How to Safely Backup Your iPhone Before Updating
How to Safely Backup Your iPhone Before Updating
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Backing up to iCloud involves navigating to your iPhone’s settings, tapping on your Apple ID, then selecting “iCloud,” followed by “iCloud Backup.” From there, you can initiate a manual backup by tapping “Back Up Now.” This process might take several minutes to complete, depending on the size of your data and the speed of your internet connection. Once complete, you can be confident that your data is safely stored in Apple’s servers. Additionally, iCloud automatically performs daily backups when your phone is connected to power and Wi-Fi, but it’s always safer to create a fresh backup immediately before a major update.
Backing up via a computer provides a different set of options and advantages. When you connect your iPhone to a Mac or PC with a USB cable, you can open Finder (on macOS Catalina and later) or iTunes (on older macOS versions or Windows) and select your device. From there, you can create a full backup by clicking the appropriate button. One of the iPhone backup before update benefits of backing up via a computer is the ability to create an encrypted backup, which secures sensitive data such as passwords and health information. Encrypted backups require setting a password but offer enhanced protection for your personal information. After the backup is complete, the data is stored locally on your computer’s hard drive, making it faster to restore if needed and not dependent on internet connectivity.
Understanding what gets backed up is also important. Most personal data and settings are saved in the backup, including your app data, call history, device settings, messages (iMessages, SMS, MMS), photos and videos stored in the Camera Roll, health data, and home screen layouts. However, some content such as media files synced from iTunes, Apple Pay information, Face ID or Touch ID settings, and data already stored in iCloud (like Contacts, Calendars, Notes, and iCloud Photos) might not be included or need to be re-enabled after restoration. Knowing this helps set the right expectations when performing a backup and preparing for a restore if necessary.
Once the backup is securely stored, you can proceed with the iOS update with peace of mind. The update itself can be started via the device settings by navigating to “General,” then “Software Update.” Your iPhone will check for available updates and prompt you to download and install the latest version. During the installation process, the phone will restart multiple times and show progress bars. It is vital not to disconnect the device or interrupt the update to avoid causing software corruption. If, despite all precautions, the update fails or causes unexpected issues, you can use your backup to restore the device. This is done by connecting the iPhone to the computer and choosing the restore option or, for iCloud backups, by following the setup prompts to restore from an iCloud backup.
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