Set Up iCloud on the iPhone or iPad

This article teaches you how to set up Apple's cloud-based storage and apps platform to work with your iPhone or iPad.

Steps

Sigining In to iCloud

1. Open Settings. It's a gray app that contains an image of gears (⚙️) and is typically found on your home screen.
2. Tap Sign in to your (device). It's at the top of the menu.
   • If you are running an older version of iOS, instead tap iCloud.
3. Enter your Apple ID and password.
   • If you don't have an Apple ID, tap Don't have an Apple ID or forgot it? below the password field on the screen, and follow the on-screen prompts to set up your free Apple ID and iCloud account.
4. Tap Sign In. It's in the upper-right corner of the screen.
   • The screen will intermittently display the message "Signing into iCloud" as it accesses your data.
5. Enter your device's passcode. This is the unlock code you established for your device when you set it up.
6. Merge your data. If you'd like the calendars, reminders, contacts, notes, and other data stored on your device to be merged with your iCloud account, tap Merge; if not, tap Don't Merge.

Setting Up iCloud

1. Open Settings. It's a gray app that contains an image of gears (⚙️) and is typically located on your home screen.
2. Tap your Apple ID. It's the section at the top of the screen that contains your name and image if you've added one.
   • If you are running an older version of iOS, you may not need to do this step.
3. Tap iCloud. It's in the second section of the menu.
4. Select the type of data you wish to sync with iCloud. In the "APPS USING ICLOUD" section, slide each desired type to the "On" (green) or "Off" (white) position.
5. Tap Photos. It's near the top of the "APPS USING ICLOUD" section.
   • Turn on iCloud Photo Library to automatically upload and store your Camera Roll to iCloud. When enabled, your entire photo and video library is accessible from any mobile or desktop platform.
   • Turn on My Photo Stream to automatically upload new photos to iCloud whenever you're connected to Wi-Fi.
   • Turn on iCloud Photo Sharing if you'd like to create photo albums that friends can access over the web or on their Apple device.
6. Tap iCloud. It's in the upper-left corner of the screen and will take you back to the main iCloud settings page.
7. Scroll down and tap Keychain. It's near the bottom of the "APPS USING ICLOUD" section.
8. Slide "iCloud Keychain" to the "On" position. It will turn green. Doing so makes stored passwords and payment information available on any device that you've logged into with your Apple ID.
   • Apple does not have access to this encrypted information.
9. Tap iCloud. It's in the upper-left corner of the screen and will take you back to the main iCloud settings page.
10. Scroll down and tap Find My iPhone. It's near the bottom of the "APPS USING ICLOUD" section.
11. Slide "Find My iPhone" to the "On" position. Doing so allows you to locate your device by logging into iCloud on a computer or mobile device and clicking on Find My iPhone.
    • Turn on Send Last Location to enable your device to send its location information to Apple when the battery is critically low.
12. Tap iCloud. It's in the upper-left corner of the screen and will take you back to the main iCloud settings page.
13. Scroll down and tap iCloud Backup. It's near the bottom of the "APPS USING ICLOUD" section.
    • On older versions of iOS it will instead say Backup.
14. Slide "iCloud Backup" to the "On" position. Do this to automatically save all of your files, settings, app data, pictures, and music to iCloud whenever your device is plugged in, locked, and connected to Wi-Fi. iCloud Backup enables you to restore your data from iCloud if you replace or erase your device.
15. Tap iCloud. It's in the upper-left corner of the screen and will take you back to the main iCloud settings page.
16. Slide "iCloud Drive" to the "On" position. This option is just below the entire "APPS USING ICLOUD" section.
    • Doing so allows apps to access and store data on your iCloud Drive.
    • The apps listed below iCloud Drive with the slider in the "On" (green) position will be allowed to save documents and data to iCloud.
17. Tap Apple ID. It's in the upper-left corner of the screen and will take you back to the Apple ID settings page.
    • On older versions of iOS, instead tap Settings and this will take you back to the main Settings page.
    • Now you've set up your iCloud account on your iPhone or iPad.

Warnings

• Using iCloud with cellular data can result in account charges.

Related Articles

• Remove Red Eye on iPhone, iPod, and iPad Photos
• Use Auto Enhance on iPhone, iPod, and iPad
• Save a Page to a Safari Reading List in iOS
• Access the Notification Center in iOS
• Remove Weather and Stocks from the iOS Notification Center
• Set up Twitter in iOS
• Access the iPhone Camera from the Lock Screen
• Set up Email on an iPad
• Use iCloud Tabs on an iPhone or iPad
• Set Up iCloud
• Use iCloud Storage

Sources and Citations

__

See also

• Delete Saved Passwords from the iCloud Keychain on macOS
• Download Photos from iCloud on Android
• Download Photos from iCloud on a PC or Mac
• Sign Out of iCloud on iPhone or iPad
• Change Your iCloud Account
• Create an iCloud Account
• Access iCloud
• Manually Back up Your iPhone to iCloud
• Create an iCloud Account in iOS
• Access iCloud Photos from Your PC

Read more ...

What links here

• Delete Contacts on an iPhone
• Access iCloud
• Add Movies to Your iPad
• Use iCloud
• Use iCloud Storage
• Use iCloud Tabs on an iPhone or iPad