“iOS 11.4 is out, and it brings with it a feature that was first promised to us in iOS 11.3 designed to help streamline messaging between devices,” Adrian Kingsley-Hughes reports for ZDNet. “Called Messages in iCloud, it syncs messages you receive through the Messages app across your devices, whether that be your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or even a Mac (sorry Apple Watch owners, you don’t get this feature, and will most likely have to wait for watchOS 5).”
“First off, to make Messages in iCloud work you need to download and install iOS 11.4 onto your iOS devices, and macOS 10.13.5 onto your Macs (as of time of publication macOS 10.13.5 has not been released, but is expected shortly),” Kingsley-Hughes reports. “After that, you need to activate Messages in iCloud on your iOS devices.”
“OK, so why might you not want to activate this feature? Well, remember that it’s called Messages in iCloud, which means that it makes use of, and uses up, your iCloud storage. And it might just mean that you have to start paying Apple for more iCloud storage space,” Kingsley-Hughes reports. “Extra iCloud storage space isn’t all that expensive — plans start at $0.99 for 50 gigabytes — but if you don’t want to have to start giving Apple more money on a regular basis, you should be mindful of the fact that Messages in iCloud could be what pushes your iCloud usage over the edge.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Also, if you’re in the habit of deleting messages on your iPhone and having a record of them preserved on your iPad and/or Mac, you’ll have to stop that practice as deleting in one place deletes everywhere (hence, the concept of syncing).
To enable Messages in iCloud:
iOS:
(iOS 11.4 required)
1. Go to Settings.
2. Tap [your name].
3. Tap iCloud.
4. Turn on Messages.Mac:
(macOS 10.13.5 required)
1. Open Messages.
2. In the menu bar, choose Messages > Preferences.
3. Click Accounts.
4. Select the checkbox next to Enable Messages in iCloud.SEE ALSO:
Apple’s new ‘Messages in iCloud’ works only on iOS devices, not Macs, yet – May 30, 2018