Local Cloud FAQs

What you can do with Local Cloud:

• Open files stored on your Mac or PC directly with your iPhone and iPad.
• Store virtually any type of file on your device.
• Use the built-in viewer for common files.
• Play your music with the built-in player.
• Send files to specific third-party apps.
• Send files as email attachments.
• Choose to compress attachments on the fly before sending them via email.
• Import photos and videos from the library of the device.
• Accept any type of file from any other app.
• Browse and view the contents of ZIP, RAR, 7-ZIP, and TAR files on the fly without having to uncompress the entire archive.
• Open password-protected ZIP and RAR files.
• Create folders to organize your files.
• Print your files with AirPrint.
• Browse files and folders in your Dropbox and Google Drive without leaving Local Cloud.
• Share your files with other smartphones, tablets, and computers.

Of course: we have created a video that demonstrates how it works →

The built-in viewer supports most commonly-used files:

• Documents (pdf, doc/docx, xls/xlsx, ppt/pptx, pages, numbers, keynote, txt, htm/html, ...)
• Pictures (jpg/jpeg, png, tiff, gif, bmp, ...)
• Compressed files (zip, rar, 7z, and tar)
• Audio files (mp3, m4a, aac, wav, flac, ...)
• Video files (mov, ...)

Please note: OpenDocument files (.odt, .odp, .ods, and .odg) can be saved in Local Cloud, but must be open with specialized third-party apps.

Local Cloud is easier to set up, it doesn't need administrator rights, and it's entirely encrypted.

Other key features are the smart cache and the really small overhead of the network packets that will result in a faster solution than FTP, AFP, SMB, CIFS, or Samba.

Yes. Local Cloud is a universal app that runs on both the iPhone/iPod Touch and the iPad.

Yes!

Local Cloud supports the most common video formats:

• H.264 video up to 1080p, 30 frames per second, High Profile level 4.1 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats.
• MPEG‑4 video up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps per channel, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats.
• Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) up to 35 Mbps, 1280 by 720 pixels, 30 frames per second, audio in ulaw, PCM stereo audio in .avi file format.

Of course, you can also store videos in different formats that you can then open with specialized third-party apps.

Yes. Local Cloud supports both IPv4 and IPv6, the new standard protocol for the Internet.

Yes. You can send and receive files, folders, and clipboard in real-time over WiFi or Bluetooth(¹) using:

• Local Cloud.
• File Storage for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.
• File Storage Companion, free for Mac and Windows.
• File Transfer for Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, and Android. The cross-platform system for file sharing.
• iTunes, via the iTunes File Sharing (over WiFi or using a USB cable).

(¹) Bluetooth can be used only between iOS devices.

Yes. Local Cloud supports the iTunes File Sharing.

No. Local Cloud is a private cloud, i.e. a cloud infrastructure managed by you. Your files never passes through our servers.

On the Mac, you can find the server IP address by clicking on the Local Cloud icon in the menu bar:

On Windows, you can find the server IP address by clicking on the Local Cloud icon in the notification area:

This error means that the Local Cloud app running on your device can't connect to your computer. The most likely cause is that the IP address you entered is incorrect, or has changed (see the next question).

You can find more info in the Troubleshooting Guide →

When your IP address has changed, it’s usually caused by a DHCP server running on your router. Computers, by default, are set to get their private IP address dynamically from your router (via DHCP). In other words, the router supplies a private IP address for your computer to use. Temporarily, because DHCP-assigned IP addresses periodically changes.

The customary way to keep a device consistent in its IP address is to use the DHCP address reservation. If your router supports that feature, you'll find the settings under DHCP, LAN or a similar-worded heading.

If your router does not support this feature, then your only remaining option is to configure your computer with a static IP address. When doing this, verify that any static IP address you plan to use isn't one available for DHCP to assign because on many routers DHCP's preconfigured "pool" of assignable addresses includes all 253 available on the network. In other words, all addresses in the range from xxx.xxx.xxx.2 to xxx.xxx.xxx.254 (1 is used by the router) will be allotted to DHCP.

To avoid potential conflicts, you should reduce the size of DHCP's address pool to free up some addresses to assign manually. Virtually all routers will allow you to limit which addresses can be used by DHCP, but you can usually also get away with simply using high-numbered addresses from the DHCP static addresses. Since DHCP assigns addresses in numerical order, it will not issue, for example, address number 200 unless it's already assigned the 198 addresses before it.

Read our Troubleshooting Guide →

In order to export from/save to your Camera Roll, Local Cloud needs to have permission to do so. If you have previously answered no the system popup that says "Local Cloud would like to access your photos," then you will have to:

• Open your iOS's Settings app.
• Select Privacy.
• Select Photos.
• Turn ON the toggle for Local Cloud.

Nothing. On your PC Local Cloud resides in the Notification Area, which is located on the right portion of the bottom bar next to the time:

Please note most notification area icons are hidden by default:

If Local Cloud appears in the Notification Area, it is already active. This is why you are getting this error.

New .pages, .numbers, and .keynote files are actually folders, with a well-defined structure, that contains multiple files. They are shown as files in OS X, but when you sync them with Dropbox, or attach them to an email, they appear as folders with all the package contents inside.

This has unfortunately caused many compatibility problems with third-party applications such as Local Cloud. While waiting for a definitive solution from Apple, there is a simple workaround. In summary, on your Mac you have to zip the "file" (which is actually a folder) .pages, .numbers, or .keynote.

From Local Cloud, then, you can send the files to Pages (or Numbers, or Keynote) installed on your iPhone or iPad following these steps:

1. Tap on the Edit button
2. Select the file with extension ".pages.zip"
3. Tap on the Export button in the toolbar
4. Select To other app
5. Select Pages.

iOS limits the number of apps to appear in the "Open In" menu. The actual maximum number of apps depends on the device type and on the version of iOS. The only way to resolve this issue is to delete some apps that you don't need to make way to Local Cloud.

You can:

1. Import files from any other app using the "Open in..." feature (more info in the Getting Started Guide).
2. Import photos and videos from the Camera Roll (more info in the next section).
3. Receive files and folders from another device on which is installed Local Cloud, File Storage, File Transfer, or File Storage Companion (more info in the Getting Started Guide).

You can import photos from your camera roll or albums by following these instructions:

1. Tap on the Edit button
2. Tap on the Import button in the toolbar
3. Select From camera roll
4. Select photos from your camera roll and albums

In Pages, Numbers, or Keynote:

1. Tap on the Edit button
2. Select the file you want to export
3. Tap on the Action button (top-left corner)
4. Select Open in Another App
5. Choose a format
6. Tap on the Choose App button
7. Select Open in Local Cloud

Local Cloud has been designed to work in the local network, hence the name "Local." But if you are using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) or a proper NAT (Network Address Translation) configuration you can access your files also outside of your local network (e.g. from a mobile Internet connection).

But there is an alternative way. Local Cloud supports also offline viewing via File Storage Companion (free for Mac) or File Transfer (free for Windows). Using File Storage Companion/File Transfer you can exchange files with your device, and they will be kept permanently, even offline.

No. There is currently no way for third-party apps to add or export songs. You can listen to the songs, however, using the powerful built-in player. It supports MP3, M4A, AAC, WAV, and even FLAC. It perfectly integrates with iOS--you can control it from the Lock screen, Control Center, and through headphones and docking speakers.

No. In creating iOS, Apple introduced a wide range of restrictions designed to protect users collectively known as the "application sandbox." A sandbox is a set of fine-grained controls that limit the app’s access to files, preferences, network resources, hardware, and so on. The purpose of a sandbox is to limit the damage that a compromised app can cause to the system.

Some of these restrictions affect how application data is stored and what data can be accessed. Each application is given a directory on the device’s file system, and applications are restricted to reading and writing files in their own directory.

For personal uses no. If you own multiple devices you only pay once when devices use the same iTunes account to purchase apps.

For commercial uses you need a license for Local Cloud for each device. In this case, we recommend you to enroll in the Apple's Volume Purchase Program.

No. Our Mac apps are only available through the Mac App Store. We think it is a great opportunity to guarantee to our users security and stability, no extra costs, friendly licensing terms, and better maintenance experience.

Yes. We develop custom versions of Local Cloud with:

• Tailored look and feel, such as company logo or branding for business.
• Specific functionality for a business process or workflow.
• Special configuration for IT environments.
• Security features for sensitive or private company data.

Interested? Contact us →

Let us know, we will do everything to help you. Contact us →