Chapter 14. iCloud

Apple’s free iCloud service may have opened for business in October 2011, but it’s had a long history. It began life as something called iTools, resurfaced as a service called .Mac, popped up again as a $100-a-year entity called MobileMe, and has now become iCloud.

In each case, though, it all stems from Apple’s brainstorm that, since it controls both ends of the connection between a Mac and the Apple Web site, it should be able to create some pretty clever Internet-based features.

This chapter concerns what iCloud can do for you, the iPhone owner.

Note

To get a free iCloud account if you don’t already have one, sign up at www.icloud.com. Then enter your iCloud email address and password in SettingsiCloud.

What iCloud Giveth

So what is iCloud? Mainly, it’s these things:

  • A synchronizing service. It keeps your calendar, address book, and documents updated and identical on all your gadgets: Mac, PC, iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch. That’s a huge convenience—almost magical.

  • Find My iPhone. Find My iPhone pinpoints the current location of your iPhone on a map. In other words, it’s great for helping you find your phone if it’s been stolen or lost.

    You can also make your lost gadget start making a loud pinging sound for a couple of minutes by remote control—even if it was set to Vibrate mode. That’s brilliantly effective when your phone has slipped under the couch cushions.

  • An email account. Handy, really: An iCloud account gives you a new email address. If you already have an email ...

Get iPhone: The Missing Manual, 7th Edition now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.