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How to Back Up Your iPhone
By Official SIM Unlock • 18 March, 2020
What is a “Backup”?
The term backup can be used in different ways and may not always mean exactly the same thing. With both PC and Mac, for example, some backups are only useful for protecting your files or folders but others copy an image of your entire hard disk, effectively backing up everything. This means you are safe to wipe out your entire device and restart it. Some backup solutions are effective for protecting only certain devices while others will backup all of your devices.
Why Is it Important to Backup Your iPhone?
If you have ever used technology you will know that there are often frustrations and problems associated with it.
There was a study done by Blannco Technology Group in which they found that 25% of all iPhones malfunctioned. This report included data from January 2016 and March 2016. Another study completed by the same organization from April 2016 to June of 2016 found that 58% of iPhones malfunctioned or failed during that time period.
This clearly reinforces the fact that backups are crucial. Any of these malfunctions could result in the loss of data if you have not backed up your device.
Back Up Before Upgrading
Before upgrading your phone to an iPhone XR or iPhone XS, make sure you back it up first!
When is the best time to backup your old phone? Do it first! As soon as you get your new phone, take the time to backup your old phone. This way you will be sure to keep all of your important contacts, conversations and data.
iPhone Backup Overview
Even though we rely on our phones for almost everything these days It is a very common occurrence to lose or irreparable damage a phone thereby possibly losing important files, folders, conversations or photos. It is essential for iPhone users to be aware that iCloud only provides 5GB of data unless you pay for extra storage. That means that only 5GB of data will be automatically backed up. Unless you have a backup plan in place the rest of your data will be lost forever if you lose or damage your phone.
It is easy to backup your phone and there are a few different ways to do it. Let’s look at your options:
Apple Backup
At this time, iCloud and iTunes are the only services that have the capability of completely backing up all of your data, including pictures, videos, contact lists, conversations and setting. All other services and apps will only partially backup your device. There are a few things the user will need to be aware of when using Apple's standard iPhone backup solutions. Let's delve a little bit deeper into this:
iCloud Backup
Every iPhone that has iOS 5 or higher will come equipped with an automatic backup feature for the first 5GB of data. Here is how to turn this feature on:
Turning on iCloud Backup:
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Ensure you are connected to Wi-Fi.
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Click on Settings > iCloud > Backup.
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Check that iCloud Backup is switched on
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Click Backup Now
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Ensure you have been successful by clicking on Settings > iCloud > Storage > Manage Storage, and then select your device. Check that your recent backup is there.
Apple charges the customer for any more than 5GB of files with iCloud Backup. For 50GB you will be charged £0.79 per month. It will cost you £2.49 per month for 200GB. If you need a lot more storage you can go for 1TB but it will run you £6.99 per month. These prices are high for online data storage services but it might be worth it for peace of mind.
You have 5GB of free storage with iCloud but you would be surprised at how quickly snapshots and videos can fill this up. To save some room, store your first 1000 pictures in Photo Stream because it doesn’t take up any of your storage. Even with your free storage and Photo Stream it is easy to use up all of your free storage and you may find yourself needing to purchase more.
iTunes Backup
You can easily use iTunes to back up everything on your phone. You will need to have a computer with iTunes installed. You will also need your iPhone connected to your computer in some way-either by plugging in the devices with a USB cord or using Wi-Fi. Here are the simple directions:
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Click on iTunes to open it
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Use a USB cord (or wifi) to connect your iPhone to your computer
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Choose File > Devices > Backup (or you can choose "Backup Up Now" from the Summary page)
Easy right! This simple process will allow you to back up everything on your iPhone as often as you would like. It is free to use iTunes to back up anything: photos, texts, data, videos and files that you have on your phone. If you are using this method you need to be aware of the following:
You can make this process automatic but it takes a ton of network bandwidth. You are better off to keep the backup a manual process and just be very sure that you actually remember to do it!
Ensure you have some free space on your computer's hard drive. This is where the iPhone backup is stored. Some of the iPhones have up to 128GB of storage so finding that amount of space on your computer’s hard drive for a backup may be a problem.
Why use iTunes to backup your phone? iTunes is simple to use and you can use it to both back everything up and also to restore everything. There are some non-Apple backups to consider as well.
Online Storage Backup
Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, Amazon Cloud Drive, and Dropbox are all names of online storage options that you might be familiar with. There are several more and all of these applications offer a way for you to have extra storage for your photos and videos.
The good news is that most of these online storage choices are cheaper than paying for more storage with iCloud. Another advantage to using one of these options for your storage needs is that you can use them with both Android and Apple, offering you more freedom in your choice of device. The disadvantage of using one of these online storage services is that they do not back up everything on your phone. If you rely only on these services, your pictures and contacts will be safe but you could lose your text messages, files, folders, settings, voicemails, and application data among other things.
Clearly it is not wise to use online storage solutions as your only form of backup, but it is an excellent way to increase your storage after you use up your free 5GB on iCloud. It is also great to use if your computer’s hard drive runs out of space and you can’t use iTunes any longer. Finally, this type of solution offers you access to your data even if you are on someone else’s device.
As the name suggests, online storage services allow you to upload and store your photographs and video (sometimes) online. Once you have uploaded the files from your phone it is easy to access them or share them, both online or through an app. Sometimes you can set up these services to automatically backup your photos as soon as they are saved onto your phone. Look into this though, because often you will have to complete this process manually, moving each picture or file you want backed up yourself.
It may be necessary to do some research to find out which online storage service is right for you. Some of them have separate apps that can be very useful in organizing and sharing your photos. For example, Google has an app separate from Google Drive called Google Photos to assist you in organizing, viewing and easily sharing pictures. All of your important organizational tools on your phone such as calendar, notes, contacts and mail can be synced with services such as Gmail and Outlook. This will further increase your organizational capabilities.
One recommendation is to use iCloud storage to back up the information that your online storage solution will not back up, such as apps and text messages. Next, download Google Photos to store all of your pictures. There are many ways to meet your storage needs just keep looking until you find the perfect solution for you.
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Topics:
- backup
