How to backup iCloud? Files not safe?

[kdum8]

I now have a lot of work that I have done on iOS iWork on iPad, particularly Numbers files. It occurred to me that these files are not backed up anywhere other than on iCloud. Since there the iPad and iCloud are obviously always in sync, if somehow the files got removed from iCloud by an error on Apple's part (which has happened several times in the past) I would lose all my work.

Is this correct? If so it seems to be a fairly big weak point. What do other people do to back up their important iOS iWork files. I couldn't afford to lose the work I have done so far...

Are there any solutions?

 

[Firesign3394]

I actually called and asked Apple about this today. What they said was that iCloud was the backup for the files. The originals are on your devices (iPad, iPhone, etc), and every time you sync your device with your computer (or iCloud) the backup contains a backup of all your app data, including your iWork documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.

 

[kdum8]

I actually called and asked Apple about this today. What they said was that iCloud was the backup for the files. The originals are on your devices (iPad, iPhone, etc), and every time you sync your device with your computer (or iCloud) the backup contains a backup of all your app data, including your iWork documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.

The problem with what they said is that if there is an issue with iCloud and the file disappears on the server it will then also be automatically deleted from all your devices.

Worse still, if you delete a document on the iPad by mistake for example, that document will disappear instantly from all the other devices with no way to 'undo' your mistake. Seems it hasn't been fully thought out. Personally for me, the idea that at any time all my files can be remotely wiped by Apple (not necessarily intentionally) doesn't fill me with a sense of relief at all. The only way around the problem that I can see is to make regular time-machine backups, prudent for sure although it remains to be seen how this would work in ML.

 

[Macsterguy]

Same with dropbox. If you delete files they are gone...

Why not download / save a copy to your mac or pc then backup in your normal way? Just go to iCloud.com and download your numbers files (with a mac). If you are depending on an iPad only you could save them in iTunes...

 

[kdum8]

Same with dropbox. If you delete files they are gone...

Why not download / save a copy to your mac or pc then backup in your normal way? Just go to iCloud.com and download your numbers files (with a mac). If you are depending on an iPad only you could save them in iTunes...

I suppose that would work. It is a bit of a pain to always download all the updated files but if in ML the iCloud iWork folder is synced to the mac then I guess it would be picked up by a Time Machine backup.

 

[Monsoonmalabard]

Backing up iCloud data

The Problem

I know this is an old thread but there are solutions to the backup issue in iCloud and it is hard to find material on this online. iCloud is not a backup because the iCloud versions of the files are the authoritative ones. If you accidentally delete a file on one device, it's gone everywhere. You cannot count on being able to get it back. Any adequate backup system will prevent against accidental deletion or corruption.

The Solutions

On the Mac side (ML), if you use Time Machine, your iCloud docs and Contacts (but not Calendars, Reminders and Notes) are already backed up on the TM drive: see this. If the app supports Versions, as iWork does, you can also browse versions that have been autosaved during editing on the Mac.

On iOS, you can manually save local copies of iCloud documents in iWork using the 'send to iTunes feature'.

For Calendars, Reminders and Notes, you have to go through the tortuous manual process outlined by Apple.

 

[kdum8]

The Problem

I know this is an old thread but there are solutions to the backup issue in iCloud and it is hard to find material on this online. iCloud is not a backup because the iCloud versions of the files are the authoritative ones. If you accidentally delete a file on one device, it's gone everywhere. You cannot count on being able to get it back. Any adequate backup system will prevent against accidental deletion or corruption.

The Solutions

On the Mac side (ML), if you use Time Machine, your iCloud docs and Contacts (but not Calendars, Reminders and Notes) are already backed up on the TM drive: see this. If the app supports Versions, as iWork does, you can also browse versions that have been autosaved during editing on the Mac.

On iOS, you can manually save local copies of iCloud documents in iWork using the 'send to iTunes feature'.

For Calendars, Reminders and Notes, you have to go through the tortuous manual process outlined by Apple.

Thanks for this post. Useful information. Great for iWork docs & contacts, poor for Calendars, Reminders & Notes. iCloud really is a work in progress, I realise that, but Apple do seem to take rather a long time to get onto these things.

Let's hope it continues to evolve and these issues are gradually sorted out.