iCloud and OSX set-up and tips

muff03

This thread is a place to ensure that things 'just work', as I've found that they don't exactly straight out of the box. So anyone with any little things that you've found post them here, and we'll all have things rocking as they should be!

First up, iCal doesn't automatically sync straight away with iCloud unless you tell it to. In preferences in iCal, go into accounts and create your iCloud account. Now your MacBook will show/send all information from/to iCloud.
Also, it will help to make sure your iCloud account's timezone is correct. Mine was defaulted to 'Pacific Time'. Edit this by clicking your name on the app select screen in iCloud.

iPhoto: Your photo's will not sync unless you first alter your iCloud setting in System preferences, and download the iPhoto update also (While you're at that, you might as well turn on the 'Find my mac' settings, just incase). Turn on Photo Stream, and now your photos will be pushed from device to device to macbook via iCloud.

Sharing Accounts: If anyone has a shared iTunes account you might want to check your contacts. My brother uses mine for apps and stuff from my credit card, and when he updated his iPhone 4 last night in Canada, I was waking up for work here, and found that all of his contacts were now on my iPhone 4 and Macbook! If you want to use iCloud to back up your bits and pieces privately, while having a master account for downloads (a family set up for example), here's a solution. Set up a new iCloud account on each device for syncing the iCloud stuff, but keep the store logins as your apple ID. Simples! If you've already set up iCloud on your device using your Apple ID, delete this account and select to keep the files on the device so you don't lose anything you have, then log into iCloud using your @me address. You might have to go through contacts and stuff to get rid of anything that was merged between the devices.

iTunes: Another feature of iCloud and iOS 5 is wi-fi syncing of your devices. To activate this, plug your device into your computer and open iTunes. In the device summary, select the "Sync with this ....over wi-fi". You'll notice also that the default back-up destination is now iCloud, but an option still exists to back up to the computer instead, for anyone who wishes to do so.

Right, that's my lot. Hope this helps, and start adding anything else you find to help with iCloud. If anyone has iWork and any of the iOS suites that'd be handy to add to the thread.

silvine

Good tips about iTunes but if you want to share files easily between machines and devices use Dropbox.