How to use iCloud to back up your iPhone
WITH ICLOUD, YOU CAN BACK UP ALL OF YOUR IMPORTANT IPHONE DATA TO YOUR OWN VIRTUAL HARD DRIVE.
YOUR IPHONE IS like a bank vault where all kinds of data is stored. So what happens if your iPhone gets lost or broken? Nothing. Thanks to iCloud, all of your data is backed up automatically and kept safely in your cloud storage space. When your iPhone is connected to a power source and a Wi-Fi network, all of your media, settings, app data and messages are backed up. When you set up a new iOS device or need to restore the information on the one you already have, iCloud Backup does all the heavy lifting. All you have to do is ensure that your device is connected to Wi-Fi, enter your Apple ID and all of your important data will appear on your device.
The benefits of using iCloud are vast, and the way in which it goes about its business in the background without you having to worry about prompting it is just another prime example of how Apple is striving to make your life easier, and keep you connected with each device you own.
HAVING TO THINK about storage and backing up your image library ranks low on the excitement scale — especially after the fun of taking them. Dull as it may be, your camera doesn’t automatically send photos to online storage (like your phone might do) or even transfer to your computer; put it off and you run the risk of losing everything.
At some point, your photo collection will outgrow the hard drive on your computer and you’ll start looking at alternative storage options. You may be in a position to upgrade the built-in drive, but relying on just one source of storage is asking for trouble — what happens if your computer is damaged or stolen? So it makes sense to have your pictures and important files held in more than one place.
There are numerous options available, but external or desktop hard disk drives (HDDs) are a tried and, for the most part, trusted format. The choice of models on offer can be bewildering, although capacity, speed and reliability are the key features to be concerned with. The latter is a tough one to qualify, but it pays to invest in reputable brands that have enough confidence in their products to offer extensive warranties.
Capacity and speed are much easier to quantify, as you get what you pay for.
ONLINE OR CLOUD STORAGE MEANS THAT YOUR IMAGE FILES WILL BE PERMANENTLY HELD OFF-SITE, AND ALLOWS YOU TO ACCESS YOUR PICTURES AND VIDEOS USING A RANGE OF DEVICES
Only you will know how many photos you take and consequently how much space you’ll need, but we’d recommend taking that figure and doubling it; it’s amazing how quickly even two terabytes can be soaked up with high-res images and video.
In terms of speed, a drive that features a rapid spin speed and a fast connection port, such as USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt, means that you’ll be able to transfer your files backwards and forwards quickly, something that’s particularly important if you’re editing large video files.
For peace of mind, creating more than one backup copy of your library is the way to go. We’d recommend mixing different brands
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of storage device, as this way you’re less likely to fall foul of any future incompatibility with computer hardware. If you do have a preferred brand, it’s a good idea to stagger your purchasing of back-up drives to provide a cushion against potential drive failure rates — the last thing you want is for all your disks to fail at once. Keeping another copy of your library in a different location is also strongly recommended.
In fact, why stop at one location? Online or cloud storage means that your image files will be permanently held off-site, and allows you to access your pictures and videos using a range of devices, share files with others and automatically sync with the files on your computer. The downside is that you’ll need to pay a subscription to get a meaningful amount of space and you need internet access to make it work.
There are many cloud storage options available, ranging from popular third-party file-sharing services like Dropbox and Google Drive, to dedicated photo deposits such as Canon’s Irista and Nikon Image Space. Some services let you pay a monthly fee, while others offer a small discount for an annual payment. For instance, Google gives you 15GB of free storage to share across Google Drive, Gmail and Google Photos, but it offers a range of upgrade plans, from $2.49 per month for 100GB, up to a whopping $374.99 per month for an equally whopping 30TB.