We spend a lot of time talking about how important it is to back up your computer, but we do not spend a lot of time talking about how important it is to back up your iPhone or to check and see what is actually backing up on your iPhone. For many users, the iPhone has become their primary resource for communication and organization, myself included.
There are two primary methods of backing up your iOS device. You can back up to iTunes or you can choose to use the iCloud. By default, Apple almost seems to prefer and suggest that iCloud back up be your primary and preferred option for backing up your iPhone. iCloud backup for most users is probably the most convenient method because it happens without your having to do much of anything once it’s set up. To set up, make sure your phone is connected to WiFi, then click on settings then general followed by iCloud and lastly Backup. From here all that you need to do is ensure that iCloud Backup is turned on, but there are a few hidden catches to be aware of.
Just turning on iCloud Backup is not enough to ensure that you are in fact backing up your important information. You must also go into settings and then iCloud and toggle on what you want to sync and back up via iCloud including your pictures. If you do not go in and manually toggle over all the options you would like to back up, like photos, contacts, calendars etc then you can risk discovering that you are not backing up all that you thought you were backing up. Another key and often overlooked factor when it comes to iCloud backups is storage space. By default all users get 5GB of free storage space. 5GB is plenty of storage in most cases for calendars, contacts, and notes. However, if you plan to also back up your photos you will find that you will quickly run out of space. Luckily it’s very easy to get additional storage. You can upgrade to 50GB of storage for just $.99 a month.
One downside of using the iCloud for photo backup is that it’s not always clear what photos are backing up to the cloud, many users assume that all of their photos are backing up when in fact on some or perhaps no photos at all are going to the cloud! The best way to ensure your photos are backing up in the cloud is to actually log into your iCloud account. If your photos are correctly backing up to the cloud you will see the photos icon in your iCloud account. The first time you go to open up your photos it will take a few minutes for the library to set up and sync, but after that your photos should all load instantly. You can also check the rest of your information and data as well. Anything you have toggled on to back up to the cloud on your phone should also appear in your account. I always suggest browsing through from time to time just to make sure that things are working as they should.
If the idea of a cloud-based backup seems a little intimidating, backing up through iTunes is another option and the method that I prefer. To back up to iTunes all you need to do is plug your phone into your computer and open iTunes. Everything will automatically back up except your photos. You will need to back up your photos in the Photos application directly, and is one downside to the iTunes backup. Another downside to the iTunes back up is that it’s not always clear exactly what backed up as the backups are hidden within iTunes.
No backup method for your phone is perfect and they both have their flaws. It’s easy to assume everything is backed up. My recommendation is to to use both iCloud and iTunes for maximum protection of your data and to check on what’s backing up from time to time. It’s important to keep in mind that no matter how diligent you might be with your backups, it’s still possible to miss information, especially photos. Apple support documentation also warns against this, but as long as you monitor your backup methods you should have little worry about.