For most people, their iPhone is the most important thing they
own. It holds a lot of important data, from contacts, personal photos and
videos, playlists, emails, financial information, and so much more. And if you
are one of those who love to use their iPhone as their primary camera, then you
will have tons of precious memories you wouldn't want to lose. That is why it
is very important to always back up your phone's data, not only because you
will be updating the operating system or upgrading to the latest iPhone model.
Before you go about backing up your iPhone, remember these 5
simple reminders to ensure that your data are backed up correctly and that your
data are secured before upgrading to the latest iOS.
Before you back up your iPhone, do make sure that your contacts,
messages, and calendars are backed up to iCloud or Gmail. This will ensure that
you will not lose any of your important contacts, text and email messages, as
well as important appointments set on your calendar.
To do this, simply go to Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendar.
From there, tap the account you use to save data (iCloud or Gmail), and then make
sure Mail, Contacts, Calendars,
and Notes are all toggled on.
Syncing your iPhone to your Mac or PC is not enough these days.
You also need to back it up to make sure you will always have a copy of your
personal photos and videos since Photo Stream on iCloud will only store up to
1000 photos in cloud for 30 days. Since that is the case, you are liable to
lose these photos unless you have a copy saved on a disk.
To make sure your photos and videos are properly backed up, use
Dropbox, OneDrive, or other services like Google+ Photos. These cloud storage
apps not only store your photos, but they also have an auto-upload feature that
allows you to automatically upload your photos to cloud when you're connected
to Wi-Fi, without even opening the app.
Some might say backing up your important data to multiple
locations is pretty extreme. But, it is better to be safe than sorry, is what I
often say.
Image Capture is a built-in utility found in Mac OS. It enables
you to upload pictures from your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, digital cameras, and
scanners that are connected directly to the computer or to the network. In
Image Capture, you can select the photos you want to save, including their
destination. You can save them to your computer and/or to an external hard
drive.
Backing up your photos and videos to a Windows computer is very
easy. All you need to do is follow these simple steps:
STEP 1: Connect
your iPhone to the Windows computer using the cable that came with it.
STEP 2: Once
your iPhone is detected, open Computer, then
right-click your iPhone's drive, and then click Import
pictures and videos.
STEP 3: When the Import
Pictures and Videos window
appears, select the destination where the photos and videos will be imported.
NOTE: You
also have the option to delete the photos and videos from your iPhone once they
are imported.
iTunes can be used to back up your entire iPhone. When you use
iTunes to back up your iPhone, it will clone your entire device, and that
includes your apps, settings, photos, videos, music, etc. To do this, simply
follow these steps:
STEP 1: Open
iTunes. Make sure you have the latest version installed. You can download the
latest version here.
STEP 2: Plug
your iPhone to your computer (Mac or PC) using the USB cable it came with.
STEP 3: Once
your iPhone is detected, click File, and then click Devices.
STEP 4: Click Back
up.