How to back up your phone
A cracked screen or a lost phone is much less painful when your photos and contacts are safe. Here’s how to back up in a few minutes.
iPhone
- Open Settings and tap your name at the top
- Tap iCloud, then iCloud Backup
- Turn on Back Up This iPhone, then tap Back Up Now while connected to Wi-Fi
- Check the free iCloud storage is enough. If not, you may need more storage, or back up to a computer instead
Android
- Open Settings and search for Backup (the exact menu varies by make)
- Turn on backup to your Google account
- Tap Back up now while connected to Wi-Fi
- For photos, turn on backup in the Google Photos app
Good habits
- Back up before any repair, upgrade or software update
- Check your backup actually finished: look for the date of the last backup
- Keep important photos in two places, for example cloud and a computer or USB drive
- Write down your Apple ID or Google password and keep it somewhere safe
Can’t get it to work, or need files rescued from a phone that won’t switch on? I can help.