ICloud backup

Make backup seamless and effortless

When a device is signed into iCloud using your Apple ID, certain data, such as calendars and contacts, is kept in sync between the device and Apple’s servers. This data is then synced to all your other devices signed in with the same Apple ID, but it also means there is an up-to-the-minute, deviceindependent archive of your data in the cloud, which you can restore to a replacement device if you lose your old one or upgrade to a new one.

That’s the theory, anyway. In real life, backups can be a minefield. For backups to be made, your device must be powered, able to access the internet, locked, and signed into iCloud. Additionally, there must be enough storage space for the backup in your iCloud account.

Backups can rapidly increase in size, though, and will just stop if you don’t have enough space. Warnings do appear, but they’re easy to dismiss — which you’ll regret doing should you need to restore from a backup that turns out to be weeks old.

If space is a problem, you can manually manage backup content — see our guide on the next page. However, if you’re a long-time iOS user, also examine this area of Settings for redundant backups of older devices. These can often be deleted — after you’ve backed up the relevant devices to iTunes, of course, as we’ve already suggested.

Another snag with iCloud backups is failure to restore, which can be a nightmare when you’re trying to get backed-up data onto a replacement device and no longer have the old one. At that point, a lot of data and settings might be gone for good. But, you’ll be safe if you periodically back up devices to iTunes, giving you a backup plan for your backups — once again, good practice anyway.

What’s potentially confusing is the distinction between iCloud backup and apps storing data in iCloud. Briefly, your iOS device backup includes only data and settings stored on your device. It doesn’t include the information already stored by enabled apps in iCloud, such as Contacts, Notes, Calendars, Bookmarks, Mail, shared photos, iCloud Photo Library, Health data, and files you store in iCloud Drive. We’ll look in more detail at iCloud Drive overleaf.