iCloud question: multiple devices

[greyhound rick]

Hello everyone,

Thanks in advance for helping me!

I have 2 iPads, 2 MacBook Pros, an iPhone and an iMac and was wondering....

When i log into iCloud on a particular device, is the iCloud back up i do on each device going into just one iCloud area? The reason i ask is because on my iPhone i only see my iPhone and both of my iPads on the iCloud section of the iPhone with the used and available storage listed, but not for my iMac or either MacBook Pros.

Im confused as to whether or not the notebooks and desktop devices have their own iCloud storage or not if i use the same account for all of them? I thought i was signed into my iCloud account on all of my devices but maybe not (???)

Sorry I'm so confused by this but just wanted to see how this all works. Do all of my devices use the same iCloud account and also how do i set up iCloud on my MacBooks and iMac? I thought all i had to do was sign into iCloud on those devices. Is that correct?

Thanks so much for helping me.

best to you all,

rick

 

[chscag]

As far as I'm aware, iCloud backups of your devices are by device and kept separate. You can also backup your devices using iTunes on your Mac. I have 2 iPhones and an iPad and use both methods.

 

[greyhound rick]

As far as I'm aware, iCloud backups of your devices are by device and kept separate. You can also backup your devices using iTunes on your Mac. I have 2 iPhones and an iPad and use both methods.

Thanks very much chscag, i appreciate your input! I have iCloud turned on on all of my devices. When i look at iCloud on my iPhone it only shows the phone and iPads (maybe because those are a different operating system).

When i sign into iCloud from an OS X device it says I'm signed in and shows what I'm backing up so does that mean the iMac is getting backed up as well on the same account?

thanks again for the help!

best always,

rick

 

[chscag]

When i sign into iCloud from an OS X device it says I'm signed in and shows what I'm backing up so does that mean the iMac is getting backed up as well on the same account?

No, in order to backup your devices to your iMac you need to open iTunes and check the box that says backup to this computer. The backup to iCloud will be done automatically depending on how you have it setup on your iPhones and iPad.

BTW, the backup to you iMac can be done wirelessly as long as your devices are in range of your network.

 

[greyhound rick]

No, in order to backup your devices to your iMac you need to open iTunes and check the box that says backup to this computer. The backup to iCloud will be done automatically depending on how you have it setup on your iPhones and iPad.

BTW, the backup to you iMac can be done wirelessly as long as your devices are in range of your network.

Thanks again for the input! So, just to make sure I'm understanding.....

iCloud is for iOS devices such as iPhone and iPad, whereas for OSX devices i would use Time Machine or a Hard Drive. Is that correct?

Also, is iCloud Drive a way to back up files for all of your devices iOS and OSX together?

thanks again!

rick

 

[chscag]

iCloud is for iOS devices such as iPhone and iPad, whereas for OSX devices i would use Time Machine or a Hard Drive. Is that correct?

Also, is iCloud Drive a way to back up files for all of your devices iOS and OSX together?

thanks again! rick

Generally, you would backup your iOS devices to iCloud and/or to your Mac via iTunes. In other words both. I do that for both of my iPhones and iPad.

Backing up your Mac to iCloud is possible but considering you only receive 5 GB for free from Apple, you would have to purchase the additional space. And also take into consideration the amount of time it would take to backup large amounts of data, it's just not practical in my opinion. The best way to backup your OS X data would be to use Time Machine to an external hard drive or a cloning program such as Carbon Copy Cloner again to an external hard drive.

 

[greyhound rick]

Generally, you would backup your iOS devices to iCloud and/or to your Mac via iTunes. In other words both. I do that for both of my iPhones and iPad.

Backing up your Mac to iCloud is possible but considering you only receive 5 GB for free from Apple, you would have to purchase the additional space. And also take into consideration the amount of time it would take to backup large amounts of data, it's just not practical in my opinion. The best way to backup your OS X data would be to use Time Machine to an external hard drive or a cloning program such as Carbon Copy Cloner again to an external hard drive.

Thanks again. I think I'm starting to get the hang of this. I see how you can use iCloud on a macbook pro and iMac in that you can access info from the iCloud from contacts, calendar, reminders, etc. However, with regard to backing up data, while you can use iCloud on iPhone and iPad for that, it is best to use Time Machine, an external hard drive, etc. for your MacBook Pro and iMac. Sound correct (?)

thanks!

rick