features in the country.

The endlessly reusable Rocketbook Core Smart Notebook gives you the best of both worlds: writing by hand and digital organization/storage. Write in the notebook with a Pilot FriXion pen. Scan your note with the Rocketbook app on your favorite iPhone and have the note sent to your choice of digital services. Then you can erase the note with a moist cloth and reuse that same page as many times as you'd like. Your notes are safely tucked away in digital form. The app even has OCR (Optical Character Recognition), so you can tag and search your notes later.

Rocketbook Core Smart Notebook: Price and availability

The Rocketbook Core Smart Notebook comes in two sizes: Letter Size and Executive Size. The Letter Size is 8.5-by-11 inches and contains 32 pages, and the Executive Size is 6-by-8.8 inches and has 36 pages. For either size, choose dot-grid or lined paper. The notebook comes in a wide variety of colors and patterns.

The Rocketbook Core Smart Notebook can be found at Amazon and Rocketbook's site as well as big box and office supply stores everywhere. The retail price starts at $32, but you can often find it discounted as low as $20.

Rocketbook Core Smart Notebook: What's good

Obviously, you can use an iPad and an Apple Pencil to take notes in your favorite note-taking app. But if you prefer the old-school feel of pen on paper, check out the Rocketbook Core Smart Notebook. It's a slim spiral-bound notebook with a sturdy plastic cover. Inside you'll find 32-36 glossy paper pages, depending on which size you choose.

The paper is specially designed to work with Pilot FriXion erasable pens. Once the ink dries, it stays put until you wipe the page clean with a moistened cloth. One of these pens is included with the notebook, but it's not a proprietary pen. You can easily find these pens anywhere that sells writing implements. The cloth is included too, but it's not a special cloth.

You'll notice a QR code and seven symbols along the bottom of each page. This is how the notes are digitized. Download the Rocketbook app and set up where you want your notes to go. Choose from Google Drive, Evernote, Dropbox, OneNote, OneDrive, Trello, Slack, Box, iCloud, or email. Each of the symbols can be designated to a particular spot. So you can send your notes automatically to the service of your choice just by placing an "X" over the symbol you've set up.

I'd definitely recommend taking the time to set up folders within the cloud services to send your notes. Alternatively, you can skip all that and just send the note wherever and however you'd like. You'll also need to set up OCR in the app if you wish to use that feature.

I set up the "arrow" symbol as my email address and the "diamond" symbol as my Google Drive. In fact, I created a folder in Google Drive specifically for my Rocketbook notes. So any note where I mark the diamond symbol goes right into that particular folder in Google Drive, without my having to select anything in the app.

The more you use the system, the more you learn about useful features. For example, if you write two hashtags on either side of your note's title, the OCR picks that up and will give the note that name digitally. You can also batch notes rather than sending one page at a time to the service of your choice.

Rocketbook Core Smart Notebook: What's not good

The glossy paper and erasable pen don't feel exactly like a regular pen on normal paper. You won't get the smooth flow of a high-end pen on quality paper, and I saw some complaints about this online. I don't mind the glossy paper, it didn't bother me at all, but tastes will vary.

The bigger issue is that the ink doesn't dry immediately. It takes about 20-30 seconds to dry completely. The way I hold my pen, right-handed, this isn't an issue for me. But for left-handed folks, or right-handed folks writing in a right-to-left language, or anyone who tends to smear ink as they write or draw, it might be a big issue.

The OCR is pretty cool when it works. It allows you to name your notes automatically as well as search them once they're in your cloud service. However, your handwriting needs to be pretty neat, or the OCR just won't recognize it. I had to slow down and make a conscious effort to write neatly enough for the OCR to read it.

Rocketbook Core Smart Notebook: Competition

Moleskine is such a popular luxury notebook brand that you can't talk notebooks without talking Moleskine. Moleskine has its own ecosystem that includes a variety of smart notebooks, writing sets, and digital tools. However, the paper notebooks themselves are not reusable.

There are cheaper reusable notebooks to be found on Amazon and the like, such as the HOMESTEC brand. This one must be erased with a hairdryer or the eraser end of the pen, making it a bit more cumbersome than the Rocketbook Core Smart Notebook that only requires a moist cloth.

Rocketbook Core Smart Notebook: Should you buy it?

• You want a smart notebook that digitizes and organizes your notes
• You want to be able to reuse the notebook over and over
• You want OCR so you can search your stored notes quickly

• You don't like the feel of glossy paper
• You write left-handed and/or tend to smudge ink that dries slowly
• You have bad handwriting (OCR may not recognize it)

If you're looking for an endlessly reusable smart notebook that can scan, digitize, and organize your hand-written notes, you'll love the Rocketbook Core Smart Notebook. However, if you don't like the feel of glossy paper, or the slow ink dry time will cause you to smear it, then look elsewhere. This also may not be ideal for the person with bad handwriting.

I've enjoyed using the Rocketbook Core Smart Notebook. It's so easy to write a note, mark off where you want to send it, scan it, and send it on its way. The erasable Pilot FriXion pen dries slowly on the notebook's glossy reusable paper, but once it's dry, it stays put until you wipe it with a moist cloth.

Since you can just reuse this one notebook over and over, it's an eco-friendly choice. I can see it being great for students, creators, and anyone who likes to put pen to paper. With so many different cloud services that you can upload to automatically, it's such a useful tool. You can even use OCR to further organize and search your notes.

Whether you've recently got a new iPhone and are setting up your first iCloud account or have had an iPhone for a while but never set up iCloud before, this is your guide to setting up and customizing iCloud on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Want to know more about iCloud? Check out our ultimate guide!

In the market for a new Mac, perhaps the 14-inch MacBook Pro? Take a look at the best MacBook and best Mac desktop of the year.

How to set up iCloud

iCloud is available on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

When you upgrade your iOS operating system or start using an iPhone for the first time, you will be asked whether you want to use iCloud Drive to store your data. If you tap "Yes," you're all set. If you touched "No" during setup but have decided you want to use iCloud Drive, you can still enable it manually.

1. Launch the Settings app from your Home screen.
2. Tap Apple ID banner.
3. Choose iCloud.

4. Toggle on the iCloud Drive
5. Log in with your iCloud account.

Repeat this process on all iOS devices you want to sync with iCloud.

When you upgrade your Mac operating system or start using a Mac for the first time, you will be asked whether you want to use iCloud Drive to store your data. If you click "Yes," you are all set. If you clicked "No" during setup but have since decided you want to use iCloud Drive, you can still enable it manually.

1. Click on the Apple icon in the upper left corner of the screen.
2. Select System Preferences... from the drop-down menu.
3. Choose Sign in at the top right.

4. Enter your Apple ID and Password.
5. Click Next.

6. Choose Allow to allow Find My Mac in the popup.
7. Confirm the checkboxes next to all the apps that use iCloud.

It would be best if you kept the checkboxes on each app; by doing so, your settings will carry across all your iCloud-enabled devices.

How to view your iCloud account information

You can check your contact information, password and security, registered devices, and iCloud payment setup on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

1. Launch the Settings app.
2. Tap your Apple ID banner.
3. Choose Name, Phone Numbers, and Email.

You can change your name, an email address/phone number where people can reach you, and your birthday.

1. Launch the Settings app.
2. Tap your Apple ID banner.
3. Choose Password.

You can change your password, the phone number you have registered as your trusted number, and get a verification code to sign in another device on iCloud.com.

1. Launch the Settings app.
2. Tap your Apple ID banner.
3. Scroll down and tap a device to view it.

1. Launch the Settings app.
2. Tap your Apple ID banner.
3. Select Payment & Shipping.

You can change your credit card number and expiration date and change the shipping address associated with your Apple ID.

1. Click on the Apple icon in the upper left corner of the screen.
2. Click on System Preferences... from the drop-down menu.
3. Click Apple ID at the top.

4. Click on Name, Phone, Email.

You can change the email address and phone number people can reach you at and change your birthday. You can also enable email subscriptions for announcements about Apple products and top news stories.

1. Click on the Apple icon in the upper left corner of the screen.
2. Click on System Preferences... from the drop-down menu.
3. Click Apple ID at the top.

4. Click on Password & Security.

You can change your password, add a new phone number to your trusted numbers, and get a verification code sent to you so you can sign in on another device or at iCloud.com.

1. Click on the Apple icon in the upper left corner of the screen.
2. Click on System Preferences... from the drop-down menu.
3. Click Apple ID at the top.

4. Click on Payment & Shipping to view, edit, or change the credit card you have set up for making purchases in iTunes, iCloud, the Apple online store, and Apple Pay.

How to manage iCloud sync permissions

Many third-party apps connect to iCloud so that you can access files from any device. However, you don't have to keep all documents stored in iCloud. Even if you initially set up a third-party app with iCloud, you can revoke permission manually at any time.

1. Launch the Settings app from your Home screen.
2. Tap Apple ID banner.
3. Choose iCloud.

4. Toggle the switch on or off for the app you want to allow or revoke iCloud Drive syncing.

1. Click on the Apple icon in the upper left corner of the screen.
2. Click on System Preferences... from the drop-down menu.
3. Click Apple ID at the top.

4. Click iCloud on the left.
5. Click on Options next to iCloud Drive on the right.
6. Tick or untick the box next to the app you want to allow or revoke iCloud Drive syncing.

How to sign out of iCloud

If for any reason, you decide that you no longer want to use iCloud Drive on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, you can sign out of any device.

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap your Apple ID banner.
3. Scroll down to the bottom and tap Sign Out.

4. Tap Delete from My iPhone.
5. Choose Keep on my iPhone to store iCloud data locally on your device, or tap Delete from My iPhone to remove data from your device.

1. Click on the Apple icon in the upper left corner of the screen.
2. Click on System Preferences... from the drop-down menu.
3. Click Apple ID at the top.

4. Click on Overview on the right.
5. Choose Sign Out
6. Toggle the content you'd like to keep on your Mac.
7. Select Keep a Copy.
8. Following additional prompts, if applicable.

Useful feature

Apple's iCloud offers many different features and is available across your many Apple devices. Setting it up takes just a few steps, as you can see above.

Losing a loved one is tough and, with all the information we keep in digital form these days, it can be increasingly hard for next of kin to gain access to all sorts of important documents and data.

It's a problem Apple aims to solve, at least in part, with Digital Legacy — a new program launching with iOS 15.2, iPadOS 15.2, and macOS Monterey 12.1 — that will allow elected individuals to gain access to a relative's account in the event of them passing away.

Here's everything you need to know about it.

What is Digital Legacy?

In short, Apple's Digital Legacy program is a way for someone you choose to access your digital information stored in iCloud after you die. It's not nice to think about, but given how much of our lives are lived in digital form, this could prove hugely helpful.

As Mike Abbott, VP of Apple Cloud Services, put it when announcing the upcoming feature at WWDC:

Picture it this way. You pass away, and all of your photos, contacts, documents, notes, and more are locked behind your Apple ID password that you never told anyone.

Keeping your password to yourself is the right call, but that makes it impossible for relatives to access your information once you're no longer around. So what Digital Legacy allows you to do is keep that best iPhone security practice in place while naming select friends or family members as Legacy Contacts who can then request your data in the event of your death.

Those named people can contact Apple to receive a copy of your important data stored in iCloud in the event of your death.

What sort of data is available for Legacy Contacts?

Chosen Legacy Contacts will be able to access data like photos, notes, and iCloud mail. Here's the full list of accessible data:

• iCloud Photos
• Notes
• Mail
• Contacts
• Calendars
• Reminders
• Messages in iCloud
• Call history
• Files stored in iCloud Drive
• Health Data
• Voice Memos
• Safari Bookmarks and Reading List
• iCloud Backup

A Legacy Contact can view the deceased person's data on iCloud.com or download a copy. Additionally, an iCloud backup can be restored onto an iOS or iPadOS device, and data is also accessible on a Mac.

Note, this data is only available in the event of the account owner's death and after Apple has approved a request — it's not automatically available to all Legacy Contacts in real-time.

Apple explicitly states that iCloud Keychain, payment information, subscriptions, and licensed media will not be accessible to Legacy Contacts. Here's the complete list of exclusions, according to Apple:

• Licensed media, for example, films, music, and books that the account holder has purchased
• In-app purchases, for example, upgrades, subscriptions, game currency, or other content that was bought inside an app
• Payment information, for example Apple ID payment information or cards that have been saved for use with Apple Pay
• Information stored in the account holder's Keychain, for example, Safari usernames and passwords, internet accounts (used in Mail, Contacts, Calendar, and Messages), credit card numbers and expiry dates, and Wi-Fi passwords

How do I add Legacy Contacts?

It's fairly straightforward to add Legacy Contacts on iPhone via the Password & Security section of your Apple ID settings. You can pick members of your Family Sharing setup or any other friends and family members that you trust. If you prefer, you can also set up Legacy Contacts on your Mac.

Once you do, Apple will generate an Access Key which your Legacy Contact will need to download your data in the event of your death. When adding a Legacy Contact, you get the option to print a copy of this Access Key or send it to them via iMessage to store on their Apple device. You will be able to find this Access Key again through your settings if you don't share it right away.

I am a Legacy Contact, so how do I request access to a loved one's account?

If a friend or family member has sadly passed away and you were already set up as a Legacy Contact for them, you will be able to request their data from Apple at its dedicated Digital Legacy site.

You'll need to provide the person's death certificate and the Access Key that was created when you were added as a Legacy Contact.

Once Apple approves your request, you will receive a special Legacy Contact Apple ID to access the account data. The account holder's original Apple ID will no longer work and Activation Lock will be removed from their devices.

Will my data be available to Legacy Contacts forever?

No. Once Apple approves a Legacy Contact request, a period of three years begins where the Legacy Contact Apple ID will allow access to the original account holder's data.

After this time, the Legacy Contact Apple ID will stop working and the deceased individual's data and account will be permanently deleted.

How do Legacy Contacts differ from Recovery Contacts?

Alongside Digital Legacy, Apple also announced a new feature for gaining access to your account if you forget your password in the form of Recovery Contacts. Other than the timing of their announcement, these features are unrelated.

Recovery Contacts is simply another way for you to regain access to your account if you forget your password or get locked out, as Abbott described it at WWDC:

With Recovery Contacts, you are still accessing your own account. Your trusted contact is simply providing you with a code that has been given to them by Apple when you need it.

On the other hand, Digital Legacy is a feature that allows someone else to access your account but only in the event of your death. Legacy Contacts and Recovery Contacts do not have to be the same people.

Prudent thinking

While it's a slightly morbid thought, it's true that none of us will be around forever and our data will most certainly outlive us. If you have friends or family that would benefit from access to your data if you were no longer around, then it's wise to set up a Legacy Contact or two.

Once set up, you can get on with your life knowing that important information or precious photos are still available to those that might need access even if the worst was to happen to you.

Updated December 2021: Additional information added following the launch of Apple's Digital Legacy program alongside iOS 15.2.

What you need to know

• Apple released iOS 15.2 beta 3 to developers and public beta testers yesterday.
• Changes have been made to the way iCloud Private Relay is described to make it more obvious what it does.

Apple's release of iOS 15.2 beta 3 brought with it a few changes but one of them involves rebranding iCloud Private Relay — at least as far as the feature's explanation in the Settings app is concerned.

The feature, which is still in beta, prevents websites from tracking you by hiding your real IP address. How it does that is a story for another time, but it seems Apple is concerned that people don't really understand what it does — and iOS 15.2 hopes to fix that by changing the description in the Settings app.

The change sees Apple switch the text "iCloud Private Relay" swapped out for "Limit IP Address Tracking" when you're in the Settings app. The screenshot below is the screen that houses the settings for my Wi-Fi network.

Nothing has changed in terms of functionality, and iCloud Private Relay is still one of the best iPhone features for people who want to keep their IP address a secret. But it's interesting to see Apple switch things up in this way. There's little doubt that the new toggle label and accompanying text make it more obvious what's going on here, too.

There's no indication of when iOS 15.2 will be made available to the public and it's possible this change will be reverted or iterated on before then, of course.

What you need to know

• Apple has released iCloud for Windows 13.
• The new release includes support for ProRes videos and ProRAW photos.
• It also adds the ability to generate strong passwords.

ProRAW and ProRes are even coming to iCloud for Windows.

As reported by MacRumors, Apple has released iCloud for Windows 13 with some notable updates. The latest update brings support for ProRes video as well as ProRAW photos. It also now supports strong password generation with the iCloud Passwords app.

As Apple lists on the Microsoft Store, members of a shared file or folder can now also add or remove people:

• Allow participants of an iCloud Drive shared file or folder to add or remove people.
• Support for Apple ProRes videos and Apple ProRaw photos.
• Support for generating strong passwords via the iCloud Passwords app.

The latest update comes after the company released iCloud for Windows 12.5 back in August with a new password manager. Users can download or update to iCloud for Windows 13 on the Microsoft Store or through the Apple Support website now.

iCloud for Windows was originally launched in February of 2019. The app allows Apple users to sync a number of things from iCloud to their Windows laptop or desktop, including iCloud Drive, Photos, Mail, Contacts, Calendars, Bookmarks, and now Passwords.

What you need to know

• iCloud Private Relay is experiencing an ongoing outage.
• The outage started at 2:40 PM EST today.
• Users who have been taking advantage of the feature may not be able to use it at all.

Are you having issues using iCloud Private Relay? You are not alone.

A number of users have reported issues with the feature and Apple has confirmed that iCloud Private Relay is experiencing an outage. The company says that the outage started at 2:40 PM EST earlier today and is still ongoing.

Apple has not said exactly what the issue is or when it expects the problem to be resolved.

iCloud Private Relay is one of the new privacy features that is available to Mac, iPad, and iPhone users with iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS Monterey. The VPN-like feature processes web traffic through two separate proxy servers, bringing a little more privacy to your internet browsing.

We will update this article once Apple provides an update on the outage.

Update: Digital Legacy is now available in iOS 15.2.

While it's not flashy and won't grab a lot of headlines, Apple's upcoming Digital Legacy program is one of the best iPhone features coming in iOS 15.

The feature, which allows someone you choose to access your digital information stored in iCloud after you die, did not ship with the launch version of iOS 15 and is instead "coming in a software update," according to Apple. However, there are some signs that it is coming sooner rather than later, and it is something every Apple device owner should care about.

The only certainty in life

Talking about death is not easy, but it is essential. While we're told to ensure our affairs are in order as we get older, it's prudent to have plans in place much earlier since life is unpredictable.

The process for doing so hasn't necessarily kept up with modern times, though. With the amount of information we store digitally these days, it's not always easy for the next of kin to access data in the event of a loved one's death.

Previously for Apple users, the next of kin of the deceased person had to get a court order that named them as the rightful inheritor of their loved one's personal information before Apple would hand anything over. Alternatively, you'd need to leave password information with your lawyer to hand over. Not only is that trusting a third party with that info, but it's another thing to remember to do every time you change your password.

The Apple Digital Legacy program aims to solve this, at least in part, by allowing users to designate Legacy Contacts who can access their information in the event of their death. These Legacy Contacts will receive an Access Key which, along with the account owner's death certificate, can be used to access the account information.

Legacy Contacts won't be able to access everything because certain types of content are encrypted at a device level — Apple specifically stated that the iCloud Keychain, payment information, subscriptions, and licensed media would not be accessible. However, data like photos, emails, notes, and so on can be downloaded for a limited time before Apple permanently deletes the account.

Digital estate planning

I think every Apple device owner should set Digital Legacy up as soon as it is available, perhaps as soon as iOS 15.1. It should become a commonplace part of estate planning in our modern world. We also saw in the beta cycle that it takes just minutes to do, so there's no reason not to do it right away.

As Mike Abbott, VP of Apple Cloud Services, put it when announcing the upcoming feature at WWDC:

I was on the wrong end of dozens of conversations about this topic during my time as an Apple Genius.

The number of people coming into the Apple Store to access a deceased loved one's devices is surprising, and it was never easy to tell them there was essentially nothing you could do to help them. But, unfortunately, those conversations will continue unless people set up some Legacy Contacts before it's too late to do so.

All of your photos, contacts, documents, notes, and more are locked behind your Apple ID password that you, rightly, haven't told anyone. It's all well and good while you're here to type that password in, but less so when you're gone.

It's rather morbid to think about, but put yourself in the shoes of the surviving family member, and it's not that hard to see that having Digital Legacy set up is the right thing to do.