Eight Ways to Speed up ICloud Syncing
If you need access to data like contacts, calendar events, and photos across all your devices, iCloud is your best friend. And yet, it’s often our best friends who upset us the most, right? I know the frustration when an iCloud backup takes so long that I end up canceling it. Or, worse, I try to log out and log back in, only to find that I’ve lost some files in the process.
Under ideal conditions, the iCloud sync process should only take a few seconds. However, if it seems like it’s taking forever—or you’re just impatient like me—here are a few simple steps to help you get it done efficiently.
Why iCloud Sync Can Be Slow
If iCloud backup is turned on automatically, your device should back up when your phone is plugged into power, locked, and connected to Wi-Fi. The main reasons for stopped or slow synchronization are low power consumption or poor network connection.
For optimal backup speed, make sure all your devices are connected to a strong Wi-Fi or cellular connection. Whatever your battery percentage, it can’t hurt to connect your device to a power source, especially if you’re trying to sync a lot of data.
Specifically, images won’t sync automatically if your iPhone is in Low Power mode. According to Apple’s support page , the time it takes to upload your photos and videos to iCloud depends on the size of your collection and your internet speed. If you have a large collection of photos and videos, downloading may take longer than usual.
Connect to the same Wi-Fi
In addition to needing a strong network connection, make sure that the devices you want to sync are connected to the same network. This way, iCloud can transfer data directly between devices rather than bypassing iCloud servers.
Similarly, try connecting to a power source. You don’t want background synchronization and data transfers to be interrupted by power saving modes.
Free up storage space
First, make sure you have enough free iCloud storage in your account. Tap Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Manage Storage , which will tell you how much iCloud storage you’re using and which apps are taking up the most space. Consider deleting rarely used apps that are taking up space, or you canupgrade your iCloud storage plan to store more data.
Using the Optimize iPhone Storage setting can help limit the space taken up by iCloud data on your iPhone or iPad while storing it in iCloud for on-demand downloading. This reduces the memory requirements of the local device.
Get closer to iCloud servers
Your physical distance from Apple iCloud servers affects the sync time. The closer you are to Apple’s iCloud servers, the faster the data transfer. The location of these servers is out of your control, but this may explain slower synchronization if you live in more remote areas.
Update your devices
Make sure you’re running the latest version of macOS on your Mac, iOS on your iPad or iPhone, or Windows on your PC.
You can also double-check that iCloud services are working properly by visiting Apple ‘s system status page to make sure there are no software issues currently beyond your control.
Check if syncing is enabled
Whether your iCloud backs up automatically or manually, make sure all the devices you want to sync (1) are set to the same time and date and (2) have iCloud Drive/Documents & Data turned on. Here’s how to automatically enable iCloud backup:
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iOS: Settings > Apple ID > iCloud > iCloud Drive . Switch iCloud back to On.
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Mac: System Preferences > iCloud > make sure all the iCloud services you want to sync are checked.
To manually back up your phone via iCloud, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > iCloud Backup > Back Up Now . In the same way, you can check the last time your device was successfully backed up.
For contacts and calendars: force manual synchronization.
If you’ve made changes to your contacts or calendars on one device that don’t appear on another, here’s a manual trick that will cause them to appear on the new device.
Select the app on your iOS device. For calendars, click the “Calendars” button at the bottom of the page; In the Contacts section, select Groups . On the next page, drag the screen down until the spinning action icon appears at the top. The activity icon should spin briefly and you’ll find that iCloud has synced your calendars for you.
Sign out of iCloud and sign in again
A classic “turn off and on” hack: If your network, power, and system updates are under control, try signing out of your iCloud account on your iOS device or Mac and then signing back in.
Warning : Before logging out, make sure that all backups are saved. Faster iCloud syncing won’t make much difference if you accidentally lose unsaved files when you sign out.
Try this method to hack a shared folder
One tip posted on this Apple forum suggests creating an iCloud shared folder for yourself. Let’s say it takes forever to wait for one photo to be reserved as one of many while the photos are synced across devices. This hack prompts you to use the shortcut by uploading this image to iCloud Drive. This works best when you’re trying to isolate specific downloads from a much larger backup.
Here’s how to create an iCloud shared folder . Try it and let us know and keep all your devices synced from now on.