5 recommended iPhone backup methods Explain the optimal procedure for each environment such as iCloud and iTunes

Your iPhone stores a wide variety of data, including photos and videos, website favorites, and app save data. For that reason, if you do not take backups frequently, you may lose important data along with it in the event of an unexpected event such as a failure or loss. Above all, if you make a backup regularly, data migration will be smooth even when you change models.

However, there are various methods of backing up, and many people may be wondering which one to choose. Therefore, in this article, we will explain the advantages and disadvantages of the typical iPhone backup method and the specific procedure.

There are two main ways to back up your iPhone. One method is to store data on a server on the Internet using the cloud. Another way is to save the data to an external device such as a PC or SD card.

Let's take a look at the general differences and the pros and cons of each.

・Data can be accessed anytime, anywhere from any device that can be connected online.・By using iCloud, in addition to photos, videos, music, and documents, you can also store detailed data such as contacts, email history, downloaded apps, and various settings.・The cloud services of other companies also support major files such as photos and videos.・Depending on the service, there is also a function that can automatically save iPhone data at regular intervals.

・If there is a problem with the Internet connection, data access may be hindered or the download may take a long time.・It may take several hours to save a large amount of data depending on the communication environment and the speed limit on the service side.・In many cases, the upper limit is around 5GB for the free plan, so if you want to save all the data on your iPhone, including photos and videos, you will need to subscribe to a paid plan.・There is a risk of data loss due to service termination or cyberattacks. It is necessary to confirm the presence or absence of recovery service.

・Can be used regardless of internet connection.・The necessary cost is only the price of the equipment. In some cases, it is cheaper than the total cost of cloud monthly billing.・If you use iTunes on a PC, in addition to photos, videos, music, and documents, you can also save detailed data such as contacts, email history, downloaded apps, and various settings.・Even SD cards are compatible with major files such as photos and videos.

・Data cannot be accessed unless the external device itself is at hand.・There is a risk of losing data due to loss, damage, lifespan, aging deterioration, etc. It is necessary to check whether there is a warranty provided by the manufacturer or the place of purchase.・Since there is no automatic save function, you need to manage the timing of backup yourself and perform the work manually.

From here, I will introduce a specific iPhone backup method. First of all, when using the cloud, there are three typical methods.

1. Back up with iCloud 2. Back up with a cloud service such as Dropbox 3. Back up with au's "Data Storage"

Let's take a look at each backup item, advantages and disadvantages, and the actual procedure.

One of the most common ways is to use iCloud to back up. You can back up almost all the data and settings stored on your iPhone. The corresponding data are as follows.

・Photos and videos・Purchase history of Apple services (music, movies, TV shows, applications, books, etc.)・iMessage, SMS, MMS messages・Device settings・App data・Home screen and app layout・Contacts・Calendar ・Wallpaper ・Ringtone and notification sound ・Call history ・Visual Voicemail password, etc.

The biggest advantage of backing up with iCloud is that you can save not only photos and videos, but also iPhone setting information. Even if you need to initialize your iPhone due to a breakdown or loss, you can restore it to its previous state by restoring it with iCloud. You can easily specify the data you want to back up from the "Settings" application, so the operation is easy.

Since there are many people who do not have a PC these days, it would be an advantage to complete the backup with the iPhone alone. Conversely, for those who use multiple devices, it is a nice point to be able to share videos and photos smoothly. Data saved in iCloud can be easily accessed from iOS devices such as iPads and Macs.

Although it is not known unexpectedly, the backup history function is also useful. This is a function that can be saved as a separate backup file instead of overwriting the previous backup file when backing up with iCloud. Since the latest three backups can be saved, it is useful for restoration in case of emergency, such as when a backup is taken with important data deleted.

In addition, the auto-save function that regularly backs up data is also useful. However, when using this function, the iPhone must be connected to power, connected to Wi-Fi, locked, and there is free space in iCloud. Become.

The disadvantage of iCloud is that the free storage capacity is 5GB. The free plan has enough capacity, but people who often take photos and videos may feel unsatisfactory. You'll need to back up your photos and videos in a different way, or subscribe to a paid plan with at least 50GB if you want to save all your iPhone data.

From here, I will introduce the procedure for actually backing up with iCloud.

Open the "Settings" app and tap [Username] ▶ [iCloud].

Tap [iCloud Backup] to turn it on.

Tap Create Backup Now. Wait according to the remaining time for the backup creation to start.

There is also a way to back up with cloud services such as Dropbox and Amazon Drive. The range that can be saved varies depending on the service, but basically it covers photos, videos, music, document files, etc. In many cases, application data and setting information are not supported.

For example, in the case of Dropbox, which is one of the representative cloud services, the supported data is as follows.

・Photos and videos・Music・Word, Excel, PowerPoint・PDF・LINE chat・Other files

The great advantage of using such a cloud service is that it can be used in conjunction with other backup methods.

For example, you can use iCloud or iTunes as your main backup tool and use a cloud service as a sub. With iCloud's free plan, it is difficult to save all the data on the iPhone, and with iTunes, you have to secure a connection with your PC and free space. Therefore, iCloud and iTunes store data that only supports them, and store photos and videos in cloud services.

Also, unlike iCloud, which is linked to your account, you can share the data saved in the cloud service with other people. It will be useful in various scenes, from sharing data with colleagues and business partners at work to sharing photos with friends.

The disadvantage is that there are cases where the free plan has a small storage capacity. Dropbox, for example, has a free plan of 2GB, which isn't great for storing photos and videos. If you want to save a large amount of data, it is premised on subscribing to a 1TB paid plan.

Here, as an example, I will introduce the procedure for backing up with Dropbox. In addition, the procedure is different only when saving LINE chat history, so let's check each.

Start the "Dropbox" app and tap [Create]. Select [Upload photos] if you want to save photos and videos, and [Create/upload files] if you want to save other files.

Select the file you want to save and tap [Next]. Select the upload destination folder and tap [Upload].

Tap the menu at the top right of the LINE chat screen and select [More] on the displayed screen.

Tap [Send chat history], then tap [Save to Dropbox].

If you are an au user, the "Data Storage" service that allows you to upload and download data to the au server is also an option. The corresponding data are as follows.

・Photos and videos・au mail, SMS, +Message・Device settings・App list・Home screen and app layout・Contacts・Calendar・Wallpaper・Ring tone and notification sound・Call history・Password information, etc.

If you are an au user, there are many benefits to using data storage. Not only can it be easily operated from the app using the au ID, but detailed data such as setting information can also be saved, so there is no need to reset when restoring.

The storage capacity is 1 GB, but if you subscribe to the paid membership service "au Smart Pass" (*) or "au Smart Pass Premium", the upper limit will be increased to 50 GB. au Smart Pass costs 372 yen per month, and au Smart Pass Premium costs 499 yen per month. They offer a full range of services such as compensation for malfunctioning smartphones, discount coupons, and viewing of videos and music. * "au Smart Pass" will no longer accept new subscriptions on October 1, 2020

Even with all of these benefits, custody is still significantly cheaper than iCloud and other cloud services when compared with 50GB of storage. In addition, it can be said that the storage capacity can be expanded for 100 yen per 10GB, which is a great advantage.

The downside is that you can only upload videos up to 300MB per file. Also, please note that password information can only be backed up on iOS 9 or higher devices with Touch ID or Face ID.

From here, I will introduce the procedure for backing up with au "Data Storage".

Start the "Data Storage" app and tap [Start using]. Since the au ID login is completed, tap [OK].

Tap OK or Allow for each permission. When the home screen is displayed, tap [Store], check the data you want to save, and tap [Store].

Because the saving screen appears, wait until [The following data has been received] is displayed, then tap [Done].

Next, I'll show you how to make a backup on an external device. Two typical methods are:

・Backup on PC・Backup on SD card

Let's take a look at each backup item, advantages and disadvantages, and the actual procedure.

If you want to take a backup on an external device, the most familiar option is a PC. The most common method is to use iTunes, which can save almost all the data on the iPhone. For Macs running macOS Catalina 10.15 or later, use Finder instead of iTunes.

The following data are supported.

・Photos and videos・Purchase history of Apple services (music, movies, TV shows, applications, books, etc.)・iMessage, SMS, MMS messages・Device settings・App data・Home screen and app layout・Contacts・Calendar ・Wallpaper ・Ringtone and notification sound ・Call history ・Visual Voicemail password, etc.

The advantage of backing up on a PC is that it uses the storage capacity of the PC, so it has a larger capacity than the cloud free plan. However, if there is insufficient free space on the PC, there may be cases where the data cannot be saved sufficiently, so please be careful.

In addition, for those who are accustomed to using PCs for work, etc., it is possible to make backups smoothly, which can be said to be one of the advantages.

The disadvantage of backing up on a PC is that the data will be lost if the PC itself is damaged or lost. Also, while saving data, the operation of the PC may become slow or it may take a long time. If you want to make a backup on your PC, you want to do it when you have a lot of time.

Here, we will take Mac (macOS Catalina 10.15 or later) and Windows PC (Windows 10 Home) as examples to introduce the procedure for backing up each. If you're using an earlier version of macOS, you can use iTunes to back up your iPhone.

Connect the iPhone and Mac with a cable, and select the iPhone (the name you set yourself) in the sidebar of the Finder on the Mac.

Click [General] on the tab at the top and select [Back up all data on your iPhone to this Mac]. To encrypt your backup data and protect it with a password, select Encrypt local backups and click Back up now.

You can also connect your iPhone to your Mac wirelessly without using a cable if you have Wi-Fi sync set up.

Depending on the settings of the PC, iTunes will start at the same time as the iPhone is connected, but if the iTunes auto-sync setting is turned on at that time, the iPhone will be forcibly synced. This may cause data to disappear or be duplicated, so it is recommended to turn off the automatic synchronization setting in advance.

Before connecting the iPhone with a cable, start "iTunes" on your PC and click [iTunes] ▶ [Edit] ▶ [Preferences]. When [Device Preferences] opens, select [Devices], check [Prevent iPods, iPhones, and iPads from syncing automatically] and click [OK].

Connect your iPhone and PC with a cable, and click [iPhone mark] at the top left of the "iTunes" screen.

Click "Back Up Now" on the "Summary" tab to start the backup. If you want to encrypt your backup, click Encrypt local backup. Enter your password and select [Set Password].

You can also back up your data by transferring it to an SD card. The corresponding data are as follows.

・Photos and videos・Music・Word, Excel, PowerPoint・PDF・Other files

The advantage of SD cards is that you can store a lot of data by using a large capacity SD card or multiple SD cards. Larger ones may have storage capacities of up to 2TB.

Also, if you want to share data with multiple terminals, you can connect the SD card to another device, so it is very easy to use. You can create backups without using a PC, so it will be useful for people who do not have a PC or who want to carry it around easily.

However, since the iPhone does not have an SD card slot, you will need to purchase an SD card reader separately. Also, there are cases where SD cards have a lifespan of about 2 to 3 years, so they are not necessarily suitable for long-term storage. Take proper precautions, such as making double backups of important data. While using the automatic save function of iCloud, it is also recommended to use supplementary usage such as transferring important data to the SD card just in case.

From here, I will introduce the procedure for taking a backup on an SD card.

Connect the SD card reader to the iPhone and insert the SD card. Open the file you want to save to the SD card and tap the [Share button].

Tap Save to File. Select the destination SD card and tap [Save].

Be sure to create a backup to use your iPhone safely and securely. In addition to protecting important data, it will also be useful when you want to share photos, videos, business document data, etc. with multiple devices.

As a preparation for emergencies, and as a technique for using the iPhone more conveniently, back up your data frequently.