Icloud app backup

[Nada]

Sorry if this is repeat question - 

 

Im wondering what exactly iCloud Automatic Backup saves when I enable it on iPad and on Affinity ? 

I understand currently, the only option to backup/save files is to copy/export each project, so I dont understand what the backup app on iCloud does. 

 

Thanks 

[Five Photos]

Hey Nada,

 

I might be able to help you as I spent a lot of time figuring everything out with Apple Photos, the iCloud Photo Library, and how all that works together with Affinity.

 

But I don’t understand your question. Can you be more specific please and tell me about your setup, too?

[Nada]

There's nothing set up as I cant make up my mind about what the best set up is - 

my desktop is dying, so I need to not rely on itune back up. 

 

I have time capsul thats connected to my ipad through Readdle Document5, and I can put important projects in there as local back up. 

Aside from that - does the icloud backup literally back up everything on my ipad if the app is turned on for it? It only says "app data will be backed up" I have no idea what they exactly mean by this . Do they mean "app set up/config" or do they mean the brushes I imported, or literally everything in the app, including projects. 

 

Im so tired of ios files system and people not at all caring about back ups and folders - consequently, no one being clear as to what is backed up where exactly and what the best practices are. 

[Five Photos]

Sorry, I still don't understand... Are you talking about Affinity Photo or Affinity Designer?

[Nada]

I have Affinity Photo - not sure if that makes any difference? I plan to get the Designer later tho. 

[Five Photos]

I was just confused because in your last post you talked about brushes...

 

Anyways, I hope this helps:

 

Apple Photos

All the photos that are present in the Apple Photos app on your iPad or on your Mac are being saved into the iCloud Photo Library. Of course this only works if you have enough storage space on your iCloud  Drive, which the iCloud Photo Library is a part of, and if you turn on the iCloud Photo Library in Settings > Photos on your iPad and/or in Preferences > iCloud in the Apple Photos app on your Mac. You can check if and which photos are saved in your iCloud Photo Library by going to https://www.icloud.com and sign in with your Apple ID.

 

Here you'll find more information about how the iCloud Photo Library works and here you'll find more about how to use the Apple Photos app on an iPad.

 

Affinity Photo

Photos you edit in Affinity Photo can either be exported to the Apple Photos library or to many other cloud storage services. If I understand you correctly, you are wondering if the photos or projects you store in the Affinity Photo folder within iCloud Drive are being backed up? If that is your question, then the answer is yes! Everything that you put anywhere in your iCloud Drive, no matter if it is in the Affinity Photo folder or anywhere else, will be saved in the cloud and everything is available on all your devices. You can confirm this by going to Settings > Apple ID, iCloud, iTunes & App Store > iCloud > Manage Storage > Affinity Photo on your iPad. 

 

iCloud Backup / TimeMachine

Now, I am not sure if this already answers your question or if you also wonder if the iCloud Backup saves those files again somewhere in the cloud. If that's your question, then the answer is no. The iCloud Backup function does back up everything that is locally stored on your iPad but not anything that is already stored in the cloud. See this article from Apple for clarification what exactly is backed up by iCloud Backup. Apple considers the files in the iCloud Drive already "backed up" because they are safely stored in the cloud already. So no duplicate backup is being produced.

 

The same is true for the TimeMachine on your Mac, by the way. Photos stored in the iCloud Photo Library and files stored in the iCloud Drive will not be backed up by the TimeMachine unless they are stored locally on your Mac. So if you have the option "Optimize Mac Storage" in System Preferences > iCloud > iCloud Drive Options turned on, there's a big chance that some of your files are not stored locally on your Mac, but only in the iCloud. Those files in the cloud won't be backed up to your external drive by the TimeMachine.

 

Does that help?

[Nada]

The files are NOT backed up in icloud DRIVE - in the new ios11, what is icloud and drive is not at all clear to begin with, and there is not Drive app either. 

 

There fore, I am wondering if the iCloud back up is backing up all the files because it is NOT in the drive. 

 

However - I think Im going to quit this ridiculous iCloud idea as back up/upload will take forever for files that are few gigs each. 

Instead, I will store on my ipad and local wifi transfer and if I must sync, use google drive/drop box/  and/or up faster on a server away from these very slow cloud services that arent worth anything for larger files and really made for phones and light use. 

 

I think icloud/ all cloud ideas is horrible - you are counting on perfect all you can use internet for very important files. 

 

 

[Five Photos]

iCloud Drive is still iCloud Drive in iOS11. The iCloud Drive app was just replaced by the FILES app. That's it. Everything else is the same. In the new Files app you see the iCloud Drive as one of the locations. You can add more like Dropbox and Google Drive if you want.

 

iCloud Backup will still only backup the locally stored files and data, as I explained. No change here with iOS11.

[Nada]

Exactly, and nothing in the Drive - so was hoping the back up will back up. 

 

However, I find the icloud situation ridiculous and impossible anyway on ver slow Australian internet. 

 

Im gonna just store copies on time capsule machine via wifi, and do sync store on rest of app using dropbox.

 

Not give Apple cent more than I already have. 

 

BTW - not at ALL Affinity issue, its all to do with ios in regards to itunes, icloud, etc.