iCloud question

[Brian Ashton]

I once thought I'd try iCloud to back a few things up such as calendar and contacts, just to see if it was something worthwhile... When I decided it wasn't and turned it off apple promptly threatened to delete my property not only off the cloud but on my machine also if I wanted out. Thankfully I've never trusted apple's control freak policies and had backups.

At present my wife uses an iPad and iPhone but she can't simply bump or bluetooth between them to share files, for some reason apple doesn't like such thinking that's outside the (cult of the apple) box. so my question is, is she going to experience the same crap I did when I turned iCloud off and apple deleted all my stuff off my machine? I don't want her to find out after the fact that she's going to lose everything when she decides she wants out.

[Chuck Wintle]

I once thought I'd try iCloud to back a few things up such as calendar and contacts, just to see if it was something worthwhile... When I decided it wasn't and turned it off apple promptly threatened to delete my property not only off the cloud but on my machine also if I wanted out. Thankfully I've never trusted apple's control freak policies and had backups.

At present my wife uses an iPad and iPhone but she can't simply bump or bluetooth between them to share files, for some reason apple doesn't like such thinking that's outside the (cult of the apple) box. so my question is, is she going to experience the same crap I did when I turned iCloud off and apple deleted all my stuff off my machine? I don't want her to find out after the fact that she's going to lose everything when she decides she wants out.

Wow I have never heard of apple threatening their customers like that...brings a whole new meaning to tyranny by a corporation. Question....How did apple try to delete the info from your machine? Once the cloud is turned off would they still have some access to your data? Tell your wife to back up all important data before shutting down the cloud. This sounds all very 1984 to me!!

[Keith Outten]

Brian,

There are a few apps that will allow you to transfer files and photos via bluetooth. A much better long term solution is to purchase an Apple Airport Time Capsule router with an integrated 2 or 3 TB hard drive. The router is superior to any I have owned and the drive can be used to backup any of your Apple devices using Time Machine. You can also store files on the drive and access them from any device.

Before you ask there is a way to access the hard drive using a Windows machine. I watched a YouTube video that explains how it works but it seems to be more difficult than its worth to me anyway.
.

[Keith Outten]

Chuck,

Its not really a threat its just how their file system works with various apps. It can be a pain in the neck but its what you give up to get other features and functions. There is almost always an alternative method to accomplish your goal using an Apple machine or device.

[Robert Delhommer Sr]

Just another reason I will never buy another apple product again. :( They are control freaks. :(

[Brian Ashton]

Wow I have never heard of apple threatening their customers like that...brings a whole new meaning to tyranny by a corporation. Question....How did apple try to delete the info from your machine? Once the cloud is turned off would they still have some access to your data? Tell your wife to back up all important data before shutting down the cloud. This sounds all very 1984 to me!!

If you have iCloud activated, unselect your calendar and contacts in the preferences. When you do you'll be given two choices: cancel (the inactivation) or delete from computer... Try it! See how happy you'll be when all YOUR information disappears from all your devices that were associated with that iCloud account the next time you connect them to the internet.

My assumption is that somewhere buried in the terms and conditions is that you agree to give apple ownership of all information (in my case it was contacts and calendar) you upload to iCloud and on your connected devices... What I want to know is, will they also delete all other files and data if the iCloud is turned off. My related assumption is, considering apples up yours its our way or the highway (even if 95% of the world does it a differently) controlling way of doing things that's exactly what I think will happen. But I'm willing to give benefit of doubt - just incase my assumption is wrong. But I'm not going to pull the trigger on setting it up without it being confirmed.

Wanted to keep it brief but the back story is, we're at present not in a position to back up anything as we're in London without her macbook. I've moved here, but she's not allowed to make the permanent move as yet so we're vacationing till she leaves and I go to work (she'll have the required visa about 2 months after she leaves the UK). She's taking heaps of pictures on her iPhone and wants them transferred easily to the iPad so she can play with them there and then upload them to her blog. iCloud for that would be good but not if apple decides to take ownership and not let her keep them if she later decides to un-cloud herself later.

[Matt Meiser]

So then use OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, etc, etc.

[Scott Shepherd]

This is the message I get when turn it off on my iMac.

288257

[Brian Ashton]

I never got the third option.


EDIT: I turned cloud back on and it put the old calendar back and then I un-ticked it again and this is what I get. Though I stand corrected (I didn't read the window except for the two options), it doesn't delete from the other devices until you un-tick iCloud on those devices.

[Brian Ashton]

So then use OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, etc, etc.

Can they be used with an iPhone and iPad. My understanding of them is you can't do much of anything on them without using iTunes or icloud. I looked into bluetooth but that option isn't available to iPads and iPhones to send files back and forth.

[Dave Sheldrake]

Pictures I take on my Iphone 4s and 5s are still kept on the handsets even when I turn iCloud off, it just makes a copy of them in case I lose my phone or damage it. Same for the Ipad mini and full size. You can also get card readers to use with Iphone etc to back up files to the removable drive.

cheers

Dave

[Matt Meiser]

We all have OneDrive on our phones, iPads, and PC's. On the i*'s it'll automatically sync new pics from the camera to the cloud when on Wifi (disables automatically by default for cell due to usage caps.) The app allows you to save a pic from the cloud to you photos, but that I think can only be done manually, and I've only ever done it one at a time so you'd have to play with that.

[David Weaver]

I never got the third option.


EDIT: I turned cloud back on and it put the old calendar back and then I un-ticked it again and this is what I get. Though I stand corrected (I didn't read the window except for the two options), it doesn't delete from the other devices until you un-tick iCloud on those devices.

iFail to understand why they won't allow you to keep the contacts on the device even if it's not connected to the cloud.

Stories like this are why iAvoid apple. Well, that plus you get the pleasure of paying a multiple of what other people pay for the same type of service - to get this in return.

[Brian Ashton]

Pictures I take on my Iphone 4s and 5s are still kept on the handsets even when I turn iCloud off, it just makes a copy of them in case I lose my phone or damage it. Same for the Ipad mini and full size. You can also get card readers to use with Iphone etc to back up files to the removable drive.

cheers

Dave

Just to get this straight. You un-tick photos in the iCloud preference list and iCloud doesn't then prompt you to decide whether to cancel that request or delete the files from your device? I know I'm being a bit anal in wanting to be sure but indicating you don't want to use the service anymore by un-ticking the feature and simply turning it off (i.e. signing off) might be two different things to apple. It's something mid trip I don't want to get wrong. Especially if she gets back to aus and she un-ticks the cloud and everything disappears - she'll kill me for setting it up.

[Kev Williams]

I've had my own 'cloud' for many years in the form of server space for my webpage (that's not even working at the moment). These other clouds might be convenient, but if I want something important saved that might get lost for some reason, I just upload it and I'm done.

And I get no stupid messages of any kind for any reason! ;)

[Dave Sheldrake]

I'll do it now on my 5s and see what happens :)

back in a bit

[Dave Sheldrake]

Ok went into icloud on the phone,

deselected contacts from the sync list

got prompted with 3 options.

"Do you wish to keep contacts on iphone"

"Do you wish to delete contacts from iphone"

"Cancel"

I selected "keep contacts" and they are still on my phone even though they are no longer on the cloud,

Turning off Icloud all together resulted in the phone prompting me that "data will be backed up to your PC via itunes when next connected instead of icloud"

Also turned off "Pictures" from backup and they are still on my phone in the "Photos" app

This is for an iPhone 5s so can't say if Mac units are the same.

cheers

Dave

[Mike Henderson]

I had a slightly different problem with iCloud that caused me to turn it off. Once I turned it on, I could no longer sync between my computer and my phone. I had to let iCloud do the syncing. That didn't work for me because there were times when I wanted to make sure I had someone's contact info on my phone before I left. I just didn't know how long it would take iCloud to sync things.

So I eventually turned it off and just do the sync across the cable between my phone and computer. What they need to do is permit cable syncing even if you use iCloud syncing.

This is for my calendar and contacts. Other things are still synced through iCloud as a backup.

Mike

[Scott Shepherd]

iFail to understand why they won't allow you to keep the contacts on the device even if it's not connected to the cloud.

Stories like this are why iAvoid apple. Well, that plus you get the pleasure of paying a multiple of what other people pay for the same type of service - to get this in return.

I think you need to reread it. It does NOT delete your own contacts, it has NOTHING to do with Apple being control freaks, or anything of the sort. It's humorous to see people jump to the "that's why I never use apple products" when the original statement isn't TRUE.

If you don't want to use Apple products, don't use them, but don't say you won't use them because they delete your contacts when you opt out of their cloud services because it's just not true.

[Myk Rian]

It's because of Apples' policies that I use Android and Windows.
No one will ever see an Apple product being used by the residents of this household.

[Shawn Pixley]

Brian,

There are a few apps that will allow you to transfer files and photos via bluetooth. A much better long term solution is to purchase an Apple Airport Time Capsule router with an integrated 2 or 3 TB hard drive. The router is superior to any I have owned and the drive can be used to backup any of your Apple devices using Time Machine. You can also store files on the drive and access them from any device.

Before you ask there is a way to access the hard drive using a Windows machine. I watched a YouTube video that explains how it works but it seems to be more difficult than its worth to me anyway.
.

I agree with Keith. I don't store anything on iCloud, but my iPhone, iPad and computer share information (not through bluetooth but through WiFi). I picked up a 3 Terabyte drive at Frys for all backup. Works incredibly well. I use Dropbox to share files with others. I use iCloud primarilly for find my iPhone and wipe / disable functionality if the device is lost / stolen. My son has a wintel machine that we back up on the terabyte drive.

[David Weaver]

I think you need to reread it. It does NOT delete your own contacts, it has NOTHING to do with Apple being control freaks, or anything of the sort. It's humorous to see people jump to the "that's why I never use apple products" when the original statement isn't TRUE.

If you don't want to use Apple products, don't use them, but don't say you won't use them because they delete your contacts when you opt out of their cloud services because it's just not true.

Yeah, the trouble for Brian is just icing on the cake. The real reason I don't use apple is because they charge sometimes three times as much to do the same thing.

When I speced my laptop that i have now, it was $689. apple did not have a comparable spec laptop for less than $2k. And then once you have apple you get to pretty much keep paying for everything you do.

Not into that as an old school PC user. Not into any of the system rental type architectures.

At any rate, I didn't say what apple does, Brian did. I'll continue to avoid apple so I can spend the deficit on something I really like instead.

[Scott Shepherd]

Yeah, the trouble for Brian is just icing on the cake.

That's my point, how's it icing on the cake when it wasn't accurate?

Yeah, Google is SOOOOO much better with privacy issues than Apple........not.

[David Weaver]

Well, I don't use google cloud, either, or whatever the service might be called.

I could never find much fault with actually copying data you want to save on something physical that isn't hooked up to the network.

I don't know the full veracity of post #1, but the picture in post #9 is good enough for me. Why should I tolerate it deleting contact lists from even one device? Is it because it's not convenient for apple to track and sell my data if the contact lists don't all match?

[Scott Shepherd]

Did you see the image in Post #8 that showed it NOT deleting from the machine? I don't own stock in any of them, I don't care what anyone uses. I don't own stock in any of them. All of them have reasons to use or not use them, but saying that it deletes contacts is not accurate, because it doesn't.

[Matt Meiser]

I suspect its more about how the data got there to start than a desire to control it--meaning the device that's the master owner of the data keeps a local copy, but if you turn off sync, the devices that got the data by syncing don't get to keep a copy.

If I stop my iPhone from syncing my email, contacts, and Calendar with MS Exchange or GMail (which are the systems of record for the data) it doesn't leave copies of the objects copied down from Exchange locally. I don't think Outlook does on my PC either.

[David Weaver]

Did you see the image in Post #8 that showed it NOT deleting from the machine? I don't own stock in any of them, I don't care what anyone uses. I don't own stock in any of them. All of them have reasons to use or not use them, but saying that it deletes contacts is not accurate, because it doesn't.

Post 8 is your device and not brian's. I don't see anything on the notification that he got that says "by the way, would you like us to change the option so that you can keep the data on your device, too?". Seems pretty dumb, then he gets to go chance it and make sure he's doing the same thing as someone else or he could screw up and delete all of his contacts.

I can't imagine why the prompt #9 would ever be preferable or why it would even be shown to someone without telling them there's an option to uncouple the contacts from the cloud and keep them on that device. I sure wouldn't pay for a service that runs like that, especially from someone who supposedly simplified everything to limit problems that less savvy users have - and charged a very premium price for selling very vanilla functionality. It's creative marketing, good business, I guess.

[Brian Ashton]

Did you see the image in Post #8 that showed it NOT deleting from the machine? I don't own stock in any of them, I don't care what anyone uses. I don't own stock in any of them. All of them have reasons to use or not use them, but saying that it deletes contacts is not accurate, because it doesn't.

I can appreciate that it worked for you but in post 9 I posted a screen shot of my options and there was no option to keep my data on my computer - only cancel or delete. So how was that inaccurate?

Anyways thnx Dave, post 17, it appears the policy of delete or stay with the cloud doesn't extend to all data...

[Matt Meiser]

Where was that data created?

[Scott Shepherd]

I can appreciate that it worked for you but in post 9 I posted a screen shot of my options and there was no option to keep my data on my computer - only cancel or delete. So how was that inaccurate?

I would assume you clicked something different than I did. I can't imagine iCloud works different for different people.

[Brian Ashton]

Where was that data created?

It was created on my computer. Where else could have been created.

EDIT: Ok now I think I know where you're coming from. No I don't have any other apple devices where I created that data.


I would assume you clicked something different than I did. I can't imagine iCloud works different for different people.

Try this then, go back into those preference settings and tell me where else I could have clicked wrong for it to have given me those options for my calendar. There is only one thing to click and un-click isn't there with regard to each feature?