Pulling the plug on iCloud Drive

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Sharing in case anyone else been having iCloud Drive issues or would like to know about non-iCloud, non-subscription-based file sync’ing options. And because I want somewhere to rant about iCloud…

iCloud has been providing me with a good number of reasons to decide to move away from it for document storage. Lost files, earlier this year – just gone. Thank you, Time Machine. Then, there was the dropped support from Backblaze, which also caused me to axe my BB subscription. Not that that one was exactly Apple’s fault, but as I understand it they had invoked some changes to the way iCloud storage was handled on-device which affected apps trying to access the folder. As a cloud-storage folder I understand it is less transparent to the rest of the system anyway. The nail in the coffin was my complete inability to open .sib (Avid Sibelius) files, which I need from time to time for Actual Work. Moved to another location – a non-cloud-based one – they opened fine. Avid support was poor, but the fact remained that the problem lay with iCloud and the way it stores data locally. Yes, I tried the ‘keep downloaded’ option, turned off optimise storage, etc.

But I wasn’t going to just move the Sibelius files without uprooting my whole file system. However, uprooting one’s entire file system is not an inconsiderable feat, given the need to consider sync, backup, etc. I’ll cut to the chase, give the TL;DR: I have moved my main Documents filing system into a user-root-level folder on my primary Mac; I downloaded Synology’s Drive desktop app which I have set up to sync to my NAS; and my MacBookAir will be set up again with an identical user root-level folder which also will sync to that folder. I’m hoping…that solves it. It gives me sync, local copies of data, and data at every point that could be backed up. And the sync store is something I am in control of and don’t have to pay a monthly subscription for, which I am increasingly coming to think is important. Obviously I’m hopeful I can downgrade the amount of iCloud storage we have to pay for going forward, but there’s my wife’s Photos library to contend with…!

One or two other issues I’ll have to find workarounds for like a few shared files (primarily a budget spreadsheet with my wife), and how well Shortcuts interacts with files if they’re not in iCloud. Time will tell as I tweak and tinker…

Perhaps will update this thread if the venture generally proves itself and is successful.

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I don’t think even Backblaze can fairly blame Apple at least until they give us the whole, unvarnished truth. There are still unanswered questions and flat out contradictions in their story.

But… all this is really because Apple don’t take iCloud Drive seriously. If they did, they’d be eager to help people with problems and, to their own (cost) benefit, shore up the platform so way less people need it.

Someone needs to pop around to Craig’s house on this matter.

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I’m in a somewhat opposite situation. I used to rely heavily on OneDrive but recently I ended up with many many files on my OneDrive being moved to totally unrelated directories, If it had been one or two I would have suspected user error but hundreds, spread to random places? So I migrated everything over to iCloud, and at least today—about six months later—I haven’t run into any issues (yet)

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The iCloud problems that get mentioned here appear to be fairly common. Some people report that they have few, if any, problems. Others have several.

A web search of iCloud’s first four years of operation shows users having problems similar to those reported today. I use it as little as possible because while it may work great at times, when it doesn’t there is little I can do about it.

For those that like getting deep into the weeds, here’s one person’s opinion of Why iCloud Fails.