When you have multiple devices, it is important to instantly access all the content across your devices. Perhaps, you took a photo on iPhone and wanted to set it as your desktop’s wallpaper on Mac. Or, you have prepared a presentation on Mac and wanted to show it to your colleagues through a conference call on your iPhone. In all such situations, the content needs to be quickly synchronized on iCloud so that you can access from another device. However, sometimes iCloud sync may work very slow or not working at all. If you are struggling with iCloud sync issues, here are some tips to fix the issue.
How I Know iCloud Sync is Not Working?
When you setup any Apple device, your iCloud account will be created with a free plan using the same Apple ID and password. Enabling iCloud sync on your device will instantly upload any content you edit or create to your iCloud account. Once the content is on Apple’s iCloud server, you can download it from any other device logged in with the same Apple account using internet connection. So, iCloud syncing process is nothing but uploading and downloading of your content to/from Apple’s cloud server.
Obviously, you will know the problem if the file or picture is not showing on another device. Otherwise, also it is easy to find the syncing issues from iPhone and Mac. On iPhone, open Photos app and swipe up when you are in “Library” section. You will see the status at the bottom indicating the last date/time of sync. You may also find the sync is paused or having an issue.
On Mac, if you see a pie icon against iCloud Drive section in Finder sidebar, it is an indication that uploading/downloading is in progress. Otherwise, hover over the iCloud Drive to see a check mark. Click on that and you will see the last sync status showing there.
Follow the below suggestions to fix iCloud sync when you notice problems in uploading or downloading of files.
1. Check You Have Enabled iCloud Sync
Apple allows you to use iCloud sync for different apps and services independently. For example, you can opt to sync the Photos app while disabling it for Reminders app. However, there are some exclusions like “Downloads” folder on your Mac can’t be synced using iCloud though you can enable syncing of Desktop and Documents folders. So, if you are trying to check the downloaded file on your Mac from iPhone, make sure the file is moved to Desktop or any other folder in Documents and not in Downloads folder.
Follow the below steps to enable iCloud sync on Mac:
- Click the Apple logo menu and select “System Settings…” option.
- Select your Apple ID showing on top of left sidebar and then select “iCloud” option from the right pane.
- You will see a list of items showing under “Apps Using iCloud” section and status against each item. If you see the status as “Off”, click on that item. Let me select Photos app from the list.
- On the pop-up that appears, turn on “Sync this Mac” and click “Done”. This will enable iCloud sync for Photos app.
- For syncing the files, click on “iCloud Drive” option and enable “Desktop & Documents Folder” option. From here also, you can enable sync for apps by clicking on “Apps syncing to iCloud Drive” option.
Follow the below steps to enable iCloud sync on iPhone:
- Open Settings app and tap on your Apple ID.
- Select iCloud option and then enable the required items similar to macOS setup as explained above.
Remember, it will take hours to finish the sync when you have plenty of files and photos.
2. Check iCloud Server Status from Apple
Sometimes iCloud server will be very slow or down due to maintenance or issues. You can go to Apple System Status page to check the current situation. As you can see on the page, iCloud has different services for Drive, Backup, Contacts, Calendars, etc. Check all the relevant items and make sure the status is showing in green.
I have not seen Apple ever communicates system problems to individual users. In case of any issues, you may need to monitor that page and wait till the time they fix it.
3. Pause/Resume or Cancel Uploading and Downloading
I use iPhone, MacBook and iMac all logged in with same Apple account. When the file uploading is in progress on one device, the sync from another device may not work faster. You can click on the pie icon against iCloud Drive section in Finder to check the status of uploading/downloading on your Mac. If the close button is available, click on that to cancel the syncing. This will help to prioritize the syncing from other devices. Cancelled items will be synced later automatically or when you modify them.
On iPhone, you can pause and resume the sync manually in Photos and Files apps. For example, open Photos app and swipe up when you are in the “Library” section. If the files are syncing, you will see “Pause” option and tap on it. Confirm the pop-up to stop the syncing. After that, you will see a “Resume” option and tap on that to initiate the sync again.
Note that the device will stop iCloud syncing when it runs with low battery. Connect to the power source to start the sync in that case.
4. Check iCloud Account Storage Size
If you ran out of free 5GB storage space, then syncing will be paused due to insufficient space. You can login to iCloud.com and delete unnecessary items or purchase additional storage space from your device. Anytime, you can check the current usage to upgrade or downgrade your plan.
Go to “Settings > Apple ID > iCloud” section in your iPhone or Mac to check the current iCloud storage status. Click or tap “Manage…” button to check space occupied by individual apps and upgrade or download the plan.
5. Enable Cellular Data for Photos App in iPhone
If you have disabled Cellular data for Photos app, the syncing will be paused when wireless connection is not available on your iPhone. You will see a message on the Photos app saying, “Cellular Data is Off for Photos”.
- Tap on “Settings” link showing in the Photos app or go to “Settings” app and navigate to “Photos” app section.
- Tap on “Wireless Data” and then again select “Wireless Data” option.
- Enable “WLAN & Cellular Data” and go back to previous screen.
- Make sure to disable “Unlimited Updates” option so that you will not end up in using all Cellular Data plan. Even with this option, using Cellular for sync will consume large amount of data as the pictures and screenshots will try to sync instantly on iCloud. So, make sure to use Cellular Data only when needed.
6. iCloud Server Location
Many countries have data protection law to keep the iCloud data within that country to avoid sending personal data outside the country. When switching the country, you will receive an email from Apple mentioning that your iCloud data will be managed by third-party company located locally in the selected country. Apple will also move all your data to the local server to cater legal data protection requirements. If you notice the syncing is always slow after changing the country, then the only option for you is to switch back to previous country. This is a real headache as switching country affects apps availability, payments, subscriptions and Family Sharing. You can also try syncing from iCloud website and check if that works better for you.
7. Disable VPN and Proxy
In most cases, using VPN or proxy will slowdown file upload and download from servers. Especially sync will not work if you are using local iCloud server but using foreign network using VPN. You can simply disable VPN for a moment to finish the sync and then enable to continue with your work.
8. Outdated OS on Old Devices
I always have syncing problems with my old MacBook Pro running on macOS Monterey. While on the same network, my iMac running on Ventura generally synchronizes the files smoothly. So, make sure to update your OS to the latest version if your device supports it.
iCloud Sync and Continuity Features
Remember, iCloud sync is different from Continuity features which work on Bluetooth. For example, you can copy a picture from Mac and paste it on iPhone using Continuity Clipboard. The content need not to be uploaded in iCloud for this to work.
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