Apple laptop:
Sharing photos and location with the cloud
This course outlines how you can share your photos and other important documents from your Apple laptop computer using the cloud services that are available when you sign up with Apple ID. You'll also learn how you can locate your other Apple devices using the cloud and the in-built Find my app on your laptop computer.
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Transcript
Welcome to the "Apple laptop: Sharing photos and location with the cloud" course. When you create an Apple ID, you also get free cloud services. In this course, you'll learn how to use your Apple ID cloud service to share files, such as photos and videos between your Apple computer and your iPhone. You'll also learn how to locate your iPhone using your Apple ID on your computer. To follow along with this demonstration, your computer must have the latest operating software installed. All Apple computers work in a similar way, but some of the screens in this video might vary from those on your computer. Don't worry, though. You should still be able to follow along. It should take around 10 minutes to complete the video, but you can pause or rewind to check any steps you're unsure about.
Before you begin, make sure your Apple computer is: Installed with the latest operating software; Plugged into mains power; Properly connected to a mouse; Connected to the internet; Switched on and showing the desktop. You should also have an email account set up on your computer. The second part of this course shows how you can use your Apple computer to help find your iPhone should it become lost or stolen. Your iPhone will need to be installed with the latest version of its operating software, switched on, and connected to the internet, either via Wi-Fi or mobile data. You'll need to be signed in to iCloud on your iPhone and your computer with your Apple ID. iCloud is an Apple service that lets you back up and share photos and files across different devices. To follow along with this video, you should also have backed up the photos and videos on your iPhone to your iCloud, ready for viewing on your computer. You can learn how to do this in the "Cloud backup and photo sharing" courses.
Let's begin by checking that you're signed in to iCloud on your Apple computer with your Apple ID. Click the Apple in the top left of the screen to open the Apple menu. Find System Preferences and click it to open the System Preferences panel. If you can see your name alongside the circular profile icon on the left and the Apple ID icon on the right, then you're already signed in with an Apple ID on your computer. Well done! If the System Preference panel shows a 'Sign in' button instead, click on it and follow the steps to sign in with your Apple ID. Once you've signed in, you'll be able to view the photos and videos from your iPhone that you've backed up to the cloud.
You can view these on your Apple computer, by using the Photos app. First, let's close System Preferences by clicking the close button in the top left corner. Now, find the Photos app icon in the Dock. It looks like a colourful flower. Click the icon to open the Photos app. In our demonstration, our Photos app shows some photos we've already backed up using our iPhone. The photos are arranged by date, with the newest photos at the bottom. If you have a lot of photos, you can scroll the grid up and down to see more. You can share photos or video with a friend or family member, by using the Share function in the Photos app. First choose a photo to share and double-click it so it fills the Photos app panel. Now, look for the Share icon at the top right of the panel. It looks like a box with an arrow. Click on it and some options will appear. We're going to choose to share the photo via email. In our demonstration, we're going to use Apple Mail, which comes with your computer. Don't worry if you don't have an email address, or use a different email provider, you can still follow along and see how it works. Click on Mail.
The Mail app will open automatically, with the photo already copied into the message field. Type the email address of the person to whom you want to send the photo, in the To box. Click on the Subject box and type in a subject for the email. We're going to say, "Here's that photo I promised!" If you'd like to add a personal message along with the photo, click in the Message of the email and type whatever you'd like. In our demonstration, we're going to just send the photo. Now everything is ready to go. Click the Send button at the top left to send the email. Well done! Your friend can view the photo by opening their email and clicking the photo. They can do this on their own computer and on their phone or tablet too. The Photos app should still be open on the desktop. Click the close button in the top left to close it.
To finish up this course, you'll learn how to use the Find My service to help find your iPhone if it becomes lost or stolen. To use this feature, you need to have your iPhone already set up with Find My. You can learn how to do this in the "iPhone cloud location services" course. To start, look for the Finder app in the far left of the Dock. It looks like a face. Click the icon to open the Finder. From the list of options on the left, click on Applications. When the Applications folder opens, look for the Find My app icon. It looks like a radar. When you've located it, double-click on it.
When the Find My app opens, check that the Devices option in the top left is selected. If you previously set up your iPhone or other Apple devices with Find My, the device names will appear below. Click on the name of your device to see its location on the map and click the plus symbol at the bottom right of the map to zoom in. You can also see the location of friends or family, if they have shared their location with you. For this to work, they must have already shared their location using their iPhone or iPad. You can learn how this is done in the "Cloud location services" courses for those devices. Click on People in the top left of the Find My app. And then you can click a person's name to see their location on the map. Congratulations! This is the end of the "Apple laptop: Sharing photos and location with the cloud" course.