Prior to the iOS 9 update, iCloud Drive was something that remained in the background and was not visible on your iPhone or iPad. Now, with iOS 9 update, Apple has come up with the iCloud Drive App that makes iCloud Drive more accessible and useful on your iPhone.
Enable iCloud Drive on iPhone and iPad
The iCloud Drive app lets you browse, view, and manage files stored on iCloud Drive. However, unlike other system apps, the iCloud Drive app is not enabled by default on your iPhone or iPad. You need to enable this app on your iPhone or iPad by following the steps below.
1. Open the Settings app
2. Tap on iCloud
3. Next, tap on iCloud Drive
4. On the next screen, enable the option for Show on Home Screen.
Apple’s iCloud Drive app will make its appearance on your home screen, as soon as you complete these steps,
View and Manage Files on iCloud Drive
All that is required to view files stored on iCloud Drive is to just tap on the iCloud Drive app. You will be straight away taken to the iCloud Drive interface on your iPhone, where you will be able to view all files and folders stored on iCloud.
1. Tap on the iCloud Drive app
You will be able to see all the files and folders stored on your iCloud Drive account.
2. To view a file, just tap on the file that you want to view. The file will open on your iPhone with options to Move, Delete and Share Files at the bottom of your screen (See image below)
3. Share Files: Tapping on the share icon will open a list of file sharing apps on the next screen. From this screen you will be able to share the file via email, text message, Twitter and other apps that you will see in the list.
You will also find options to print the file and send the file to other people via AirDrop.
You Can Attach iCloud Drive Files to Emails on iPhone
One advantage of storing files on iCloud Drive is that you can attach any of those files as attachments to your email messages.
1. Tap on the Mail app
2. Start a New email message by tapping on the Compose Mail icon. You can also start a reply to an existing message
3. Tap anywhere on the body of the message to launch a contextual menu (See image in step 4 below)
4. Tap on Add Attachment (See image below)
5. Tapping on Add Attachment will take you to iCloud Drive, from where you will be able to select the file for sending as an attachment to your email message (See image below)
Edit Files On iCloud Drive
In case you are used to Google Drive, you will be disappointed with the editing capabilities and options on iCloud Drive. You won’t find the option to open and edit Documents, spreadsheets and presentation files like you can readily find on Google Drive.
iCloud Drive is very simple and basically performs the task of storing and sharing documents.
Upgrade iCloud Drive Storage
By default, your iOS device comes with 5 GB of free storage on iCloud Drive. You will need to start shopping for more iCloud Drive space in case your images and files stored on iCloud Drive are beginning to exceed the free storage limit. Luckily, it is not really that expensive to upgrade to higher storage plans on iCloud Drive.
You can follow the steps below to upgrade to more storage on iCloud Drive or to downgrade and get back to the free storage plan at any time.
1. Open the Settings app and tap on iCloud
2. Next, tap on Storage
4. Tap on Buy More Storage
5. Now, tap on the storage plan that suits your needs
6. Next, tap on Buy located at the upper right corner of your screen (See image above).
7. Sign in with your iCloud account, in case you are not already signed in and complete the purchase.
Once you complete the purchase, you will immediately see the total storage space in your account changing to reflect the total storage space allowed by your new plan.