So you’ve purchased a shiny new iPhone or iPad and your ready to get rolling. Well, one of the first things you’re probably going to want to do is ensure your email, contacts and calendars are setup. There are a number of high profile service most people use for this information. The two most popular are probably services from Google and Microsoft. However, Apple has continued to develop iCloud and it has arguably become the best option for those who use multiple Apple devices.
Whether you just upgraded to your 5th iPhone or if you are new to the platform, this article will guide you through using iCloud to setup some of your most important information on your new device.
Setting Up Non-iCloud Services
Of course if you are deep into the Google or Microsoft system, you may be hesitant to make the switch over to iCloud. That’s understandable and thankfully the iPhone and iPad have excellent support for those services. Neither are as tightly integrated into the device as iCloud, but they will serve you just fine.
If you choose to go this route, head to the Settings app, find Mail, Contacts & Calendars and simply select and sign into your account. From there, you can select the specific services you want to sync and you’ll be all set up.
Syncing iCloud Mail, Contacts and Calendars
iCloud, for those unfamiliar, is Apple’s service to keep all of your information synced between devices. The easiest way to get iCloud set up on your new device is from a backup of an old iPhone or iPad. If you are upgrading from a prior iOS device, you can restore your new Apple device from a backup. So long as you had iCloud activated on your old device, the service will be automatically setup on your new one.
If this is your first iPhone or iPad or you prefer not to setup your new device from a backup, setting up iCloud is still quite painless. In the Settings app, iCloud the has its own tab. Select iCloud and you will be asked to enter your iCloud password for your iCloud account. New users should have been prompted to setup an iCloud account when you initially setup your device.
After you’ve entered your password, you will be presented with a list of iCloud services. Similar to before, you can simply activate the services you want to Sync between devices. Once activated, your data will appear on every other device with iCloud activated. iCloud will sync between Apple devices and even a Windows PC. You can download iCloud for Windows on Apple’s website if you’re interested. Additionally, any future data you add will be synced across devices.
Additional iCloud Options
You will immediately notice that with iCloud, you get quite a bit more option than syncing a Google or Microsoft account. Towards the top is iCloud Drive. You can think of this service as Apple’s version of Dropbox, but much more integrated with the iPhone and iPad. This service is relatively new, but Apple has put a bunch of resources towards making it a solid service.
Photos is another notable iCloud feature. Apple recently overhauled the Photos app and the addition of iCloud Photo Library was one of the major additions. As the name implies, this service will sync all of your photos and videos in iCloud which makes them accessible on your other devices.
This guide will get you started with iCloud. Apple has improved the service over the past few years, but if you are experiencing syncing issues check out our troubleshooting guide. Apple is always adding to the service so stay tuned to Apple Toolbox to find out about updates and new features.