How to Backup iPhone (Locally or in Cloud)

Learning how to backup iPhone data is one of the most important things to know. Not only because it’s extremely useful when switching phones, but also because it’s a great way to keep your files safe. 

That includes pictures, songs, documents, videos, anything like that. There are multiple effective ways of backing up data both locally and on the cloud, so, keep on reading and choose whatever fits you best!

1: How to Backup iPhone With iCloud

One of the easiest ways of keeping backups with iPhones is by using Apple’s iCloud. However, do keep in mind that all the points that it earns in ease of use, it loses in terms of effectiveness. 

That’s because the free plan only gives us 5 GB of data while the backup options are kinda limited. Upgrading to a plan with more data is relatively cheap, but it’s a subscription nonetheless. 

Still, the least that you can do is use the free plan – just in case. 

To backup your data by using the iCloud, all you need to do is: 

1. Go to Settings
2. Select your name “Or iCloud; depending on the version of iOS that you’re running” 
3. Enable”iCloud Backup”
4. And if you think that you’re not going to be using your Wi-Fi for a while, select “Back Up Now” 

Depending on how much stuff there is to backup, the process may end up taking a while. So, the best idea is to probably do this before going to sleep. 

Just leave that option enabled, stay connected to the Wi-Fi, and the phone should automatically start backing up everything on the cloud. If it doesn’t, you always have the option of selecting the “Back Up Now” option. 

Pros: 

• Very easy to use
• Works well with other Apple products
• Extremely reliable

Cons: 

• Not a whole lot of control over what to backup or not
• Those with a slow Internet connection may have to wait for a while before a backup finishes
• Limited storage for free

2: How to Backup iPhone With Google Drive

Unlike iCloud, Google Drive gives you 15 gigabytes of storage for free while also offering more a few more options on what to backup or not. The catch, however, is that it doesn’t cooperate as “Smoothly” with other Apple products like iCloud does. 

That being said, it does work very well with Android devices and other Google services like Google docs. So, if you’re planning on moving from an iPhone to an Android device any time soon, do seriously consider this option. 

To backup your iPhone with Google Drive: 

1. Go to the App Store 
2. Download and install it
3. Log in to your Google account; or create one if you haven’t already
4. Open the menu by clicking on the icon that resides on the upper left corner of the screen
5. Go to “Settings” 
6. Select “Backup” 
7. And select “Start Backup” 

This is a general backup that will backup contacts, the calendar, and any photos or videos. After that, you can get more control through the navigational menu and selectively backup anything you want. 

And in case that 15 gigabytes of storage isn’t enough for you, just like with iCloud, there is always the option of upgrading to a premium subscription with more storage. 

By the way, do keep in mind that depending on your Internet connection, the first backup may end up taking a while. Leaving the phone to update and make the backups while you’re sleeping is probably the best course of action here. 

Pros: 

• Still relatively easy to use
• Works well with Google services and products
• Very reliable
• Gives a lot of control over backup options
• Offers 3 times the storage that iCloud does for free

Cons: 

• Those with a slow connection will have to wait for a while
• Still need to pay for more storage
• Subscriptions seem to be more expensive compared to iCloud (Depends on the region, though)

3: How to Backup iPhone With iTunes (Locally)

Cloud solutions have two big disadvantages: 

1. They rely a lot on Internet speeds
2. They don’t offer a whole lot of storage for free

So, if that’s an issue for you and you already have a computer sitting at home, why not use it to make a local backup? Just do keep in mind that local backups are generally not as safe as cloud solutions. 

After all, if something happens to the computer/drive, everything that’s stored there will be gone as well. As for the whole hacker breach that happened with iCloud accounts a few years ago, well, that’s a different story. 

With that being said, here’s how to make a local backup by using iTunes: 

1. In case you have a Windows PC, download and install iTunes first
2. Connect the iPhone with your computer
3. A message may come up on the phone which will ask if you trust this device/computer, select “Yes/Trust” 
4. Open iTunes
5. Select your phone which should have appeared at this point
6. Then select “Backup now” 

As the data transfer happens locally, this method is much faster compared to the cloud. So, chances are that leaving the phone sitting there for the rest of the night is going to be unnecessary.

Just like with iCloud, this option doesn’t give us a lot of options. But, for the most part, it gets the job done. 

Pros: 

• Completely free to use
• Very fast; regardless of the Internet connection

Cons: 

• The process is a tiny bit more complicated to other options
• Not a whole lot of choices over the backup

4: How to Backup Locally (Manual Method-Photos Only) 

Most of the backup options that we’ve checked out don’t give us a whole lot of options. In most cases, you just press a button and let the software do its thing. 

But, as mentioned above, this can turn out to be a time-consuming process. Especially if you got lots of files. In such cases, manually selecting what is desired or not is usually the best course of action. 

Overall, if you own a Windows PC and want to make manual photo backups, this is quite possibly one of the best solutions: 

1. Connect the iPhone to the PC with the lightning cable 
2. If a prompt comes up on the phone, select “Trust” 
3. Open the Windows file explorer (Resides on the dock bar of Windows with a folder icon)
4. Select “This PC” 
5. Click on your phone
6. Open DCIM
7. Select the photos that you wish to copy
8. And move them whenever you want

As far as we know, Apple doesn’t allow you to copy anything else apart from photos with this method. So, if you wish to make backups of songs, videos, or anything like that, then take a look at one of our other methods. 

And while we are at it, in case you don’t know about it, multiple individual photos can be selected by holding down the CTRL button while clicking.

Pros:

• Allows you to choose individual pictures
• Very fast

Cons: 

• Can’t be used for other file types (Thanks, Apple)
• Some pictures do not appear with the correct rotation

Summary

That’s all for now. If you got any other backup methods/recommendations, let us and everyone else know about it in the comments section down below!