14 DAY TRIAL // Apple has announced an important service change that would have the iCloud Documents and Data capabilities moved to iCloud Drive.
In other words, because the common purpose of the two services is to allow for app data backups, Apple says it makes more sense for everything to be baked into iCloud Drive, which is already the more straightforward solution because it also provides access on mobile devices via the Files app.
So in May next year, Apple will replace iCloud Documents and Data with iCloud Drive, with the company telling users they need to enable the latter in order to access their files.
“In May 2022, iCloud Documents and Data, our legacy document syncing service, will be discontinued and completely replaced by iCloud Drive. If you use iCloud Documents and Data, your account will be migrated to iCloud Drive after this date. If you use the iCloud Documents and Data service, you need to turn on iCloud Drive using the steps below to see your files. Upgrading to iCloud Drive doesn't change the amount of storage space your saved files use in iCloud,” the company explains.
The increased focus on iCloud Drive
For Apple, the move makes perfect sense, especially because sticking with just one solution streamlines its offering, while also putting the focus on iCloud Drive.
At the same time, iCloud Drive is already available for all users, including on the iPhone where it can be enabled with just a few taps to allow data to then be stored in the cloud.
“Originally launched in 2014, iCloud Drive allows users to easily store, access, and share files with friends and family. Documents that you store in iCloud Drive stay up to date across all of your devices, and you can access them from your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, or PC, and on iCloud.com,” Apple notes.