Easy Steps to Backing Up Your Phone

Your smartphone is not just any other ordinary device—it’s your personal assistant, memory bank, and daily companion. It holds your photos, classwork notes, karaoke recording, and more. 

But you could lose all of it in an instant through theft, accidental deletion, or hacking. Backing up the information is a sure way to keep it safe. How do you do it? We will walk you through the backup process, whether you are using an Android or an iPhone.

Why should I back up my device?

When you back up, you store a copy of your data elsewhere, whether locally or in the cloud. You can always restore the data if you lose it. It also becomes easy to switch to a new phone without your data going missing. Besides, backing up allows you to access data remotely from other devices in case your phone dies.

Back up an iPhone

iPhone allows you to back up data via iCloud or your computer. Here’s how to go about it:

Back up in the iCloud

1. Activate an internet connection on your iPhone. Consider an unlimited mobile plan or Wi-Fi.
2. On the settings icon, tap your name at the top of the page and select iCloud.
3. Click and activate iCloud Backup.
4. Select Back Up Now to start the process.
5. Check the available space regularly. If you need more than 5 GB of space, upgrade to iCloud+. Plans start at $0.99/month for 50 GB.

iPhone automates backup after this setup whenever you are connected to Wi-Fi.

Using a Computer

If you prefer a local backup, use a Mac or PC and follow the steps below:

1. Use a USB cable to connect the iPhone to your computer
2. Open Finder if using macOS Catalina or a later version. Otherwise, use iTunes for Windows or older macOS versions.
3. If using Finder, click iPhone under Locations. iTunes shows you an iPhone icon.
4. Click the backup icon to start the process. Be sure to check Encrypt local backup for added security. 

Back Up an Android Phone

You can back up your Android on Google’s cloud services or your computer. Here’s how:

Using Google One

1. Go to the Settings app on your Android phone.
2. Navigate to System and then Backup or Google One
3. Turn on Backup to Google One.
4. Tap Back Up Now.
5. Check the storage capacity regularly. Google provides 15GB of free storage shared across Google Drive, Photos, and Gmail. Upgrade to a Google One plan for more space. Prices start at around $1.99/month for 100 GB.

Using a Computer

1. Use a USB cable to connect your Android to your computer.
2. Swipe down on your phone, tap the USB notification, and select File Transfer. For a comprehensive backup, use manufacturer tools like Samsung Smart Switch or third-party apps like Dr.Fone.
3. On your computer, open the phone’s storage. Drag and drop the files you wish to back up into a folder on your computer.

Best practices for backups

Consider backing up your phone data regularly. The cloud-based method is the safest. But it might cost you if you surpass specific data sizes. For large data sizes, it’s recommended that you prioritize the crucial files when using the free package. It's also good to regularly check if automatic backups are running fine.