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 everything on it: your photos, contacts, messages, and app settings. If your phone ever breaks, gets lost, or just stops working, a backup means you don’t lose everything.
What Gets Backed Up?
A full phone backup typically includes:
- Photos and videos
- 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.
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.
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.
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.