Back up your iPhone or iPad

How to ensure your most important data is kept safe and secure

- Phil King

How would you feel if you ever lost your iPhone or iPad? Pretty devastated, we suspect - especially if it contains precious data that hasn't been backed up! That's why it is vital that you make regular backups, to safeguard your data and preferred settings. In this guide, we'll show you how to do it.

There are two main methods for backing up your iOS device. The easiest is to use iCloud to make automatic (or manual) regular backups that are stored remotely. While iCloud grants you 5GB of free storage, this may not be enough for a full data backup. In that case, you can pay for extra storage by upgrading to iCloud+, or choose only specific data types to back up.

The alternative method is to connect your iPhone or iPad to your Mac via USB to make a locally stored data backup using the Finder. You can also opt to encrypt your local backup, in which case it may also include data such as passwords, Wi-Fi settings, and call history.

HOW TO Back up using iCloud

1 Enable auto backups

To enable automatic backups to iCloud, go to Settings > Apple Account > iCloud > iCloud Backup. Toggle the switch to On. Your iPhone will automatically be backed up daily when it is locked and connected to power and Wi-Fi.