iCloud was announced in 2011 and replaced MobileMe. It became available in October 2011 and had 20 million users within a week. Features of iCloud include iCloud Photo Library, Photo Sharing, Find My iPhone, Family Sharing, iTunes in the Cloud, iCloud Music Library, iCloud Drive, and iCloud Keychain which allow users to sync and access photos, files, music, and other content across their Apple devices.

1. iCloud
By: Jezreel James F. Noel
G113

2. The History of iCloud
iCloud was announced on June 6, 2011, at the 2011 Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). Apple
announced that MobileMe would be discontinued after June 30, 2012, with anyone who had an account before the
unveiling of iCloud having their MobileMe service extended to that date, free of charge.
The official website, www.icloud.com, went live in early August for Apple Developers. On October 12, 2011, iCloud
became available to use via an iTunes update. iCloud had 20 million users in less than a week after launch.The
iCloud.com domain and registered trademark were bought from a Swedish company called Xcerion, who rebranded
their service to CloudMe.Apple now controls major domains like iCloud.de, iCloud.fr and iCloud.es.
A class action lawsuit by customers unhappy over the transition from MobileMe to iCloud was filed in early May
2012.

3. Features of iCloud

4. 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.

5. How to use iCloud Photo Library
iCloud Photo Library is available to anyone running iOS 8.3 or later. 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 iOSand 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 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.

6. 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.

7. How to use Find My iPhone
Find My iPhone lets you locate any iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac that goes
missing. 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 worse. The best part is
that if you have Find My iPhone enabled, potential thieves won't be able to turn it off
without your iCloud password. We highly recommending enabling and learning
everything you can about how this free service can help you protect your devices
and your personal data.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. How to use iCloud Drive
iCloud Drive is Apple's online storage service for documents. It's a central
repository that Mac and iOS apps alike can access and store to. Create a Pages
document on your iPad, save it, and access it later on your Mac. Most App Store
apps also support iCloud Drive which means no matter what apps you choose to
use, your files are at your disposal at all times, no matter what Apple device you're
working from.

12. 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!