Three Ways to Backup Your IPhone
Some of our most valuable data is stored on our iPhones . If your device is destroyed in an accident, you risk losing all your data along with it. That’s why I’ve always recommended that you set up a backup routine for your iPhone (not to mention the rest of the technology in your life). Some of you may prefer to store all this data in the cloud, while others will prefer a more local approach. No matter which one you choose, backup is the smart way to go.
Backup your iPhone to iCloud
This is the easiest way to backup your iPhone and I recommend it to almost everyone. You don’t need any additional devices to do this – just your iPhone and a working Internet connection. It’s a set-it-and-forget-it way to back up your iPhone, and it’s reliable enough for anyone.
To set this up, go to Settings > YOUR NAME > iCloud > iCloud Backup and turn on iCloud Backup . When your iPhone is charged, locked, and connected to Wi-Fi, it automatically backs up all of its data to iCloud.
Backing up your data to iCloud has two main disadvantages. First, you will have to pay for storage. (The free 5GB hasn’t cut it for years.) You can have up to 50GB of cloud storage for $1 a month, but most people will eventually upgrade to higher tiers, and that gets expensive pretty quickly. Secondly, you should know that iCloud is a sync service and not a true backup solution . This means that if you delete your photos from one device, they will be deleted on all devices. Therefore, you should be careful with your data and not delete what you really need.
Backup your iPhone to Mac
Apple also allows you to back up data from iPhone to Mac . All you need is a cable to connect your iPhone to your Mac and enough free space to store a backup. When you’re ready, connect your iPhone to your Mac using a USB cable. Open Finder and select your iPhone from the sidebar on the left. Select General and then click Back up everything on your iPhone to this Mac . Finally, click “Back up now” to start the backup. You can even encrypt this backup so that no one can access it. (Just make sure you remember the password: if you forget it, the backup will be lost.)
The main benefit here is that it’s a true backup: if you delete something on your iPhone that was also deleted from iCloud, you can restore your iPhone from your Mac to get it back.
Backup your iPhone to Windows PC
You will need iTunes to backup your iPhone to Windows PC. After downloading and installing the app, connect your iPhone to your Windows PC using a USB cable. Go to iTunes and you will see an iPhone icon at the top left of the window. Click the iPhone icon and select Summary . Finally, click “Back up now” to start backing up your data.