Your phone is probably one of the most useful things you own — and also one of the most easily damaged or lost. Backing it up means making a copy of your data on it, such as your contacts, messages and app settings. Whether your photos are included depends on your photo settings (see the note below). If your phone ever breaks, gets lost, or just stops working, a backup means you don’t lose everything.
This guide is written for iPhones and Android phones; menu names vary by version, and some phone makers add their own backup service.
What Gets Backed Up?
A full phone backup typically includes:
- Photos and videos (see the note below about photo services)
- Contacts
- Text messages
- App data and settings
- Call history
It does not usually include apps themselves — those get downloaded again from the app store — but all your settings and data within them will be restored.
Photos and videos are not always kept inside the phone backup itself. If you use a photo service such as iCloud Photos or Google Photos, your pictures may be stored there instead. Check your photo sync settings to see where your photos are kept.
Backing Up an iPhone
iPhones back up to iCloud, Apple’s online storage service. You get 5GB free, which isn’t a lot if you have many photos. Here’s how to set it up:
- Go to Settings and tap your name at the top.
- Tap iCloud → iCloud Backup.
- Turn on “Back Up This iPhone.”
- Tap “Back Up Now” to do it immediately. Once it finishes, the backup should show a recent date and time, so you can see that it worked.
After that, your phone will back up automatically each night when it’s charging and connected to Wi-Fi.
Backing Up an Android Phone
Android phones back up to your Google account:
- Go to Settings → Google → Backup.
- Make sure “Back up to Google Drive” is switched on.
- Tap “Back up now” to start immediately. It may take a while to finish. On many phones, the screen then shows when the last backup finished.
Google Photos can also back up your photos separately, which is useful since photos take the most space.
How Often Should You Back Up?
If automatic backups are turned on, you don’t need to think about it — your phone handles it overnight. But it’s a good idea to manually back up before any major event where you’ll be taking a lot of photos, before getting a new phone, or before a software update.
Restoring From a Backup
If you ever need to restore your phone — because it broke or you got a new one — you’ll be asked during setup if you want to restore from a backup. Choose that option and sign in with your Apple ID or Google account, and your phone will download everything back.
If a restore fails, or a backup you expected is missing from your Apple or Google account, get help from the official support pages for that service, or from your phone maker. Do not give your Apple ID or Google password to anyone who contacts you first and offers to fix it.
Last updated: October 9, 2026