Introduced alongside iOS 8 last year, iCloud Drive gave iPhone, iPad and Mac users a native Apple alternative to services like Dropbox and Google Drive to store, manage and share files in the cloud.

The big letdown; however, was the lack of mobile support. Users could only access their iCloud Drive from their Mac or PC or had to download and rely on third-party apps to access iCloud Drive from an iPhone or iPad.

iOS 9, due for general public release later this week, solves this problem with the introduction of a native iCloud Drive app. Using the iCloud Drive app in iOS 9, users can now view and manage their files and data stored in iCloud Drive from an iPhone or iPad.

If you are preparing to upgrade to iOS 9 later this week, you should know that the iCloud Drive app is one of iOS 9’s ‘hidden’ features. The app is literally almost hidden in that it does not show on your iPhone or iPad’s Home Screen by default. Instead, you have to enable it.

Below we’ll show you how to enable the iCloud Drive App in iOS 9 and how to rename, delete or move files and folders stored in iCloud Drive while on the go.

How to enable the iCloud Drive app in iOS 9

To enable the iCloud Drive app in iOS 9 and add it to your iPhone or iPad’s Home Screen, go to Settings > iCloud > Toggle on the iCloud Drive switch (it shows as green).

If you go to your Home Screen now you will find the iCloud Drive app there.

iCloud Drive app basics

The iCloud Drive app in iOS 9 has a clean, simple and easy to use interface. Once you launch the app you are presented with a simple view of all your iCloud Drive folders and individual files.

At the top of the screen is a search box that lets you search all your files and folders. iOS app such as Numbers, Pages or TextEdit are displayed with an app icon on them, making them easy to spot among other files. Keep in mind that iOS app folders can only be deleted and not moved or renamed.

At the bottom of the iCloud Drive app, you can see a snapshot of how many files you have stored and how much iCloud storage you have remaining. If you are a heavy user, this is handy for keeping tabs on when it is time to buy more iCloud storage.

How to rename, move or delete iCloud Drive files in iOS 9

To delete, rename, move or get more info about a file or folder, tap and hold on the folder or file in the iCloud Drive app in iOS 9.

To rename, move or delete a file, follow these steps:

1. Tap and hold on a file.
2. A menu with options to Delete / Rename / Info / More will show.
3. Tap on Information to see the text of a file, the file’s full title, file type, size, and more.
4. Tap on More to rename, share or move a file to another folder.

How to rename or delete a single folder in iCloud Drive on iOS 9

To rename or delete a single folder from iCloud Drive on iOS 9, follow these steps:

1. Tap and hold on the folder.
2. Tap the Delete or Rename option on the menu.

How to move or delete multiple files or folders in iCloud Drive on iOS 9

To bulk delete files or folders in the iCloud Drive app in iOS 9, follow these steps:

1. Tap on the Select link at the top right of the iCloud Drive app. This lets you select multiple items.
2. Tap all the files or folders you want to move or delete to select them.
3. To move the files or folders, tap on the Move link at the bottom of the iCloud Drive app. To delete the files or folders, tap on the Delete link at the bottom of the iCloud Drive app.
4. Here you also have the option of creating a new folder if the folder you want to move items to does not exist yet.

Manage iCloud Drive files and folders on the go with iOS 9

It boggle’s the mind why Apple did not tout the iCloud Drive app when it unveiled iOS 9 as it adds some serious convenience to iOS users’ lives. Once you update to iOS 9 later this week there is no more need for pesky third-party apps to manage your iCloud Drive on the go and you don’t have to wait until you can fire up your Mac or PC either.

Sources: AppAdvice; iGeeksBlog.com

Image credit: Screenshot via apple.com