It is important that you need to know how to backup iPhone. This is because our mobile phones carry so many files and data that many of us cannot afford to do away with. Hence, not backing up your phone means you risk losing everything stored on your phone in case your phone gets destroyed, lost, or stolen.
However, what many iPhone users don’t know is that iPhone is not automatically backed up to iCloud. For free, you can only back up a maximum of 5GB of iPhone data. This means that you need to pay for an upgrade to enable you access to more iCloud space that can successfully backup all the data on your iPhone.
Having a good backup strategy is like insurance ensuring you can always have access to phone storage no matter what happens. This is why we will show you how to backup your iPhone in a few easy steps. Stick around with us and let us get right into it.
How to backup your iPhone
There are two different ways to backup your iPhone data offered by Apple. Although, there are a number of other third-party applications like Acronis True Image 2020 that you can use as well. However, for the purpose of this article, we would be focusing on the backup solutions offered by Apple.
iCloud backup
This is an included feature on every iPhone model available. iCloud would backup your data automatically with a Wi-Fi connection after you turn on the feature. Like we mentioned earlier, Apple provides 5GB free iCloud Storage per Apple ID. However, this free space might not accommodate all the data on your iPhone. Hence, there might be a need to upgrade it.
With iCloud, you can backup basically everything on your iPhone from your purchase history of music, movies, TV shows, applications, and books purchased from the iTunes Store, to your App Store, or iBook store, your media, settings, application data, home screen, iMessage, SMS Text, MMS messages, and even ringtones.
Additionally, iCloud syncs file automatically. However, you should note that automated sync is not a true backup. For instance, if you mistakenly delete a picture from your iPhone, it is gone once automated sync is performed. On the other hand, with a true backup solution, you will be able to recover the picture from the backup destination.
Follow the steps highlighted below to backup your iPhone using iCloud.
- First of all, make sure your device is connected to a strong Wi-Fi network.
- Go to your Settings and tap your name, then select iCloud. In case you are using iOS 10.2 or earlier, just go to your settings, then scroll down and select iCloud.
- Scroll down, and select iCloud backup. Once again, if you are using iOS 10.2 or earlier, select backup. Ensure that your iCloud backup is turned on.
- Then select Back Up Now and ensure you are connected to your Wi-Fi network until the process is completed.
- Once you are sure that the backup finished, then tap Settings > [your name] > iCloud > iCloud Storage> Manage Storage, then select your device. If you own an iPhone with iOS 10.2 or earlier, then your path is Settings > iCloud > Storage > Manage Storage. After this, the backup should appear in the details showing you the time and backup size.
To automatically backup your iPhone with iCloud, follow the steps below:
- Start by ensuring that iCloud backup is turned on in your settings. Then select your name, select iCloud, and finally click on iCloud backup. Likewise, if you use an iOS 10.2 or earlier versions, just go to Settings > iCloud > Backup.
- Ensure you connect your device to a power source.
- Then, connect your device to a Wi-Fi network.
- Ensure that your device’s screen is locked.
- Then, check that you still have enough available space in iCloud for the backup.
iTunes Backup
More people seem to be more familiar with iTunes because that is what most of us use to buy applications, music as well as books from our Apple Stores. To back up with iTunes is simple. Just ensure that your iPhone is plugged to your Mac or PC, then open iTunes and begin to sync your files between your PC or Mac and your iPhone.
iTunes will backup all your media files not purchased from iTunes as well as your messages, call logs, application data, settings, memos, calendar, and bookmarks. Note that you cannot copy your files to iCloud using iTunes. To use iTunes for backup, follow the steps below:
- Start by opening your iTunes and connect your iPhone to your PC or Mac.
- When you get a message that asks for your device passcode or to Trust This Computer, just follow the onscreen steps (In case you have forgotten your passcode, get help here).
- Select your iPhone, iPad, or iPod once it appears in iTunes.
To delete iCloud backup on your iPhone, read here.
Conclusion
Whatever method you decide to use for your backup is left to you. Just ensure that you backup your iPhone occasionally. With a proper backup, you are now safeguarded against losing any important data from your iPhone.