Why is a backup not created in icloud. iCloud backups on iPhone: how to create, restore, use? How to Manage iTunes and iCloud Backups
To protect yourself from losing information if your Apple device breaks down, it is recommended to create a backup copy. But sometimes the operation fails and the copying fails. To correct an error, you must first identify the causes of its occurrence.
Why couldn't I create a backup via iTunes or iCloud?
Errors “Unable to create a backup copy”, “Error in creating a backup copy”, “Failed to create a backup copy” appear for the following reasons:
- iTunes version is outdated;
- The USB cable is not working properly;
- Internet connection and speed are unstable;
- too many backups have been created;
- the problem is in the device itself.
How to fix an error in creating a backup copy
If you do not know the exact cause of the failure, then follow all the steps one by one until you solve the problem.
Reboot the system
Try rebooting the device you are using. This action will restart all processes running in the background and will likely resolve the issue.
Checking your Internet connection
The problem may be with your internet connection, so try connecting to a different Wi-Fi point, restarting your router, or checking your mobile network status.
Application update
If you use iTunes, make sure you have the latest version of the program installed:
Updating iOS and programs
Make sure that the applications installed on your phone or tablet are updated and the firmware version matches the latest iOS version:
Freeing up disk space
Your computer's hard disk probably runs out of space, so you can't save a backup copy. Then open File Explorer and clear the memory.
Sign in to your Apple ID account
Sign out of your Apple ID account and sign in again. On iPhone, iPad, iPod touch this is possible through the settings:
On Mac OS and Windows using iTunes, just click on the account name, then on the “Sign Out” button, and then log in to the program again.
I encountered this problem a long time ago, but I never got around to figuring out how to cure this disease. The most interesting thing is that I have three devices for iOS: two iPads and an iPhone. There were no problems with iPads, but the iPhone refuses to create a backup copy from the moment of purchase. In general, today I figured it all out and am sharing it with you.
I am aware that Apple devices are not a mass product these days. This is primarily due to the exchange rate of the ruble and their prices. However, judging by the search queries, the topic of life hacks for treating minor software problems is very relevant. For example, "" written in the summer of 2014 is still at the peak of popularity in search queries:
People go, read and say thank you. I am very pleased that my posts help solve problems.
Let's go back to the backup. As we know, backup in iOS is available in two ways: through the iTunes program and copying to iCloud cloud storage. I always use the latter. This is very convenient, because... no need to connect the device to the computer, press any buttons... all you need to do is put your phone on charge with wi-fi connected and go to bed. A copy will be created in the morning. It is also very convenient to restore your device when purchasing a new device. Just connect to your account and restore from the latest copy.
So, two ways to restore copying if it is not carried out automatically.
1. You need to go to Settings-iCloud, go down the menu and log out of your account. When you exit, the system will ask whether to leave the content, we answer - yes:
If a copy is still not created, then you can try the second method. You need to delete the previously created copy of this device. It is best to do this not from the device, but from the computer. I have a Mac, so the screenshots will be from Mac OS. On Windows, you need to go to the iCloud application and find a similar function.
2. On the Mac, go to Settings - iCloud
At the bottom of the window, click the “Manage” button:
In storage management, select “Backups” on the left and the copy of the device that needs to be deleted. As I already said, copies have never been created on my iPhone, for this reason there is simply no previous copy. If you previously created copies and suddenly stopped, then the last copy will be here. It needs to be removed:
After deleting, go to the device menu Settings-iCloud-Backups and click “Create a backup copy”
That's all! I hope you find this useful.
If you have never lost personal data along with your iPhone or when it breaks down, you are lucky! It's time to play it safe.
Many, including me, have at least once experienced the loss of personal data: notes, calendar and reminders - when the device fails, is lost, or, most unpleasantly, . It’s quite easy to protect yourself from such troubles by backing up your iPhone/iPad.
There are several issues on the agenda:
iPhone/iPad Backup
An iPhone/iPad backup is a multi-file archive with encrypted user data stored in the device’s memory.
The backup method determines:
- Content: iTunes and iCloud backups are different from each other. Looking ahead, I will say that it is more complete.
- Location: either , or in the cloud.
Unfortunately or to some extent, the backup copy does not include all the contents of the iOS device - imagine how long it would take to backup everything and videos, and how much such a copy would weigh! Apple, as always, did not leave us a choice and therefore an iPhone backup contains a fixed set of data.
iPhone/iPad Backup Contents
- Camera Roll: Photos, screenshots, saved images, and captured videos;
- Notes;
- Settings ;
- Contacts and call history;
- Calendar Events;
- Safari bookmarks, cookies, history, offline data, and currently open pages;
- Autocomplete for web pages;
- Cache/offline database of web programs;
- iMessages, as well as SMS and MMS with attachments (images and videos);
- Audio recordings made using a voice recorder;
- Network settings: saved Wi-Fi hotspots, settings, network settings;
- Keychain: Email account passwords, Wi-Fi passwords, and passwords entered into websites and some programs;
- Information about programs installed on iPhone/iPad and from the App Store;
- Parameters, settings and program data, including documents;
- In-app purchases;
- Game Center account;
- Wallpaper;
- Maps bookmarks, search history and current location;
- Bluetooth devices paired (if this data is restored to the same phone that was used to create the backup).
The list of what is not included in the iPhone/iPad copy is shorter and depends on the type of backup: iTunes or iCloud.
iTunes backup not included
- from the iTunes Store;
- Games and programs and App Store;
- Music, photos, videos and books, ;
- Previously stored photos in iCloud, such as files from My Photo Stream and iCloud Photo Library;
- Touch ID settings;
- Data from Activity, Health, and Keychain Access (you must use the iTunes backup encryption feature to back up this data).
iCloud backup isn't as complete as iTunes, but it has everything most of us need.
What's Not Included in iCloud Backup
- Previously stored data in the cloud (for example, contacts, calendars, notes, files from the My Photo Stream album and iCloud photo libraries);
- Data stored in other cloud services (such as Gmail or Exchange);
- Apple Pay information and settings;
- Touch ID settings;
- Content downloaded from sources other than the iTunes Store, App Store, or iBooks Store (such as imported MP3s, videos, or CDs);
- Content downloaded using iTunes in the cloud and App Store content (if previously purchased content is still available in the iTunes Store, App Store, or iBooks Store, it can be downloaded again).
Ways to Backup iPhone/iPad
I am sure that you know no more than 2 ways to create iPhone backups, but there are at least 3 of them:
- On your computer using iTunes.
- On iPhone/iPad using iCloud.
- On a computer using third-party software, for example, .
iTunes Backup
- Created on a local Windows or Mac computer using iTunes.
- Can be encrypted with a password (data from the Activity, Health and Keychain Access programs is saved in an encrypted copy).
- Created automatically when updating iOS.
- Only one copy is created for each device within the same iOS generation. For example, when creating a backup copy of an iPhone with iOS 9.3.1, the previous copy is replaced with a new one. The trick with changing the device name no longer works.
- This requires connecting the device to a computer.
- You can restore data from a copy at any time.
How to backup iPhone/iPad using iTunes?
As a reminder, this is a local backup (saved to the hard drive of your Windows or Mac computer).
iCloud backup
- Created directly on iPhone and iPad.
- Saved in cloud storage (on Apple servers).
- Created automatically or manually.
- Automatically created daily if:
- with Internet access,
- device screen.
- To restore data from an iCloud backup, you don't need to connect your device to your computer.
- Data recovery from an iCloud copy is performed after restoring in iTunes and.
How to create an iCloud backup on iPhone/iPad?
The Backup button is grayed out if your device is not connected to a Wi-Fi network with Internet access.
How to backup iPhone/iPad using iMazing and similar?
iTunes is not the only computer program with an iPhone/iPad backup function; in my work I use iMazing - almost a complete analogue of iTunes, only without the function of restoring and updating the device.
The interesting thing is that iMazing and iTunes backups are fully compatible: the iTunes copy is recognized in iMazing and vice versa - the iMazing copy is compatible with iTunes.
Also in iMazing you can create a single-file backup of your iPhone/iPad, unlike iTunes, the backup of which consists of dozens of files encrypted using the cryptographic hashing algorithm (SHA-1). You can create as many such backups as you like for each version.
To backup iPhone/iPad using iMazing:
Automatic iPhone/iPad backup
If your iPhone/iPad is connected to a power source and to a Wi-Fi network with Internet access, and its screen is locked, iCloud backups are created automatically daily without your intervention.
On the one hand, this is great because it saves you and me time, on the other hand, it can lead to the loss of contacts, calendar events or Safari bookmarks. For example, your iPhone is charging and connected to a Wi-Fi network, you delete a contact, and then lock the device by pressing the “Power” button. iCloud automatically creates a new backup without the contact you deleted, replacing the old one BEFORE deleting the data. As a result, you were left without contact, and, if not for , your data would have been permanently deleted. Luckily, your iCloud Drive files, contacts, calendar, and Safari bookmarks can be recovered.
How to manage iTunes and iCloud backups?
We already talk about where the iTunes backup is stored by default and how to transfer it to another hard drive partition. Let's take a closer look at setting up iCloud backup.
Let's assume that you already have a backup of your iOS device in iCloud. Information about the latest copy is located in the menu “Settings -> iCloud -> Storage -> Manage -> Section “Backups” -> Name of your device.”
iCloud backup properties contain the following information:
- The date and time the last copy was created.
- Copy size in megabytes.
- Options for backing up apps installed on your device.
How to disable backup of a program/game on iPhone/iPad?
If you change your mind and want to enable backup of data from installed applications, turn on the corresponding switches in “Settings -> iCloud -> Storage -> Manage -> Section “Backups” -> Your device name -> List of “Backup options”.
This way, you can flexibly configure data backup for individual programs and reduce the size of the iCloud copy.
How to delete an iTunes backup?
If you sold your iPhone/iPad, then you no longer need a backup copy of it saved on your local computer and can use it.
- If the value of your personal data is many times greater than the cost of the device on which it is stored, or even priceless, you should set up backup immediately after.
- If you forget to create backups manually, create conditions where iOS will create them automatically without your participation.
- An iTunes backup may become corrupted, for example, if the backup had errors or did not complete.
- You can, and with it, a copy of iCloud.
Create 2 backup copies of one device at once (if you don’t have money for iMazing): locally in iTunes and remotely in iCloud. Why?
According to the Theory of Probability, the probability of a coincidence of two events is always less than the probability of each of these events separately, which means there is less chance of losing data when creating two copies.
In order to save important data on your iOS device, Apple has provided the ability make backups. In general, it is recommended to make a backup before updating to iOS 11/iOS 12, before jailbreak or with some regularity for personal purposes. But sometimes It is impossible to back up to iPhone X/8/7/6/5.
There are two backup options available for iPhone owners: using iTunes or via iCloud cloud storage. In order to make a “backup” in iTunes, you need to connect your device to your computer using a USB cable and select the appropriate function in the media combiner. A backup via iCloud is made directly from the iOS device itself, but for this the user needs to make the appropriate settings. A copy will be automatically created daily, provided that the smartphone is connected to a Wi-Fi network and is locked. Data recovery is possible both from a backup made in iTunes and iCloud.
The official iTunes program often does not work stably. Errors, freezing, and malfunctions may occur. Creating a backup copy and restoring data from a backup usually takes a lot of time. An alternative solution can be considered the Tenorshare iCareFone program.
For Mac OS X 10.9-10.14
Tenorshare iCareFone has quite a wide range of functionality, including the ability to make backups and restore from backups directly without iTunes. In other words, the owner of an iPhone can save data with the possibility of later restoring it only by using Tenorshare iCareFone. And here the Tenorshare iCareFone utility has a number of advantages.
Firstly, Tenorshare iCareFone is significantly faster than iTunes, as it does not require downloading additional libraries. The process of creating a backup and restoring takes very little time. Secondly, the utility supports automatic systematization of all backups in iTunes. Thirdly, the user can easily manage backups, deleting unnecessary ones to further free up hard drive space.
The capabilities of the Tenorshare iCareFone program include selecting the type of data that can be saved (messages with attachments, notes, correspondence in popular instant messengers Viber, WhatsApp, voice recordings, notes, contacts, photos, videos and other data). You can export them directly from the program to your computer.
As for backups, Tenorshare iCareFone saves the backup and organizes it along with other backups. If the user needs to restore from backups made in Tenorshare iCareFone, there is an option to view them first. This is a big advantage. After viewing, you can separately select the files needed for recovery, or perform a full recovery from a backup.
Users will appreciate the Tenorshare iCareFone program. This is an excellent alternative to iTunes and iCloud in terms of backup capabilities. In addition, Tenorshare iCareFone allows you to quickly manage various types of files (videos, photos, music), clear the smartphone’s memory and increase performance, fix system errors, etc. You can download Tenorshare iCareFone from the official website. A free trial version and a paid version are available.
When you don’t have a computer at hand, but you really need a backup copy.
The ecosystem of the iOS mobile operating system is designed in such a way that as soon as you connect your smartphone to a charger, there is an available Wi-Fi network at hand, and the iPhone or iPad screen is locked, copying photos, text messages, applications, mail, calendars and other data begins to remote cloud iCloud. What to copy and what not is decided by the user in the corresponding menu: Settings - iCloud.
This is done for security purposes and the possibility of further data recovery in case of loss or breakdown of the device. If at least one of the three conditions is not met (the smartphone is not charging, there is no connection to Wi-Fi, or the screen is unlocked), copying to iCloud does not occur. Now imagine a situation where you are forced to go to another city for several days or weeks. You make new acquaintances, take a number of photographs, fill up your contact book with the numbers of interesting people... In a word, if you don’t have a computer at hand, a smartphone completely replaces it. But we rarely find time to create a full backup using the stationary iTunes application, and losing or breaking a device can turn into a real headache.
Anticipating human laziness, the developers included the ability to create backups without the need to connect to a Mac or PC. It's more convenient, it's faster and it will save you from digital losses. In addition, when purchasing a new smartphone “far from the homeland,” such mobile copying will allow you to easily start using the new smartphone with a complete transfer of all data.
What is saved in iCloud backup from iPhone
The algorithm for backing up directly from a smartphone is similar to traditional creation of copies using iTunes. A backup created exclusively using a smartphone will contain:
- application data;
- history of SMS, MMS and iMessage messages;
- device settings;
- Health data;
- purchase history: applications, books, music, movies;
- photos and videos (if iCloud Photo Library is enabled: Settings – iCloud – iCloud Photo Library – Enable);
- ringtones;
- HomeKit data and configuration.
Please note that music and videos purchased outside of the official iTunes and App Stores will not be included in a backup created without using a Mac or PC.
Creating a Backup
To start synchronizing, you will need a stable Wi-Fi signal. You can use either your home wireless network or use the Internet at the nearest restaurant, hotel or airport.
Open Settings - iCloud and go to Backup copy and turn the slider on.
Agree to the request to start the backup. Enter the password for the account you use in iCloud. After enabling backup, iPhone will display the current version of the last save:
Now you can start creating a new copy by clicking Create Backup.
The smartphone will warn you about how long ago backups were not created. In my case, two weeks have passed since the last save, and considering that I use the smartphone’s capabilities to the fullest, the losses could be great. The time it takes to create a backup copy depends on the number of installed applications, downloaded music, videos and the overall “load” of the iOS device. During copying, you can minimize the corresponding menu and use your smartphone: the process will take place in the background.
Restoring from a backup
To completely reset your iOS device for further restoration from the backup you just created, transfer to Settings – General – Reset – Erase content and settings.
Enter the password you set and select Erase iPhone. Enter your iCloud account password. The smartphone will reboot. All data will be deleted.
Regardless of whether you are setting up a newly purchased smartphone, or want to return the current settings to your native device, the further steps will be completely identical.
- 1. Once connected to a Wi-Fi network, select Recover from iCloud copy(Restore from iCloud Backup).
2. Enter the login and password for the account in which the backup was created.
- 3. Select the current backup and wait for the process to complete.
After restoring the settings (takes a few minutes), the iOS device will reboot. You will need to re-enter the password for iCloud and standard settings for the iMessage and TouchID service. When the Springboard appears, you'll be greeted with a familiar selection of apps and games that will immediately begin loading (connecting to a charger is recommended at this point in the recovery process).
