Apple products iPhone, Mac and iPad users now have a new content sharing feature which was launched at the end of March.
Instead of relying on third party options such as DropBox to share important folders of documents and photos, apple product users can now update Apple software with the iCloud drive storage. This can be used this to share folders be it work presentation, friendly GIFs or your children’s remote homework.
For a long time now, DropBox has been the main service for online folder and file sharing. In March 2019 however, DropBox announced that free users could only link their accounts to three devices only. Apple’s iCloud platform expands beyond single file sharing and with this you can expect that many Apple users will be ditching DropBox. The iCloud Drive is built in so anyone with a Mac, iPhone or iPad can make a smooth transition by simply updating their software.
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Below are a few specifications to tick off before you start using the iCloud Feature
- Only Apple users can view, add or edit folders
- To share and access folders you should have iOS 13.4, iPadOS 13.4 or MacOS Catalina 10.15.4 installed on your device
- If you share a folder, only your iCloud storage space will be used up and not those you have shared folders with
- Any keynote documents, pages or numbers shared in an iCloud folder will be converted to a collaborative document. Like Google docs, anyone who has access can make changes and the edits tracked.
- You have the option of increasing your storage plan once you start using iCloud. You can access ths from system pefences on your Mac or settings on your iPhone. Apart from the free option, you can get plans ranging from up to $9.99 per month for 2TB.
How to share a folder on iPad and iPhone
- Open the files drive and from the browse tab, select iCloud drive.
- On the top right corner of your screen, tap select then tap on the folder you would like to share
- Tap the share button, then on add people
- To copy or send a link to the shared folder, enter phone numbers or email addresses of the people you want to grant access to
- You can use share options to allow the people with the link to view or edit folders, or to adjust permissions.
How to share a folder on Mac
- Open finder and select iCloud Drive
- Choose the folder you want to share and then click on share at the top of the finder window
- Choose how you would like to send the link, and then click on share
- Finder will automatically add the phone number or email address you send the link to with approved access
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The contact will then receive a shared folder invite and once they accept, it will show up in their iCloud storage account. They will be able to access the folder and depending on your permissions, they can view, edit or delete files. Each file will have the name of the contact the who added it to the folder.
One thing that Apple should probably add is a push alert or notification when someone has edited a file or added items to the folder.
In order to view the shared folder members, select the folder in finder or files, click on share and select show people.To remove someone who has access, simply select their name, then >remove access on an iPhone or iPad or by clicking on the three dot menu button next to their name >remove access on Mac
Maximise your iCloud storage experience by deleting old device backups.
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