Apple adds iCloud data recovery for files, contacts, and calendars

Have you longed to recover old files, contacts, and calendars? Android users can recover lost data, but it involves 1) a Windows computer, 2) some downloadable program, and 3) a USB cable that connects your smartphone or tablet to the Windows computer. The Windows computer is indispensable to recovering deleted data in Android – which means that few Android users can recover deleted files if they remove them by accident. Needless to say, Google Drive and Gmail become indispensable in this setup.

With Apple, however, that has been the case. If you deleted something, there was little chance that you’d ever recover it – which means that you can’t afford to make mistakes. Today, however, Apple changed all that, adding some new features today within its iCloud setup that will give you data recovery for iOS in the event that you delete files, contacts, or calendar events by accident and need to retrieve them. We place the new features under a single label: iCloud data recovery.

Here’s how to perform iCloud data recovery for your files, contacts, and calendars on iOS:

• First, log in to iCloud.com on the Web with your username and password. It should be the same username and password you use with iTunes.

• After logging in, you will see your iCloud access options on the main menu. Select the gray wheel icon (for “Settings”) on the bottom row.

• Next, you’ll arrive at a white settings page that provides info about the amount of cloud storage you have remaining (I have 4.9GB, for example). Go to the bottom left and accessed the “Advanced” settings. You should see the features “Reset Documents,” “Restore Contacts,” and “Restore Calendars and Reminders.” Keep in mind that iCloud data recovery for your contacts will restore all of them that you have deleted (you will not be able to pick and choose which contacts you restore – at least not yet, anyway), and restore calendars and events will mean that all invitations sent to you, every reminder you created, and every event you had on your calendar will return to your calendar and reminders. Again, as with contacts, you won’t be able to pick and choose.

ICloud data recovery is an excellent feature for those who’ve accidentally deleted photos or deleted photos prior to an iOS update in order to free up some local storage for the update. Of course, Apple has said that iOS 9 will take up no more than 2GB of storage, so most individuals will be update-eligible and ready when the time arrives. I found it easy to use the new iCloud data recovery because I own a MacBook that easily syncs the content between it and my iPad.

One other thing to keep in mind: when you log in and look to retrieve deleted files, remember that iCloud data recovery will only retain files, contacts, and events for a set number of days, after which, they will all be deleted. This means that, if you delete something right away, you may not want to wait too long to retrieve it.

What do you think of the new iCloud data recovery? Does this put your mind at ease about your data and recovering deleted files? Did you use the feature to restore contacts, files, and calendar events? If so, feel free to let us know how the new iCloud data recovery has helped you.

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