iCloud files "downloaded" to iPhone; How to keep them on the phone? How to remove them from the phone?
Can anyone provide me with a thorough Apple support link that explains how to keep "downloaded" iCloud files on my iPhone if I want to, or remove the downloaded files from the iPhone if I want to? My phone is iPhone 8, iOS 12.4.1 I'm hoping that Apple has already explained all of this and it just a matter of me finding the content.
Here's the background:
I am going on an extended trip, where my WiFi availability will be spotty, the international data plan for my phone is too expensive and some of the areas won't have cell phone coverage. There are several files that I want to always have available on the phone so that I can refer to them, whether or not I am online. For simple info, I plan on just using Apple Notes. But there are some Excel spreadsheets and pdf files I will be needing.
And also, I want to be sure that my phone has the most possible storage available for photos & videos. I've done quite a bit of searching and haven't found a way to delete downloaded files off of my iPhone to free up space for future photos & videos
I currently store most of my work from my Mac in my Documents folder which is synced with iCloud. My current plan is to download the files to my phone before leaving on the trip. I've tried this for a few files and find that they are able to open when I set my phone to "Airplane" mode - go offline. So, that idea seems to work OK.
I do not know if the downloaded files will automatically sync between iCloud & iPhone whenever I am online, or if they will only sync when I try to open the file (truly unfortunate if I'm in the middle of the jungle).
I did notice when I was downloading my test files onto the phone that some of the files I had previously used on the phone still showed the "download" cloud icon. And of course they would not open without my being online. I'm not sure what to make of that situation. Maybe a file sync issue. Maybe an update on Excel for Mac. I know that I've had to log off and then back onto iCloud on my phone to clear up some other issues. Perhaps those files became disassociated with my phone?? But regardless, I don't want to find a month from now that I am offline and unable to open a file that I had downloaded to my iPhone for the specific purpose of having it available.
I located an online article that suggests there is no way to assure that the downloaded iCloud file stays on the iOS device. That when the file is opened, it stays on the device until the phone memory starts to be approached, at which time unused files on the device are deleted - rather an automatic process. But this information was not from Apple Support.
iPhone 8