iCloud Services

Most iPhone users also utilize Apple’s iCloud services, a cloud-based service that stores music, photos, apps, contacts, emails, and documents. Documents created in apps such as presentations, spreadsheets, images, and PDFs can also be saved to iCloud.

You can access iCloud through all connected Apple devices or by logging into your iCloud account (usually the same as your Apple ID) from a computer. If you save your device backup to iCloud, after resetting or updating your phone, you must sign back into your account for all your apps and settings to reset automatically on your device.

There are pros and cons to using iCloud services. Benefits include automatic updates of your apps and settings on new or reset devices when you log in using your Apple ID. If you use iCloud Drive, you can access the same documents or apps on other devices using the same Apple ID. However, if you are setting up a new device to avoid monitoring from an abusive partner, updating your new device with the same apps and settings can be risky. See Safely Setting Up and Activating a Phone for more details.

On the downside, using iCloud means your information is accessible from multiple places rather than just one device. Multiple access points can make your information more vulnerable. If someone knows your Apple ID or iCloud username/password, they might be able to access your data and information.

Security and privacy measures include changing your iCloud password or limiting which information you want to be accessible from the cloud. To select what information on your iPhone or iPad will back up to iCloud, go to Settings/iCloud on your device and select what data (Photos, Mail, Contacts, etc.) is backed up. Under that setting, you can also choose what to save to iCloud Drive.