Skip to main content

How to back up your iPhone or iPad

http://ift.tt/2ivRszS

How do you make sure you don't lose your photos, messages, and other data? Back up your iPhone and iPad now!

Your iPhone or iPad store all your photos, messages, health data, documents, accessory setups, settings, and more. In other words, your memories and your preferences. Your data is important, even precious, and should be treated as such. The best way to secure your data is to back it up. You can back up your iPhone or iPad via iCloud, or directly on your computer using iTunes. Before you download any software, you should always back up your device. You should also maintain a regular backup routine, just in case something happens to your iPhone or iPad, like getting lost or stolen.

What is a backup?

A backup of your iPhone or iPad includes your device settings, app data, Home screen and app organization, iMessages and texts, ringtones, your visual voicemail passcode, health data, and HomeKit configurations. Photos and videos are only backed up if you don't already have iCloud Photo Library enabled on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

You can use iCloud to back up your device, or you can connect to iTunes on your computer. It's up to you. The main difference is where your backups are stored. iCloud backups are stored in iCloud and iTunes backups are stored locally on your Mac or PC.

If you back up your iPhone or iPad using iCloud, you'll be able to access and them anywhere using Wi-Fi. If you back up your device using iTunes, you have to use the computer you store the backups on to access them.

How to enable iCloud backup on your iPhone or iPad

Using iCloud as a backup location for your iPhone or iPad is a great idea. If anything happens to your phone or tablet, you will have a backup you can access from anywhere with an internet connection.

But before you can start backing up to iCloud, you have to make sure that iCloud backups are enabled on your device.

While turning on iCloud backup works much the same way as it previously has, iOS 10.3 introduces some new wrinkles into the process.

  1. Open Settings on your iPhone or iPad.
  2. Tap your Apple ID at the top of the screen.
  3. Tap iCloud.

  4. Tap iCloud Backup.
  5. Flip the switch next to iCloud Backup on.
  6. Tap OK.

iCloud will attempt to start a backup your data every 24 hours or so, as long as your iPhone or iPad is connected to Wi-Fi and plugged in to charge. Most of the time this will happen while you sleep.

If you've never backed up to iCloud before, the first backup can take a while. After that, iCloud will only upload the changes you've made since the last backup, which is much faster.

Note: Need to delete an older iPhone backup stored in iCloud? Here's how!

How to manually trigger an iCloud backup

iCloud backups should automatically happen at least once a day: They trigger when your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch is plugged in and on Wi-Fi. That said, here's how to make sure you have an up-to-the-minute backup solution.

  1. Open Settings on your iPhone or iPad.
  2. Tap your Apple ID at the top of the screen.
  3. Tap iCloud.

  4. Tap iCloud Backup.
  5. Tap Back Up Now.

    Keep in mind: If you want to back up your iPhone or iPad to iCloud, you must first have an iCloud account and be signed in to it. If you don't and aren't sure how to make one, here's how to go about doing it.

How to enable iTunes backups

If you don't want to store your device backups in iCloud, you can store them locally on your computer instead.

  1. Connect your device to your computer.
  2. Open iTunes.
  3. Click on the Device icon next to the category dropdown menu on the left side of the iTunes window.
  4. Select Summary from the sidebar.
  5. Select This computer under Automatically Back up.
  6. Tick the box for Encrypt [device] backup to ensure that your passwords, health, and HomeKit data is backed up. You'll have to create a password to protect your encrypted backups. The password will be automatically stored in Keychain.
  7. Click Done when you are finished.

How to back up your iPhone or iPad manually via iTunes

If you have enabled iTunes backups, your device will back up automatically when you connect it to your computer. You can also manually back up your iPhone or iPad if you want to make a new backup while it is still connected.

  1. Connect your device to your computer.
  2. Open iTunes.
  3. Click on the Device icon next to the category dropdown menu on the left side of the iTunes window.
  4. Select Summary from the sidebar.
  5. Select Back Up Now under Manually Back Up and Restore.
  6. Click Done when you are finished.

Any questions?

Do you have any questions about how to enable iCloud or iTunes backups? Let us know in the comments and we'll help you out.

Update September 2017: Updated content to reflect changes in iOS 11.



from iMore - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch blog http://ift.tt/2t5je9T

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

How to Get a MacBook or MacBook Pro Keyboard Repaired Free Under Apple's Service Program

https://ift.tt/2tocBCJ Apple has initiated a new worldwide service program offering free repairs of MacBook and MacBook models equipped with low-profile, butterfly mechanism keyboards, after the company determined that "a small percentage" of the keyboards may develop one or more of the following issues: Letters or characters repeat unexpectedly Letters or characters do not appear Key(s) feel "sticky" or do not respond in a consistent manner Apple or Apple Authorized Service Providers will service eligible MacBook and MacBook Pro keyboards free of charge. Apple says the process may involve the replacement of one or more keys or the whole keyboard. The following MacBook and MacBook Pro models are eligible for the program: MacBook (Retina, 12-­inch, Early 2015) MacBook (Retina, 12­-inch, Early 2016) MacBook (Retina, 12-­inch, 2017) MacBook Pro (13­-inch, 2016, Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports) MacBook Pro (13-­inch, 2016, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports) MacBook Pro...

How to like, comment, and add subscribers to shared photo albums on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or PC

https://ift.tt/2q570On With iCloud Photo Sharing, you can share, like, and comment on photos and videos with friends and family around the world — no social media account needed. Making or subscribing to a shared photo album on iCloud is just the beginning: Once you're part of a shared album with your friends, family, or co-workers, you can add comments, like photos, invite more pals into the fray, and more. iCloud Photo Sharing: The ultimate guide If you want the social media experience without having to plaster your images across the internet, iCloud Photo Sharing offers some great tools for it. Here's how you can like your friends' images, add new people to an existing shared album, and add comment threads to photos and video. How to share albums with people who don't use iCloud How to add someone to a shared photo album How to remove someone from a shared photo album How to let other people add photos and video to your shared photo album How to like...

The Instant Pot Craze and How it's Disrupting Kitchens Everywhere

http://ift.tt/2InTBKj Pressure cooker? Slow cooker? Rice cooker? The Instant Pot is all of these things and more! The Canadian-designed Instant Pot is essentially a roided out slow cooker for half the price of most decent slow cookers on the market. There are several iterations of the Instant Pot, and it may just be able to replace every imaginable kitchen appliance you have. So what's the hubbub? Is the hype real? Let's take a look! See at Amazon What does it do? I think, in terms of kitchen capabilities, the better question is what doesn't the Instant Pot do? The lower-end versions have 6-in-1 functionality, while the Ultra, for example, can be a slow cooker, pressure cooker, rice cooker, yogurt maker, cake maker, egg cooker, sauté cooker, steamer, warmer, and sterilizer. Oh, and the 6-quart Ultra model is only $150 ... Somehow… Basically, the Instant Pot could be your tool for cooker just about everything. With many programmable cooking options, for everyt...